with the Zooki Melt Gang.This is the first of a multi part
article. Many of the attendees have given their thoughts on the weekend and we share
them here with you.
What the heck is a "Midwest Zooki Melt" anyway? It sounds like a breakfast
special. Well, it is a special mix: Take one of the most extreme off road areas available
in the Midwest, add 14 Suzuki Samurais, a group of novice to hardcore owners, toss in some
great mid- 70 degree weather, add one local (TD (Troy) Graham) to mix it all together and
you have the fixins for one of the best Zook trail rides ever attended!
This new Suzuki event was held July 10 and 11 at "The Badlands" ATV / ORV park.
The Badlands are a privately owned off-road park located at Attica, Indiana. This area
was at one time a gravel mining area. It is owned by Troy Myers and his
brother, Todd, and contains 700+ acres of the most varied terrain you could possibly ask
for. There are wooded trails, sand, water crossings, gooey deep mud, and lots of rocks. It
is all available for just $20 per weekend or $150 per year. Under Troy Graham's guidance
we would sample as much as possible.
 Many
event attendees started arriving at the official campground Friday. The Summers camping
area is well equipped and an excellent place to set up camp. I am sure we will utilize
this area on our future trips to the Badlands. You can make reservations and get
directions by calling, Summers Campground at 765-762-2832. They are located about 7 miles
outside of Attica.
"...Well, the Midwest weather Gods, who
normally entertain themselves by torturing us here in the Midwestern US, took a coffee
break and gave us two beautiful days of wheeling at the
Badlands in Attica, IN. After getting over 100 Zooks together at Zukfari this year, the 14
that we managed might seem kinda wimpy, but out here, that's a whole herd! It was actually
more than I had anticipated. We had everything from stock Sammies on ATs to the Bob
Norman's outrageous "Killer Bee" come from 7 states show up for what turned out
to be a really good time for everyone. One rollover (Bob Norman), at least 5 or 6 close
ones, lotsa body rash, and mucho seat puckering meant that everyone went home with a lot
to brag about. I really want to thank everyone who came out and wheeled - I had a blast
and hope you'll all come back for the Second Annual Zuki Melt next year, or sooner! I
particularly want to thank Larry Harris, his wife Terrina, and Shaun and Lisa Taylor for
providing most of the food, both Saturday night and Sunday morning. For those interested,
we are doing a limited-edition, commemorative T-shirt, and will post all the info
soon."
- TD (Troy) Graham |
The first thing on the schedule was to get signed in
and meet everyone. Doug Couch was the second to arrive after my wife and me. Doug came by
to say hello and to meet all the Zook owners. I am sorry to say he had prior commitments
and was unable to stick around for the trail rides. But in true Samurai owner fashion he
was able to stop and talk Zook with everyone there. Dana Whittenbaugh and Kevin Cronin
were the next to show up. Ever notice what happens when you get more then one Samurai
owner in the same area? It kind of looks like a shark feeding frenzy, people are running
amuck. They are checking under any truck that is sitting still long enough for them to see
the latest modifications. Kind of fun to sit back and watch. I too, was to busy (feeding)
checking out all the trucks and talking Zook. My original analogy for this section was...
it is like watching a bunch of dogs on their first meeting. And we all know what that
looks like ;-) Thought that might be a little to risqué for some so I toned it down a bit
with the shark thing. Anyway we are all starting to arrive at the Badlands, getting signed
up and mounting flags, pulling doors and tops. The call then goes out over the radio.
"Head em up and move em out"!
"...It was a most excellent adventure to say
the least. The Badlands are BAD! It has everything: near vertical climbs and drops, water,
mud, trees,
rock, boulders, sand. There was 14 Zooks that showed up. As we hit the trails I thought,
oh good, we're taking a "pink" trail first. That must be for beginners. Then I
saw the sign that read "Expect body damage"! Uh-Oh, too late to turn back now.
I'd have to agree with Larry Harris about "having to pull the seat cover outa my butt
crack" a couple of times. Only a couple ended up on their sides, and only one
roll-over that I know of. I DO have a few more horizontal stripes (scratches) on my zebra
stripes now, but no rock rash. Perfect weather. Big cool front on Friday rolled in and
wiped out the mid '90s and all the humidity. Made me wish I'da brought long pants to wear
for the party Saturday night! Good to see old friends and meet new ones. Thanks to TD
(Troy) Graham for pulling this together on such short notice and getting me through a
couple tight spots. Tim (Hard Core) Porter gets my vote for MVP for his help spotting and
trail repairs."
- Dennis Stroot |
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