Ramblings from Prez•Events Report•

Out standing Trails•Superlift•

4xKids Day•Covered Brige Run•

The Ranch•Wheeling for Kids•

4XNews A quArterly publicAtioN of the iNdiANA four wheel drive AssociAtioN

2nD QuaRTER : SummER 2011

iNside this issue

ifwdA.orgnational Trails day/ BF Goodrich Outstanding Trails Program- InterlakeBy: Rich Reisz- President- Boonie Riders 4x4 Club, Inc.Director of Environmental Affairs IFWDA (southern half)Saturday, June 4 was designated national Trails Day for 2011. It wasafittingdaytohaveinvitedBFGoodrichtovisitInterlake.

To give a little background on what drove this particular event into existence, I will take you back a few months. many IFWDa members attended the 2011 IFWDa Convention, hosted by South-ern Indiana 4x4 Club. During the regular meeting on Sunday of that weekend, united Delegate Ryan Sweeney brought up that because the deadline nominations for BF Goodrich’s Outstand-ing Trails Program was coming up, and that IFWDa would like to get a trail nominated for 2011, we should probably decide that day. Since trail 4 at Redbird had received this honor in the past, it was discussed that Interlake should be our focus. Since my club is local to Interlake, and I am knowledgeable of the trail system there, all eyes were on me for a recommendation. I chose trail 19. There are a few reasons that I chose this trail. Trail 19 sits off inasecludedcorneroftheproperty,andhasn’tseenthefloodofuse that many of the trails in the north have, thus it is largely in greatshapetostartout,andtherearenorenegadetrails,orfiftyfoot wide mud holes. The other main reason was that Boonie Rid-ers and Bluegrass 4x4 Clubs had already formed a partnership to adopt this trail for maintenance, and improvement efforts. at the time of nomination, we had already spent a couple of weekends flaggingoffabrandnewtechnicalsection,underthesupervisionof the DnR. I felt that these factors made trail 19 the best choice for designation.

Fast forward just a few weeks later, and Ryan and I were contacted by a person representing BF Goodrich in this regard. She gave us the great news that we were one of two that had been selected by BF Goodrich, Tread Lightly, and uFWDa. The one hard thing about the news was that we were requested to keep this infor-mationconfined to the IFWDABoardofDirectors.The followingweekswereverydifficultforme,astwoweekendswerespentspill-ing sweat and blood with the members of both clubs as we cleared the new section of trail, moved rocks and dirt, and prepared for thefirstrunning.NotlettingthesehardworkingpeopleknowwhatIknew feltalmost likebetrayal.Finally,onApril20th, theofficialpublic announcement was made during Easter Jeep Safari. I even knew the time of day it was to happen. I spent a lot of time on the phone that evening putting smiles on the faces of many of my clos-est friends.

So, as for what transpired on June 4th…… Our two clubs came together under one goal. Get the word out to the people, get those people to Interlake, and show those people a good time. all told over 50 people showed up from 5 states to spend the day in 95 degree heat picking up trash, assisting the DnR in marking trails, trimming back brush and overgrowth on trails, and ultimately enjoying the trails. From 9 am until noon, everyone went out and worked. at noon, lunch was provided by Boonie Riders, Bluegrass 4x4, Dave from Bill and Dave’s Smokin Pit, and the many folks who brought chips, side dishes and desserts to share. after lunch, marcus Bonnie from BF Goodrich presented us with theofficialplaquedesignatingourlittlepieceofdirtasoneof2011’sOutstanding Trails. marcus, myself, mike mcLeod- President of Bluegrass 4x4, Pat Bower representing united, and Carmen Jack-son of the Indiana Department of natural Recourses all said a few words about the day, the award, and what it really means to Inter-lake and motorized trail opportunities in Indiana. along with the of-ficialplaque,thereisafinancialcontributionmadebyBFGoodrichthat is earmarked for maintaining the designated trail. This money will be very useful in the coming years, but the notoriety that comes with such an award is worth so much more.(Continued on page 2)

July 02, 20114X Kids Day Camp Riley @

July 02, 2011Red Bird Christmas in July night ride @ Dugger, IN

July 09, 2011Mud Bogs Series - Trojan MX Track - @North Webster, IN

July 09, 2011TREC race @Badlands, Atica, IN

August 5-7, 2011IFWDA Trail Ride & Campout @ French Lick, IN

August 06, 2011Red Bird night ride@ Dugger, IN

August 13, 2011Mud Bog Series - Trojan MX Track - @North Webster, IN

August 13, 2011 TREC race @ Badlands, Attica, IN

August 20, 2011IFWDA Meeting@ Eastgate Jeep, Indianapolis, IN

August 21, 2011Bears of Blue River parade & picnic @ Sunset Park, Shelbyville, IN

August 27, 2011Bears of Blue River parade & picnic@Sunset Park, Shelbyville, IN

September 3, 2011Red Bird night ride @ Dugger, IN

September 10, 2011Mud Bogs Series - Trojan MX Track - @North Webster, IN

September 16, 2011Indy Jamboree @ Indy Fair grounds

September 17, 2011Hoosier Outdoor Experience @ Ft Harrison Park, IN

October 6, 2011Jeep Jamboree @French Lick, IN

October 22, 2011Red Bird Haunted trail weekend@ Dugger, IN

upcomiNg eveNts

IFWDa Special Events DirectorBy Annette Wheatcraftannette is working on details for the Ranch weekend in august. adding more activities please contact annette or max if interested in helping. upcoming Event – Red Bird - Spring night Ride – april 16 – 17Iron Horse - series of mud Bogs starting may 14, IFWDa General meeting – may 21, 5pm – Eastgate 500 n Shad-eland, Indianapolis (note – this is Saturday per request from Eastgate)

Please check IFWDa web site for full calendar of events – if your club would like to add event to share send me an email awheat-craft5772@gmail.com

Thanks,annette

Ramblings from the Prez’Rob Robbins Here’s something new. aBaTE has approached us to join into a council for Indiana that encompasses all user groups of Indiana state forests. aBaTE now has taken in DIRT to strengthen their numbers as a united voice for 2 and 4 wheel activists. Soon we hope to have a stronger voice in Indiana that includes horsemen, hikers, bicyclists and motorized persons to keep our public prop-erty open for all users. as most of you know, ten years ago we had nothing. now we have two state SRa’s, Redbird and Interlake. as a larger group, we will have a larger voice at the state level to express our concerns.I for one am looking forward to this.

as always, members of IFWDa are to be stewards of responsible wheeling. Educating nonmembers is a must and encouraging them to join in our voice makes us stronger, whether as individual or club oriented it increases our power. Think about putting a large window decal on your vehicle that you drive daily to get the word out. You’d be surprised how many people who own 4x4’s that don’t know we exist.

another powerful tool at the federal level is joining websites such as americans for Responsible Recreation access, arra-access.com. Once you sign up, their websites allow you to email con-gressmen our concerns with one click of the mouse, very easy. We need to let everyone know of our concerns, at all levels.

So fellow wheelers, keep the rubber side down and happy trails.

