Long Distance '85 Ranger Build

[85_Ranger4x4]

Annual trip time again, again to Badlands Off Road Park in Attica Indiana.

Ain't got time for this lets go!



My FIL inherited a 70k gem and he tagged along this year.



Left after work and got a couple hours put down before we crashed at a hotel.



Well a feller doesn't see that every day...



BBQ for dinner.



Ran some interstate to bypass Peoria which is a PITA to get thru. Truck took it like a champ, the new front shocks made a huge difference.





Got to camp later than ideal. I got the kitchen stuff setup and my wife started frying steaks while we got the tents up.



And dawn of Day 2 on the road...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Little guy got some driving in putzing around the campground in low range (in reality I did everything and he went along with it and had fun) It was basically empty as not many people spend Thursday night at offroad parks.



Don't see those every day...



From there my wife wanted to go to a farm about an hour north. I blew it off as probably being a cheesy petting zoo (I grew up on a farm) I was actually really impressed.



You get in a bus and get to tour their dairy operation... a little different than the beef outfits down home and way different than how my grandparents milked cows.



When the cow wants milked it just goes into these stalls and via cameras a robot does the milking.





Got to see a calf get born, that was kinda neat. Growing up it was like Santa Claus or something. We would come out in the morning or home from school and there would be a new fluffy calf running around. Never actually caught the actual thing



It was a little bullcalf, everybody cheered. Knowing what happens to bullcalves especially holsteins I kept my comments to myself... we always lobbied for heifer calves so we could keep them back.

Neat little restaurant there we grabbed lunch in.





The we got on another bus and toured their neighbors hog operation. My grandparents also had hogs as did my FIL's parents.







That was pretty neat, the system monitors each hog to make sure they get enough food and water... just way more going on that I ever would have thought. They use the manure from both the diary and hog operations to make natural gas to run the vans and whatever else they can.

And my 21mo son ate it all up. He said "cow", "pig" and babies" for the first time on that trip.



He had to have a little stuffed pig from the gift shop which he aptly named "Babies" and is like the first stuffed animal he has given the time of the day. Over the course of the trip he went into a muddle and rooted around in the fire pit as we were packing up camp.

Anyway, that head scratching thing was done. Mildly confused, it was A LOT more than I had it pictured being but wasn't really all that expensive. They have sunk a ton of money in the thing just to show it off.

Modest little hotel on the way out...



Ok, now time to beat it back to camp, get serious and prep for the next day...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Drop tires down to 15psi



Delete one front sway bar link for a little extra flexy flexy.



And after a fun night around the campfire it was time to hit the trails!

We picked up more people Friday and Saturday night





This thing... is a work of art. Guy made his own doubler kit and added four wheel steer. It was like a full scale RC car, in action it just didn't look real.





Heading in:







First trail was a orange one, kind of technical (for this flatlander anyway), neat trees/terrain. I really liked it. I only got one pic but the video came out great (still working on it)



One guy was having a problem with a shock so we all kind parked off to the side to take a break.





Kids had fun in the sand too



Went over to a different set of dunes to play around

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Headed back to camp for lunch and so the kids could get a nap and managed to catch the evolution of the Ford Ranger in one picture...







And everybody that attended minus one who cut out early.





A huge shoutout to Midland for donating radio gear. I won this 5W GMRS radio which is going to be super nice (I have a CB and I think I am about the only one left that only has a CB)



Sneaked back out for a quick run before supper. Nothing complicated just a quick in and out.



And a BII took a roll on the rocks. A guy was letting his kid learn how to crawl and he clipped a rock with a front tire and over she went. Nobody was hurt. Kids first roll, the Broncos 7th.





Back upright without an issue.



Got all the guy's things put back in the BII while he pulled plugs and a bunch of stockish heep owners threw in their $.02 of what should be done.



My little cherub sat quietly off to the side thru all this.





Park closed at 7, we sneaked out at 7:04 and didn't get yelled at or tazed or anything so we called that a win.





One guy brought all the stuff and was making pizzas to order. Another guy made a sort of a pizza oven out of a large mixing bowl he attached a handle to. Worked great and pizza over a fire is always awesome.



Another great night around the fire.





It is pretty neat, I have known most of these guys for the better part of 20 years and we go back and forth pretty much daily online but at best I have actually met them in real life 3 times at most so it is fun to actually get to know them face to face.

And the sun comes up on the beginning of the end.



