Day 7: Friday, July 10
Are We there yet?
There comes a point in every camping trip when you realize that the funny smell you keep getting a whiff of is actually coming from you. For us, this day is usually Friday. Getting an early start to the day, we rolled up our dusty camping gear and packed up for the final road day. Though each day we have a certain schedule we need to stick to, this day was particularly important. Why? It all boils down to a little ferry. OK, it's actually a really big ferry and one that we had to catch to get to Drummond Island before its nightly shutdown.

As the official welder and sponsors of the '09 Ultimate Adventure, the Hobart crew was there to help whenever you needed a hand or a weld. Armed with their new portable Trek 180, they spent the trail days cruising in the massive four-door JK piloted by Mel Wade. For those in need of a more permanent repair, Caleb Krisher, Don Foster, and Darrel Sickles were always ready to lend a hand at their support trailer, which is nothing short of a mobile fabrication shop.

As the official welder and sponsors of the '09 Ultimate Adventure, the Hobart crew was the

Not long after we made our way onto the road, a CB call goes out that the BDS TJ needs to pull over due to an intense drivetrain vibration. The culprit for their problems turns out to be a broken-off U-joint tab on the rear yoke. Luckily the Hobart support trailer was in close pursuit and fixed them up a solution in just a few minutes.

Drivers meeting!

After a little more highway driving we pulled into what seemed at first glance like a long dirt driveway. As it turned out we were heading down a heavily wooded county road that serves as a snowmobile thoroughfare in winter. Cutting through the dusty road, we stopped midway for a chance to check up on our rigs and have a midday drivers meeting.

As is the case in most trips, there is that element of "hurry up and wait." After all, this medley of weekend wheeling machines and purpose-built buggies had spent the better half of the week getting beat on in the rocks, mud, and hills, so you can expect that a few components are about ready to call it quits. Always maintaining group integrity, each participant is there to lend a hand or a ball joint when you need it. So with everyone's rig holding together for the moment, we made the transition from the dirt to the street and continued our trek north.

As we stated, we love all things olive drab, so when we spotted Pineview Surplus and Supply in Frederic, Michigan, we had to swing in. Filled with racks of Army and Navy memorabilia and items for purchase, we spent a good block of time just checking out a portion of the goods. Now loaded up with a few more camo items for the road, we began to hone in on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

To get to the U.P. we crossed the incredible Mackinac Bridge. Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot bridge (yes, that's 5 miles) is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Rolling our way over the Straits of Mackinac, we made our slow drive across the bridge and officially became Uppers.

With time definitely not on our side, we kicked things up and boogied down to the docks to catch the ferry. Arriving at the docks in the nick of time, we loaded the group onboard and set sail.

With the group divided into cabins and houses mixed between the Drummond Island Resort and Yacht Haven Resort, we all got to experience the lap of luxury on this island getaway. And while we rejoiced for the showers and fine digs, we all knew that tomorrow's wheeling would likely be the toughest.

Day 7 Breakage
Rear axle yoke: BDS TJ
Rear axle bearing: Hobart JK

Day 8: Saturday, July 11
Finale
Starting off the last day of the adventure with a sound night's sleep and a great breakfast from the Drummond Island Resort, we rounded ourselves up one last time for another early-morning drivers meeting. Leading us through the day's trails at Turtle Ridge Off Road Park was Clint Carter and his fellow Williamsburg Welfare Wheelers. The local wheeling club is comprised of hard-working wheeling enthusiasts who work closely with Turtle Ridge land owners Eric and Ryan Ondrus to make the island a fun and challenging place to go off road.

Treated to a clear blue sky and a cool northern breeze, the locals said that we were in luck because the few weeks of rain prior to our arrival had made the trails that much better. We had a feeling that meant mud, and we were partially right. Seeing as how most of the island is at or below sea level, a little rain makes a huge impact.

Making our way into the first trail, it didn't take long for us to reach the soupy island mud. As each rig nosedived into the glazed brown muck, you could hear the rev limiters tapping loudly and watch the mud fling high into the bright green canopy. Kicking off our day with a little goo on our trucks, we made it through the big pit and on to more rocky terrain. Navigating through the tight and windy park, each narrow trail connected us to a more open area. These play areas were lined with tall rock ledges and incredibly loose rich brown dirt that exploded beneath our tires as soon as a little throttle was applied.

Making our way farther into the forest, we arrived at the main rockcrawling and ledge area, the Citadel. While here, it didn't take long for the crews to find some new lines and push their rigs to the limit. Though a few rigs busted a couple parts, most managed to keep things together and make it up a handful of the incredible and very much vertical rock ledges.

In the evening we headed off for one last trail that dropped us into a Rubicon-style rock course. Even with the colossal rocks standing in their way, our crews crept through like a seasoned bunch of rockcrawling pros. Little did they know as they exited the last rock ledge that they were exiting the last obstacle of the adventure.

It goes without saying that some road trips feel never-ending while others come and go so fast that if it weren't for the pictures you probably wouldn't remember them at all. Ultimate Adventure is more than just another wheeling trip. It's a chance to surround yourself with likeminded 4x enthusiast and not only complete an epic off-road journey, but survive it.

Day 8 Breakage
Minimal body damage: Everyone, even the Stearns Blazer!
Power steering pull: DeMarco Grand Cherokee
Broken front locker, hub, and rear driveshaft: Gillis Mean Green buggy

UA '09 DVD Ordering info
Only $17.95 plus shipping and handling.
Order by phone or online at:

National Tire & Wheel
800.847.3287
www.ntwonline.com