Day 4, Tuesday July 8
Amazing Trails In The Badlands of North Dakota
The Badl ands of North Dakota is sparsely populated, and during our drive across this amazing territory we didn't see much of anything except a few small towns and ranches. The shear vastness of the Great Plains for some of us was almost incomprehensible, from horizon to horizon, as far as the eye could see, there's nothing but grasslands. To a traveling group of adventurers this means remote trails, and lots of them. Our guides for the day were Dave Shroyer, Pat Helgeson, and ranch owner Dale Hagen. They led us on the Walker and Northwest Passage Trails. Both of these trails start just a short distance from the front door of the Hagen ranch house, and not too far away from the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.
 The geography of Dale Hagen's...  The geography of Dale Hagen's ranch was unique and extremely interesting. Everywhere we looked were petrified stumps of wood, bits of fossils, and prehistoric sea shells. Some of us had trouble keeping our noses out of the dirt while looking for something cool. |  Super-tricky trails mean tons...  Super-tricky trails mean tons of fun while wheeling. Our reader from the West Coast, Patrick Deming, and his co-driver and brother Steve, amazed each and every one of us with their driving skills. Amazingly this Bronco was in as great a condition when it left UA as when it arrived. |  The official title sponsor,...  The official title sponsor, BFG Wrangler JK, was driven by Nate Williams from Mt. Logan Off-Road and Gary Enterline from BFGoodrich Tires. The JK functioned phenomenally on the trail and was a great way to showcase the new 40-inch BFG KM2 Mud Terrains. |
There's nothing like a Hemi...
There's nothing like a Hemi under a vehicle's hood, and then there's nothing like a Hemi in a lightweight rocky buggy. They get up and move over anything you can throw under them. Keith Bailey and co-driver Ryan Hagel, representing Flowmaster, made mincemeat out of the toughest obstacle every day we were out.
The Dakota Badlands is amazing country and it's as replete in archeology, geography, and geology as the trails are challenging. The trails on Dale's ranch are steep and will throw a vehicle off chamber when least expected. The terrain is extremely unique, and the trails wind their way through canyons that have been shaped and sculpted by thousands of years of erosion. The area reminded some of us of Truckhaven Hills near the Salton Sea in Southern California. Making this area even more intriguing is the fact that it's littered with petrified wood and remnants of prehistoric fossils. This is also dinosaur country, and it wasn't hard to let our imaginations run wild when we weren't trying to keep our rigs right side up. The thought of stumbling across a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull had some scanning the sides of the trails.
Joining us on the trail were some of the members of the local Cliffhangers Jeep club. They told us that the Walker Trail was so aptly named because their women usually jumped out of the rigs and walked it. We could see why. Some of the more difficult obstacles could roll a vehicle in a flash, and that's a multiple roll. Then there were major sinkholes everywhere, in some cases right in the middle of the trail. Unfortunately, due to fuel-delivery problems the first vehicle to drop out of the pack was our beloved UA Z71.
 Wheeling the badlands is not...  Wheeling the badlands is not only challenging, it can be downright dangerous. This tricky little optional notch was only attempted by a few in the group... |  ...Clifton Slay did pull it...  ...Clifton Slay did pull it off but there were a couple tense moment while he was hammering his Jeep's skinny peddle... |  ...A roll down the sidehill...  ...A roll down the sidehill would have been disastrous. |
Sinkholes in the middle of...
Sinkholes in the middle of the trail were everywhere. Some of them looked to be 6 feet deep or more. If we weren't careful while negotiating the trail around them, they could have easily swallowed a vehicle.
It seems that the pick-up inside the fuel cell was placed in the wrong position between the foam baffles by the manufacturer. When the rig was in certain downhill off-chamber positions the fuel pump starved. Mel Wade, Ali Mansour, and Clifton Slay jumped into action, ripped the tank apart, removed some of the foam, and zip-tied a wrench to the pick-up to weigh it down. This fix worked like a charm and the UA Z71 was back on the trail and finished this trail and adventure without incident.
A person can judge the difficulty levels of a trail by how long it actually takes them to complete. We spent a good majority of the day wheeling these two trails and never really traveled more than a couple miles. By late afternoon we straggled back to camp for an incredible BBQ dinner hosted by Dave Shroyer and Pat Helgeson.
We can't thank our hosts enough for their warm hospitality and expert trail leadership. After knocking back some cold brews, the crew of UA settled in for another night of wrenching repairs, tall tales, and lighthearted hi jinks. Some of us were able to catch a little sleep in Dale's pasture before we woke early the next morning and headed a few hundred miles away to our next wheeling destination in Wyoming.
The North Dakota Badlands are amazing, and the wheeling is even more spectacular. The crew found countless sections of the trail that were challenging for both the rig and driver. At the end of the day it was tough pulling ourselves away from the Badlands trails on Dale Hagen's ranch. But we could smell the killer BBQ grub waiting for us back at camp. Our trail leaders and local businessmen Dave Shroyer, owner of Williston Tire Center, and Pat Helgeson, owner of Custom Welding, hosted yet another fine meal for us. As a typical end to the day on the Ultimate Adventure, everyone settled in for a night of repairs, cold beers, and some shuteye under the stars.
 Another Hemi-powered vehicle...  Another Hemi-powered vehicle was this Suzuki representing Rough County Suspension and driven by Greg Higgs. The little rig with the big gun under the hood ran flawlessly up and down the trails the entire event. |  Some of the steep hillclimbs...  Some of the steep hillclimbs on Dale Hagen's ranch were tricky and dangerous; others were downright fun. Fred Perry and co-driver Steve Shoenfelder blasted up this sandy notch. Fred's custom-built Jeep Comanche was one of the more unique rigs on UA. |  Tom Cherry joined the select...  Tom Cherry joined the select few club members within the UA crew who went the entire week without breaking any components or damaging their vehicle. He was also able to conquer every obstacle without winching. |
Tuesday's Carnage
Trent McGee: Broken hub
UA Z71: Fuel pick-up issue, manufacturer defect
Fred Perry: Broken spring perch, damaged track bar, broken transfer-case adapter bracket
Jonathon Cooper: Broken ring-and-pinion
Clifton Slay: Broken sideview mirror
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