I guess it's the "Super Stocker" build

Tropical Storm Newton came through two days ago. When I left for work, both front doors and my front mats were wet. I guess I've developed the dreaded water leaks.

With no time to troubleshoot, the hardtop was the current answer. So glad to have both still!

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I've gotten used to the leaks lol but I hear wd40 on the seals helps them out but I haven't tried it yet. Nice rig btw
 
Good job on the bumper. Everything looks like it is turning out good. It's nice to see someone else having to do things on a budget like me. Hell, every time I think I'm fixing to get a head, life happens. My front drive shaft went out, which I knew that was coming, and then my dog broke his hip and that cost a arm and leg to fix. So now my head is barely above water again and it will take some time before I can do anything again. Plus the hard thing about doing stuff to my jeep, is that I have to do everything in 2s. Whatever I do to my jeep, I also have to do to my wife's jeep ha. So it's like you said in one of your post earlier, I don't plan on getting rid of them anytime soon, so I have a lot of time to go before I can ever put a pr44 in ha.
 
Thanks! I hear you. After the tire debacle on the Jeep, my wife's Explorer tires needed attention too. That was in the middle of our family vacation to California. It's life, I'm still here, and the world goes on. Enjoy it!
 
Almost 2 weeks ago I received a call from one of my sister's telling me my Mom was hospitalized. She has been battling breast cancer for years but the most recent chemo kicked her hard. They also discovered a mass in her brain. It was clear I needed to go now. A plane ticket was out of the question, so I loaded the Jeep and said goodbye to my wife and kids for the 3 day drive to Indiana. We were able to get a lot of care put in place for her and it was a worthwhile trip. In addition to my Mom's health issues, my Dad has Alzheimer's and lives in a nursing home. This was a good opportunity to spend time with him as well.

No road trip across this great and beautiful country without construction!

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My first stop was the KOA in Tucumcari, NM. my tent was the back of my Jeep. I didn't get any pics of my bed, but I basically stuffed some memory foam in the gap between the folded down seat and the tub. Then I laid on a sleeping bag and was quite comfortable for four total nights of KOA camping during the round trip.

Sunset on I-40 just east of Tucumcari.

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I did discover a good place to air out my shoes.

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And a place to hang a wet towel, the RH4x4 3rd row bar.

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The next morning I started towards the Springfield, MO KOA

The cross near Amarillo, TX

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Then some fog

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It was nice to see the thick trees again at the Springfield KOA

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And some nice camping setups

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Sunrise after leaving Springfield

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After checking in on my Mom and a few days of going to appointments with her, I picked my Dad up. We discovered early on in his Alzheimer's that he loved to bowl. I took him to the local bowling alley and he kicked my butt 2 out of 3 games!!

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Last year my parents sold their house of 43 years to downsize. I did not get to sort through stuff so they saved a bunch of boxes. I found a bunch of 35mm slides of pics my Dad took when he was in Vietnam. I'm working on the best way to convert those.

When I stopped in Tucumcari on the way to Indiana I remembered something about the musical Route 66 Eddie posted awhile back. I sent him a PM and made a plan to take the small detour on the way home. Here's what it sounds like with Nitto Trail Grapplers and windows down.

https://youtu.be/rLCBGZQTj14

I did try it with the windows up but it could barely be heard.

I saw a lot of Jeeps on the round trip including some old iron

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Of course I saw some funny stuff too (check out the bicycle)

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Got some Hatch chilis from Hatch, NM

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Added a new sticker to the tailgate

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Saw some beautiful scenery

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And stopped at the Geronimo Surrenders monument

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The total trip, including some driving around in my hometown
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This is one of my favorite things my Mom saved for me from their home sale. It's a propeller from a missile drone from the Vietnam era he was given as a memento. He was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, which I live next to now, prior to shipping out to Vietnam.

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As you may imagine, I have a unique "collection" of insects from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on the front of my Jeep.

Lastly...cancer sucks and Alzheimer's does too! It was great having 3 days of solitude, each way, in the Jeep, to clear my head. It was great therapy.
 
Devildog!
I'm sorry to hear about your family. My grandma was lucky enough to beat cancer twice. I wish you and your family the best.

Semper Fi!
 
Getting old sucks! No doubt about it! Glad to hear that your Jeep ran good and that you got to spend some time with your folks. Post up some of those Vietnam pics if you get a chance.
 
What a trip! Sorry to hear about your mother and her illness.. cancer sucks. We lost a brother FF to it several years ago.

Looked like a fun road trip though!
 
Devildog!
I'm sorry to hear about your family. My grandma was lucky enough to beat cancer twice. I wish you and your family the best.

Semper Fi!

Semper Fi! Thank you!

Getting old sucks! No doubt about it! Glad to hear that your Jeep ran good and that you got to spend some time with your folks. Post up some of those Vietnam pics if you get a chance.

The Jeep was flawless. I had the tires rebalanced and rotated at a DT in Indiana as a precaution. I hope to get some sort of converter to make the 35mm slides into digital.

What a trip! Sorry to hear about your mother and her illness.. cancer sucks. We lost a brother FF to it several years ago.

Looked like a fun road trip though!

Thanks, Nathan. It does. I've lost too many friends and family to it.
 
I guess it's the "Super Stocker" build

Today I "adjusted" my custom insect collection from 7 states.

Before...

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After...

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I planned on waxing and hitting all the exterior plastic with 303 but it promptly rained. (See storm clouds in the distance.)
 
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