(Continued from page one)national Trails day/ BF Goodrich Outstanding Trails Program- InterlakeBy: Rich Reisz- President- Boonie Riders 4x4 Club, Inc.Director of Environmental Affairs IFWDA (southern half)One of the requirements of creating a new trail on DnR property is that upon completion, it must be kept closed to the public for a period of one year. This is an important aspect of trail construction, because it allows for review of environmental impact, and over-all durability of the trail itself. as such, only members and direct guests of Boonie Riders or Bluegrass 4x4 clubs can access the trail this year. a handful of IFWDa members have already had the opportunity to run this trail with us- George and nancy Thomas, Jeff and annette Wheatcraft, and Bob abondolo - they came down on short notice to make sure we had more than two rigs for the initial running. Ryan and marlo Sweeney, and Rob Robbins and Sally were able to run it on national Trails Day. The new section is riddled with back and forth off camber, short rock crawls, steep hill climbs, and tight turns.

marcus from BFG, and Pat from united were able to get some seat time with us on the trail, and both came out with big smiles on their faces.

2011 BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails - Interlake Trail 19By: Ryan SweanyThe BFGoodrich® Tires Outstanding Trails program was estab-lished in 2006 to raise awareness for responsible use and preser-vation of off-road trails while providing aid in the trails’ conservation efforts. Through 2010, the Outstanding Trails program has recog-nized 24 off-road trails and 24 clubs across 16 states and two in Canada. The program has provided more than $90,000 in grants in support of the various trails conservation efforts.

Both Tread Lightly!® and UFWDA are non-profit organizationsdedicated to responsible and ethical outdoor recreation. BFGoo-drichTirescollaboratedwiththesetwogroupstoselectthefinestoff-road trails, and will continue to work with these organizations on restoration and education initiatives.

The Indiana Four Wheel Drive association, in conjunction with the Boonie Riders and Bluegrass 4x4 (Kentucky club), nominated Trail 19 at Interlake SRa. On april 21st, BFGoodrich announced that this trial had been select as an Outstanding Trail for 2011!

On June 4th, national Trails Day, the Boonie Rides and Bluegrass 4x4 scheduled a work day and trail ride. We were joined by mar-cus Baffoe-Bonnie (VP - north american marketing for BFG) and Pat Brower (united Four Wheel Drive assoc.). marcus presented IFWDa and the Boonies with a plaque and a check for $4000. Our guests also pitched in for the cleanup, and went on a quick trail ride. Lunch was a pitch-in affair, with the grill run by Dave from Bill and Dave’s BBQ in Tell City, and much needed COLD drinks provided by IFWDa.

about Interlake and Trail 19Trail 19 is located on the south-eastern area of the property, just north of the new parking area. Interlake SRa is former coal mine land straddling Pike and Warrick Counties, is now open as a multi-use recreational facility. Interlake is approximately 3550 acres of land with three separate eras of mining and reclamation. From steep rugged spoil banks to rolling hilly grasslands, man-made lakesandfinalcutstrippits,Interlakeisadiversearrayoftopogra-phy and scenic views.

Trail 19 is one of the few trails in the area that can be attempted in a stock or mild vehicle. This two-track runs along one of the property’s many ridges, with several moderate climbs, small mud holes, and off-camber situations. Just enough to give the new four-wheeler a thrill, with a low risk of body damage! Volunteers havealsomarkedoutanew“moredifficult”extension,dubbed“3Stones” for the3car-sizedboulders the trail traverses.Thisex-tension still needs cut in, some erosion control put in place, and properly marked.

If you have not yet visited Interlake SRa, you need to put it on your list! Camping is available in nearby Lynnville, In. Hotels and restaurants are just down the road near Evansville.

Special thanks to the people and groups that made this all happen, and will continue working to make mORE outstanding trails:Rich Reisz (Boonies and IFWDa), Ryan Sweany (IFWDa), marcus Baffoe-Bonnie (BFG), Pat Brower (uFWDa), Carman Jackson (In-diana DnR), mike mcLeod (Bluegrass 4x4), Tom Hartman (Friends of Interlake), and all of the Boonies and Bluegrass guys and gals!

IFWDa members at SuPERLIFT ORV Park-arkansas By: Ron MattoxSeveral members got together and rode the trails at SuPERLIFT ORV Park in Hot Springs, arkansas during the week preceding 2011 memorial Day holiday. We had a total of 8 Jeeps repre-senting the following clubs -- Bob and mary abondolo, Josh and Jacob Brant, max and Debbie Soliday with guest Ken and Sandy, John and Geri Sorensen, Ron and Debby, Sarah mattox all from Fat Boys Jeepers, George and nancy Thomas for Four Wheels of Freedom, and Jeff and annette Wheatcraft from Southern Indiana 4X4. Everyone arrived on Wednesday, for three days of wheeling in a park that is very similar terrain to the Colorado Rockies…just at a lower altitude and much closer to Indiana.

On Thursday, Jeff and annette lead the group over several trails in the class 2 & 3 level. Jeff and annette have vacationed here for thelastfiveyears,sotheyknowtheparktrails.Wedidtrailsinthe morning, took a lunch break at Panther Valley Ranch, a local bed and breakfast facility, and then proceeded with more trails. Thursday evening we all met at J&J campground for brats and hamburgers hosted by the mattox’s.

The arkansas Crawlers are the local club that helps maintain the park and offer guides on special weekends. Friday’s trek was guidedby“Mike”andfamilyandendedupbeingafullday.Whatis really nice about the park is that you can travel on medium grade trails, and there are pullouts that are graded up to a 5 level to play on.MikehadaJKunlimitedwith40”sohedidliketostopandal-lowedeveryonethatwantedtoashotatmoredifficulttrails.

On Saturday, we split our group, with most going again with mike and one Jeep running grade 4 and 5 trails with Billie – the ar-kansas Crawler club president. I personally found this trip very informative. It was a great opportunity to learn the proper way to “crawl”yourJeepwithpeople thatdo iteveryday. Muchtomyamazement, only one Jeep needed to be winched that day…. Sat-urday’s lunch was Gumbo served by the arkansas Crawlers.

SuPERLIFT ORV Park is a commercial park designed as an off road park. There are access roads to all trail heads – so emer-gency vehicles can get to you quickly if needed. Each trail head has a sign that grades the trail from 1 to 5 diamonds ….. 5 being themostdifficult.Youcanentereachtrailandknowthatyouwon’tbe pushed into a situation that makes you uncomfortable. The trails are clean….very little trash on the trails. There is a park campground, with electrical service available for campers. Sever-al times each year the park host a 4Xadventure Series weekend, where prices are reduced to $55 for up to 5 days of wheeling.

Everyone packed up and returned on Sunday. I don’t think anyone realized any major trail damage, however, during the trip back, therewasoneflattireandatowvehiclebrokedown.

Here is some of the contact information for the park and area ser-vices:SuPERLIFT ORVPark http://www.orvpark.com/category/park-events/ J&J Campground http://www.jjrvpark.com/ Panther Valley Ranch http://www.panthervalleyranch.com/

One last note….Hot Springs arkansas is only 10+ hours from In-dianapolis….Checkout SuPERLIFT ORV Park sometime! You will be glad that you did!

4X4 Covered Bridge RunBy Doug Saul - Individual Member UFWDA, GLFWDA, IFWDAThe muddy Buddy Jeep Wrangler Club’s Relay for Life Team host-ed their 2011 4X4 Covered Bridge Run to raise donations for the american Cancer Society. http://www.muddybuddys.net/events.htm This year 80+ Jeeps and other full-size 4x4’s joined in the ride. The event starts and ends in Germantown, OH, which is southwest of Dayton. The drivers meeting is held on the Germantown Cov-eredBridge,builtin1865,anditwouldbethefirstofelevencov-ered bridges we would see throughout the day.

