‘On the rocks’ is usually thought of as a drink request, but not for those driving ‘rock crawlers’ in an off-road park, like Twisted Trails in Copemish, Michigan.
During the weekend of Aug. 3, 22 guys from the Muskegon area, ranging in age from 18 to 74, camped at this location and spent time with their crawlers driving up and over boulders and pieces of concrete on an uphill course. The process was slow, and several guys waiting to take their turn at it were directing drivers which way to maneuver over the obstacles. The course was not always the same, as passing crawlers often dislodged boulders along the way. While watching for about an hour, everyone made it to the top and completed the run.
Siblings Donna and Dale Humphrey own this 400-acre park, the largest privately owned park of this type in Michigan. This year, their 16 special events are scheduled from Jan. 13 to Sept. 28. Their three Dog Party events are particularly popular. The first two of those are one-day events that take place in February and March and the final one, in early August, is a three-day event. With warmer weather, this is the only one where camping is allowed.
The February party was listed as the 43rd annual, but they have not all been held here. The first one was in a farmer’s field where people brought their dogs to ride with them on off-road machines. Over the years, dog parties continued to grow larger and the base of operations relocated a few times in this general area. About 18 years ago, the Humphreys began hosting them at Twisted Trails.
The Muskegon rock crawlers ranged from a modified CJ Jeep to completely rebuilt production vehicles - including a Ford Explorer and a Jeep Grand Wagoneer - to full-custom, tube-chassis buggies. Common components are a 1-ton Dana 60 front axle and a 14-bolt GM rear axle with a 5:13 gear ratio.
During the four years Adam Woodring has owned his 1997 Ford Explorer, he has continually modified and upgraded the vehicle, including replacing parts with the items listed above. With reducing weight and adding safety features, the only Explorer parts remaining are the engine, transmission and two three-foot sections of the frame. His son Kyle, 18, now also drives the crawler and helps work on it.
Factory-built vehicles, including a Polaris RZR, a Kawasaki Mule and a Honda Talon, were among this campsite’s four-wheelers.
Tire names include Super Swamper (Interco) and Baja Boss (Mickey Thompson) and range in diameter from 40 to 43 inches. Tires can cost up to $1,000 each for super sticky ones. These tires become stickier as they become warmer. Spinning tires, trying to get a grip on a hard surface (boulder or concrete), heat up in a hurry.
These guys circled the wagons at their camping area. The wagons in this case included motorhomes, fifth-wheel trailers and other open trailers for hauling the boy-toys. For them the “dog party” included grilling four dozen hot dogs on a grill, then putting what was not taken in the first course into an empty cooler to keep them warm.
“Some weekends, we have as many as 1,000 people here,” said Donna. “We are all here just to have fun.”
Others enjoy having fun here too, as Donna has seen younger family generations following previous ones in attending events and camping. Some people only come to enjoy the musical entertainment presented on special occasions. (For more information, check out their website, twistedtrails.com.)
Rock crawling can be rough on equipment. Often, someone has to bring a non-running vehicle home to be worked on. On Saturday, Jeff Parmer had to watch the activities, as his Jeep Wrangler JKU was loaded on the trailer the previous day with a broken front universal joint.
Three families were represented by both father and son, as this sport also spans the generations. Some of the guys have been coming to this location for over 20 years, while others, only a few years. Many of these friends have been to Moab, Utah; The Badlands in Attica, Indiana; Black Mountain in Evarts, Kentucky; and Windrock in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. After a day of wheeling and getting hot and dusty, it is time to sit down around the campfire, maybe get another hot dog, and have a drink or two, whether ‘on the rocks’ or from a can.
Then the storytelling begins.
