Jeep: Drive It Like You Mean It

 “…The spartan, cramped, and unstintingly functional Jeep became the ubiquitous World War II four-wheeled personification of Yankee ingenuity and cocky, can-do determination.” – Doug Smith Smithsonian

A Great Video And Song.

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             As the story goes, what began in 1941 as a Government Vehicle later morphed its name into the General Purpose Vehicle, before finally changing into the abbreviation of G.P. (Pronounced “Jeep” for short).  The story is more complicated than that as the word jeep after The Great War (WWI), also referred to any new vehicle or a new recruit.  That’s the gist of it, however, and somewhere in there is the truth.  Regardless, the Jeep has been serving ever since; for a total of 75 years now.

            I got my Jeep at the end of the summer in 2001.  It was used and six years old (a 1995 Grand Cherokee-Laredo).  My wife and I told the kindly dealer (Ron Corey of Corey’s Motorworks & Sport Utility) we could only pay the amount we offered; no more.  Between the money we could put down, and what we could afford as a monthly payment for the loan, we were locked into that amount and wouldn’t budge.  As our two little kids climbed around the small office area, the dealer’s son finally said, “Dad, just let them have the Jeep.”  That broke the negotiating, and gratefully we got a second vehicle.  We were set to pay $149.58 for the next four years until the fall of 2005.

            Not too long after that, I was driving to work and giving a teaching colleague (Keli) a ride.  I was returning the favor after she had been helping us out.  For the last couple of months, she had been giving me rides to school while we had been down a vehicle.  While traveling through Loves Park, I got hit by another car.  He had come off from a side street as we drove north to school.  For some reason he didn’t see us, and pulled out right in front of us.  Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, and the other driver felt terrible and wanted to make it right.  People stopped by, the police arrived, and our principal came down and gave us a ride back home.  After cleaning up from the shattered glass, and contacting my insurance company, Keli picked me up (in her car again) and we made it back up to school to finish the day out teaching.

            While I waited the next few weeks for the passenger-side of the Jeep to be fixed, the attack happened on the World Trade Towers in New York City (9-11).  Although a bit difficult due to the timing, I was able to get a small rental car to get me through, and even drove it to Michigan to help my parents pack up for their move down to southern Wisconsin.

            Since that initial year, the green Jeep Grand Cherokee and I have been through a lot of adventures together; sometimes solo, sometimes with family, and sometimes with friends.  It’s served me well to get from Point A to Point B; whether with the seats up taking people with me, or with the seats down masquerading as a truck.  I do have routine maintenance done on the Jeep, even if months go by between washings.  Omark’s Auto Service down on Broadway in Rockford has taken care of it since the beginning.  Although we no longer live in Rockford, I still bring it down every 3 or 4,000 miles for grease, oil, and filter changes, among the other things that occasionally need to be replaced on an older vehicle.  I’d say the guys there in the shop know it as well as anybody, and treat it as an old friend.  The only reason I probably don’t wash it as often as I should is simply because I hate to wash off the dust and dirt from my annual trips to camp in the backwoods of Northern Michigan.  As the dates for the next trip approach, however, I break down and have it beautified with a wash and wax.  It’s the least I can do.

             When I think of my Jeep’s personality as some people are apt to do, I don’t really think of it as a “he” or “she,” it’s simply the Green Jeep (especially since we purchased a silver colored one in 2015 as our family vehicle).  The Green Jeep’s personality is based more on its attributes and adventures.  As I explored the area’s preserves and wildlife areas, or sought out sacred trout waters, the ole Jeep was my means of transportation. 

I’ve hauled firewood, rocks, camping gear, kayaks and canoes.  I’ve slept in it, and I’ve blasted through snow drifts while driving in 4-wheel drive (with my kids cheering in the back seat).  Although it’s far from perfect, the Jeep does the job.  Those imperfections only add to its character.  Character traits such as:

·        * A missing passenger side mirror that I took off on a mailbox while waving to a neighbor.  That was a funny story, and both scared and embarrassed my daughter who was “riding shot-gun” at the time.

·        * A speedometer that only works intermittently.

