The End of an Era

wayoflife

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Coming off the heels of Thanksgiving, the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust the weekend before and SEMA at the beginning of the month, it was hard for Cindy and I to be enthusiastic about wrapping up the month of November with yet another long trek down to SoCal. In fact, if it weren't for the official unveiling of the all new Jeep JL Wrangler that we'd get to see at the LA Auto Show, I'm not sure if we would have even gone. Of course, we couldn't miss that and so decided to just boogie down to LA the day before the big reveal, cover the show all day on Wednesday and then start our long drive back to Carson City that evening. To help save on cost, we would take our Duramax as it gets much better MPG and it would also help make the trip down and back even faster. Certainly, the sooner we could get back home, the better... or at least, that was the plan.

As the day of the big reveal got closer, it was hard for us not to think back to 2006, back when the JK Wrangler was first revealed and what it was like to bring home Moby. Essentially, the introduction of the JL Wrangler would be an end of an era and the more we talked about it, the more we knew we had to take Moby with us down to SoCal and make it into a WAYALIFE adventure. Here are a few photos from our trip, I hope you enjoy.

Shooting from the hips and making plans as we went, we quickly packed our stuff, loaded up Moby and started to make our way down to the south land.
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As luck would have it, Cindy's folks were in Vegas and agreed to watch Tessa for us and so that's where we were headed first.
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Being that we were weren't really planning on leaving when we did, we ended up getting a late start and most of our drive down would be done in the dark.
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Rolling through Goldfield, one of our favorite ghost towns along the 95, we saw that the old Goldfield Hotel was had a light on illuminating the lobby and we just couldn't pass up the photo op if only to see if we could get a glimpse of one of it's ghosts.
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I'm Eddie... and this is my world.
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Pulling into Vegas.
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Fortunately, sin city is a 24 hour town and it isn't too hard to find a place that'll serve you a beer regardless of what time it is.
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Almost as if it were a subtle hint, Moby picked up this nice emoji on our windshield just before crossing into California.
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Of course, that hint soon gave way into a tantrum. We never took Moby as the jealous type but as we got closer to SoCal, he let us know exactly how he felt about us seeing the new JL Wrangler.
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After consoling him in the Home Depot parking lot in Barstow, the Lowes parking lot in Victorville and the Tractor Supply parking lot in Hesperia, we finally convinced him that we would always love him and he behaved the rest of the way to LA.
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To making it down to SoCal - CHEERS!
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Oh how I love LA! Being that we pulled in to town late, we stayed in the night in the suburbs, about 12 miles from the convention center and figured it might take about an hour to get to the show the next morning. It ended up taking us 2.
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I have to admit there were times when I was beginning to think this day would never come. A day when the all new Jeep JL Wrangler would officially be revealed and when all the spy photos, speculations and rumors could all be laid to rest. On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, that day finally came... almost anyway. The official reveal wouldn't be until a little after noon and there wasn't anything to see at the Jeep display other than a couple of JL under wraps.
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There was however a display case full of Mopar aftermarket parts all ready to go.
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They even had a Mopar 2" JL lift kit on display.
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Behind a glass case, they had one bit of the JL Wrangler that was totally unseen before and that was the all new 2.0L Hurricane Turbo I4 motor.
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About noon, Cindy and I made our way into a tent outside of the convention center where the big reveal would be taking place and among other people, we ran into our good friends Mel and Lisa.
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Once the lights went out, Mike Manely, the top guy at Jeep USA revealed what we had all been waiting to see - the all new 2017 Jeep JL Wrangler!
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Back inside the west hall of the LA Convention Center, Cindy and I got a chance to get a better look at the granite crystal metallic JL Wrangler Sahara that was unveiled. In addition to its refined leather interior, we were pleased to see that it came with a hard top that came with a powered rag top and removable side panels.
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While I really do love the looks of a built up 2-door Jeep JK Wrangler, I've always thought they looked a bit funny bone stock. I don't know if it's because of the massive fenders or how the tires look too tucked in under them or maybe their plain jane the body panels but they've just never done anything for me. That being said, the first time I laid eyes on this red 2-door JL Wrangler Rubicon, I have to say that I fell in LOVE with it! Even though it is bone stock, this JL has really nice proportions and lines and if you ask me, it "looks" modded already.
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Of the 3 Jeep JL Wranglers that were presented at the official press reveal, this yellow Rubicon Unlimited was the one that really caught my eye. Not that the Sahara or red 2-door weren't nice but this 4-door was the closest thing to what Cindy and I have already ordered and so I was eager to give it a closer look. The only thing it has that we didn't even have available to us yet is the all new Hurricane 2.0L Turbo I4 motor. That being said, it was nice to see the soft top in safari mode and we got to see first hand just how easy it was to lower. After seeing this, we can't wait to get ours in our garage.
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The center piece of the Jeep display at the 2017 LA Auto Show is a white 2-door JL Wrangler Sport posed on rocks and built up with a host of Mopar aftermarket parts including a 2" lift, 35" tires and roof rack. It's a shame that it was fenced off as I would have liked to give a better look but here are a few pics of what it looked like.
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In addition to unveiling the all new JL Wrangler, Jeep also used the LA Auto show to show how Mopar is all ready to sell aftermarket parts for it. Of the JL's they had on display, this Rubicon Unlimited in a gorgeous Mojito Green metallic and outfitted with just about every Mopar part made for the JL to date including a 2" lift and snorkel and man, it looked absolutely awesome and ready to rock! Did I mention how much I love the color on this thing - man, I so wish it was available when we placed our order.
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You can see a ton more coverage from the LA Auto Show by clicking on this link:
OFFICIAL Jeep JL Wrangler REVEAL - 2017 LA Auto Show