Over the next few hours, we would cover 100+ miles of back coun-try roads, stopping periodically for bridge/Jeep pictures. Located in an area of rolling hills, some of the roads were paved, some gravel and some dirt. Intermixed with the covered bridges were some short hill climbs and small creek crossings. The build dates on the bridges ranged from 1829 to 1896 and we were provided a brief description of the history of each. Our lunch stop and environmen-tal break was at Fort St. Clair Park. http://www.stateparks.com/fort_saint_clair.html The community decorates the park with lots of lights during Santa’s visit with the children at holiday time. We were experiencing some intermittent, light showers, but there were shelter houses at the park to keep us dry.

Our route took us past and through a couple more bridges after lunch before it was time to Tread Lightly, drop down into 4 Lo, and enter the Woodland Trail BSa Camp, through their back en-trance. The Scouts were gracious to allow the 4x4’s to get the tires dirty, while we wandered down their dirt roads, past their outpost campsites.Thereasonwasforthe“cause”tofightcancer.http://www.woodlandtrails.org THanKS Scouts for allowing us to wheel across your property. We were ready to exercise our front axle by then, hope we are invited back next year.

The next pit stop, for environmental breaks, was at Hueston Woods State Park. not only were restrooms available, but this was their Bird Watching weekend and a few organizations and vendors were still set up for us to visit with. http://cincinnatibirds.com/where/HuestonWoods.php Then we were off for the last few bridges of the day. Pugh’s mill Bridge was our group photo op-portunity, with a small parking lot adjacent to the bridge, but alas! It was not built to accommodate 80+ vehicles. Some were still out on the road during picture taking.

Ourfinalstopontheridewasanothermuchanticipatedlocation.It was time to put it in 4 Lo and have some Fun! We had reached the Big maple Farms Off Road Park. We parked our rigs and gath-ered for a few words. The owner welcomed the group and thanked us for donating for an important cause. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=31676 She lost her 15-year-old daughter to cancer just a few years ago. She said we were welcome back each year and the gate would be open for us with no fee. We ran a few trails, enjoyed some hills and hollers, crossed through some water crossings, and found some muD. It had been raining off and on throughout the day.

It was soon time to head back to Germantown for the after-event cookout. It was GREaT to sit back and visit with new friends and enjoysomeeats,colddrinksandraffleprizes. Ifyoujoinedthemuddy Buddy Relay 4 Life Team and collected/donated $50+ to the american Cancer Society, participation in the event was FREE. all together the group raised nearly $3000 for the Cause and had GREaT Fun doing it! THanKS muddy Buddys, a GREaT ride and a GREaT cause! Check out more information and loads of pic-tures on the Face Book Event page.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.212703585419529.56513.100000396678782#!/event.php?eid=199349806750990

my Day at the 2010 Camp Riley 4XKids DayBy: Marcie Bennett - Fat Boys JeepersWHaT a Grrrrrrrrrr-RaTE DaY!!! Camp Riley 4XKids Day has be-comeahighlightofoursummer.Thisyearwetookourfiveyearold son, Carson. although he asked a lot of questions about the campers, he enjoyed interacting with them and had a great time. Our day started leaving Lewisburg, Ohio at 7:45 am and head-ed toward Indianapolis. as we got closer to Camp Riley in mar-tinsville, Indiana on In- 67, we fell into the Jeep-a-van of those Jeepers that had met earlier for breakfast. We arrived at Bradford Woods in martinsville, Indiana – the home of Camp Riley at 9:55 am. upon our arrival, we immediately started getting the jeeps ready for the campers by removing the top, removing the driver’s door, removing Carson’s car seat, installing another rear seat belt, and covering the seats with towels to protect the campers. Then we headed out to pre-run the course to make sure the trails did not have brush, limbs or other debris blocking the trails. after pre-running the course we headed to the loading and unloading area and set up another tent to protect the wheelchairs from the intense sun and heat. Carson enjoyed helping the staffers with the chalk designs on the pavement in the loading and unloading zones. after the tent was set up, we headed back to our staging area near the stables for a hot dog lunch, chips, snacks and camaraderie with our fellow Jeepers from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois who were on hand to enjoy the day with the campers. This year there were 24 Jeeps and nearly 40 volunteers for this special event. although the day was extremely hot, Jeepers and campers alike had a great day. The campers, about 100 in a rotation, got their much anticipated Jeep ride. after their Jeep ride they received a 4XKids Day Event shirt and temporary IFWDa Tattoos and Riley Tattoos. The campers participated in other activities while they awaited their Jeep rides. They painted a camp counselor’s car with tempera paints. They pulled a Ford Explorer back into a parking space and participated in arts and crafts and made special thank you cards for the drivers. While my husband, Bobby, was giving Jeep rides, I was applying temporary tattoos to the campers. The campers all raved that this was their favorite activity while at Camp Riley. after the rides were completed, we gathered in their dining hall for the closing ceremonies and heartfelt thanks. I believe those thanks could have been heard in downtown Indianapolis from all the campers who loved the Jeeps, their rides, the drivers, and the 4xKids Day. The counselors kept reiterating that year after year this is the most popular of their camp activities. The generosity from the four wheel drive community was astounding! Cash dona-tions totaling over $4,000 were given to Camp Riley to be held in a special account which will be used toward a Bradford Woods special project. Donations included $1900 from the 2010 event

shirt sponsors, $1000 from IFWDa, $1000 from Fat Boys Jeep-ers, $160 from both Wayne County Fair Board (Richmond, In) and Fat Boys Jeepers. after the check presentations, two new Camp Riley wagons were donated on behalf of Iron Horse 4x4 club by club president T.J. Piccirilli and treasurer Randy Brooks, They are sharp looking additions to the ever growing Camp Riley wagon fleet!Thefollowingcompanies,organizationsandindividualspar-ticipated by sponsoring the shirt: HI-LIFT Jack Company, Randy & Joanne Brooks Foundation, West End Bank, 4 Wheels to Free-dom, Fat Boys Jeepers, Big Dog Pizza and Pasta, meyer Distribut-ing, Jasper Group, Iron Horse 4X4’s, Ruffriders 4X4 Club, mOJO Offroad, Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive association, american So-ciety of Plumbing Engineers- Central Indiana Chapter, Your Rides Here, Hoosier Container Inc., BCW Supplies, J&T Concessions, Robin D. Henry, Scott Sperling, max Soliday, Telpri (PITCH) Pic-cirilli, and mark Keener. additionally, many others donated goods and services to this event including: Scout Graphics – printing of event shirts, Doty Graphics – printing of event stickers, m.C. mar-ble – Lunch snacks, desserts and bottled water, mOJO Offroad– hosting of after-party and meal. after the closing ceremonies, mark Keener, michelle montgomery and Scott Sperling were leaving the dining hall, when a camper approached Scott Sperling and the two of them exchanged a very heartwarming conversation, that I feel everyone needs to know about and their conversation went like this: Camper: are you the leader here? Scott: Leader of what? Camper: all of the Jeepers? Scott: Yes, I guess I am. (Hmmm, for some reason Scott wasn’t wanting to claim us!) Camper: I’d like to give this to you. (hands Scott a quarter) Scott: What’s this for? Camper: For coming out here today to give us rides. It was a lot of fun! Scott: This isn’t necessary, we all enjoyed it too. Camper: no, I want you to have it. If you want to, follow me to my cabin and I have two more quarters there I will give you. Then you can buy a bottle of pop from the machine. Scott: (tearing up at this point!) Thank you! But this is mORE than enough!! all of those within earshot of this conversation were tearing up at this point. These kids are really amazing! after the closing ceremonies, we loaded up all the tents and miscellaneous gear used during the day. We then reassembled our Jeeps and headed over to mOJO Offroad for the after party. after dinner, mOJO installed a budget boost lift on Sarah mattox newly acquired Jeep Wrangler. In a mini Jeep-a-van of two, ourselves and Scott Sperling decide to head for home at 8:30Pm. We decided to change our route home and exited I-70 in mount Comfort, Indiana and took a more scenic route home via uS 40. What a great drive with the top down and the ending ofagreatday!CarsonfinallyfellasleepintheJeepuponenter-ing Richmond, Indiana. We arrived home tired and worn out at 11:30pm, but it was worth it to be able to spend another day with those amazing campers. We are proud to be members of Indiana Four Wheel Drive association and Fat Boys Jeepers for all they do for the kids of Camp Riley. We will again make the trek to Bradford Woods in martinsville, Indiana in 364 days to have fun all over again...and we can’t wait! If you would like more information on Camp Riley or the Riley Foundation, please visit www.rileykids.org.

