Oh the crazy things we do for fame! I was a contestant in the "Mobilize Your Ride Page Contest" in 2008 on CarDomain. I did alot of crazy things and eventually won the "Grand Prize!"
This page was created during the contest, my family and I had some good fun during this trip as I was "Getting My Mobil-On! So I thought I would hang onto this piece of Mobil 1 contest history, I hope the folks that bump across it enjoy it and realize that I was in a contest! Check it out and have a laugh....And "Get Your Mobil-On!"...lol
Road trip time......I have the need to spread my Mobil-ized message beyond the confines of this website and contest! So where to take a road trip was the question, I have been almost everywhere in Wisconsin and there are some very special places here in my own state but I need to go somewhere special on a National scale, so hmmm I was thinking and then it hit me...Go West Young Man! So that's what I did...I was heading for the best (and oldest) National Park in the United States there is....Yellowstone National Park with an annual visitation of well over 3 million people is the destination for me and my Mobil 1 banner!
Well.....I'm here to tell you that there is a whole lotta nothing between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Yellowstone National Park, but apparently the folks of Mitchell, South Dakota heard I was getting my Mobil-on and passing through town. The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD is a pretty strange oddity and is completely decorated with.....you guessed it ...corn! It also happens to be a very popular tourist stop if your heading to Yellowstone from the east with an annual visitation of over 500,000 people a year. Like I said...there is a lot of nothing between Milwaukee and Yellowstone so this was a welcome stop on a long drive that draws a ton of midwest and eastern travalers on their journeys to the best National Park in the country!
Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD......Mobil-ized!
Of course a stop at Badlands National Park is a must on the trek to Yellowstone, and it's no wonder why they call these the Badlands....I sure wouldn't want to get lost or stuck in this remote desert like region. Good thing we can count on Mobil 1's awesome protection in a climate like this, engine trouble will not be an issue as long as Mobil 1 is in control of my engines internals! We will be in a very different type of climate condition in just a day or two as the temperature in Yellowstone will dip into the teens the nights we are planning on being there......with snow in the forecast!
I'll tell you what, that Mobil 1 Banner can really be seen a long ways off! This was a great place to get my Mobil-on as this park gets visited by almost 1 million people annually! We saw some really cool rock formations and got some mild hiking under our belts, and of course I got my Mobil-on! Everybody we met wanted to know the story behind the Mobil 1 Banner.....from most we got some cool comments when they heard what I was up to, others just gave me a blank stare like I was completely off my rocker!
Badland's National Park South Dakota....... Mobil-ized!
If you are heading to Yellowstone from the east, its a good chance you will have to pass through Rapid City, SD. There are many things to see and do in and around Rapid City, one must thing to do is to check out Mount Rushmore.......another is to check out Bear Country USA.
Bear Country USA was next on the hit list, this is a very popular attraction with the "go west crowd" with an annual attendance of 1.2 million people a year. We actually drew cheers and chants of "Go Mobil 1" from the road weary folks that were waiting in line in their cars to check out this popular attraction!
Bear Country USA in Rapid City, SD.....Mobil-ized!
A couple of the locals at Bear Country USA came over to see me get my Mobil-on, funny but nobody wanted to get outside the truck and hold the Mobil 1 Banner for a good pic though!
Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln never looked so good! A definate must stop and see (especially at night!) is the Mount Rushmore National Monument which draws an annual attendance of 1.8 million people. I was a little leary about getting my Mobil-on here as this looked to be a very serious crowd, but I gotta get my Mobil-on......so out came the banner and again there was shouts of "Go Mobil 1" and lots of laughs and cool comments from a very large audience.
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota....... Mobil-ized!
We were really in the mood for a taste of the old west and what better place to get it than in Deadwood, SD? The entire city is on the National Historic Register, Imagine that....an entire city as a National Historic Landmark! We had heard that this was a really rootin tootin tough old west town and that the ghosts of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane and other's still roam the streets, we were really taken by surprise when a gunfight erupted right on Main Street the day we were there!
Seems a real Desperado hit town and tried to take off with some poor fella's Mobil 1, the Sheriff and his deputy had him cornered out in the street and there was no escaping for this lower than a snake's belly Mobil 1 Bandit. A gunfight ensued and the Sheriff wasted no time shooting this guy right then and there! They hauled the Bandit off to jail and returned the heisted Mobil 1 to a very grateful tourist!
Deadwood, South Dakota...........Mobil-ized!
