I had a lot of fun in “the hole”

It was deep enough that my Jeep sunk to the point where the top was even with the ground level!

I decided to try “the hole” in boss mode…

Notice the reverse lights and  which way the dirt is falling off the hitch.  I went through this both directions then did it in reverse hear too! 

Beast mode on the rock garden

Brutus handled the Jeep Jam obstacle course with ease.  Our club photographer couldn't believe how it just walked over this like it was a gravel driveway.  I like how you can see the flex. Front wheel stretched out while the rear is all stuffed up at the same time. 

How many Jeeps can you see in this pic?

Message me with your count.  I was having tons of fun trail guiding over the weekend at Jeep Jam.

It was just a love tap.

Can you see where?

Check out the vertical dust smudge lines right over the logo on the right and just below the N in Thompson…

I got to do a recovery over the weekend at Jeep Jam.  Guy had no clutch (couldn't move) and not brakes (couldn't stop).  Even with two of us pulling him out, me in front with a tow strap & another guy in back with a kinetic rope, we still managed to tap me from behind and scrape the tail gunner with a tree.  We got him out though.  My spare was a nice bumper and the other guy was just about to paint his rig anyhow.

Those ears, those meat mitts!

Chloe's got it all going on❣️

My mentor in boss mode showing us how it’s done!

 I love the way my pic turned out here!  He was the only one that made it through the hard-hard trail (called Gauntlet, Trail 4, extreme, etc.) unassisted.  His Jeep is basically the same as mine.  This short trail needed machine, driver, and a little luck to all match up perfectly to get through…

I got a cool souvenir pass for the weekend of Jeep Jam

Coming out of the hard part of the hard-hard trail

I had to wait there to pull the next guy through when he needed it.  They are trying to plant their approach right now, but that doesn't matter because as soon as you got on the rocks, they move all over the place.  

The rock garden was no issue for Brutus

My Jeep walked over it with ease.  Just let the clutch out in 4-Lo and let it crawl.  It's cool how the front driver tire is dropped down and the rear one is stuffed up into the wheel well a bit to keep it stable. :)

Apparently Julie WAN’T just browsing…

We welcomed Chloe to our little fur family this week…!  Also know as Little Hippo, Barbra Manatee, Low Range, FourLow, and Big Red.  She's a three year old Bassett rescue.  Her previous owner of two years recently died so she's happy to have a home and love again.  Julie's always dreamed of having a Bassett.  She got me a Jeep, so I guess I had to let her fill her dreams and heart too❤️

The men at work

It was fun to see Andy figure the whole thing out, quote it, and then do such a nice job!  He let me help and even paid me some nice compliments about anticipating what he'd need next.  Two hours and he was done! Such a clean install.  Thanks mister❣️

Oh-no! Who called the plumber…?!

My heart still skips a beat when I come home to find a service vehicle in the driveway…. Haha.  Fortunately I quickly remembered that he'd offered to come over and "help" install a new water softener.  By help he means he'd do it and try to keep me out of the way! 

Proof mom and I were at the cruise-in❣️

It's really fun that she takes an interest in my hobbies and even goes along!  This was her introductory weekend.  Next weekend is the big test…!

An important job at the exit…

I think these volunteers had the hardest job! It's important to blow the big chunks off your wheels so you don't leave a mess when pulling out AND to keep your wheels in balance.  They were willing to hit EVERYONE'S rig on the way out!  THANK YOU!

Carnage from the mud pits…

This was the first time someone made it through the Wild (hardest) mud pit in three years!  It's a 1980's model with a V8 350 cubic inch Chevy engine in it… The exhaust just comes straight out the top of the engine as you can see on the hood.  He was on the rev limiter hard for a good five minutes, TWICE, before he finally made it out the second time.  You can see all the swamp funk hanging off all over the bottom of his rig.  When they started cleaning up, they realized, they'd left a drive shaft in the bottom of the muck.  Some of the volunteers and them waded around but never did find it Saturday or Sunday.  It was a grandpa and his grandson's project vehicle they made for hitting bounty holes, hahaha.   

