This is the scene at the mud...
This is the scene at the mud pit. One Jeep will take a run at it while the rest look on. Once that person is stuck or has made it through, someone else goes.
It might not be a huge surprise, but not everyone loves rockcrawling. Sometimes there is nothing like the good, old-fashioned, wide-open-throttle assaults of hopelessly deep mud pits. Sometimes we just have to go wheeling somewhere with trees and dirt.
So we caught up with David Obney, the president of the Moonlight Stompers 4x4 club, for a day of playing in mud and trail riding in trees at the Mounds ORV area in Genesee County, Michigan.
Jeeps and trucks are not allowed in the park from March 15 to May 15, and there is a $10 fee per vehicle if you aren't a resident of Genesee County. You also need to display a Michigan ORV sticker on your vehicle. We were there the first week the park opened for spring and had a blast.
The park has two main attractions: a wide-open mud pit type of area and miles of tight, twisty, tree-lined trails. Whether you've got a four-popper and just want to crawl or a big, bad, blown V-8, there is something in the park to keep you entertained.
 David Hazard gave this hill...  David Hazard gave this hill hell. But after the water crossing, even his ARB'd front and rear Dana 44s with 38.5 SXs Super Swamper weren't enough to get him up and over. The hill was just that slick. |  Richard Sage found out that...  Richard Sage found out that we were there shooting pictures and decided to show off for the camera. He was going well until his '95 YJ slipped into the deep stuff. The Wagoneer 44s are still open, so he got stuck pretty hard. In attempting to get out, his rear driveshaft decided to part ways with his rear axle, and he was done for the day. |  The 4.1L Buick V-6 swiped...  The 4.1L Buick V-6 swiped from a Grand National was waterproofed pretty well, as was the rest of the Jeep, and Michael Andrevtti decided to take it swimming. With front and rear lockers and 16/35-15 Super Swamper Boggers, he was able to make it through. |
 Jim Kitson was the guy who...  Jim Kitson was the guy who decided we needed to go trail riding, as well as mud bogging, and we are glad he did. His '90 YJ was wearing 35x13.50R15 BFG Krawlers on homemade bead locks. |  The guys out west don't get...  The guys out west don't get it, but some hills just can't be climbed without a stomping on the stupid pedal. Paul Burleigh got some air under the front of his '86 CJ-7, thanks to the Chevy 327 V-8, while his wife, Wendy, held on. |  After every hill must be a...  After every hill must be a "puddle," or so it seemed -- Ryan Hart had no problems getting his '92 YJ wet. Some guys race into the puddles while other guys just putt along. Ryan is a putter all the way. |
 Pat Kinne ended up chauffeuring...  Pat Kinne ended up chauffeuring us around most of the day. His '77 CJ-7 has a 304 V-8, TH400, and Scout Dana 44s. We were riding in style all day on 38x12.50-15 Super Swamper SXs with Champion bead locks, but we got out to shoot this picture of him coming up a pretty wicked hill. |  We didn't get these guys'...  We didn't get these guys' names or any info about the Jeep, but after one pass through the pit, the Jeep was coated with mud and both driver and passenger were standing up to see where they were going. |  John Copeman drove around...  John Copeman drove around in the mud pit in two-wheel drive, for the most part. With a really, really healthy AMC 304, he had no problems spinning his 18/39.5-15 Super Swamper Boggers. The few times he did stab it into four-wheel drive was for the really deep stuff. This hole was over the tops of his tires, but the front and rear Dana 60s still handled all that his heavy right foot could dish out. |