·        * An odometer that’s only worked occasionally for the last five years or so.  The Jeep is roughly at 200,000 some miles, give or take a few thousand.

·        * A radio that hasn’t worked since I don’t know when.  It really isn’t an issue other than when I’m driving and I’m tired.  I guess that’s the only time noise would be nice.  My friend Joe once asked me about something he’d heard on a sports talk radio station, and then remembered my Jeep doesn’t have one that works; end of discussion.  That was funny too.

·        * A heater that only blows air off the dashboard and at your feet.

·        *The passenger side sun visor that is tied into place so it doesn’t flop down.

·        * The air conditioning which is non-existent, and has been for a long, long time.  On hot days you bring along extra water, take your shirt off, and roll the windows down.

·        * In 2014 when I got tired of the material slowly peeling off the interior ceiling of the Jeep, so I ripped it all out.  That was right before I took it camping with my cousins.  My cousin Sean (upon hearing what I did) said, “Another stripe on the tiger.”  Indeed, as these are the traits that give the Jeep nostalgia and character.

·        * The windshield that is newer, after I tried putting the wrong kayak inside of the Jeep (instead of up on top) and spider-webbed it.  It was apparent redemption after doing almost the same thing to my friend Louie a few years before that.

·        * The hatch.  Anyone who has ridden with me knows about the back hatch.  When open, it’s propped up with an old broom stick cut to the right size.  Failure to remember that the hydraulic lift supports don’t work, or accidentally knocking the stick out, transforms the hatch into a guillotine type apparatus you won’t soon forget.

·        * Tires, shocks, and major parts that have been fixed, changed, or replaced as needed.

·        * When my son and I hauled its last load using the trailer hitch.  The large trailer we were pulling was loaded down with a massive amount of rock, dirt, and wood chips that we were getting rid of.  It was touch and go when we hit the road’s expansion joints going up and over the nearby highway, but we made it.  Since very little of the hitch’s bracing remained, due to rust, Omark’s Auto Service suggested that I don’t ever do that again.  Literally, those are words to live by.

·        * I must travel long distances with jumper cables and a small tool box, especially after being stranded with a dead battery while trout fishing with my Dad (we flagged a lady down who actually stopped to help us).  Another time I had to stop at a farm house to ask for an old coat hanger.  After driving into a roadside ditch I was able to crawl underneath the Jeep to wire the exhaust system up enough to drive back home.

            These idiosyncrasies aren’t meant to complain about my Jeep any more than they aren’t meant to brag about my Jeep.  They simply make my Jeep what it is, and when I mention them, I do so with mild fondness.  When I’m driving, and get stuck in traffic, or I see someone driving a shiny SUV that has never seen a dirt road (let alone a speck of dust), I mutter to myself, “Drive it like you mean it.”  In a Jeep like mine, that’s been with you through the tests of time, it’s the least you can do.  The history of this brand of vehicle is pretty impressive when you look back over the 75 years since it first came off the assembly line heading into WWII.  I know it’s been pretty impressive to me when I see how our green Jeep Grand Cherokee has been there through the years for our family and me.

            See you along The Way…

Country Roads Take Me Home

Me and my cousin's Jeep in the Back-Country

Being a "Knucklehead" & parking at school...Because I can

The First Snow Of 2016

            Saturday began when I went outside and worked on the yard all morning.  The temperature hovered in the 30’s, but it was great weather to work in.  I was able to rake the remaining piles of leaves from the various garden areas, as well as from the other nooks and crannies in and around the house.  Afterwards I mowed the front and backyards.  It was the beginning of December, and yet I was fortunate enough to have the time to get the yard ready one last time before the snow came.

            By 2:30 I had cleaned up, packed, and together with my wife, daughter, and dogs, headed up to my parents house a half hour away.  They would be watching our pups overnight.  

After we visited, and got the dogs settled, we continued on to Waukesha, Wisconsin.  My daughter Jodi drove to get some practice time in while traveling on the highway.  We headed northeast, since Jodi and I were going to run the “Last Call Half Marathon” the following day.  After picking up our race packets; complete with cool T-shirts and our race numbers, we proceeded to the nearby Marriott hotel.

