We got an invite from the Vegas Valley 4 Wheelers to attend the 26th annual Hump and Bump Trail Rides near the end of 2006. We figured a day in the dirt was just what we needed after attending the weeklong bling fest that the SEMA show was, so we jumped at the chance.
Hump and Bump takes place in Logandale, Nevada, and consists of a Friday and Saturday of wheeling, with a big barbecue and raffle on Saturday night. We got there Saturday morning, and went wheeling with the Tri-County Gear Social Club on some of the more difficult trails the area has to offer.
The Hump and Bump is a yearly event, and the terrain includes slickrock, sand washes, hills, and lots of stuff in between. To go to this year's event or for more information, visit www.vv4w.org.
Kurt Fisch from Riverside, California, drove us around in his '87 YJ all day. With a swapped-in 4.0L, NV4500, 4.3 Atlas II, and a Black Diamond XCL coil-spring conversion, we were riding in style and comfort. | 
One of the ultra-modified and barely recognizable XJs that was with us tried to take a high line passing and ended up on its side. There were enough people to just push it back upright, and with that exocage, no real damage was done. | 
Larry and Charlene's '88 YJ with a swapped-in 350-ci LT1 V-8 just loved showing off for the camera. This is the likely result on a climb just a little bit off the correct line. Fortunately, Larry got it corrected in plenty of time. |
There were lots of obstacles where "the line" was to carry a tire in the air for a while. Fortunately, Brent Palmer had his front 44 and rear 60 spinning 4.88s on ARBs, so carrying a tire wasn't a problem at all. | 
This sand hill was loose and light. High horsepower and high speed were required to make it up. The approach was bumpy, but after a few tries Bill Lasher flogged his 6.0L Vortec-powered '94 YJ up the sand hill-one of few in our group to make it all the way up. | 
We aren't sure about any of this Jeep's specs, but it was big, loud, and ugly-just the way we like them. It tried for the top of the sand hill repeatedly, but by the time our group left, it hadn't reached the peak. |
Ever wonder what a Liberty looked like with Pro Rock 60s under it all locked and loaded? Neither have we. But these nice people bought Detroit Locker's KJ and have been driving it all over the place ever since. This just might be the most capable KJ out there. | 
Here is another one of those climbs that was the perfect step distance to make it rough on the shorter Jeeps. Gary Fisk made it look easy in his '99 TJ with ARBs loaded in the stock front and rear axles rolling on 35-inch Goodyear MT/R tires. | 
This is the same YJ that was blasting by us on the hill. Once Bill Lasher kicked it into low range on the Atlas II transfer case, the 3.8:1 ratio coupled with the low First gear of the 700R4 allowed for good control in technical situations. |
This '80 CJ-7 belongs to Dan Gates, and while he showed us some of the best driving we've seen in a while, he still needed the strap here. You see, his 360-ci, fuel-injected Jeep was the only rig with us that had an open front differential. Still, he surprised us by using the ol' skinny pedal and some well-placed finesse to make it up stuff that the fully locked rigs had problems with. | 
Sometimes the only way to get up a ledge is to use the skinny pedal, regardless of if you are locked or not. There is nothing like the sound of tires struggling for traction and chirping on the rocks. | 
Apollo Wade was out in this '99 XJ and shows us how even the longer wheelbase of the XJ doesn't exempt him from lifting a tire. |
Dennis and Laura Couch lead the way in their '04 Rubicon. With a 4-inch TeraFlex lift, OMF bead locks, and Master Craft seats, they sure wheel in comfort. Dennis mounts a camera in his Jeep and has made some awesome video compilations of the Social Club's wheeling trips. | 
Jenny King was out in her '95 YJ. With a stock 2.5L, AX5, and NP231, all she needed to turn her 37-inch Parnelli Jones Dirt Grips was a pair of Dana 60 axles with 5.13 gears and a bunch of custom homebuilt suspension work to clear them. | 
Hopefully, Cappa will forgive us for running this exocaged XJ, but he tagged along with us for a while, and we thought it was cool how his brother had cut the Jeep behind the rear doors and grafted the liftgate on for a quasi-stock appearance. |