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At 9:00 AM on Friday morning, the gates to the Badlands Off Road Park opened for the throngs of Zooks, tow rigs and trailers that had patiently waited. Once they made it to the registration area, the line stretched back half a mile before disappearing around the corner and out of sight. Evidently the foul weather didn’t discourage the dedicated. 
The main registration area was the first stop of the morning. Although the line looked long, it went pretty quickly. It was also a good start at getting everyone talking about the vehicles they saw in line. 
This part of registration was the place to pick up your area maps, itinerary and raffle tickets. It was also an opportunity to pick up event tee shirts. 
The second step was to sign the waiver in the Badlands office. No waiver, no entrance into the park. Here you can see Troy Myers, owner of the Badlands, assisting with the check in. In the photo on the right you can see Troy (on the left) talking with TD Graham (on the right), Grand Poohbah of the ZookiMelt. 
Checking out the vehicles coming in, we saw that they ranged from stock to radical, including Samurai, Sidekick, Tracker, and X-90. The X-90 on the right belongs to Rocky Road Outfitters. Glenn drove it in from Utah. The Samurai on the right was outfitted with air bags all around and it worked well. Many times you see one-off suspensions like this just bubble-gummed together, but this one looked like the builder took the time to do it right. Very impressive! 
There were many purpose built vehicles like the one on the ramp on the left. Every tube and bracket well thought out and in its place for a purpose. There were also some vehicles that brought with them some light hearted humor. The magnetic strip on the green Sami to the right said ‘Student Driver’. 
Of course our ‘ever schmooozing’ Seasoned Rookie Columnist Murph made friends where ever he went. The sunglasses and leopard seat covers must have had something to do with it. The Track/Kick was well represented as its popularity has gained momentum. Eric Bewley, from ZukiWorld, brought his all the way from Washington state for the event. 
08/11/10 15:33:47
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