Fat Boys Jeepers 8th Annual Ground Hog Run, January 29, 2011By: Marcie Bennett - Fat Boys Jeepers

Groundhogs hiding, deer present, decent amount of snow, hidden ice, hidden holes, friends and wheel wielding Jeep nuts behind the wheel.

Ourfun-filledsnowdayofJeepfunstartedoutatthePowerhousePizza Restaurant in Camden, Ohio. We left the Powerhouse at 8:30amwith4Jeepsandfriendsreadyforafunfilleddaycreatingsnow many memories. as we turned onto In 1 north, I received a text message from Scott Sperling, letting us know that the entrance hill to Haspin was a sheet of ice. We placed a phone call to Scott to get the full details of the text message. upon the approach to Haspin acres, we could see a line of trucks and trailers on the hill and a line forming at the bottom of the hill. I placed another phone call to Scott to let him know that there were a lot of trucks, trailers and Jeeps trying to get up the hill. He advised that Pete Collins, of Haspin, was en route with the tractor to get a truck and trailer unstuck as someone lost control going up the hill on the way in. We waited at the bottom of the hill for Pete to scrape what he could on the driveway. Once we got the go ahead signal from Pete, we took off with a head of steam up the hill, hoping that the boost would not build and spin the tires on the Duramax. Half way up, we hit the ice and spun just a little bit but were able to keep going. We radioed backtotheotherstoletthemknowourfindingsandtokeeptheirmomentum without allowing the turbos to build boost. Once up the hill we gathered, paid our admissions, donated our food, unloaded theJeepsandsaidletthe“SnowFun”begin!

Wehitthetrailsandencounteredourfirstobstacle-thehillplay-ground off the main road on the south side of the park. Well, let’s justsaythefirsthillwon,poor“Lucy”(ourJeep)tachingoutofover3,000 rpms and all we needed was another foot and we would have cleared the obstacle. We tried several times to no avail. Oth-ers in the group chose other lines and made it to the top with only minimaltroubleswithalittlebitofslidewaysaction.Atfirst,itwasthought that the day would be spent wheeling on the top trails only. However, we soon learned that we could get around pretty good with a good plan. We wove our way around Haspin...up hills, down hills, through trees, following ridges and looking for hills that were doable with the hopes of nOT playing pinball off the trees.

Soon it was lunch and we headed in for a break from the cold and joined the conversation amongst other attending Jeepers. after lunch, we assembled again and headed for the trails. While on the trails, we began to notice that the consistency of the snow from the start of the day had changed and now the trails we more slippery than in the morning as the warmer temps of mid day allowed some snow to melt just enough to make it more fun and challenging. Dur-ingthistimeonthetrailswefinallyhadtopullcable2timesanditwas the only time during the day that cable had to be pulled.

We headed back for a break, which allowed a fellow Jeeper, who needed to go home, to load up. We picked up another Jeeper and added his family to the group. They are new members to Fat Boys, Josh, Jackie, Jacob and Johnny Brant. They drove 3 hours from Paris,IlliniostoattendtheirfirsteventasFatBoys.Theypulledanall nighter to go snow wheeling and they weren’t ready to end the fun-filleddayofwheelingandheadbackhome.So,wetooktothetrailsagainandweresoondubbedthe“ChurchGroup”,byanon-event attendee speech slurring, beer holding redneck hillbilly at the top of Devil’s Backbone, who said “I noticed none of ya’ll ain’t holdingabeer,areyououtherewithachurchgroup?”

We wheeled until 5:30pm, at that time it was decided nOT to chance this last Gilligan Run and get stuck, stranded or break something in the dark and in the snow. We loaded up and headed for home and wished our new friends safety as they headed for home back to Paris, Illinois. Only a few minor beauty marks to a couple of bumpers and no carnage...a successful Jeepers day!

Pat Combs of the Laurel Church of Christ received 4 boxes of canned food and $100.00 for their food pantry on behalf of the wheelers who attended the Ground Hog Run.

as always, it is more than a half ton of fun at any Fat Boys Jeepers event. If you missed this run, mark your calenders for next year’s 9th annual Fat Boys Jeepers Ground Hog Run, January 28, 2012. See you there!

IFWDA 30th CelebrationAnnette Wheatcraft-IFWDA Special Event Coordinator

If you forgot to mark your calendar for October 23 event you missed out. Redbird without muD and a FREE lunch! Yes this was a once in a lift time event no mud. If you have never been to Redbird you need to check out their website www.redbirdsra.com with 1400 acres to explore and a new offsite camp area coming in the spring it has a lot to offer. We had 60 to 70 wheelers show up for the free lunch of pulled pork BBQ, chips, veggies tray and a cup cakes.

We would like to thank the following:DnR for letting us take over their maintenance building for our event.

Redbird foundation and their generous donation for door prizes.KeithandSandyDrydenforfixingsuchanawesomelunch.We hope everyone has enjoyed IFWDa 30th celebration this year and lets work together to make next year just as much fun.

Strange things at the Ranchnancy Thomas-SWaK, mC4x4, FBJ, IFWDa, uFWDaWere you at the Ranch this year? If so you had to notice this strange group of Jeeps. a trip back in time so to speak. a group of Flat Fenders. There were thirteen in the group that showed up along with green who is usually there, to make a total of 14 at one eventatthesametime.Whatisaflatfenderandwhatmakesthemunique? Flat Fenders as they are called are early Jeeps. The origi-nals,datingbacktoJeepsrootsinMayof1941.Thefirstwasmili-tary Jeeps during world war II, Then after the war was the start of thecivilianJeepsknownasCJ’s.ThefirstwasCJ2A’sIdon’tknowall the history of these mighty machines but I am sure it would make some great research. I know they were built during the 40’s and 50’s until they came out with the CJ5 I think during the 60’s. most of the one’s at the Ranch was from the 40’s and 50’s . I think all of them really. most of them looked stock and most open top. Some lookedliketheyjustcameofftheshowroomfloor.Thesemightymachines could go most anywhere and do most anything. They are really something to see. During the week-end over at French Lick they had a Blues, Cruise and BBQ. That was Blues music, a car show, and a BBQ contest. To see something special was to see 12 of them lined up at the show, in front of the blues tent. The special treat would have been to be lucky enough to see them make the trip from the Ranch to French Lick. What a group of attention get-ters. I think they are planning on coming back again next year so please plan to be there. From what I understand last year they had 6 or 7 at the Jeep Jamboree. The Jamboree just happened to have aguidewhohadaflatfenderandleadthegroup.ThatwasJohnSorensen from Wisconsin. as the trail guides belong to Fatboy’s Jeeper’s (and some to other IFWDa clubs too. This group decided to join fatboy’s, since the Trail Ride and Camp out at The Ranch is for IFWDa members only. 20 of them joined, but only 13 were ready in time for the event but I think all the members of their group was there. I can’t wait till next year. Hope they can all make it. Did you notice the other strange thing at the Ranch I called it a teeter-totter, But Jeff Ritter and Jeff Hoffman call it a Jeeper Totter. It is a kind of a trailer that converts into a balancing act, Jeeper-Totter. Trying to balance on it is quite a chore. It was very entertaining and a Special Thanks! goes out to Jeff Ritter and Jeff Hoffman of Four Wheels to Freedom Club.

