Badlands Attica, Indiana June 16-18 Chat Thread

[SplashMan]

I was planning on coming down the week before, maybe you and I can hit the trails for a day and just check the conditions out? I know how things change down there from week to week.

 

[Rick]

You have allready set up the dates with them so they will put it on their website right? I know they didn't have a calendar up when you talked to them last.

Yes I did. I talked to a woman over there and she said we were good to go. Last I checked they still didn't have their '06 calender up.

 

[Burns]

i was just looking at the list of people goin on this trip and it looks quite big

 

[mynameisaric]

i was there yesterday and it was AMAZING. i got out with only a crushed rocker and a few dents. some of the turns on orange trail are tight and very off camber, making it tricky to navigate a full bodied vehicle through(especially with no front end flex), but i'm sure someone with more wheeling experience can make through with only a few little scratches from tree branches that overhang the trail. The mud there isn't the sticky gooey mud found in most midwest parks(it was also half frozen), there is alot of sand/rock in the mud that makes it easy to crawl through without having to mud bog. I was sitting on the tt/shackles/body lift that most guys have with 33's, and i would still scrape the bottom of my frame cresting most hills (just make sure all of your stock skid plates are up to par and you will be ok) The great thing about this park is it can be very easy, or very hard depending on how you want it. there was a samurai on 38's with dana 60rear and 44front, 160:1 crawl ratio, and there was stuff that he just couldnt do. The broncoII's that are coming will dominate most aspects of the park, but there are a few obstacles that longer wheelbase has advantage on. One of the BEST things about this park is the variety of stuff to do. There is a swamp area filled with sticky gooey mud for the guys that like to bog, there is a quarry for the rock crawling guys(there is fun stuff to do there even if you dont have a competition rig too), a large sand dune area, and plenty of trails through the woods to connect all of the various areas. There is also a rock garden on orange trail that an xj, tj, and sami(all locked and sitting on at least 35's) got through most of, but it gets more and more difficult, and none of them were able to complete it. well i'm sure most of you already know what the badlands are like, but for those that dont and are thinking about coming... DO IT! i cant wait to go back.

 

[Burns]

with u bein on 33's with 4.56 and lockers how hard will it be on 33's 3.55 and no lockers but with a newly done 5speed conversion

 

[cableguy]

I'd stay away from any heavy duty rock crawlin. I ran 3.73's with 33's for a couple years and that was with an automatic so you should be fine on 90% of the trails.

 

[mynameisaric]

one of the jeeps(wrangler type) with us was on stock suspension and 31's. and he did just about everything i did. His short wheelbase and aggresive tires(dunlop mud rovers) helped him imensley. A/T's suck in the midwest. wish i would have known that when i got my tires. so if you have 33" M/T's you'll do just fine. Nothing we couldnt just strap you through with a minor tug, but i cant recall anything that my lockers were the ONLY reason i made it through. They just made it so i didnt have to hit the skinny pedal so much. having true 4wheel traction is awesome, but not neccasary, best 800 bucks i spent so far though.

As far as the 5-speed... i would have no idea.

 

[mynameisaric]

example of one of the off camber downhills(this one put me into the tree, i then learned to take turns MUCH wider)

This is one of the frame clanging spots

This is one of the spots where it was especially nice to have lockers, but would probably be possible without them(just alot more skinny pedal)

Check my gallery for many more pictures of the badlands.

 

['97 V8]

Hey guys count me in. Ill be on 33's with 3.73 and locked in the rear. No winch but tow points. Is it fine to run like this? i ran in the badlands with a completelty stock setup and i blew past a jeep with 33's on the trail. Only got a dent on the rear right side of my truck from there.

p.s. if gas hits 3 bucks a gallon im out.

 

[SplashMan]

If I run the Explorer I'll be on 33s with open 3.73s... I have never had a problem with that setup at the Badlands.

 

[Rick]

[QUOTE='97 V8]
p.s. if gas hits 3 bucks a gallon im out.[/QUOTE]

I'm worried about that too They say fuel prices are on the rise again and diesel will spike after June 1st when the new low sulfer fuel becomes mandatory :fire:

 

[Jefe]

I'm planning to show up for this. Anybody got an empty seat I could have?
Sorry, there's no way I'm driving my truck out there. I'm sure you'd all love to see it in person, but I'm not as crazy as Gerald. (Or, maybe I'm crazier and thats why I won't drive my truck cross-country to wheel )

If it wouldn't inconvenience one of you too much to pick me up and drop me off at a major airport, PM me, otherwise I'll plan on renting a car.

 

[dman726749]

i am sure one of us from around indy could get ya......

 

[Burns]

i think i might try to be sas by a month before the run.

 

[cableguy]

No promises, but I might be able to get over there with the GPS and get some trails mapped out so everyone can have a layout of all the trails.

 

['97 V8]

If Condelaeza Rice decides to take Iran to the UN security Council, im sure the shi* is gonna hit the fan. Analysts say if it does go down we'll hit 100 bucks a barrel.

 

[Dre]

I know it's off topic... check this out:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2215604490907671840

 

[Arnie897]

Couldn't get the link to work Andre.

Also, I filled out my online camping reservation form for the grounds at the gate. Anyone else done this yet? Still haven't received a confirmation yet...

 

[cableguy]

I wouldn't worry about it arnie, that campground is plenty big enough for all of us. I plan on calling them and making a large reservation for all of us.

 

[SplashMan]

I'm going to try and get a large canapy of some kind that we can use at camp. I also have a 6 man tent that I will be sleeping in by myself so if someone wants a place to crash they are more than welcome.