Finally...after that seemingly endless drive through South Dakota, we rolled onto our destination states borders! Now I can really get my Mobil-on! Wyoming is by far my favorite state to visit...... the beautiful scenery is endless, the air is fresh and the people that live in the state are extrodnairily freindly. Sheri and I have made this journey many times over the years (6 to be exact) and we have never tired of the beauty and wonders that inhabit this state! Our Country has so many beautiful places to visit, the choices are endless....Wyoming is a place everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime, it's well worth the effort!
On our way to the first National Park in the United States we came across another first for our Country, the first National Monument in the US... Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. A truly imppresive sight to behold.........Told ya you could really see that Mobil 1 Banner from a long way off!........LOL.. This too is a must see and only one of many wonders Wyoming has to offer, 350,000 visit this National Monument annually.
Devils Tower, Wyoming......Mobil-ized!
The famous Wyoming Jackalope comes in all sizes, this is the biggest one I have ever seen. According to the certified Jackalope authority of Wyoming that just happened to be present (he kinda looked like the cook from the kitchen though) the Jackalope is an aggressive species, willing to use its antlers to fight. Thus, it is also sometimes called the "warrior rabbit." I dunno......I think I would avoid pissing off a critter like this one! Look's like they have it loaded to pack some Mobil 1 into the back-country, I would prefeer to rely on my Mobil-ized Bronco than this over grown bunny when it comes to travelling in the back-country though!
The next stop on the list was one of our all time favorite places to go, the Fountain Of Youth RV Park and Campground in Thermopolis, Wyoming. After being on the road camping for a few days now, this was a treat we were all looking forward to! We found this gem of a campground years ago on our first trip to Yellowstone Park, and have been coming back every time we go west since. They boast of having the 3rd largest Hot Mineral Pool in the world, The Fountain of Youth hosts between 75-100 Baptisms a year, and this year they have hosted well over 5,000 camping units, with almost 26,000 visitors arriving in everything from tents and vans, to 1/2 million dollar plus motor homes. What a great place to spoil and rejuvenate yourself, there is also Hot Springs State Park Bathhouse and a privately run Bathhouse in town (both some of the worlds largest Hot Mineral Pools as well!). I wonder what it would feel like to soak in a pool this size filled with 100 degree Mobil 1? My guess is sheer ecstacy..10W30 for me please!..
Thermopolis, Wyoming.........Mobil-ized!
After a very cold night and a 6:00am soak, it was back on the trail to Yellowstone. On your way into or out of Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park is another must see, must do experience. It would be hard to miss those towering peaks as they are clearly visible for miles...even from Yellowstone Park! The scenery driving on John D Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway is stunning and breathtaking, with the Teton Range rising vertically over 7000 feet from the base. The range tops out at an astonishing 13,770 feet above sea level. This was clearly a place for me to get my Mobil-on, annual visitors to this wonderfull National Park....2.6 million people a year or more!
My Daughter Colleen and her husband Spencer posing for a pic by Jackson Lake, we had stopped the wagon train for lunch and to enjoy the view! Spencer is an avid NASCAR fan and totally understands my need to get my Mobil-on, Take Us To Daytona Mobil 1!
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming......Mobil-ized!
Finally! After all that driving and Mobil-izing, we have reached Yellowstone National Park! This is my all time favorite National Park of them all, the USA's first and in my opinion....the USA's best! Hard to believe all these beautiful places to see are all packed into one state, let alone a wonderfull place like Yellowstone! This is what my quest is all about, beautiful scenery, awesome wildlife viewing opportunity's as well as world class fly fishing! What a great place to get my Mobil-on, in a place that's visited by well over 3 million people from all over the world each year....and thats just what I intend on doing!
On the way into Yellowstone from the south we must cross the Continental Divide, we will criss cross it on our journey through the western part of the Park. One question I had was "Which way does Mobil 1 flow better, on the west side of the Divide or the east side"? Sheri said "Duh.....stop pouring the stuff on the ground trying to find out, it flows best in your engine you dumbass!" No wonder why I love her so much....she's always right!
How can anyone go to Yellowstone National Park and not go see Old Faithful? It just dosen't happen, the Old Faithful Geyser is the most photographed geyser in the world, and the most popular. Just like Mobil 1 Motor Oil.....The most popular Synthetic Motor Oil in the world! There is something else that is similar too, reliability.....Old Faithful has always been there doing it's thing, just like Mobil 1 in my engine.....faithful, reliable....and most important.........
Always In My Engine Doing It's Thing!
