Larry Keck, President of the Minnesota 4wd Assoc,
flies over the top of one of the grease hills. |
The Mud and More event has been going on for
several years. Obviously, there is a mud hole, but there are other
obstacles for 4-wheelers to enjoy. Trucks with tires less than 35
inches tall can play in the shallower mud hole, and the two rock
crawls, small by the standards of Western trails, are fun for those
not used to large rocks. There is also a log hill, a tire hill, and
the grease hills. The grease hills are steep clay hillsides
stripped bare of vegetation. Water is pumped onto the them
throughout the day making them a challenge for event the best built
vehicles. |
|
Chad Levos of the Trailriders put Swampers on his
tow vehicle and tried the hole. |
The Action |
|
A CJ5 with custom paint plays on one of the rock
crawls. |
The action starts at Noon on Saturday. Trucks
are allowed to do just about anything they want in the mud hole or
on any of the other obstacles. The mud hole is a free for all with
no direction. It's an unnofficial contest to see who can make it
through the deepest parts of the seemingly bottomless hole. More
often than not someone is stuck in one of the deep areas. The
pictures portray the action better than words ever could, so I'll
leave that to them. |
|
The log hill was too much for the C-clip axle on
this TJ. |
The Roots of Mud and
More |
|
Scott Bidon of the Mn4wda tries one of the rock crawls. |
Bob Schmidt has hosted the Mud and More
event for many years now. The event originally started one spring
when a field was too wet to plant. Bob convinced his father that he
and his 4-wheeling friends should be allowed to play in the field.
Soon it became a quarterly event with the general public
invited. |
|
The deep hole was too much for this flat fender. |
The legal side of the
event |
|
There were even a couple of paddle-tired VW powered buggies at the
event. |
Bob doesn't just flood a field and open it to
the public. He starts by getting a conditional use permit for the
land because of its agricultural zoning. The city council requires
Bob to hire two of the city's fire fighters as acting paramedics,
limit hours of operation, provide a truck clean up area to keep mud
off the road, and access to portable toilet facilities on site. The
paperwork for the permit must be filed in December for receipt in
time for the May event. |
|
This S-10 patriotically displayed a flag. (Or was he just looking
for attention?)
This seemingly stock street truck did surprisingly well in the
shallow mud hole. |
Bob also takes additional steps not mandated
by any government agency such as putting in a long dirt driveway to
decrease the chances of mud getting the pavement dirty. The mud
from Bob's field is very slippery when wet. This could pose a
traffic hazzard if there was a large accumulation of it on the
pavement, especially if it was raining. Also provided, but not
required, are food vendors on site and two hired Sheriff deputies
to serve as security for the camping area near the
event. |
|
Protective clothing is a must in an open vehicle, unless you want a
heavy-duty mud bath.
Another of the VW powered buggies. |
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
seems to have only one requirement for Bob's mud hole. Bob's mud
hole is near a lake, and the DNR requires that it is at least 100
feet away from the high water mark. Although he isn't required to,
Bob takes additional precautions to protect the lake and nearby wet
lands. He has built berms around the entire mud area to contain the
mud and any potential run off. Bob has also built a sediment pond
for the water used at the truck wash station to prevent any
siltation of the lake or nearby wet lands. Trucks are never allowed
to enter the natural wet lands near the mud hole. |
|
This V-8 powered Toyota tries one of the rock crawls. |
How to make Mud |
|
Tony Fierro of the MnToyx4s and Stone Bros. tries the mud in one of
his FJ40s.
A big Bronco in the shallow hole. |
Bob was kind enough to let me in on the secret
of his mud. The base dirt is rich black field dirt. The mud area
was farmed for many years before Bob found a better use for it.
Between events the dirt is allowed to dry out. Once it's dry, a
tractor with a chisel plow is used to level the ruts and break up
the clumps. Water is pumped into the mud area continously from
Monday to Wednesday before the event. On Friday the excess water is
drained and the trucks are let in Saturday at Noon. When asked
about long term effects on the land Bob commented "It's no
different that farming. What's the difference if the field is
plowed by trucks or by a tractor?" |
|
|
|
Upcoming Mud and More Events for
1999 |
The mud hole looked like a parking lot at times. Yes, that is a
Yugo. |
Mud and More is scheduled for June 19&20, July
17&18 and September 11&12. Gates open at 10:00 AM and the
action starts at Noon. Camping and food are available on the
grounds.
Admission is very moderatley priced.
Contact Bob at 612-263-6099 for more information and
directions.
|
Your Privacy Choices