Jeep Talk Show

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Crab Feasts, JEDCO Tours and King of the Hammers Jeep Talk Show Flagship Episode

🚗💨 Buckle up for another action-packed *Flagship Episode* of the Jeep Talk Show! This time, April is back in the hot seat, and we’re diving into her epic adventure to Maryland for a JEDCO headquarters tour. From cracking open her first crab at a JEDCO crab feast to exploring the massive George Peabody Library and Patterson Park, April shares all the juicy details of her trip. Plus, we talk about the spooky coincidence of *almost* traveling on Flight 666 on 9/11—yikes! 😱 🔥 Hot topics this episode: – Is Ford’s Bronco paving the way for the Toyota FJ Cruiser’s big comeback? We break down the leaks, patents, and rumors about the retro off-roader’s return, including potential hybrid options and overlanding packages. 🚙 – The controversy surrounding Johnson Valley’s proposed airspace restrictions and what it could mean for the iconic King of the Hammers event. 🏜️ – April spills the tea on her first Jeep modification (a Warn Elite bumper!) and what she *should* have done first (lift and tires, anyone?). 🛠️ – We reminisce about seafood adventures, from stuffed crabs to peeling shrimp, and why Maryland’s crab feasts are a must-try! 🦀 😂 Don’t miss the hilarious *Nicky G* segments we *finally* remembered to26!Strap彼此 🚗� Ascend the adventure with April as she spills the tea on her Maryland trip, JEDCO’s crab feast, and the Toyota FJ Cruiser’s potential comeback! From cracking crabs to off-road debates, this *Flagship Episode* is packed with stories, laughs, and Jeep talk that’ll get you ready to hit the trails. Plus, we’ve got *three* epic Nicky G segments to keep you chuckling! 😂 🔔 Don’t forget to **LIKE**, **SUBSCRIBE**, **SHARE**, and **COMMENT** to join our Jeep-loving community! Got a question or idea for our next episode? Send it our way at **jeeptalkshow.com/contact**. Support the show and unlock exclusive perks by becoming a Patreon subscriber at **jeeptalkshow.com/contact**. Keep the adventure rolling with a **5-star rating and review** on your favorite podcast platform, and stay in the loop by following us on social media and signing up for our newsletter for the latest Jeep news and must-attend events! 📧 🗓️ **Upcoming Event**: Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia – a must for overlanding fans! 🏕️ #JeepTalkShow #JeepLife #OffRoadAdventures #ToyotaFJCruiser #KingOfTheHammers #JEDCO *Broadcasting since 2010* 🎙️ — This description captures the key highlights of the episode, including April’s Maryland adventure, the JEDCO tour, the crab feast, the Toyota FJ Cruiser comeback rumors, the Johnson Valley airspace issue, and Jeep modification tips. It also includes a call-to-action for engagement and support, formatted to be engaging and concise for YouTube viewers. Let me know if you’d like any tweaks! Welcome to Jeep Talk Show, the ultimate podcast for Jeep enthusiasts! Join Tony, and, the crew as we dive into off-road adventures, Jeep Wrangler 392 updates, Jeep Gladiator camping, and the Jeep Cherokee relaunch. From $130K Jeep resale trends to Gladiator tent reviews, we cover Jeep modifications, off-road gear, and events like Easter Jeep Safari and Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion. Get expert Jeep 4xe towing tips, lightweight truck camper insights, and off-road trail guides for Jeeps. Subscribe for weekly Jeep news, join our community at jeeptalkshow.com/discord, and hit the trail with us! Head to https://jeeptalkshow.com to explore our world of Jeep madness, subscribe, and let us make your day a little more rugged and a lot more fun. Ready to roll with us? Let’s hit the trails together! #Jeep Talk Show, #Jeep podcast, #off-road podcast, #Jeep community, #Jeep off-roading, #Jeep Wrangler, #Jeep Gladiator, #Jeep news, #Jeep modifications, #Jeep accessories, #off-road adventures, #Jeep events, #Jeep 4xe, #Wrangler 392, #Jeep camping, #Jeep trails, #Jeep Wrangler 392, #$130K Jeep resale, #Jeep infotainment bricking, #TuneOutdoor Gladiator tent, #RealTruck trail access 2025, #Jeep Gladiator camping, #lightweight truck camper, #$13K Jeep camper, #Jeep Cherokee relaunch 2025, #Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion, #Easter Jeep Safari 2025, #Jeep Badge of Honor app, #women off-road Jeep podcast, #Chic Chat Jeep podcast, #Jeep off-road gear reviews, #best Jeep accessories 2025, #Jeep 4xe towing tips, #off-road trail guides for Jeeps