After a great day at the LA Auto Show and getting to see the all new Jeep JL Wrangler, Cindy and I ventured back into the concrete jungle and reminded ourselves why we left this god forsaken place!
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With literally no plans as to where we needed to be, Cindy and I agreed to drive just as far as we needed to get out of LA and call it a night at whatever hotel had a room available. Sick of seeing pavement, Moby suggested that we make our way back to Vegas on dirt or as much as possible and so on the following morning, we did just that.
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Thinking about all the fun we've had with Moby over the last 10 years, it was hard not to kick things up a notch and get him out on some funner terrain.
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Moby standing up and letting us know just how happy he is.
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Being a good boy, Moby made sure to carefully tip toe his way up this dry waterfall.
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It's always good to get a good stretch in after being on so much pavement.
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Oh boy, some more rocks!
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Come on baby - let's do the twist!
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After our fun in the rocks, it was time to continue our way across the vast Mojave Desert.
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Up until 2014, all that land out there used to be a place you could explore. Now, all of it belongs to the Marines.
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We have nothing but the utmost respect for the Marines but we'd be lying if we said we weren't sad to see all this land that off limits to us now.
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I supposed it wouldn't be a true WAYALIFE adventure if we didn't stay out on the trail till the sun went down.
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Being that there's still a little light out, how could we not do a little exploring of some old mines.
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Looks like we'd get find a little gold of our own and all up in the sky.
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That's odd, there used to be a road here.
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Moby reminded us that we were riding in him. :rolleyes2:
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After a really long day out on the trail, we found ourselves back in Vegas and feeling about as good as my beer looked.
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As we made our final drive back to Carson City, Cindy and I reflected on the crazy good time we had and how it almost didn't happen. Certainly, we had planned to make this a quick 2 day trip but somehow, it ended up becoming an unplanned week long adventure. Of course, when it comes to going anywhere in Moby, it's always an adventure.
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While this may be an end of an era for the JK, Moby won't be going anywhere - He'll just be helping us to raise a new JL. :cool:
 
Thanks for sharing your trip, up until the end it felt like you guys were going to let Moby go lol. Bunch of great pics and love seeing Moby in action!


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
That is some awesome shots. Moby knows what’s good [emoji106]

Thanks for all the coverage of the JL unveiling, I followed it on the JLWrangler forum.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
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Great pictures.

Thank you :cool:

Thanks for sharing your trip, up until the end it felt like you guys were going to let Moby go lol. Bunch of great pics and love seeing Moby in action!

