I’m Adam Eakle and let me introduce you to Nicole Vowell. Welcome to Utah. (nicole) oh boy, I’m excited. (adam) so if people have never met you, you’ve been on the morning show for how long? (nicole) I’ve been reporting for KSLAM for about six months now. But, I’m moving to nightside, so you’ll catch me on the ten o’clock news Sun-Thursday, starting this week. (adam) you’ve never been south of Provo, until today? (nicole) never been south, but it’s beautiful so far. Hopefully you guys will go easy on me today. (adam) alright we are down in Moab and we are going to hook up with my good buddy, Dan Mick. We are going to go thrill, spill, maybe scared Nicole. (nicole) scream. (adam) Yeah lot’s of screaming. (nicole) I will be screaming.
Moab is famous for adventure. From the mighty Colorado River.
To the famed slickrock mountain bike trail.
But if you’re looking for thrills on four wheels, then look no further than Dan Mick, the Godfather of Moab Jeepin’.
(Dan) I came here in 1978. I was driving thru town.
(Dan Mick, Dan Mick’s Jeep Tours) I had a 68, GTO convertible with a 389 and the engine was knocking. It wouldn’t get out of town, it blew up, so we stayed here.
Dan has been rambling across the slickrock ever since. Heck he even help establish many of these off road routes.
(Dan Mick) We are going to run up there to the abyss, out to the overlook and then back over and around to the black hole. (adam) this is Hells Revenge. (dan) you bet Hells Revenge.
(Dan) ok, here’s our first rock.
(Dan) It’s called the intimidator.
(Nicole) oh my God, dear lord. (dan) what do you think? (nicole) oh yeah it’s great! Who does this.
(Dan) People ask us if we ever get tired giving tours. Do you ever get tired of giving tours? (richard) Never. (dan) Because we’ve got new people to take out and scare the Hell’s Revenge out of them. (richard) I call them the victims. (dan) I do too. (laughs)
(Nicole) Oh man this is not normal. Take a look is anyone coming. (nicole) No I don’t think so. (dan lets brake go and screams) oh my goodness did you knock that out of gear? Did you knock that out of gear? (nicole) it’s my fault I did it. (dan) don’t do that.
Dan and his son Richard both guide, even 22 year old Lacy Ann Mick can navigate these obstacles. She’s been doing it since she was 14. You can say it runs in the family.
(Dan) little bit over here. come on over here, little more momentum. Come on, come on.
(Dan) come on you got it. (lacy gets up) there you go, easy, easy.
(Dan) We are going to drop in to an area over here to my left called the Gates of Hell. Lacy Ann drove out of there when she was 14 years old. Of course she didn’t have anyone else in the vehicle and I taught her well. Let’s go do that, we’ll have some fun.
(Dan) This is usually where I put my seat belt on for the first time.
(Nicole) oh my gosh! (Screams) (dan) tires in the air. Feel it floating. (nicole screams) Oh…(dan) back down again. (nicole) Oh boy. (dan) I knew I could get her to giggle.
(Nicole) I’m having a little bit of fun and a little bit of terror. All at the same time.
(Dan) they start out as victims when we pick them up, buy by the time we drop them off at their hotels, we are friends, friend for life.
it’s amazing what these custom jeeps can do. But even a stock jeep, like the one Lacy Ann is driving, made it out of the gates of Hell with no problem.
(DeVon Parson, Moab Jeeper) Dan is probably one of the premier guides in the valley. He probably knows the trails as good as anybody here.
(Nicole) you have a fun job. (dan) job, did you call this a job. (nicole) I’m sorry. (dan) It’s like Adam, neither one of us have a real job. (adam) it’s our way of life. (dan) yeah it’s our way of life. (nicole) that’s true. (laughs)
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