Here’s his six second solve.

 They get a limited amount of time to look at it. Then you set it down and put your hands on the timer. Once you pick your hands up, the clock starts and you can start solving it.

John tried something new this weekend.

He competed in a Pyramix (pyramid shaped Rubik's Cuber) competition with Ivan.  He was hoping to get below 10 seconds under pressure.  He managed to get an AVERAGE of under 10 and even logged a 6! He was happy.  That particular style of "cube" has always come pretty naturally to him.  

Day 1 lunch at Jeep Jam!

They gave us food vouchers for helping out.  I made a bee-line for the Twisted Pig truck.  We'd driven by it during out night ride the night before and they were already smoking.  It smelled sooooooo good.  I wasn't disappointed.  The pulled pork was so tender, juicy and flavorful!

Oh no! WHY is Julie browsing on Pet Finder…???!!!

Lining up to watch the o-course

The obstacle course seemed to be a favorite spot for people to take a break from the sun and dust. 

Play for the morning, work the afternoon.

I sold raffle tickets for the afternoon.  It was a really fun time too.  I got several people to sign up for memberships even.  A great club, a great time, and a great event they put together. 

A beautiful day for sure!

Josh and his boys joined me for Saturday morning.

The best quote of the day: "Off-roading in a jeep is like riding a bad mannered animal"

Josh even tackled trial one in my rig.  Next time I think he'll want to try his SUV.

A weekend of fun begins…

You know it's gonna be good when you see the caution sign before the welcome sign! Hahaha.  

Then Susan and Larry joined us for a night ride!

There was fun for all of us.  It was cool to see how difference the trails looked and even felt in the dark.  We all got a kick out of hearing Susan's exclamations all along the way.  Even on the "connector" which was basically the driveway shortcut to get TO the trails.  She reminded me of the way my grandma would have reacted to all the bumps and tipping❤️  My mom kept saying, "This is soooo cool!"  They all enjoyed it.  My club got a great kick out of watching and hearing a jeep full being introduced to what it's all about.  That's the point of the whole weekend.

The view with my mom

My mom joined us at the jeep cruise-in this weekend.  This is where we say and enjoyed our food truck meals.  Even she enjoyed looking at the jeeps ranging from the 40's to now.  She had a lot of good questions about all the differences.  

Push these buttons for more fun!

I like this little section of my Jepp's dash.  First one from the left is convenient and things are getting interesting.  If you're using the axle lock button, you're hitting it pretty hard! ;)

Zoe “forced” me to take a nap…

…wouldn't cuddles like THAT make YOU sleepy?!

Kinda of clean and ready for Jeep Jam this weekend

I thought the blue lights made a cool pic as I was cleaning up after some work around the property. This was about as clean as I could get it before I then took it off road Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday… ;) Not much point. Hahah.

Down by the river…

I always wanted to drive down to this part of the river you could see from 75 and also Dryden road.  I finally tried it on the way home from the range last weekend.  I nice way to enjoy the start of the sunset.

It’s not the journey, it’s the destination… ;)

I found this pretty lake to look out on and chill during my exploring.

Me finding a random vacant property to explore over lunch break…

It got steep enough the dust slid down my hood. ;)

This would be a cool place to spend the night some day…

The shop that does some of the large work on Jeeps puts a group together to ride out of this area sometimes.  I'm trying to get in on one in early November. 

Had to have the ribs again

I convinced Julie to try Mission BBQ.  I liked the look of the crescent moon and the flag!  She votes City BBQ ribs to be better.  I vote Mission. A house divided… hahaha

Cool sunset while running errands last weekend!

Just a cool pick of old Lakeside

It seems so yesterday that we were there for the eclipse in April, but so long ago at the same time.

