If you thought the 4th of July was all about barbecue and fireworks, you're in for a treat. The folks in Glacier View, Alaska, have introduced another way to celebrate our country's independence.
The Land of the Midnight Sun
Ranking as one of the most ridiculous Roadkill episodes of all time—and yet still powered by Dodge—hosts David Freiburger, Mike Finnegan, and Steve Dulcich head to Glacier View, Alaska, where the locals don't celebrate the 4th of July the old-fashioned way. No, they do so by throwing cars off a cliff—just for the fun of it. The Roadkill guys arrive on the scene with a couple of really worthless Oldsmobiles, have some fun beating on them, and then toss them off a cliff only to realize that their hope of driving them home was completely dashed. While their 4th of July celebration didn't culminate in a fireworks spectacular, it did end on a high note. You can see how high—and how far—by clicking through these highlights.
Thelma and Louise
You might be wondering why they don't launch fireworks in Alaska on the 4th of July. No, it has nothing to do with Alaska's proximity to Russia and the locals' anxiety around the Russians thinking we are firing missiles at them. During the month of July, the greater Anchorage area only gets about 4 hours of darkness a day and it's not even total darkness. These folks had to come up with another way to celebrate our American independence. Throwing cars off a cliff seemed like a good idea to them and they've been doing it for 13 years now. "What's special about this area is nobody knows about it," said event organizer Arnie Hrncir said, "It's the best-kept secret in this entire state."
I guess the secret is now out of the airbag. (Yuck Yuck Yuck.)
The guys from Roadkill decided to participate in the 2018 event, and they brought two Oldsmobile beaters with them, aptly named Thelma and Louise.
The Slush Pit
After painting Thelma and Louise, Finnegan, Dolsage, and Freiburger decided to have some pre-launch fun in the muddy slush pit. First car to get stuck loses.
Slugging through the Mud
The boys have lots of dirty fun on this course, which gets pretty deep in some spots.
David and Steve Get Down and Dirty
Freiburger and Dulcich are gonna need to find a car wash for Louise and themselves as they hit a mud puddle at full force.
Finnegan Goes Off Road
Finnegan nearly flips over, but winds up coursing off the track and over the berm, where he gets stuck on an embankment. Victory goes to David and Steve.
Thelma Gets a Tow
Finnegan's maneuver cost Thelma some damage and she had to be towed back for some repairs.
Thelma Catches Fire
Turns out their day in the slush pit flooded Thelma Quadrajet and in the process of diagnosing the trouble, Thelma snapped back.
Thelma and Louise Take a Shower
But what they really needed was a hydrowash and the men and their machines were spit and polished clean in no time.
The Edge of Eternity
This spot, known as "The Edge of Eternity," is where event organizer Arnie Jrncir launched his wife's car 13 years before. "The wife hit a moose with a car and so this was in 2005 we launched the car and then it was like, 'Well, heck that was kinda fun.'" And that's how this annual event was born. This year they created a new ramp for corkscrew action.
Flight Path
This image depicts the flight path of the cars that will be launched over the cliff and into the gravel basin below.
300 Feet Below
It's 300 feet down to the gravel, giving onlookers approximately 4.32 seconds to watch a car freefall.
Ghost Ride Rail
The cars make a "ghost ride" (no driver) on a long railroad track held down by 18" spikes. A guide welded to the front end of the car keeps it on the track. The car's crew drops a brick onto the throttle, then reaches in and puts the car into gear and it's off and running toward its own demise.
Welding Thelma
The Roadkill crew welds a guide bar onto the ball joint on Thelma's control arm.
Finnegan Drives the Excavator
Realizing that in order to prevent an immediate nosedive they will need to add weight to the trunks of their cars, Finnegan hops into an excavator for the first time in his life, and quickly gets to work weighing down the rear ends of the cars.
Filling the Trunks with Dirt
Of course, Finnegan is not wearing kid gloves and he's certainly not being neat about it, but he gets the job done, adding hundreds of pounds of dirt to Thelma and Louise's trunks.
Prepping for the Main Event
This overview gives you a good sense of the terrain and launch angle that each car will take as the event crew makes final preparations.
Spectators Gather
Down below, the spectators gather.
F Day
In Glacier View, Alaska, F Day, stands for Freedom, Family, Faith, Food, and Fun. The annual event isn't all about launching cars. The ceremony starts with the Missing Man Formation, a fly over tribute to airmen lost in battle. But there is plenty of barbecue, booze, face painting, and other activities for grown-ups and kids alike. And despite the fun, everyone all knows why they are there. To launch cars off a cliff with a 300-foot drop where they crush like soda cans under a heavy boot.
Parade of Flying Cars
Before the fun begins, 550 onlookers pay their last respects to the parade of beaters heading up the hill to their inevitable death. The parade is led by Hrncir's 43-year-old horse, Midnight. And, no, Midnight does not jump. That would just be cruel.