LOL!! There are times when we're posting about the JL that it does kind of feel like Moby will be put out to the pasture but no, that'll never happen :cool:

That is some awesome shots. Moby knows what’s good [emoji106]

Thanks for all the coverage of the JL unveiling, I followed it on the JLWrangler forum.

So glad you enjoyed our coverage and thanks!

Cool report! Thanks for the continued coverage on the new and the epic trips and reports of the old!

Thanks, I hope you and Tina will be a part of more of our trips in the near future :thumb:
 
Lots of cool pics. [emoji41][emoji106] End of an era is really just a growth into the new for you guys. Can't wait to see all the memories/adventures you'll share as you discover the new JL and hit the trails.
 
Nice thread. Moby should feel safe. He’s too awesome to get rid of! What happened to him, on the way out?

Long story short - we lost a transmission mount bolt. This caused our transfer case to droop and that lead to drive line vibrations. Had to drive on it for a while and that caused the output shaft nut to come loose. Got everything fixed but the center ball on the double cardan started to squeak like a banshee due to running funny for so long and creating a dry spot. Took a bit but eventually found a grease gun and needle fitting to address that. 3 parking lots later, 3 times of taking things apart and reassembling things while working on stupid hot parts - all was good again :crazyeyes:

Awesome trip! Good to see Moby all happy in his environment :)

Thanks and yes, that's where Moby is the happiest. :yup:

Great shots! I know what you mean about the end of the jk era. Kind of bitter sweet but looking forward to starting over with the jl

Us too. Dying to get our hands on our JL. :cool:

Great pictures I like moby better out in his elements rather than in the city streets

LOL!! I think he does too.
 
Long story short - we lost a transmission mount bolt. This caused our transfer case to droop and that lead to drive line vibrations. Had to drive on it for a while and that caused the output shaft nut to come loose. Got everything fixed but the center ball on the double cardan started to squeak like a banshee due to running funny for so long and creating a dry spot. Took a bit but eventually found a grease gun and needle fitting to address that. 3 parking lots later, 3 times of taking things apart and reassembling things while working on stupid hot parts - all was good again :crazyeyes:



Thanks and yes, that's where Moby is the happiest. :yup:



Us too. Dying to get our hands on our JL. :cool:



LOL!! I think he does too.

I found another spacer in my toolbox over the weekend. I added to the tool bag in the jeep just in case ;) lol


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Fantastic pics and narrative, one of the reasons I keep coming back here. I WAS a little concerned abut the title and theme but glad to know Moby's status is safe.
 
Thanks to all you guys do! It’s the end of one era but the start of a new one is right around the corner! Can’t wait to see all the adventures of moby showing the way for the new, unnamed, JL
 
Lots of cool pics. [emoji41][emoji106] End of an era is really just a growth into the new for you guys. Can't wait to see all the memories/adventures you'll share as you discover the new JL and hit the trails.

Hope you'll be there with us in your JL as well :yup:

Thanks for the pics! Was planning on holding out for the JL truck but all the new features are making it harder and harder...

:cheesy: I know. I was trying to hold out for the truck too but I may just have to get both :crazyeyes:

I found another spacer in my toolbox over the weekend. I added to the tool bag in the jeep just in case ;) lol

What are friends for :rolleyes2: :crazyeyes: :D
 
Great Story.... It’s going to be fun watching you bring the JL up to Moby’s level. [emoji1360]

Somehow, I think the build up of our JL will be a bit faster than Moby if only because the guys at Jeep have made it much easier to do. :yup:

Fantastic pics and narrative, one of the reasons I keep coming back here. I WAS a little concerned abut the title and theme but glad to know Moby's status is safe.

LOL!! Thanks, yeah, there's now way we could get rid of Moby. Way too many good memories with him :yup:

Thanks to all you guys do! It’s the end of one era but the start of a new one is right around the corner! Can’t wait to see all the adventures of moby showing the way for the new, unnamed, JL

Oh yeah, you can count on Moby helping our new JL to take her first steps. :yup:
 
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