Day 7: Friday, July 11Blazing From Wyoming To Rangely, Colorado
It was not only intriguing...
It was not only intriguing and entertaining watching the crew fix busted components like Jeff Mello's transfer case, it was an excellent education in automotive field repair.
Rising early Friday morning, we quickly packed up camp, threw our gear in the rigs, and hit the road. We had 600 miles to travel in just one day, and the scuttlebutt around camp was that we weren't going to make it to our next destination until after midnight. Now 600 miles may not seem like a long way to travel-also keep in mind that some vehicles we are driving were wounded and limping along-but consider the fact that on the previous road day we traveled half that distance and it took us all day. Let's not forget that the silver-haired general leading this motley crew hates main roads. This means we weren't traveling on the quickest, easiest, and most direct routes.
We agree with Rick's philosophy of driving off the beaten path on backroads. It may be a little slow going, but there's so much more to see while driving through small-town America. It's not only a great way to enjoy small-town diners and rummage around in intriguing gas station/hardware stores, it's also an amazing blast through history and a wonderful way to get out and meet the readership.
We only had a few minor problems...
We only had a few minor problems while making our way to Colorado. Keith Bailey's buggy was having fuel-cell issues and kept spitting gas out the filler neck as we drove. The temporary fix was to rock the vehicle while at speed, and the gas would retreat back down the filler neck-after a few miles he'd have to rock the buggy again.
Due to our steady and urgent highway pace, which was well monitored by General Pw, we arrived at our destination of Rangely, Colorado well ahead of schedule. We were greeted by Jeff Rector and the club members from the Rangely Rock Crawlers. We know we've mentioned small towns quite often, but we just can't get enough of their friendly hospitality. Jeff, his entire family, and the club members were waiting for us in the town park with truckloads of barbeque, refreshments, and homemade ice cream. The shindig made some of us want to move to Rangely. We have to thank the entire town since we were told the townsfolk went out of their way to help Jeff, his family, and the club members prepare for our arrival.
Just before dinner on Friday night, we had a meeting with Jeff about the new Bureau of Land Management off-road park just outside of town. This was our destination for the Ultimate Adventure's last day of wheeling. The park is the fruition of Jeff, the BLM, a few of the club members, and the town of Rangely. Jeff told us it was easy working with the Bureau of Land Management representatives in this area. After a thorough environmental impact and archeological study the area was cleared for recreation.
It's their newest pride and joy, and rightly so. The new OHV area is a spectacular park consisting of nine active trails, which range in difficulty levels from extreme to mild. Two of the trails are exceptionally dangerous. During our meeting it was decided that a mandatory winch hook-up rule should be in effect for anyone attempting these two obstacles. Only Rick had prerun the trails here, so it left a few of us wondering what we were in for.
Friday's Carnage
Fred Perry: Fuel leak, replaced O-rings, rear wheel bearing, bent axle (rewelded by master welder Tim Hardy)
Jeff Mello: Starter problems
Mark Brancieri: Burnt alternator wire, broken alternator bracket, seized alternator
Jonathan Cooper: Cracked windshield, damaged rear ring-and-pinion
 The great aspect of side roads...  The great aspect of side roads is the interesting and unique sights, sounds, smells, and eats! We loved all the patriotic decorations. It's refreshing being in a part of America where the American flag is flown. |  After an early morning briefing...  After an early morning briefing we prepared for a 600-mile journey through Wyoming to the final destination of the Ultimate Adventure in Rangely, Colorado. We could have arrived well after midnight, but everyone kept in tight formation, driving at a steady speed. Surprisingly we made it to Rangely hours ahead of schedule. |  We love the hospitality and...  We love the hospitality and the refreshing and friendly townsfolk. There's nothing more welcoming than rolling into a town and finding banners all over the place-"Welcome Ultimate Adventurers." One of the best barbeques of the event was served to us by the Rangely Rock Crawlers in the town park. There's nothing like satisfying your tapeworms after a long day on the highway. |
Shout Out!
Every year presenting sponsor BFGoodrich Tires follows us around the country with its tractor trailer as a support vehicle. BFG goes above and beyond and its efforts are greatly appreciated by everyone in attendance. This year wasn't any different except for the all-new 40-inch KM2 Mud-Terrain's we tested. The word amongst all the drivers is that the tires performed beyond their expectations and were able to endure well over 1,000 miles of extreme abuse. Our feature editor, Ali Mansour, along with everyone else on the trip, agreed that the new tire offered exceptional traction and was able to withstand the tortures of extreme events like the Ultimate Adventure.
The entire staff at 4-Wheel & Off-Road and all of the participants thanks the sponsors of the event for helping make the Ultimate Adventure possible. These sponsors are Off-Road Evolution, K&N Filters, Rough Country Suspension, Off Road Design, Warn Industries, PSC Steering, Flowmaster, and Hobart Welders.