We checked in, and then drove to Albanese’s Roadhouse for some pasta/carbohydrates.  I had a plate full of spaghetti with “award winning” meatballs.  It tasted absolutely awesome; and provided me with the fuel I would need for the 13.1 mile race.  We returned to our hotel, and hunkered down for the night. 

Jodi commented that we were, “Living the life of luxury!”  My wife Cindy and I laughed.  I wasn’t sure if it was luxurious, but it was a very nice hotel and room, and one we had stayed in before.  We were full and comfortable, and we settled in to watch the first half of the Big Ten Championship game between Wisconsin and Penn State.  Since it had been a long day, we went to bed before we knew the outcome; knowing the race would come early.

            After a good night’s sleep we arose.  Both Jodi and I ate a little bit of a Cliff Bar and part of bagel, got dressed, and then we all headed downtown to the EB Shurts Environmental Center along the Fox River for the start of the race.  

Before the race and snow

As we warmed up by jogging a few blocks, a few snowflakes began to fall.  Cindy took our picture and watched us begin with over 300 other people.  The snow steadily increased as we ran.  The course quickly made its way onto the Glacial Drumlin Trail.  My son Todd and I had run this race together last year.  It had been a special day to share.  Today would be another special day, this time with my daughter.  Last year had been cold too, following a night of heavy rain.  This year we were being blessed with snow.  The changing of the seasons in what living in the Midwest is all about, and I love it.

Todd and I in 2015

            Jodi and I made our way through the groups of runners for the first few miles, and then it thinned out enough to give us ample room.  We ran, talked, and enjoyed the experience.  Jodi was the picture of consistency.  Together we settled into about a nine and a half minute per mile average.  We were probably a bit slower than that in the beginning, and then a bit faster at the end; known as a negative split.  The snow was easily sticking on the ground before we were too many miles into the run, although the black-topped pathway simply remained wet and clear; making for easy running.  Within a mile or two of the turn-a-round, other runners began to pass us going the other way.  It was fun to see the top runners, and crowds of others, but we talked through the fact that we didn’t want to get caught up in the sudden adrenaline rush, and knew we simply wanted to continue doing the same thing that had gotten us to that point.  After we ran past the ten mile marker, it was the farthest that Jodi had ever run before.  She commented that she only had a cross country race left to run.  Around mile eleven she felt a bit achy, but over all still felt great.  After the last water stop, we only had a mile left, and so we locked in and finished strong together.  Cindy met us at the end and was able to capture some pictures of us.  

We were not bound by the watch Jodi wore, but we did check it from time to time; simply to determine how we were doing.  She accidentally stopped it at one of the first mile markers, so she started it again at the next one, and then we just added ten minutes from there on out to give us an estimated time.  It turned out to be within seconds of the actual time we finished (2:05).  I grabbed two of the finisher medals, and put one of them around Jodi’s neck.  It was a culminating gesture after a lot of running; both today and throughout her jr. high and high school career.

            After taking the pictures, the three of us went into the environmental center.  Jodi and I got some fruit and hot cocoa they had available for runners.  By then we were starting to get chilled, so we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and packed up.  The snow continued coming down, the roads were slushy, and so the driving had to be cautious.  We stopped in Mukwonago for some lunch, and then headed to my parents to pick up our dogs while listening to the Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans football game on the radio.  After visiting, we loaded everyone up, and headed home. 

Home - 4 or 5 inches of snow

I rested for about an hour or so, and then headed out to clear the driveway.  In the heavy, wet snow I used my recently fixed snow blower.  I haven’t used it since we moved to this house, as it needed to be overhauled.  A neighbor, who is a parent of two former students, fixed it for me about a week ago.  It took care of the snow well enough, although I had to clear out the auger and chute a few times due to the slush getting clogged in it.  Using a shovel, I cleared off the snow nearest to the road that was extra heavy.  

To top off the night, I took our youngest dog Kora for a walk in the snow.  The storm had all but ended by that time.  The walk gave me a chance to stretch out my leg muscles, while reflecting on the blessings and events from the last couple of days.  It’s been a flurry of activities during the first snowfall of the year.

            See you along The Way…