Mammoth Hot Springs in the north west end of Yellowstone is a wonderment in itself, always changing and always beautiful. The Hot Spring Terraces looked quite different from the last time I saw them over 5 years ago. We made a pit stop at the Service Station in Mammoth and I couldn't wait to hop out and see if they still sold Mobil 1 there...YEP THEY DID!...Like I was saying, Mobil 1 is the most popular Synthetic Motor Oil being produced today. You can get it just about anywhere, anytime. Even in a remote mountain wilderness, you just have to pay $8.95 a quart up here!......But then everything is overpriced here! Just remember what I said on page one...."You get what you pay for when it comes to Motor Oil, and you can't get more for your money than when you use it to buy Mobil 1 Products!"
I set up the Mobil 1 Banner in a spot where we had seen a large herd of Bison the morning before and within an hour even the Bison knew how to get their "Mobil-On". I think this one was using it as a wind breaker, as big a creature as the Bison is and it still seeks the protection of Mobil-1 and the comforts of "Mobil 1 Rewards"! Just like my Ford Bronco, it's a big bad beast but it still needs the extended protection from Mobil 1.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" my Grandpa used to tell me. During the night the temperature dropped down to 15 degrees.....BRRRRR, I'm from Wisconsin and it gets cold there too.....but I usually sleep in the house unless I'm in trouble...not a tent! The Bison had the right idea though and I figured I'd see if there was any merit to using the Mobil 1 Banner as a wind breaker while we hiked to the top of Mount Washburn, the highest point in Yellowstone Park. The altitude gain on this 2.2 mile hike was a whopping 1,491 feet. The Mobil 1 Banner didn't do a good job of keeping me warm up there above the tree-line! Hey CarDomain and Mobil 1....Think I'm ready to go somewhere warmer now?...Well I am!.....Like Daytona Florida??...Hint Hint Hint
The Dream of going to Daytona for the 500 kept me warm inside!
Here's a view from the summit of Mt Washburn looking south over the trail we came up, what a spectacular site to behold....that Mobil 1 Banner can be seen from miles away!......LOL What a breath of fresh air this is and what incredible scenery, makes me want to not go home!
As all good backcountry hikers know (not that I'm one of them) you should always fill out the Trail Register or let a Ranger know where you are going before taking any kind of significant hike in rough terrain....it just makes good sense. Just like using Mobil 1 Products for your Engine and Drive-Train makes good sense, there are just some things you don't want to cut corners on! We left a little note for the Rangers and anyone else that happens to look in the Register, just to let them know who Mobil-ized Mt Washburn!
The lower falls in The Grand Canyon Of Yellowstone is an incredible sight to see, if this was Niagara Falls I would go over the falls in a Mobil 1 Barrel for the opportunity to go to the 500 in Daytona this coming February 2009. But it is not, this is the lower falls of The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone....Last year was Niagara Falls.....To Bad!
There is no need to pay $7.00 for a bundle of wood, you can use any of the downed timber that is abundant throughout the Park. You just have to be willing to cut it down to usable pieces. Colleen is usually game for just about anything and she put up with me getting my Mobil-on pretty good, but when I told her that I wanted to gather enough firewood to construct a burning Mobil 1 display....she started having serious thoughts about my mental health! ...OK......I gave up on that notion.............Would you argue with her?
The Rangers had warned us about not leaving any food out because there were Bears in the area, but they didn't warn us of the Mule Deer wanting to get their Mobil-on too. This pic was taken in our campsite, these Deer are clearly not intimidated by my presence, but they sure can "sniff" out a great product!
This was our last morning in Yellowstone, I am always up for the sunrise and this mornings frost was the thickest yet. It was snowing again last evening up on Mt Washburn when we were driving back to Camp Mobil 1, and I was starting to do a little worrying about the road conditions up there. One thing I won't have to worry about is the cold affecting the engine on startup, that's why I started using Mobil 1 over 30 years ago. It protects your engines internal parts like no conventional oil possibly could, especially in cold weather when cheap oil gets thick and won't flow smoothly during that critical engine start!
Pictures do no justice to the beauty of this fantastic National treasure, and we will be back to Yellowstone soon. There is so much more, I could add 1000 pictures and it still wouldn't cover all to see and do here! Spencer, Colleen, Sheri and I had a fantastic time so far, but I'm not done getting my Mobil-on yet! We will be exiting the Park from it's NorthEast Entrance on our way to Red Lodge, Montana.......Via Beartooth Pass Scenic Highway....America's "Most Beautiful Roadway!
