The '94 Honda got a quick...
The '94 Honda got a quick olive drab paintjob at Twisted Customs in Rapid City, and I was off. Of course the monster hail stones nearly scraped the underside of the rally car to shreds.
Last month I let you in on how I find Ultimate Adventure locations by prerunning at random ("Prerun Fun"). This time it was in the prairies, and after I took on a deer and two rental cars in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, I changed my methodology. Clifton Slay joined me for the final leg around Colorado, where we found the Rangely Rock Crawling Park. After that, I headed home to make some maps and plan one more prerun. Since I wasn't about to pay 1,500 bucks for another rental week, not to mention the $1,000 deductible charge for the deer that didn't dodge, I figured I could buy a beater cheaper than that and have something left over at the end of the trip.
After procuring a $500 '94 Honda and upgrading it with $200 of work and a cool paintjob, I Ousted the skanky interior and set off on my mission. The tires were good and the brakes fair, and not a soul on the highway paid me any attention. I left the keys in all week with nary a worry, and nerfing trees and boulders just made it run better.
Unfortunately the Honda was not long for the world. I neglected the water level, hosing the engine. But after making it back to civilization less all of the coolant, I figured it was still worth the investment. The magical Honda still resides in Wyoming, or maybe Montana, just waiting for a new head gasket and a new lease on life. Sound like a Dirt Every Day tour to anybody?
The rental company wasn't...
The rental company wasn't happy with my deer/dent incident from the previous prerun, so I bought a beater for the final prerun. Stylin', no?
I made it through 500 more...
I made it through 500 more miles of dirt and not-roads to Bliss Ranch, coming through the back door across the border. The Honda only overheated a dozen times!
Overheating was the downfall...
Overheating was the downfall or my rally runner. I neglected to watch the gauge and blew a head gasket 20 miles from Bliss Ranch. Out of time, light, and water, I drove the car back to the ranch and gained a healthy respect for an engine that didn't blow up.
My third venue was at the...
My third venue was at the Bliss Dinosaur Ranch. Frank Bliss and I didn't find any dinos, but the formations would guarantee some killer carnage.
Clifton Slay joined me for...
Clifton Slay joined me for a two-day romp around his home state of Colorado. It was nice to have a real 4x4 to blast dunes and crawl canyons. We ended up in Rangely, Colorado, where Jeff Rector showed Clifton the proper way to attack the obstacle. I decided this would be a good place to take the UA.
And 400 miles later the tailpipe...
And 400 miles later the tailpipe let loose, but my buddy Pat at Custom Welding in Williston came to the rescue. He offered to weld the doors shut for safety but I figured it would make the remaining 1,000 miles.