Louise Gets a Push
On the way up the hill, Louise loses power. But like a true BFF, Thelma is there to give her a friendly push.
Star-Spangled Chevy
First car up is a red-white-and-blue Chevy beater that makes the long run along the train track.
Houston, We Have Liftoff
The Chevy lifts off and honestly looks rocket-fueled as it takes flight.
Star-Spangled View
Inside the Chevy, we can see the Edge of Eternity approaching quickly.
Chevy in Flight
Sir Isaac Newton once said, "What goes up must come down." Chevy proves his theory right here in Glacier View, Alaska.
Collision Theory
"I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people." ― Sir Isaac Newton
"That was so stupid and so good at the same time." ― David Freiburger
Pathfinder Takes a Leap
Next to hit the ramp was the early 90s Nissan Pathfinder you see above.
Pathfinder Takes a Nose Dive
The Pathfinder reached 55 miles per hour on the 500-foot runway and traveled a distance of 100 yards in the air, both records for the celebration.
Pathfinder Takes a Nasty Fall
But what good is a record if you are too totaled to enjoy it?
You're in Good Hands with Allstate
Scrap metal anyone?
Oh, Beautiful for Spacious Skies
If this was a fireworks show, we'd be listening to a radio broadcast of patriotic American anthems and songs such as The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, Born in the USA, and America. So turn up your Independence Day playlist and enjoy the rest of the show, which resumes with this 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage that was the car its owner, Aaron Andrew-Phillips, learned to drive back in high school.
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For amber Waves of Grain
"It's a slow car. It's got 92 horsepower so it didn't actually go as far as everyone else," recalled Andrew-Phillips. "But it rolled probably 10 or 12 times and it was still running when it hit the bottom!"
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For Purple Mountains Majesty
Not that he'd be able to get "Old Faithful" back on the road, but the event was a spectacular send-off for a car that's been with Andrew-Phillips since the beginning.
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Above the Fruited Plain
Not to be denied, one family decided to send their snowmobile off the cliff to see how it would fly.
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And Crown Thy Good with Brotherhood
And it even managed a relatively decent landing, its engine still running!
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Far, We've Been Traveling Far
In a new stunt never attempted before, the Glacier View crew decided to send two cars at once, hoping for a midair collision. The two cars were a Cadillac Sedan de Ville followed by a Jeep Cherokee. Unfortunately, their timing was off, but the result still made for an entertaining double-launch that would make the Dukes of Hazzard envious.
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Without a Home But Not Without a Star
Of course, whenever the Duke boys tried this, they always seemed to drive away unscathed.
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We Huddle Close
And in hot pursuit right behind our double-divers was a Crown Victoria Interceptor police car, which made a lofty leap off the edge before hitting the ground with a mighty thump.
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Hang on to a Dream
Finally, it's time for our Roadkill crew to get their 10 seconds or so of cliff-diving fame. First up, Louise, being pulled by the support bar that is connected to the track.
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Home, Don't It Seem So Far Away
And five seconds later, she touches down, dirt-heavy rear end first.
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Home, to a New and a Shiny Place
Moments later, Thelma is on the way, making her 500 foot run toward the ramp.
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Make Our Bed and We'll Say Our Grace
And she, too, demonstrates a balanced posture as she reaches the apex of her climb.
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They're Coming to America
Thelma hits the dirt and slides the rest of the way to the bottom of the slope.
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Every Time that Flag's Unfurled
Once the cliff-diving is over, David Freiburger, Mike Finnegan, and Steve Dulcich rush to the aid of Thelma. But there's no way they are driving her out of here. Her engine's been torn out, and although the passenger compartment is intact, the frame is bent in half and the battery has flown the "coupe," never to be seen again.
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They're Coming to America
As for Thelma, her front suspension was completely destroyed. Her crossmember and draglink were pushed into her oilpan and the floor was completely buckled by the tire.
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Got a Dream to Take Them There
They guys decide to roll her end over end so she could lie in rest beside Louise.
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They're Coming to America
After getting towed out, a 6X6 M35 A2 crawls over them, crushing them into mere sheet metal.
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Got a Dream They Come to Share
The Roadkill boys erroneously thought they'd drive away from this event. They didn't anticipate the damage their cars would undergo. But it's the 4th of July and in America we have the freedom to have fun.
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They're Coming to America
Whether that fun is watching fireworks or cars being launched off a cliff, the choice is ours.
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Today!
And what will next year bring? One fan wants to light the cars on fire. Another wants to bring machine guns. We can't wait to see what surprises lie in store next July in Glacier View. Stay tuned!
Did you happen to catch the 3 rubber ducks hidden in this slideshow? The first to find all three wins a gift card! But don't give away the answer, PM the Curated Content Editor in DodgeForum and let us know where they are.
To see some live action, please check out the full Roadkill episode.
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