I wasn't the only one getting my Mobil-on in Yellowstone, it appears to be catching on with the locals! The Mobil 1 Banner really drew alot of attention in Yellowstone from the humans, and the Mobil 1 feeder sure did grab the attention of the local animals....lol. On our drive up to the NorthEast Entrance Sheri and I were already talking about our next trip to the USA's First National Park (And It's Best!), hopefully it won't be another 5 years before we get back this way.
Here we are at the NorthEast Entrance on our way out of Yellowstone, filled with memories that will last us a lifetime! Mobil 1 is now a permanent chapter in our scrapbook of visits to Yellowstone National Park, the fun we had doing this Mobil 1 Adventure will never be equaled nor forgotten!
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.......Mobil-ized!
The Northeast Entrance we took out of Yellowstone is a beautiful drive, and it leads to a place I really wanted to get my Mobil-on at, but there was something that needed to be addressed first! "Top Of The World" Montana is a beautiful place, and close to the start of the Beartooth Scenic Hwy.......and yea... I am "p"ing on "Top Of The World"!
Here we go, a little more appropriate picture of "Top Of The World" Montana elaevation 9,400 ft by Beartooth Lake, and it truly feels like we are on Top Of The World! I wanted to take a pic by the Town sign, but it looked like it had been taken out by a Snowplow. If you blink when driving through the Town itself..you would miss it, but this was the place I needed to get my Mobil-on...so out came the Mobil 1 Banner! The road going in and out of this town are only open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day....after that it's travel by snowmobile, cross country skis or dog sled I guess! We can see from here that when we head to the other side of this mountain, we will be in for some moderate snow. Good thing Mobil 1 is looking over us, what a relief it is knowing the protection we have from Mobil 1!
"Top Of The World", Montana..........Mobil-ized!
Nothing like ice, snow and sheer drops to eternity to keep a guy entertained for awhile! (white knuckle entertainment that is!) We really had our hands full as the snow started to accumulate on our drive over Beartooth Pass, the scenery was astonishing and scary...all at the same time! I have been on some amazing drives, but no wonder why Beartooth Highway was dubbed "America's most Beautiful Roadway" the scenery along this 69 mile drive was nothing short of spectacular! This is a look at Castle Mountain elevation 12,612 ft when we went over the top of the pass, I had never been up here when it was snowing before and was amazed at how quickly the weather can get nasty in the mountains..and this is only the first week of September!
We made it through the pass just fine and stopped to get our Mobil-on before heading to our final destination, Red Lodge Montana. I am just amazed by how well that Mobil 1 Banner shows up.....really makes me wonder how many I have touched with my Mobil 1 ways in the past week? My guess is a heck of alot more than a few months of viewers on my web page! Like I said "I'm gonna go beyond the confines of CarDomain's reach and spread around some more Mobil 1 Love and touch as many as I can with my Mobil 1 message!" You are looking at Silver Run Peak elevation 12,500 ft, what a great view!
Beartooth Pass Montana..........Mobil-ized!
Red Lodge Montana elevation 5,568 ft is a beautiful place to see, and definately damn cold in September getting down to 16 degrees that night! This small town nestled at the base of the Beartooth's is a tourist mecca, world class scenery and a Main Street lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places will do that for a town! This was the last stop and I was definately done sleeping in a tent after this one, I wrote a little message on the back of my Daughters GMC Envoy to convey my message. We slept in hotels all the way back to Brown Deer Wisconsin!....LOL
Red Lodge, Montana..........Mobil-ized!
My Family had a great time participating with me in the Mobil-ize Your Ride Contest, and they really helped me get my Mobil-on! Thanks Sheri, Colleen and Spencer! Rob, I wish you could have made this trip, but there will be others! Thanks for all the opportunity's for success to CarDomain and Mobil 1.....
And to all the rest of you.... Get Your Mobil-on!
As for myself my Mobil 1 ways continue, I've been away from my "stash" for a week. I ran a little inventory and found out I was short, somebody's been dipping into my private stock of Mobil 1! I have a hunch, so I will have to investigate a little further.....Hmmm
Alright...now I've got some Mobil 1 Bandits of my own to Deal with! Wait till Tyler, Shaun and JP find out what happens to Mobil 1 Bandits in South Dakota! Awe...I guess I won't shoot them, But I should!
I guess I will just have to figure out a better place to "Bank" my Mobil 1
Page 1..."Money Pit" Russ's 1993 Bronco
Page 2...Bronco Update Page
Page 3...Awards
Page 4...2008 Shows
Page 5...Russ Gets His Mobil-On
