 A busted front axleshaft took...  A busted front axleshaft took out Shane Dahlquist and his 1988 Cherokee just after dark. Here he is several hours earlier dancing with the devil. |
 Mason Thorson pushed his 1969...  Mason Thorson pushed his 1969 Smurf-blue Bronco sporting 38.5 Swampers without a hitch. He even let 13-year-old son Keith drive for a while. Guess who gets the Bronco in a couple years? |
 Last year at Moab we watched...  Last year at Moab we watched Minnesotan Mike Knors destroy his rear suspension and driveline. He wasnt looking for a repeat so the Jeep underwent serious reconstruction. The only thing that slowed Mike down this time was sleep depravation and a U-joint. |
 George and Travis Wadeson...  George and Travis Wadeson ran their built 1984 CJ-7. A broken axle just before dark slowed them down only for a second. Check out the cool converted Hummer wheels with 38-inch Swampers. |
 Who says fullsizes dont...  Who says fullsizes dont fit? Todd Beutel had a fresh whack job on the paint and body of his 1985 6.2L diesel-powered Blazer. At least the diesel smoke kept the skeeters away. On our way to the airport we saw Todd on his way to work. Its his daily driver too. |
 Tim Nevadomski kept his 1985...  Tim Nevadomski kept his 1985 CJ-7 upright, although the constantly failing clutch linkage put him in at least one spooky situation. |
 Cory Kittle had an amazing...  Cory Kittle had an amazing rattle-can paint job on his 1973 Bronco. A spooled rear and Detroited front with 4.88 gears spinning 35-inch Swampers wouldnt quit. |
 What the
? Yea, thats...  What the
? Yea, thats a Ford Ranger, sorta. Scott Wriggles-worth melded the Ranger body and grafted it onto a Bronco frame. A built 460 running sweet, sweet race fuel moves the contraption on 38-inch tires. |
 Forget Purgatory, Brad Riggers...  Forget Purgatory, Brad Riggers 1968 Bronco looked like it had been to hell and back at least three times. There were more bungee cords, duct tape, and zip-ties than original Ford parts. The hell-and-back mobile needed a little winc |
 If Jerry Blanks wasnt...  If Jerry Blanks wasnt laughing at you then he was making you look like a fool when he drove his 1983 Toyota through some sick lines. The 147,000-mile engine somehow stayed together regardless of Jerrys attempts to rev a piston through the hood. |
 Broncos were everywhere (maybe...  Broncos were everywhere (maybe it was Purgatory). Jason Paule runs a shop called Twisted Customs and had some cool gadgets on his 1966. A stock inline-six spins Boggers with extra tread vulcanized to the sidewalls and centers. By the way, Jason narrowed his own Bronco and has done a couple others that you may have seen. This thing also runs hydraulic shackles and coil buckets to control body lean. |
Thirty hours is a long time without sleep. Spending that 30 hours on some of the toughest trails in South Dakota shortly after and during one of the nastiest thunderstorms of the season is way beyond hells staging area. This Purgatory has mosquitoes that attack in Kamikaze formation, draining enough blood from your body to make you feel queasy. The weather? Lets just say we werent in California anymore. The thunderstorm the night before released hail the size of golf balls and enough rain to sink Noahs Ark. This didnt stop the Black Hills 4-Wheelers from their masochistic 30-hour run. We tagged along until about three in the morning and then went back to the warm and dry hotel room. We woke up early to catch bright smiling faces and to see them finish the last trail.