JessL
Caught the Bug
I was just going through the posts here and noticing all of the Jeep names, I have Faith and our newly departed Dozer and started thinking about the connection many of us grow with our machines. I have tons of memories built up with Faith, a 2014 JK Sahara, that I couldn't make a dent in those tales here. Our Jeeps require our time, money, and attention. On the surface, they return to us transportation and safety, but there is much more we get from these bundles of metal & gears. They provide us with a ticket to escape. They give us access to the great outdoors, mend family stress, and take on adventure with us hand-in-hand. It's funny how hopping in the seat and running to the store - no top, no doors, no cares is a sweet release from the daily grind and the obligations of our modern lives.
We have five kids, yes five, and my first mod for Faith, three days after she came home from the dealer was a rear-facing third row. We have all piled in that little Jeep and run the wheels off of her. Fishing, camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, and it goes on and on. Faith got her name on one very cold day in Colorado when a sudden and horrific storm hit between Colorado Springs and Denver. I was traveling down to the Springs along highway 105 and the bomb cyclone dropped in. It jack-knifed a semi right before Palmer Lake and the road was cut off. We instantly got hit by nearly 80 mph winds and over 2 feet of snow in minutes. The roads were engulfed by snow across the valley and we were all stuck. I kept the Jeep stocked with blankets, water, and tools. Thankfully, I was alone in the 8-seat rig. As all of us hunkered down in our vehicles to wait for help, the hours dragged on.
It clicked with me that I had better check the tailpipe for blockage, luckily I was alright, but the Honda in front of me was not. I went to Faith's tool rack and took my shovel and started to dig out tailpipes. One after another. It became apparent after three hours that this was going to be a long-term situation. I gathered a few other prepared motorists with larger vehicles and we started to make a plan. We marked the cars in our grid that were stranded and walked all of them to ensure they were not suffocating from carbon monoxide. We then mapped out fuel levels and water for each vehicle and we started a rotation of checking on older and young individuals in the traffic jam. We identified vehicles with room and started to shuffle people as their cars ran out of fuel. By the end of the 13 hours we waited to be dug out, Faith was full and so were the other prepped rigs. Thankfully I started with a full tank and two spare Rotopax cans.
CDOT finally got to us with plows and tow trucks and the scene was cleared out quickly. This was an unexpected adventure and my Jeep kept me and others alive. So it's easy to say that Faith is not for sale... as I'm sure most of your beloved rigs are not. Our Jeeps have personalities and souls that we connect with as we adventure together. They aren't just "cars" and there is also a connection between Jeep owners as fellow voyagers in this Jeep experience. I'm thankful for places like WAYALIFE where we can come together and swap knowledge and stories. Jeep owners are some of the best people I have ever met and a community is a sum of its members. Please keep on waving to other Jeeps as they pass, because Jeeps are people too.
We have five kids, yes five, and my first mod for Faith, three days after she came home from the dealer was a rear-facing third row. We have all piled in that little Jeep and run the wheels off of her. Fishing, camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, and it goes on and on. Faith got her name on one very cold day in Colorado when a sudden and horrific storm hit between Colorado Springs and Denver. I was traveling down to the Springs along highway 105 and the bomb cyclone dropped in. It jack-knifed a semi right before Palmer Lake and the road was cut off. We instantly got hit by nearly 80 mph winds and over 2 feet of snow in minutes. The roads were engulfed by snow across the valley and we were all stuck. I kept the Jeep stocked with blankets, water, and tools. Thankfully, I was alone in the 8-seat rig. As all of us hunkered down in our vehicles to wait for help, the hours dragged on.
It clicked with me that I had better check the tailpipe for blockage, luckily I was alright, but the Honda in front of me was not. I went to Faith's tool rack and took my shovel and started to dig out tailpipes. One after another. It became apparent after three hours that this was going to be a long-term situation. I gathered a few other prepared motorists with larger vehicles and we started to make a plan. We marked the cars in our grid that were stranded and walked all of them to ensure they were not suffocating from carbon monoxide. We then mapped out fuel levels and water for each vehicle and we started a rotation of checking on older and young individuals in the traffic jam. We identified vehicles with room and started to shuffle people as their cars ran out of fuel. By the end of the 13 hours we waited to be dug out, Faith was full and so were the other prepped rigs. Thankfully I started with a full tank and two spare Rotopax cans.
CDOT finally got to us with plows and tow trucks and the scene was cleared out quickly. This was an unexpected adventure and my Jeep kept me and others alive. So it's easy to say that Faith is not for sale... as I'm sure most of your beloved rigs are not. Our Jeeps have personalities and souls that we connect with as we adventure together. They aren't just "cars" and there is also a connection between Jeep owners as fellow voyagers in this Jeep experience. I'm thankful for places like WAYALIFE where we can come together and swap knowledge and stories. Jeep owners are some of the best people I have ever met and a community is a sum of its members. Please keep on waving to other Jeeps as they pass, because Jeeps are people too.
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