Hi-Lift Trail Day at RedbirdBy Doug Saul -Individual Member UFWDA, GLFWDA, IFWDAmore than 150 full-size 4x4 rigs and 300 off highway vehicle en-thusiasts showed up Saturday, august 21, 2010 at Redbird State Riding area near Dugger, In, setting an all time attendance record fortheIDNRoverflowingwith4x4rigs,buggiesandtowvehicles.The occasion was to celebrate the inaugural Customer apprecia-tion Trail Day held by the Hi-Lift Jack Company. after a short Welcome and Drivers meeting by the Hi-Lift crew, the participants were provided the selection of three levels of trails to test their rig and/or driving skills, with multiple Trail Guides for each level. an-other option for the participants was a Road Rally through scenic Greene County and a behinds the scenes tour of the Hi-Lift manu-facturingfacilities,innearbyBloomfield,IN.

The weather was a little damp at the beginning of the rides, but soon the sun came out and after four hours of riding, the groups reassembled for a fabulous FREE lunch, catered by Happy matt’s BBQ.EverybodygottheirfillandHi-Liftprovideddoorprizesforseveral lucky wheelers! Then it was back to the trails for round two of exploring Redbird. The rock garden was a popular stop, complete with a viewing area with picnic tables. The afternoon trails had dried a little and provided new challenges to the riders, including some hill climbing that was a hit with the buggy group. Throughout the day there were several occasions for drivers to pull out their Hi-Lift products and put them to use on the trail. In the morning, I observed a YJ Wrangler driver reseating the bead onhistire,afterclimbingoutofthe“notch”.Laterintheafternoon,Rich & melissa Reisz, from the Boonie Riders 4x4 Club, needed theirHi-LiftJacktochangeatireontheir liftedandmodifiedXJCherokee.

a Fun time was had by aLL, but it was soon time to call it a day. Early evening brought the remaining diehards together again to show their appreciation to Hi-Lift for throwing such a GREaT party! Once again the Hi-Lift folks handed out more fantastic prizes to participants with the winning tickets. Trails, food, fellowship and prizes, what more could one ask for on a beautiful summer day in Indiana. Our THanKS goes out to Hi-Lift for an outstanding event! Your long history in business is a testament to the quality of your products. See ya on the trails!

Wheeling in JapanBy: Kevin Ludwig

Hello, I’m air Force SSgt Kevin Ludwig. Currently I’m on tour at Yokota aB in the Tokyo metropolitan area. I’m about to marry the editor of this publication, so naturally she wanted me to write an article for IFWDa. I have been wheeling a couple times with her and her family so I am somewhat familiar with wheeling in the uSa soIdecidedIwouldfindouthowtheydoitinJapan.

about 2 weeks ago I spotted a little truck at the base lemon lot. It’s a 92 Suzuki Jimny, 3Cyl, turbo, 4x4, and with no power steering. I test drove it and I was hooked. Two of my friends who are about to leave the base also had 4x4’s so we did what anybody in that situation would do….let’s go off-roading. So Sunday we set off in our little convoy guided by what appeared to be a dirt bike track on an iPhone. The place turned out to be 35 miles northwest of central Tokyo. The park was located above a mine of some sort nearariver.WehappenedtofindanaRROW path that ran along the top of the river’s surge wall. We spotted what turned out to be a Japanese Jimny Club in the distance and headed that way. Then there it was, a path headed right where we wanted to go. I locked my hubs and took off through the brush and the mud. We weren’t able to partake of the course the club had set up as all our trucks were stock. We watched them for a while then went out to explore the park. We each found our own way of getting from one point to the other based on what our vehicles could do or where they could fit.Mytruckwasalmosthalfthesizeoftheothertwo.NaturallyIgotmore comfortable driving and soon as I decided to try that one path that earlier I would have refused....WHam…. stuck. no damage was done to the truck, just my ego. The truck was high centered on not even a foot and a half tall bump in a mud hole. my door wouldn’t open more than an inch and the Jimny is so small I couldn’t get out over the gear shift or through the window. So I sat patiently, banging myheadagainstthesteeringwheelwaiting.Aftermy“swift”rescuewe climbed the only hill in the area and got a better view. The park was more than just an off-road park. There was an air-soft/paintball field, soccer, baseball, anda fewdirt bike tracksaround.Wehita couple more paths then ended our day playing in what I swore wasactuallyaconstructionsitepartiallyflooded.It’shardtotell,butthat’s life as an american in Japan.

2 liter 4CYL aWD Honda CRV , Suzuki Jimny 660 CC, 3CYL, Turbo/Inter-cooled, mitsubishi Pajero V6) Below (Japannies Jimny group)

Wheelin for Children 5Submitted by Rich Reisz- Boonie Riders 4x4 Club

nov6,2010markedthefifthanniversaryoftheToysforTotscharitytrail ride known as Wheelin for Children. Held at Interlake SRa, near Lynnville In, this year the event was co hosted by Boonie Riders 4x4 Club, Lincoln Country Trail Riders, Bluegrass 4x4 Club, and Friends of Interlake (FOIL).

The weather on this fall day was near perfect- pretty cold in the morning, but quickly warming up to short sleeves comfortable once the sun was up for a while. The ground conditions were perfect for wheeling. most of the perennial mud holes had all but dried up, and the hill climbs were almost completely dry, but just tacky enough for easy crawling traction.

as of this writing, I have yet to see the exact numbers of attendance, but my observations tell me we were down a solid 50% from last year. This may be due to a variety of reasons, including people having to work (I had to take a vacation day myself!) to ineffective advertising. For next year’s event, we will redouble our efforts on the advertising side, and hope for the best on the other.

although there weren’t as many participants this year, there were a wide variety of rigs represented. The national trend seems to be people abandoning traditional aTVs for the more family friendly side by sides. There were at least twice as many uTVs this year as last. Full Size rigs (Jeeps, trucks, SuVs) looked to be the most popular choice. Everything from new 4 door JKs to Tacoma pickups, and every other model of Jeep (well, almost) were out on the trails. The group I rode with in the morning consisted of a group of Ford Ranger enthusiasts, a couple of Tacos, 3 TJs, and my XJ. Some members of the group had trouble negotiating the bowl sections of Trail #4- there was winching, strapping, and high centering among the long wheelbase trucks. There were also a lot of smiles, picture taking, and good camaraderie.

after lunch, we split into two smaller groups. my group ran trail 16- the easier of the two rocky trails in the north east part of the property. IT was still pretty challenging, but the trail conditions were perfect, and we were able to tackle some of the harder lines as a result. after this, we ran trails 5, and 8. These are a couple of moderate trails, especially this year, since we had so little rain. add a little moisture, and this pair of trails gets a lot more exciting to say the least.

