Playin' it safe

[AndyG]

This is about Jeeps, and may be sort of a rant. And I will probably look like a jerk posting this. So here goes:

Huntsville, Alabama is home to lots of smart, smart people. My uncle calls ‘em egg heads. Slide Rules is another term. No disrespect intended, but a lot of the crowd gets their self esteem just from that- being smart. Because they can’t play sports, aren’t adventurous enough for alcohol, can’t buy a date and dress like a pud.

So my wife and I are at business and a couple park beside us. They all drive a Prius, an Accord, a Camry or whatever Consumer Reports says is the smart choice that year.

They compliment the Jeep, say they considered one but had studied the “side impact” downsides of the vehicle.

Well, here we go. I wondered if they ever got concerned about the downsides of living a dull, totally planned and “approved” or politically correct lifestyle versus life with no top, no doors, no schedule and no worries? I mean just an afternoon to breathe the air, see the beauty as it surrounds you and the wind envelopes you. To sit higher than every vehicle and feel sorry for the guy in the Maxima who is dying inside a little every day.

There are few vehicles that have ever set me free. And a Jeep is a sure fire win every time I am behind the wheel.

Right now it is 11-30. I am “down by the river”.

I ride ‘til nearly midnight every summer night, listen mostly to 80’s Rock or whatever i’m into at the moment, and relieve enough stress to sleep good and fight another day.

If this post makes any sense whatsoever to anybody, please accept my knucklebump.

Maybe i’m just shallow enough that this is all it takes....a jeep ride...but it works like magic for me. Hope it does for you too.

 

[Zorba]

Most folks don't ever venture outside the box - whatever their particular box may be. They want to be "safe" and taken care of for the most part.

 

[AndyG]

Most folks don't ever venture outside the box - whatever their particular box may be. They want to be "safe" and taken care of for the most part.

So true. And I realize people tend to do what they think is best for them.

So many die with their music in them.

Seems tragic.

 

[Woodrow]

I guess it was nice they complimented your Jeep but they didn’t need to go on about whatever part they didn’t like. Some platitude like ”to each, their own” comes to mind. But, if everyone drove TJs, they wouldn’t be as special.

 

[Mike_H]

I totally recognize the type. They have had their wild hairs plucked.

I used to ride motorcycles to release stress. Now it’s garage time and Jeep rides that make me feel “normal”

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Should have asked how his generic appliance car does in side impacts if the doors are off.

Honestly I'm just surprised that THAT was his gripe and not some self righteous environmental crap.

I think that mindset comes from the same childhood environment that got participation trophies, helicopter parenting, etc. An over emphasis on doing what's "safe". Whether it's genesis is with their parents generation or a culture that wants to grow good little consumers I'm not sure. But I'm probably prouder than I should be when people comment on my wild 8 year old hauling ass around the neighborhood on his dirt bike or all the scrapes and bruises on both my boys because they play outside instead of video games. Hell, I had to fill out a school admissions questionnaire for my kindergartener yesterday and I'm pretty sure I actually smiled when I wrote in a zero for his weekly hours of technology use.

 

['05Train]

You're in Huntsville, Alabama, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, and some of the smartest people in the country. Those people are so adventurous, such risk-takers, that they put men on the moon.

Glad you like your Jeep. It's a bad look looking down on others.

 

[Frank M]

If this post makes any sense whatsoever to anybody, please accept my knucklebump.

 

['05Train]

If this post makes any sense whatsoever to anybody, please accept my knucklebump.

I haven't had a knucklebump since the late '80s, but I remember that it was fantastic.

 

[AndyG]

You're in Huntsville, Alabama, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, and some of the smartest people in the country. Those people are so adventurous, such risk-takers, that they put men on the moon.

Glad you like your Jeep. It's a bad look looking down on others.

Oh they’ve accomplished a lot-But the risk takers were the guys sitting in the seat of the rocket ship- We’ve got three schools named after guys that burned to death.

I have tremendous respect- And I make a great living because of all that-

I’m just poking at the mindset- You know these guys can put a man on the moon but we can’t put metal in the microwave-

Basically they try to play their game perfectly. And in the end we all die- it doesn’t matter how good you play your game.

I guess my point is to enjoy the ride a little.

If they take a risk it is calculated. Life by the math.

You know it’s kind of funny some of the things we see- The same person that can make millions of dollars will try to build a house and never finish it- We’ve got one that’s been sitting over a decade that has no sheet rock. Can’t get out of his own way.

 

[AndyG]

Should have asked how his generic appliance car does in side impacts if the doors are off.

Honestly I'm just surprised that THAT was his gripe and not some self righteous environmental crap.

I think that mindset comes from the same childhood environment that got participation trophies, helicopter parenting, etc. An over emphasis on doing what's "safe". Whether it's genesis is with their parents generation or a culture that wants to grow good little consumers I'm not sure. But I'm probably prouder than I should be when people comment on my wild 8 year old hauling ass around the neighborhood on his dirt bike or all the scrapes and bruises on both my boys because they play outside instead of video games. Hell, I had to fill out a school admissions questionnaire for my kindergartener yesterday and I'm pretty sure I actually smiled when I wrote in a zero for his weekly hours of technology use.