Some aired their tires back up...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Went ahead and packed up the tents etc.



And then we headed out by our lonesome. I had gone thru the tubes on our quick run last night sans my wife so I took her thru Sunday.





Swung by an African water hole...



Since we were by ourselves I decided to do the right thing and play in mud (mainly just water) I did two runs for my wife while she ran the camera on burst.







My favorite one.





And we were the second to last ones out. Pretty sad to see it all empty.





Then it was point it west and let 'er run.

Went ahead and topped off the tank.



Made it to Burlington Iowa on the first run, I just don't blend in well at hotels on my return trips...



Met a herd of these guys, had to have been twenty of them. All looked like Model A's or similar.



Made it home!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The first trail we went down.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Went out again almost a month ago. Our little convoy is getting bigger, in addition to my '85 and my FIL's '91 my wife drove her Bronco out too.

I rode with her and tried to kinda help her gain confidence offroading. Then after lunch I took out my '85 for a bit. After the tubes I thought the kid had fallen asleep (he actually slept thru the whole tube thing) so we took him back for a nap. He promptly woke up when we got back to camp and she actually wanted to go back out and explore an area we had never been too. It was pretty easy but fairly scenic/interesting and she had fun so that is really all that mattered. I was actually able to play photographer a bit too since I wasn't mandatory driver.

Planning on a run down to Kansas in a week for a little more fun before winter, just the Bronco is going though (sadly)

 

[Explorerinil]

Awesome trip! I used to go out there every spring and fall, it’s a blast, you should have hit me up in Peoria when you were passing through. Was it still a dusty mess? Did they get the showers and restrooms open by the second gate where you check in? Last time I was there they were closed, it was a pain.

 

[Explorerinil]

Brings back some good memories, nice video. I’ll have to take my f250 out there soon.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Awesome trip! I used to go out there every spring and fall, it’s a blast, you should have hit me up in Peoria when you were passing through. Was it still a dusty mess? Did they get the showers and restrooms open by the second gate where you check in? Last time I was there they were closed, it was a pain.

Like by the big giftshop/office thing?

We camped there, I didn't really pay attention up by that office. We used the restrooms in the campground, supposedly they have built a second one of those in the campground but I was never hard up enough for entertainment to go look for it.

Kind of irritating/amusing. Ever year they bug me wanting to know if I have a cooler in my '85. If I have one (I usually do for gaterade) I have to open everything all up and show they I don't have booze in it. They NEVER asked in the Bronco which was funny because it had the cooler all day this year. And yet when I followed her thru the gate the (her second time, my '85's first) they didn't ask her but I get the "you sure you don't have a cooler?" My topper is all glass, if you don't believe me just look back there. I think I get profiled...

It was pretty dusty on the main lanes but once you got off the beaten trail the dust wasn't bad. My wife wanted the top off the Bronco... could almost grow potatoes on the dash after our day out.

 

[Explorerinil]

Like by the big giftshop/office thing?

We camped there, I didn't really pay attention up by that office. We used the restrooms in the campground, supposedly they have built a second one of those in the campground but I was never hard up enough for entertainment to go look for it.

Kind of irritating/amusing. Ever year they bug me wanting to know if I have a cooler in my '85. If I have one (I usually do for gaterade) I have to open everything all up and show they I don't have booze in it. They NEVER asked in the Bronco which was funny because it had the cooler all day this year. And yet when I followed her thru the gate the (her second time, my '85's first) they didn't ask her but I get the "you sure you don't have a cooler?" My topper is all glass, if you don't believe me just look back there. I think I get profiled...

It was pretty dusty on the main lanes but once you got off the beaten trail the dust wasn't bad. My wife wanted the top off the Bronco... could almost grow potatoes on the dash after our day out.

Not the one by the entrance but the gate where they are asking about your cooler. FYI I’ve been going there for 21 years now, every time I get asked about my cooler, so I guess we are both profiled lol.

 

[PatrickM]

Heck, my Coleman two-burner white gas stove is still my main camping stove, thirty years running. I've had to replace a couple of parts over the years, but it still does a great job. As a backup stove though I also carry a little MSR Whisperlite backpacker stove (also white gas). And a super simple alcohol stove, pretty much just good for boiling water.

I think I also saw a three-burner Coleman in this thread. That's really cool.

Car show was featuring vintage campers so I took advantage of my setup with some old camping gear I had:

.

I also cook on my tailgate, as a rule. Has to be put away though before I can set up my bed for the night: