And break we did! Within the first four hours on a mixture of hillclimbs, dirt-covered rocks, and even some mud, we lost window glass, hubs, lift blocks, an oil pan, a front differential, steering arms, and a few driveshafts. And then it really got hairy when a thunderstorm shocked us with a thunderclap that sounded like we were under attack. Everyone was caught in the downpour and headed for the trees to take cover. When we got there we found our first taste of Southern mud and ended up playing in it for an hour and a half trying to outdo each other down a single-lane mud-slalom run. It was peer pressure at its finest and even the tube buggy guys were game after they initially avoided it. Of course, some winching and extractions were necessary, but with Warn's Steve Schoenfelder on hand to expedite the pulling and strapping, no one was stuck for too long. We rounded out the trail day in a rock-filled gully and headed back to a hot catfish dinner put on by CAOS (Central Alabama Off-road Society) under the canopy in camp. We relaxed and enjoyed the cool night air and even got to watch a second thunderstorm roll in before scurrying like rats back to the hotel or Keith's off-road shop for the ritual repair sessions.
Day Five: On to MississippiBy Thursday, most of us had more dirty laundry than clean clothes and the trails were only going to get muddier. The plan was to saddle up and press on through the morning rain toward Starkville, Mississippi.
Then just when we thought we had this Southern wheeling thing figured out, a curveball got thrown at the group. It seems that in Alabama it is not uncommon for local law enforcement to set up roadblocks to check vehicles for proof of registration and insurance. Needless to say, the guys driving tube cars were sweating it (and not just 'cause it was hot out) as one by one we all handed over our paperwork. Believe it or not, none of us raised any red flags with the officials.
We arrived at the trailhead just after lunchtime and met Marshall McReynolds for an afternoon Magnolia Mud Run on his father-in-law's private property. Marshall and his buddies run this course every Sunday, and they set up this weekday event just for us. Marshall promised there wouldn't be a single rock to crawl over all day and that we'd all enjoy the feeling of mud in our shoes, pants, and interiors. Some of us were downright scared that this was going to turn into an all-night winchfest-what with the talk of waist-deep mud after the day and a half of rain the area had seen. However, the skies cleared and we lucked out with some beautiful wheeling weather. That's when we scoped out the local trucks and realized that we were the high rollers from out of town, and maybe, just maybe, our built-up vehicles would make up for our lack of mud experience.
Now we don't like to admit it, but if there was a time during the week when the Ultimate Adventure crew got cocky-this was it. Our lockers, gears, and BFGoodrich Krawlers gave us all the ammunition we needed to-dare we say-master the Mississippi mud. For many of us it was the first time our trail rigs had seen the sloppy stuff, and what could have been the longest day of the trip turned into one of the most fun as we showed off for the locals who followed us around in a 404 Unimog from mud hole to mud hole. Sure, we had to snatch-strap a few of the six-cylinder Jeeps, and the Avalanche was handicapped by a torque management system that neutered its big-block, but we were having fun and we forgot about the cleaning bills and the all-night car washes we'd soon be visiting. Then there were the classic "I can do this mud hole in two-wheel drive" challenges that brought a whole new level of difficulty to this trail ride. Before we knew it, the sun did go down on us, not because we were stuck but because we were having so much fun, we didn't want to leave.