Beingoneofthehostclubs,wehadotherobligationstofulfill,andcouldn’t spend as much time out trail riding as we would have liked. The few hours we were able to spend putting dirt under our tires was well worth the trip. We are looking forward to our 6th annual event, coming early november 2011.

TOYS 4 TOTS- HASPIN ACRES By Scott Sperling, Fat Boys Jeepers

On november 13, 2010, three 4x4 clubs based out of eastern Indiana and western Ohio joined forces, talents, work duties, resources and a common goal to help host the 4th annual OFFROaD BEnEFIT for Toys for Tots. FaT BOYS JEEPERS (www.fatboysjeepers.com) out of Indiana along with mIamI VaLLEY 4 WHEELERS (www.mv4w.com) located in middletown, Ohio and muDDY BuDDYS (www.muddybuddys.net), based out of the Dayton-Ohio area descended on Haspin acres located in Laurel, Indiana. not enough can be said about Pete and the staff at Haspin acres for waiving a portion of the entrance fee for every donatedtoyreceived.Toallinattendance,thisisdefinitelyaWIN-WIn situation for all involved.

mother nature treated us with dry, dusty and windy conditions with light rain near the end of the day. It appears a lot of the mudholes were dried up due to the lack of mud covered 4X4’s at lunch time. HaSPIn FIRST!!!although the mud holes were dry, some people still managed to break a part or two that day. We feel the turnout was down some from last year but still had people from michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana in attendance. This just helps prove that generous people are willing to travel to have a great time enjoying OuR sport of wheeling while still donating toys for the less fortunate children to enjoy the happiness of Christmas. For those new to Haspin or to wheeling, we offered guided groups for the stockwheelers or for the extremelymodified.Aswe allknow- Haspin has it all.

a lunch of hot dogs was provided along with a cold Coca-Cola product to wash it down. after lunch, everyone went back out on the trails for some additional wheeling until closing ceremonies. During closing ceremonies, we had Toy for Tots Chairman Frank Gross from the Richmond marine Corp. League address the crowd. He told everyone that just in our area alone, over 1600 families were served last year with more families needing help thisyear.Oureventisessentialtohelpfulfillthoseneedsandhegreatly appreciates what our three (3) clubs have donated over the years.

We would like to thank the generous donations from the following individuals, clubs and businesses that helped us make this day special.

Event Host- Pete Collins and staff of Haspin acres- Laurel, Indiana The marine Corps League-Whitewater Valley Detachment Richmond, IndianaFood- Kroger of Sugarcreek, Ohio and Kroger of Connersville, Indiana. Food Preparation- John Broekema of the Sara Lee Corporation Cincinnati, OhioDrinks- Coca ColaCollection boxes- Hoosier Container Richmond, Indiana Door Prizes- advanced auto Parts- Richmond, Indiana, 4WD Hardware and Hi-lift Jack.

We are very pleased to say that OVER 600 toys of all sizes, colors, and kinds (even with batteries) along with over $960.00 was collected and turned over to the marine Corp League of Richmond, Indiana. It was a great feeling knowing that we exceeded our toy donations from last year. as for cash donations, it was down some since we did not sell event t-shirts this year. Therefore no shirt profitswereaddedtothetotal.Hopefullynextyearsinceplentyofpeople asked for them at Haspin.This special event will help brighten the Christmas for children in both eastern Indiana and western Ohio. We are very happy to be a large part of this event, and that our members and friends are willing to travel far and near to support it. What better way to help get everyone into the spirit of the season of giving.

Toys 4 Tots – BadlandsAnnette Wheatcraft-IFWDA Special Events Coordinator

Last Toys 4 Tots events for 2010 – Badlands need we say more, always fun place to wheel! as we headed out in the snow, we knew it was going to be a fun 2 hour drive. Half way into the trip we decided it was time for some breakfast; most have stopped at the right place plenty of fellow wheelers eating including George and nancy Thomas! By the time, we arrived at the Badlands 4 inches of snow was already on the ground and snow was steady. To our surprise Tom meets driver of maximum Destruction from monster JamwassittinginfrontoftheBadlandoffice.Hewassigningau-tography and talking with everyone nice guy, time to go play in the SNOW! Itwasdefiantly different from twoweeksagowhenwecame here to wheel just before Thanksgiving weekend. However, it sure made for some nice photo opts. We drove around by the quarry and the sand dunes ran into a few friends, and before we knew, it was time for lunch. Four Wheels to Freedom can really put on a spread – they had two hogs roasted, pork and beans, coleslawandspicecakeWOW!Wewilldefiantlybeback.Hopetosee more of you on the trail!

Toys for Tots 2010 @ The BadlandsBy Brian Rowda, 4WTF

For the ninth year in a row 4 Wheels to Freedom has hosted in conjunction with the united States marie Corp, and The Badlands a successful toy drive to help ensure all children have a joyous Christmas. The weather did put a damper on the numbers, but still over 160 off-road vehicles came through the gates. The snow started after mid-night and by mid afternoon about 7 inches had fallen around attica. a few of the people came through the gates wit the trail rig leading the way through the snow. It was not the best day to be trailering a vehicle. While collecting toys the snow-ballswereflyingandasledwasbroughtoutforaddedfun.Toyotadonated a new Tundra to the marines to utilize for pulling their trailer to toy collections. Due to previous trail carnage on some up-armored hummers, they are no longer allowed to bring hum-mers to test on the trails. also, up-armored hummers sink. Deep. We served up 2 hogs and Sweet D's donated 8 gallons of sauce to use. The cooks slept more than usual during the night this year but the meat was still good. Other sponsors of the event were: Pepsi, and the Badlands. The trails were buried in snow and it was toughtofindtherutsortherocks.Weheadedoutandexploredthe green trail and parts of the orange trail. The sand was frozen onthesurfacewhichallowedforgreatfloatation.Thiswasfoundby my son on his aTV. In the past he just sank. I always admire these crazies on aTVs in the cold and blowing snow. The heater works so well in a jeep and feels good. By 5 we had enough on the trails and headed out. a big thanks to Kyle and Lisa the owners of the Badlands for helping sponsor this event. They cut their gate admission to promote toy collection.

Hoosier Outdoor ExperienceBy Doug Saul - Individual Member UFWDA, GLFWDA, IFWDA

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is Indiana’s largest, hands-on outdoor recreation event. This free weekend at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis is organized by the IDnR. It features over 50 activities and 120 grassroots partners, providing the opportunity to learn the basics of outdoor recreation available across Indiana’s extraordinary public lands. Over 30,000 participants turned out over the 2 day weekend to try most everything you can imagine to do in the out of doors for FREE. Go here for more information and a list of the activities offered. Be sure to scroll down to the OuTDOORS section for the Jeep Rides! http://www.in.gov/dnr/6025.htm

Fatboys Jeepers and IFWDa (Indiana Four Wheel Drive association) provided the Jeeps and volunteers, along with our sponsor Eastgate Chrysler/Jeep. approximately 30 Jeeps, drivers and additional members setup information booths, registration table and loading and unloading stations for the participants. Jeeps and drivers were lined and ready for the tram loads of excited folks as the gathered for their chance at a Jeep Ride. as the line of participants grew, more Jeeps were added to the course “lineup”. Waiting timeswereshortandnoonewasdeniedhisorheropportunitytoexperiencetheexcitementoftheirfirstJeepride!

