Jeep Green LJ Build

[Natander]

Then, towards the end of October, we loaded up the LJ "camper" style, and headed west to finally pick up the MJ.

With the GF driving the MJ, we headed up Grand Mesa to find a place to camp for the night.

It turned out to be a winter wonderland up there, so we quickly got in the LJ and went to bed.

The next morning, we continued over the mountain to meet up with some family who were hunting over there.

We ended up making it back home without any major issues. The headlights in the MJ are awful, so that made it interesting for her to drive. She also said it's pretty loud and uncomfortable to drive long distances, which is probably true.

 

[Natander]

In November, I was feeling like I really needed a solo camping trip. Those are always tough to motivate myself to do, but it is always worth it.

I did a "broverland" style trip through a part of Colorado I had never really explored to this level. I picked out a lake camp site on OnX, and hoped it would be empty given all the hunters prowling the hills. And, it totally paid off!

Road conditions were an interesting mix of dusty dry, insanely icy, and the muddy inbetween.

I lucked out with the campsite big time. I had to clear the limbs out of this tree that was barely hanging on, which deterred people I think. The perspective doesn't show it, but the Jeep barely fit under this. Last thing I wanted was to catch it and pull it down on top of me in the middle of nowhere.

And yeah, that campsite...

I ended up weirding myself out sitting by myself in the dark, so I got in bed pretty early and watched part of a movie. With a big -30 degree sleeping bag, I stayed perfectly warm all night.

I ended up going about 90 miles off road, partially along the Colorado BDR, drove along the Colorado River, then popped out to fly fish the Blue River.

We had a lot of insanely good trips in 2025, but this one was my personal favorite. Once again I was reminded of how perfect this Jeep is. The balance of capability, drivability, size, and fuel mileage makes it perfect for this kind of adventure.

 

[MeanGreen86]

I need to do this once the LJ gets inspected. A solo camp sounds like a great mental reset.

 

[Natander]

I need to do this once the LJ gets inspected. A solo camp sounds like a great mental reset.

There's nothing like it! I hope it works out soon.


I also realized this might be useful information, maybe slightly unrelated.

I recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile for service. The new coverage seems to be a little worse. However, you can use Starlink to send text messages and use Google Maps. Like Starlink, it works anywhere you can see the sky. And it works reliably. It's a good security blanket for myself or the GF and I, especially when we travel by ourselves as much as we do.