New pics below...for those who bashed me earlier for not posting flexing shots! Hope it redeems me a little!:bigclap:

After months of convincing, finally got the wife to agree to go wheeling. We decided on the Badlands/Black Hills of S. Dakota, and it was a wonderful and beautiful trip! Here are some pics...

This is taken from a trail in the Badlands.


The wifey and I near our cabin in the Hills.


My wife, our cabin and poser shot of my rig.


Wheeling day 1: This is very near Bear Mountain Lookout. It had rained eariler in the day, but had stopped. Nearly got stuck on a dirt road we turned off on...the clay/dirt had turned to muck. Luckily my Runner didn't let me down!


We found a Forest Service road on the East side of Spearfish Canyon. The local wheelers call it Old Miner Trail. It's a 3 to 3+ trail that I thought would work well for my first time out. It climbs about 1000 feet in the first 3/4 mile, so there were many times I couldn't see over the hood. Many loose rocks and a few boulders in the trail. Here's a pic of the trail and a couple my wife took as I was climbing a small hill. The trail was really tight, so this was about the only place she could get out and take pics. Remember that we're climbing up the side of a mountain and the edge was about 300-500' up!





We had a great time! Although the next time I drive out, I'd like to be with a group of wheelers. The wife was plenty scared of wheeling and damaging my rig! Maybe next summer, we'll head out there again! Let me know what you think and if you'd like to meet up in that area!

 

Looks nice! I think I had my Mustang on that same road!

 

MUSTANG?!?!?! You've got to be kidding!!! You're a braver man than me dude!

 

 

No bagging on trail pics... helps us all out until the next trail run.

Maybe the trail is a little tame.
Maybe there are no killer flex poser shots.
Maybe no aggresive water crossings, gnarly inclines or ridiculous off camber sections...

... but a good day with your rig is still a good day with your rig....

Thanks for sharing the pics. Looks like you had a great time. Hopefully wifey enjoyed as well and this trip will be just the tip of the iceburg.

 

Hear ye Hear ye!

 

oh no...no baggin here, just pictured the dukes of hazard when he said driving his mustang (i know its not a mustang in the show!). believe me, any day spent with a loved one or friends on the trails is A-OK and worth every minute!
didnt mean to seem like i was saying it was lame.

are there hiking trails?

 

I'd pay to see a Mustang try to climb that trail - lol! There were softball to basketball sized rocks everywhere and boulders sticking 2' out of the middle of the trail. A Mustang wouldn't clear the first 25' of the trail.

The trail maybe was a little tame for those that go crawling or wheeling all the time. Two thoughts: it was my first time out and I was wheeling alone. I didn't want to break and sit for hours, but wanted to test my rig and driving skills. Second, the wife was along and she was scared of being so close to the edge on a trail you couldn't see over the hood a good share of the time.

Like I said before, if the wife wasn't along and I was with a group of other rigs, I'd be much more apt to drive more aggressive trails.

 

as long as you had fun and enjoyed yourself...thats all that matters!

a ride in the woods, fresh air, nice scenery and you had a good time with your truck in a place it was meant to be driven. Plus you showed me a place that I haven't seen or probably will never get too...thanks!

At least you made use of your truck and what it was built for(not like a majority of people that never ever let their truck or SUV see anything but city and pavement)

No one should rag on him!!!...we should welcome any input or pics by members. It only improves the material on this site!

..and someone please give that guy with the mustang directions, he's obviously lost?...the city is that way

 

Did I mention my mustang has 39 BFG's?

 

i gotta raise the on that one!! your gonna have to prove it!

 

and let me guess..your truck is outfitted with 22" DUBS with low profile tires right?

-B

 

You guys have to grow a sense of humor!!! Or at least borrow one from somebody.

 

Awesome photos! The location alone (S. Dakota Black Hills and Badlands) was enough to get me daydreaming of wheelin' soon. Two things to share:
1. On an early trip with my buddies in Tilamook State Forest, we were all aired down, in 4WD (hi) and thinking we were on pretty rough logging roads. And then we see a VW Golf, a Corolla, a Geo Metro, and a Ford Probe (all normal road cars, no lifts or anything) traveling the same roads. What the... !!!
2. On another trip, my wife and dog fell asleep while my buddy (in his own rig) and I were squeezing through trees and driving up steep enough so you couldn't see over the hood (like emptypockets described).

 

After taking some crap about not having better trail or flex pics from the Black Hills trip, I have to redeem myself. I found a local trail near a river and took these.

A look at my rig before driving the trail. There's about a half mile of this type of rutted dirt road leading to the trail. Some flexing here.


For those that think Iowa is just flat farmland and corn, this is me cresting a steep hill. It was so steep that my receiver hitch dug into the dirt...even with the LC coil lift!


About halfway through the trail, the terrain levels out some, but the trail is VERY rutted and eroded away. This is a decent stuff shot. I know this isn't a true full stuff and that there's more travel left in the suspension.


A little further down the trail I got these pics of suspension droop. Again, it's not full droop...probably 3 or so inches left before the shocks bottomed out.




Hope this redeems me a little from the bad pics above!

 

The trip and the pics look great. I agree that anyday on the trail is a vacation.