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ZukFari - Moab, Utah 2004 with
Donald Roberts Photos by Heather & Nathan Galvin, and Jeffrey Roberts
 The 2004 ZukFari started off with a BANG although most people reported it sounded more like a snap or even
at least a loud crack when Eric Bewley of Corvallis Oregon snapped a rear
axle shaft on his sidekick before he made it to the top of the first real
obstacle on the Poison Spider Trail. His was not to be the only carnage
this day. |
 Welcome
to Moab Utah, land of weird alien like rock formations that tower thousands
of feet straight up and are actually old petrified sand dunes carbon dated
to over 200 million years old. You will find Indian petroglyphs, frozen dinosaur foot prints, petrified tree trunks and
rock that is so red you wonder if the recent Mars probes actually landed
in Moab and not Mars as
NASA claimed. One thing
that stands out first and foremost in my mind while on the trail was the
various areas where the red rocks were black with tire rubber. I found my
heart skip a beat each time, one part fear that I would not make it to the
top and tumble back down in some spectacular end over end Wide World of
Sports roll over. Another part of this fear was just the overwhelming
intimidation and shock and awe of the steepness of the inclines both going
up and down. |
 Oh how very addictive the thrill was. Let the reader
consider
themselves warned, there is no Zukaholics anonymous support group available
to help you shake this adrenalin habit. Each morning groups of people would meet at
prearranged locations and discuss location and strategy for the days trail.
30 to 45 minutes later all would leave for the days 4x4 fun. |
 Testing your Mettle verses your Metal is what its
all about. This was my first real chance to test out total suspension droop on my new
Trail Tough designed (Left photo) complete
YJ kit
with missing links system I showcased in the
April issue. By the weeks end I found I was very happy overall with the system.
The Baja Claw bias tires at 7 psi were great. Heather Galvin's (Right photo) LWB 4
door Zuk with the Solid Axle conversion preformed near flawlessly, with only
minor rubbing on shocks at full flex she reported. |
 5 foot 2 inch tall Heather Galvin from Boise, Idaho personally did
most of the SAS conversion on her daily driver with her husband Nathan
handling the heavy lift chores and doubled as trail spotter for driver
Heather. Heather won
"Best Modifications" category at the ZukFari Raffle/Chili dog feed
for her labors. |
 It was not uncommon to see smoke and fluids pouring
out of a vehicle that had attempted and perhaps failed a peculiarly steep
climb. Darrin Goodman from Cherry Valley, California just couldn't accept
defeat and hit it again and again and again until he crested the top. |
 The
ZukFari Chile dog feed and Raffle was fun for
all. Several sponsors showed up to rub shoulders and swap tall tales with
the troops and chow down on free Chile dogs. Lets hope they provide napkins
next year... (major hint) The evening's raffle event was held at the Slick Rock Camp Ground.
Sponsor Brent
Bradshaw (Left Photo, white shirt on right) of Trail Tough brought his latest toy
to wow and amuse the crowd with its wide range of suspension articulation.
With 8 tires you don't need to carry a spare. |
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