For any Jeep owner, mud is an obstacle of conquering. We see mud and immediately we are fearless children who know no limits. Mud is just wet dirt calling our names to sling about everywhere. Mud is a wanton desire to cover our tires and every inch of aluminum and steel. A good mud hole is also disguised as a treacherous foe to any overly fearless seemingly arrogant and skilled off-road driver. Jeeping 101 tells us to always survey any obstacle, including mud. Continue reading “Jeeping 101: Mud”
For the love of Jeep
He was 24 and I was 19. We took early morning drives in the rich mountainous air of the Albuquerque valley. Warm and chilly all the same. Adventure took hold and we took the hardtop off and installed a bikini top. Chasing a bit more adventure were the splashes and rooster tails from the tires that soaked us in the biting cold of the summer rain. Off highway excursions led us into green pastures ventured only by cattle ranchers and indigenous wildlife. Explorations of God’s beautiful country that you could never have seen on the paved roads. Such is a Jeep life. Even though we were kids, we knew this life was in our blood. Continue reading “For the love of Jeep”
Jeep Responsibly
Owning a Jeep truly is about a lifestyle. If you own a Jeep and do not wave to other Jeep owners, you aren’t a real Jeeper. If you own a Jeep, keep it pristine, has more chrome than a luxury vehicle, you aren’t a real Jeeper. Having a Jeep means that you can get off the road and into dirt on your four wheels, whenever and just because. As a Jeep owner, we also know how to Jeep responsibly by keeping our friends on four wheels in mind and the legacy of our environment.
Most people are not aware that driving and enjoying off-road, off-highway activities is serious business. Yes, you see lifted trucks, Jeeps and other four-wheel drive renditions, romping through the countryside. As legitimate outdoor, off-road enthusiasts we ensure we are doing so properly. In order to enjoy and continue to enjoy the vast wilderness in all her natural beauty, that most of us only view from an airplane, we obtain proper permits and licensing.
Now you might think….great, another fee to pay big brother.
WRONG.
The wonderful fact about off-highway vehicle use and proper Federal, State, and private land permits is the conservation of our natural resources. Fees paid for OHV decals, State Land and Trust Permits, private use permits and Federal Land permits are used for the maintenance, upkeep, and generation of new and existing trails for biking, hiking, off-road driving (four wheel drive), equestrian riding and other outdoor modes of transportation. What would life outdoors be like if we could not enjoy these simple pleasures.
More over if you are out on land and you come across a gate, leave it as you found it. Obey signs, stay on specified trails, and if you haul it in, haul it out. The resplendence of Mother Nature and all her glory as she welcomes you in her home, so be a respectful guest. Do not disturb nature in her perpetuity. Stop, take that photo and recall how deeply your voiceless moment effected you, your thoughts, the immense joy and calm washing over the divine moment. Now think about the inability to experience that godly moment ever again. Empty.
Proper permits and licensing allow for these gorgeous views through carefully carved trails by enthusiasts for adventurers. Stewardship of these trails means to take care of your surroundings by maintaining your belongings. In short, Mother Nature is not your mother, do not litter. Feel free to take the opportunity to use your off-road experience as a classroom with the various species of vegetation, land formations, layers of sediment in the mountainside sometimes only experienced by mountain climbers, excavators or archaeologists.
Before you head out on your next run, Jeep responsibly by having the proper licensing and permits. The fees instituted support the love of the outdoors, for those who wish to continue to further their affair exploring these vast, open, or not so open, spaces. Above all else these fees ensure that you are not fined or removed from the trails. Nothing says embarrassment and hazing from your fellow Jeepers with a ticket from an enforcement official. You can find out more information by checking out your local bureau of land management office or website and or the US Forest Service and Department of Agriculture.
Life’s Better In a Jeep
Last November we made the decision to make an update to our lifestyle. You see, The Chad and I have always been outdoors people; camping, hiking, the open road and the wind at our feet describes our nonconformist hearts. Our life prior to children was filled with impulsive joy rides and haphazard escapades. The main aspect of our willy nilly adventures came in owning a Jeep. If you have never owned a Jeep you miss the mystique of breathing in the fresh air on this off-road convertible. As I mentioned we updated our parental lifestyle; we went out and bought a four door Jeep Wrangler, because life is better in a Jeep.
Sans kids, The Chad and I went everywhere in our Jeep. One most memorable trip together was when we lived in New Mexico, we made an impromptu decision to load up camping gear and head north. Exploring the open wilderness we set out for the Jemez Mountains. Natural hot springs, preserves littered with Ponderosa pines, volcanoes and elegant rock formations color the landscape of this region outside of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
We set out to the local grocery story and loaded up on supplies and off we went. As we wound around the abandoned railroad track areas and deep into a wonderful clearing outside of the Gilman Tunnels. A breathtaking pasture of green, a flowing brook and cows.
Yes. Cows.
I can digress on the cows, but lets face it, this is about life in a Jeep.
Only one of the many adventures The Chad and I tripped along while together with our Jeep. So when we purchased our first family Jeep we took our first family camping trip this past June. We came across a four wheel drive-Jeep club on Facebook, joined and set out on our first adventure.
What better locale to take a Jeep Adventure: Sedona!
This was no pink Jeep expedition either. We were blessed to have met an excellent group of people that had previously started out as sheer strangers. An entire day of roaming around the red rock wilderness of Sedona. All of our families and our children forging friendships, building relationships, life of a Jeep owner.
Views were breathtaking. Submarine rock. Chicken rock. Covered in red dust, bull nosed rock edges, smooth from years of weather and age and our Jeeps crawled over these high desert spectacles. A full day was spent out and about and we returned for a mid-afternoon break before heading back out for a night run with some other new found friends.
Our evening adventure was not as pretty as the mountainous red rocks that decorate the surrounding area of Sedona but nonetheless beautiful. Creeping along in the evening hours our group was a literal parade of Jeeps, a band of brothers and sisters sharing the same passion and love for life, the great outdoors, and doing it all in a Jeep. We all watched out for one another. Validating no one was losing fluids, making sure everyone was whole. Being a community.
That weekend was a day after I lost my job at the bank. A weekend I truly was dreading because of the unfortunate circumstances, but it turned into a life changing weekend for The Chad, I and our family. We met some amazing people, these same folks today we call friends and try to get together with as often as we can despite the miles in between us all.
If you have ever heard that it’s a “Jeep thing” or “Jeep life” it is an unspoken way of life. Hard to believe that experiencing life could be different, but there is something to be said about having the top off on your Jeep, experiencing the sights and smells that accompany a life of unbridled adventure where roads are optional. Above all, the relationships and friends you make along the way who share the same values and love for life as you do, those friendships are priceless and cherished. Let’s face it, life is just better in a Jeep.