The course was approximately a half mile long and included a little of every terrain and obstacle central Indiana has available. It was hard to tell who was having more Fun, the riders or the drivers, who witnessed the reactions of kids, parents and grandparents during the trail ride. Go here for a short video of the action. http://www.memimir.com/?p=997

Toys 4 Tots InterlakeAnnette Wheatcraft-IFWDA Special Events Coordinator

This year we decided to go down to Interlake Toys 4 Tots event hosted by Boonie Riders. I know it has been a couple years since we have ridden on this property (sorry guys). Interlake State Recreation area (ISRa) is one of DnR newest off road areas located down by Lynnville Indiana. Consisting of 3550 acres of old mining and reclamation land it has more diverse terrain than Redbird. The area is multi use so keep that in mind. Check DnR website for more info and maps of the area.www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/4226.htm

We were greeted by Santa as we entered the gates gathering toys for the local girls and boys. We heard later in the day they collected around 600 toys. Great job Boonie Riders! We set out to hit some trails in the morning before it was time for lunch break. Every time wegodownwefindnewtrailsthatgobysomeofthemostscenicareas we also found a few muddy spots. Rich told us they have new trail in the making and some other upcoming projects. Each yearthiseventseemstogrowsomarkyourcalendarforthefirstweekend in november to attend Interlake Toys 4 Tots.

Join today, have a half ton of fun

CARING AND SHARING ALL

WHILE HELPING KIDS.

Fat Boys Jeeper Club Profile

Fat Boys Jeepers, are proud members of

the Indiana Four Wheel Drive Association

www.ifwda.org  and the United Four

Wheel Drive Association www.ufwda.org ,

and has only been in existence since

2001. This fast growing club of solely jeep

owners is based out of the Wayne County

area of Indiana.

At that 2001 IFWDA Convention, Fat

Boys Jeepers joined IFWDA with 7 core

members. We now average over a 100

members at the end of each year. We

have the largest number of dual members

within the Indiana Four Wheel Drive

Association with - Iron Horse, Ruffriders,

Monroe County, Southern Indiana, JP

Frog and 4WTF members using us as

there secondary club. Being located near

the Indiana-Ohio state line, we also have

members that belong to Miami Valley

Four Wheelers from Middletown, Ohio

and IOK from Cincinnati and Muddy

Buddys Jeep Club - Dayton, Ohio area.

The purpose of this club is to promote the

fun and fellowship of enjoying the great

outdoors in our jeep vehicles while

helping others, especially children.  One

of the popular events we are are proudly

a part of is participating in the IFWDA

4XKIDS Day trailride for the children at Camp

Riley. Other charitable organizations Fat

Boys Jeepers have been active with have

been D.A.R.E., Special Olympics and

Toys for Tots. During the last several

years, we have sponsored a raffle for the

sole purpose to make it possible for other

children, throughout the Fat Boys Jeepers

membership communities, to enjoy

Christmas. This may involve those

children receiving either toys, coats, hats

or gloves. What a wonderful way to start

off the holiday season. 

It is the "spirit" of giving instead of

receiving, and the reward is in the feeling

of helping others is what Fat Boys

Jeepers is all about. 

Feel free to check out our website-

www.fatboysjeepers.com

Giving Jeep rides to kids at Camp Riley, a yearly event.G

ivin

g

tomorrow and help change the life of a child.

New YearBy George & Nancy Thomas

Well, it looks like 2011 is off to a fast start. I was at the Indiana Four Wheel Drive (IFWDa)Convention this past weekend. February 25 - 27, 2011. IFWDa has some new board members and several clubs seemed enthused and wanting to do things this year. This year IFWDa is back into united Four Wheel Drive with Full membership. That seems to be something everyone is for. During tough economic times we need united and they need us. Teamwork and working together is what gets things done. This is a good thing for anyone who likes off road motorized trail rides and other organized sports.

I am no longer on the board of directors but I am still very active and care very much for our sport. It is very family friendly. You get to see some awesome sights and do things you never thought possible in a stock 4 X 4 vehicle. One thing that I always like to see and try to be a part of is getting new people involved in our sport. IFWDa is trying to do that in a new way this year. We always encourage members to try to get new people involved. The ones with the nice built up Jeeps get lots of attention and good conversation starters. When someone tells you that you have a nice rig, that’s the time to ask their interest if they have one and if they belong to a club or if they’ve ever been off - road. If they don’t belong to a club, or have never really been off road then that’s a good time to invite them to something to check it out. I’m sure that most IFWDa members are like me. If they invite someone to something then they are going to take them under their wing so to speak and see that they have a good time and enjoy themselves. You can do this a couple of ways. One by taking them with you, either in your vehicle and maybe even let them drive some on easy stuff or by guiding them in their vehicle and taking the time to get to know them some and what they can do with their vehicle. If you have a built up rig, and they are bone stock maybe you get bored on easy trails. If this is the case try to put them with someone who has a vehicle similar to theirs only experienced and likes helping new people. I’m one of those who get caught in the middle here. Let me explain. I am lucky enough to do a couple of Jeep Jamborees a year as a trail guide. Last year at the Badlands nancy (my wife) and I did the lower level stock trails, at the French Lick Jeep Jamboree we do the toughest trails. That is what our Jeeps were built for. as you can imagine, there is a big difference in trails, vehicles and people. ThatwasthefirstJeepJamboreeattheBadlandsandwehadlotsoffirsttimersinourgroup,mostlylatemodelJK’s.Normallyyoumove up the second day but our group wanted to stay together so we decided Saturday would be ladies day. The guys would drive Friday, the ladies on Saturday. It worked out great and everyone had a blast. at the French Lick Jeep Jamboree we have the same group for both days. Depending on the trail rating of your group there are several groups revolving around the property and all groups get to do about everything on the property. Stock groups may just cross or go down some things and the built up Jeeps take the hardcore trail to the top. We try to make it so every group has fun and gets opportunities to see the built Jeeps in action.

Through the years we have seen several Jeeps go from Stock to Built. more lift and bigger tires. We all started somewhere and it is great seeing where we end up. nothing will ever give you more pleasure than seeing the smiles and looks on peoples faces when theydosomethingforthefirsttime.Priceless!

along with the return to 100 percent IFWDa members in united also came the push to try to get more people involved. Some members of IFWDa (Clubs and their members) have been working for years to promote our sport. They did a lot at the Indy 4X Jamboree and truck show at the Indiana State Fair Grounds in September. a couple of years ago the Indiana Department of natural Resources started Outdoor adventure at Fort Harrison State Park not far from

the State Fairgrounds. The goal is to kind of have the two events work together for a total family experience. IFWDa got involved a couple of years ago by doing trail rides for the participants. One thingthatwasfiguredoutrightawaywasthekidsloveditandtheywanted to be in an open top vehicle (like a Jeep Wrangler without a top, but they didn’t really care for the Cherokee with a roof over them. So you can see IFWDa reaches out in many ways.

For years IFWDa has always promoted Safety, Education, and Recreation within its clubs and with its members. now they want to take it a step further by offering a 101 course. Kind of a traveling course type thing that could be put on at dealerships or off-road parks or even as a club function in a parking lot. With a common goal of educating people about safety and recreation with 4 wheel drive vehicles from the smallest to the largest. also at the same time they would like to get new members for clubs, and the association. I think this is a fabulous ideal that will take some time to get rolling but will be great when it gets there. If this has your curiosity going and you want to become a part of it get a hold of IFWDa BOD members and they will work with you.

