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?