Just a colorful fuse box…

If you're having trouble getting something to work, it's a good idea to check and make sure there is a fuse installed for it… I cleaned up and flashed the computer settings to reactivate my electronic sway bar disconnect, but was still getting a flashing error light… I thought about it for a day or so then it dawned on me they might have pulled the fuse when it stopped working to get rid of the error light.  Sure enough, I checked and it was missing.  I found a similar one (the window wipers) and popped it into the missing spot.  Sure enough, works great now.  Who needs windshield wipers anyhow!?  Hahaha.  I bought a replacement at the auto parts store that afternoon and I'm all set with both the sway bar AND my wipers now.

The electronic sway bar disconnect doesn't allow quite as much articulation as completely disconnecting manually, but it's a really nice convenience when doing some light exploring or off-roading.  Just push a button from the driver's seat. 

Missing Jeff this week.

This is a poster hanging on the wall at the range.  It has one of the medals our teens (Johnny was on the team) won while Jeff and I were coaching them.  Here he's posing with his Massillon Tigers themed hardware his family had made for him.  I still hear him in my head yelling when I mess something up in a competition.  I follow in his footsteps, but won't ever fill his shoes.  I'm, at best, a third of the personality, presence, and expert he was. ;)

Zoe and I tinkering under my Jeep…

She sure is my little shadow!  Here's she's opted to crawl up under my leg and cuddle while she's watching what I'm doing (getting my electronic sway bar disconnect to work).  She's pretty endearing…❤️

Final run of the trails before Jeep Jam this weekend

We were making sure they were still clear, and we knew which way to go last weekend.  All the work's done now and we're ready for the fun to begin tomorrow night.  

Interception!

This was part of a great series of shots where John intercepted a hug from Savannah's nephew, Nash.  He loves John!  It looks like John likes him, or at least the fun of a run and jump hug, too!  I like the look of Savannah realizing her hug was just stolen, hahahaha.

I found Andy and me some stickers!

We were both excited.  These aren't wildly available.  He'd never seen any.  I was happy I found some that were decent quality. 

Just a pretty summer feeling day from this week

A nice little collection of family pics over the last year

I keep a few highlights throughout each year for the covers of my journals for my devotions.  This is the most recent front page❣️

Anyone is invited to join me for the fun this weekend.

It's only a half hour away and there is something for everyone to try.  The club I'm in is putting this on.  I am splitting my time between working some volunteer spots and playing all weekend.  Cruise-in 5-9p at the Warren County fairgrounds Friday night.  Then Jeep Jam in Clarksville 9-6 Sa and 9-5 Sun. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/15th-annual-jeep-jam-ohio-sept-13-15-tickets-793572937017

You know you’ve been off-roading when…

…you find a random bud laying in your cup holder.

What would my dad say…?

It dawned on me today to wonder what dad wudda had to say about my lifted truck… Given his line of work in the second half of his career, he was always going on about regulation bumper heights❣️ Hahaha.  I thought my Jeep looked pretty tall when the bottom of the doors were above the top of the cart barriers at Kroger…

Today is more evidence of Andy's assertion that my blog is "nuthin' but Jeeps and Beagles…".  He's not complaining, just thinks I should change the name. ;)

Another fun Zoe sequence over an hour or so…

You know it's a rough life when the only thing you can find for a pillow is your pink plastic half sphere toy…. I thought it was cool how she looked in the contrasty shadow pick.  The one on the right is a typical beagle pose in a favorite spot in the house.  They tend to like the sunbeams.

The kids know I’m always down for ice cream…

I invited them over for some of Julie's chili for dinner, and we decided it was the perfect night to grab my monthly dessert.  We enjoyed helping Savannah pick her fantasy football team since she got drafted into playing at work…

My first duck in the wild…

While I was waiting to pick up our carry-out dinner, somebody dropped this blue guy on me… It's the first one I've gotten that wasn't at a festival or event and I wasn't there to see it appear.