Several IFWDa clubs do different things during the year. Starting in January Fat boy Jeepers has the Ground Hog run. I didn’t make it this year t Turbo trouble with my tow rig,Luckily it was just a boot needed replaced but just didn’t have enough power to get me there. Then there’s things all year from then on. Like the Convention this past weekend. It was awesome! Special thanks to Southern Indiana for hosting it.The Badland’s at attica Indiana host Guided Trail Rides each month. Check them out if you are interested in something like that. These are a way for someone new to off - roading to get their feet wet yet still be safe and not get in over their heads right away and have a bad experience.

In august IFWDa has a Trail Ride and Camp Out down by Paioli Indiana. Guided Trail Rides for IFWDa members Only. Great event! If you are not yet a member join now and get signed up.

Get Involved. Stay involved and ask others to do it, too.Thank You!

Washita Off Road ParkBy Annette Wheatcraft

We decided to try this place after seeing an article in 4 Wheeler magazine. Washita off Road Park is located in Farmington, missouri. This park is fairly new- only 4 years old, and it boasts well over 1,000 acres of land and over 20 miles of trails. They do offer camping and have limited facilities. The trails are designed to appeal to a wide variety of skill levels. There’s everything from easy stuff a stocker can do to wild ‘n crazy challenges that will keep the most hardcore wheeler entertained. The trails could use a better marking system but nothing like getting lost in the woods as an adventure. The property has lots of rocky areas and some awesome overlooks that make a great place to stop and have lunch. Check parks website www.washitaoffroadtrail.com give them a call and check them out on your next adventure.

Happy Wheeling

Rob RobbinPresidentscoutman4614@gmail.com765-480-0329

Patti StemanVice-Presidentjeepcrazed@gmail.com

Dee Bubel SecretaryUFWDA Delegatesecretary@ifwda.org

Sandy Dryden Treasurersdryden@rr1.net

Ron MattoxSecretaryron@scoutgraphics.com

Gary & Kathleen Snyder Public Relations Directorgrandkasnyder@embargmail.com

Annette Wheatcraft &Max SolidaySpecial Events Directorsevents_director@ifwda.org

Rich Reisz & Mike HughesEnvironmental Affairs k5mikeh@gmail.com

Ryan Sweany & Gus KisseeUFWDA DelegatesAkisseejr@sbcglobal.netrsweany@gmail.com

Emma Dryden Newsletter Editornewsletter_editor@ifwda.org

Jeff Hughes Memberships30blazer@gmail.com

Scott SperlingCommunications Directorcssjeep@comcast.net

officers

ifwdA.org

17th Annual IFWDA Trail & Camp Rendezvous - The RanchAugust 5, 6 & 7th, 2011Due to date change all registration need to be postmark by July 1st.Late Registrations after July 1st will be $75.00 per adult and $45.00 per child.

Saturday dinner included with entry.

1. Phone: (________)________-__________ Email:_______________________________________________2. Club Affiliation:___________________________no IFWDA club include $30 _________________________3. Name:_________________________________________________________________________________4. Address:_______________________________________________________________________________5. City, State, Zip:__________________________________________________________________________6. Type of Vehicle:__________________________________________________________________________7. Type of Trail: Easy _________ Moderate _________ Hard _________8. Estimated Day & Time of Arrival: ____________________________________9. # of Adults @ $55 ea._______________________________________10. # of Children (6-10) $32 ea. (Please provide age and gender of children) (5 and Under Free)# Boys ______________________ #Girls _______________________11. Weekend Camping – Handled by “The Ranch” check in at office upon arrival.12. Friday night adult dinner @$15 each _____________ child dinner @$12 each _____________13. Saturday adult breakfast @ $10 each ____________ child breakfast @$8 each ___________14. Sunday adult breakfast @ $10 each ____________ child breakfast @$8 each ___________15. Wilstem Tee Shirt Order @ $15 Per Shirt: Select SizesSmall: ________ Medium: ________ Large: ________ XL: ________ XXL: ________ XXXL: ________

Make checks payable to IFWDA and mail with this registration form to:ANNETTE WHEATCRAFT2697 S OLD US 31FRANKLIN, IN 46131No refunds on registration, lodge or cabin fees

Schedule of EventsFriday, August 5, 2011Tech: 9am - 6:00pm –White drive in barn - mandatory Registration – 10am – 8pm – (Loft Big Red Barn) – mandatory Lodgingcheck-inandcampset-up:RanchOffice-3:00pm-???–mandatoryTrailRide:noon-6:00pm–withIFWDAcertifiedtrailguideDinner: 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Loft Big Red Barn) must have ticketCorn Hole Practice – meet and greet – 7pm - ?? (Loft Big Red Barn)

Saturday, August 6, 2011Tech: 7am – 8am –White drive in barn - mandatoryBreakfast: 6am – 8am (Loft Big Red Barn) must have ticketRegistration: 7:00am - 8:30am Loft Big Red Barn) – mandatory Driver’s meeting- 8:30am – (Loft Big Red Barn) - mandatory LineUp:8:45am–withIFWDAcertifiedtrailguideTrail Ride: 9:00am - 12:00pm (noon)Lunch: 12:00pm (noon) - 1:00pmTrailRide:1:00pm-6:00pm–withIFWDAcertifiedtrailguideDinner: 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Loft Big Red Barn) included with entryRaffle&Party:7pm-12:00am(LoftBigRedBarn)CornHoleCompetition–meetandgreet-afterraffle(LoftBigRedBarn)

Sunday, August 7, 2011Breakfast: 7:30am – 9:30am (Loft Big Red Barn) must have ticketLodging check out and departure by 1pm

4 Wheels To FreedomPO Box 342Shelbyville, In 46176

4XFools Offroad Club1402 adams Streeturbana, IL 61802

Boonie Riders 4WD Club 7374 E. CR. 700 n.Grandview, In. 47615

Damaged Off-Road ‘RZ’P.O. 34159 Indianapolis, In 46234

Fat Boys Jeepers6142 Franklin RoadHagerstown, In 47346

Iron Horse 4x4’sP.O. Box 668 Beecher, IL. 60401

J. P. Frog Off-Roaders 6840 norena Court Brownsburg, In 46112

MOJO Offroad Club3074 Old ST RD 37Greenwood, In 46143

Monroe County 4x4 Club8712 n. mt. Pleasant Rd.Gosport, In. 47433

North Central Indiana Free-Wheelers130 n. Elm St.Bunker Hill, In 46914

Odd Squad1760 north 5th StreetCharleston, Illinois 61920

On the Trail 4WD P.O. Box 632Oakland, IL. 61943

Ruffriders PO Box 83Goshen, In 46526

SWAK- Safe Wheelers of All Kinds44 mcKinley Blvd.Terre Haute, In 47803

Southern Indiana 4x4 Club173 S East StCrothersville, In 47229Seymour In 47274

indiana four wheel drive Association573 co. rd. 700Ntoledo, il 62468

www.ifwda.org

ifwdA.org

ifwdA member clubs

did you know?

The other four trails that are in the running for BFGoodriches Out standing Trails are Dusy-Ershim OHV Route, Golden Spike Trail, mirror Lake Trail, and Blanca Peak Trail. Got to http://bfgoodrichtrails2011.outdoorhub.com/ to learn more about the trails and cast your vote by June 30, 2011.