I would like this all day if I could.

My idea of being a good parent was to build my boys safe ramps.

We had the best times, even built a small motocross track by the house- til too many visitors went to the hospital.

 

[tnjeepguy]

"Those people are so adventurous, such risk-takers, that they put men on the moon."

Not sure those folks are still there. What have we done lately ?? Other than waste a bunch of taxpayer's money.

 

['05Train]

I guess my point is to enjoy the ride a little.

I'm a mortician by trade, so I believe in this wholeheartedly.

But my definition of enjoying the ride isn't universal. There are some people out there who absolutely detest driving. Others, at best, are ambivalent about it. They're enjoying their ride in other ways.

People look at how I choose to spend my time and money (a 20 year-old Jeep, several Harleys, mountain bikes, kayaks, etc) and shake their heads because I'm not enjoying the ride the way they are. Neither party is wrong, just different.

 

[alittleoff]

Ahh yes, used to be moonlit drives through the SoCal desert or mountains. Fine a table top or a grand vista and just listen to the deafening silence of nature. Now up here Western MT. it's long pants and long sleeve T-shirts because of the giant mosquitos. That's nature.

 

[AndyG]

Ahh yes, used to be moonlit drives through the SoCal desert or mountains. Fine a table top or a grand vista and just listen to the deafening silence of nature. Now up here Western MT. it's long pants and long sleeve T-shirts because of the giant mosquitos. That's nature.

The desert sky at night is amazing.

 

[InOmaha]

The same people ride expensive bicycles. What's the side impact rating of a bike?

I was going to say dress up in tight clothes. But my bike clothes are tight too. I've been raiding the fridge more than riding lately.

 

[John Cooper]

A summer night Jeep ride, is better than any day at work!

Don't care how much money you make!

 

[AndyG]

A summer night Jeep ride, is better than any day at work!

Don't care how much money you make!

Years ago me and some buddies used to go out every night about midnight and ride around for hours looking for snakes on the road in the summer. We loved it.

 

[MikeE024]

This is about Jeeps, and may be sort of a rant. And I will probably look like a jerk posting this. So here goes:

Huntsville, Alabama is home to lots of smart, smart people. My uncle calls ‘em egg heads. Slide Rules is another term. No disrespect intended, but a lot of the crowd gets their self esteem just from that- being smart. Because they can’t play sports, aren’t adventurous enough for alcohol, can’t buy a date and dress like a pud.

So my wife and I are at business and a couple park beside us. They all drive a Prius, an Accord, a Camry or whatever Consumer Reports says is the smart choice that year.

They compliment the Jeep, say they considered one but had studied the “side impact” downsides of the vehicle.

Well, here we go. I wondered if they ever got concerned about the downsides of living a dull, totally planned and “approved” or politically correct lifestyle versus life with no top, no doors, no schedule and no worries? I mean just an afternoon to breathe the air, see the beauty as it surrounds you and the wind envelopes you. To sit higher than every vehicle and feel sorry for the guy in the Maxima who is dying inside a little every day.

There are few vehicles that have ever set me free. And a Jeep is a sure fire win every time I am behind the wheel.

Right now it is 11-30. I am “down by the river”.

I ride ‘til nearly midnight every summer night, listen mostly to 80’s Rock or whatever i’m into at the moment, and relieve enough stress to sleep good and fight another day.

If this post makes any sense whatsoever to anybody, please accept my knucklebump.

Maybe i’m just shallow enough that this is all it takes....a jeep ride...but it works like magic for me. Hope it does for you too.

A fun desert storm hit Tucson yesterday. I was driving in it with no windows and half doors. It was the best seat in the house.

When I got to town, traffic stood still on the main streets. I didn’t want to unnecessarily sit in traffic for an hour, so I took flooded side streets to get home.

Here’s a brief clip of a neighborhood I drove through after the storm. To Jeepers, this was fun (not crazy or scary).

The world is full of boring and scared people stuck in their boxes. I’m grateful to hang out in this forum with the varying flavors of adventure-spirited folks.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

A fun desert storm hit Tucson yesterday. I was driving in it with no windows and half doors. It was the best seat in the house.

When I got to town, traffic stood still on the main streets. I didn’t want to unnecessarily sit in traffic for an hour, so I took flooded side streets to get home.

Here’s a brief clip of a neighborhood I drove through after the storm. To Jeepers, this was fun (not crazy or scary).

The world is full of boring and scared people stuck in their boxes. I’m grateful to hang out in this forum with the varying flavors of adventure-spirited folks.

Love it.

This is one thing though that makes me think about swapping my frameless for a framed top. Since the frameless top ends a good several inches in front of the tailgate, every drop of water that lands on the entire top pours straight into the back end of the tub every time I come to a crawl or stop. A framed top I feel like would dump it outside and the water coming in would just be what blew in by the wind.