https://youtu.be/AVubeHJUboc

This is our flagship two episode and April is back April. I’m glad to have you back. Uh, you know, anything could have happened. Something horrible could have happened on your way back. And we, that might’ve been our last show with you. So I’m so glad that’s not the case. So yeah, we were originally supposed to travel on nine 11 and we ended up going on nine 10 just because I don’t know, bad mojo. I just said, uh, yeah, let’s go out a day early. So we don’t have to do the nine 11, but I saw some really cool posts on nine 11, um, from the cockpit and that sort of thing and just pilots just kind of doing a remembrance type, uh, speech of sorts. So I guess that would have been kind of neat to be part of, but, um, yeah, we traveled on nine 10 instead of nine 11. Well, that’s only half the story because your flight was flight 666 on nine 11. Right. Oh my God. (…) That would have been a horrible. Yes. I can always make it worse. (…) I would have never taken my child on a flight 666 on nine 11. I can guarantee you. I mean, flying is very, very safe, but you’re always concerned about that stuff, especially as a parent. And, uh, so, but, uh, tell me where you want, you flew from where to where.(…) So from South Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, our first time in Maryland. So that was super cool. Um, we went to the Jedco headquarters and if you don’t know, Jedco JED, um, stands for journey, explore and discover company, but they have lots of brands. Um, Jeep is their main licensing that they do probably like 75% of their company. Um, but they, you know, have t-shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, they have accessories, mugs, that sort of thing. Um, but they also have other brands that they work with and have licensing.(…) A lot of your, uh, beer companies, Madela, Pacifico, Bush, Bushlight, Budlight, all of them, you pretty much name it. Um, and they’re working with them as well, but they also do Ford, um, Chevrolet, all of your other vehicle companies, pretty much. Um,(…) they also do some of your country singers, which today happens to be country international music day. So Willie Nelson, um, Waylon Jennings, and then they also work with Leonard Skinner. So, um, yeah, pretty cool company. They have a couple of big warehouses. We got to tour their warehouses, see how everything works and put together and made, and then we have some photo shoots. So Amber and I both got to participate in that. So that was fun. Um, and then we got to do some sightseeing along the way. Oh, and this is really cool. So I had never officially eaten a crab. (…) And for the first time we got to like dig in, like really figure out how to pull off what they call the dead fingers and all the juicy parts. So, um, that was a lot of fun, a little bit freaky, a lot dirty, but, um, entertaining to say the least. So, but JEDCO put on something called a crab feast. And so we got to be a part of that and enjoy that. So that was a lot of fun. That is neat. Uh, and I think I was warning you about the crab there because I was I had been, I had stayed in Maryland for about a month for a job that I was doing. And, uh, the crab really didn’t have much of a flavor to it, but the spices and stuff that came with it made a huge difference. It really did. And made it very, very good. So hopefully that worked out for you. So I didn’t mention before, and I’m kind of surprised when I was a kid and I’m a bit picky, it sounds funny for a fat guy, but I’m a bit picky on the foods that I’ll eat. Um,(…) and one of the things that I used to eat a lot of whenever we would go to frontier steakhouse in Baytown, my parents and I, I would get the stuffed crabs. (…) And I mean, you, you think of Turk, uh, Turkey and dressing, this was like crab and dressing and so it was like, you know, yeah, it was like breaded stuff. So if you ever get into a situation where, uh, you’re not sure, it sounds like you’re, you’re, you know what to expect now, but if you’re ever in a situation where you eat and crab, look and see if they have stuff, crab, because they’re not crab because there’s nothing but a fork. Uh, it’s, it’s in the, usually in the crab shell and then you just scoop it out and eat it and actually, yeah. And that order was, it was two crabs, uh, two stuffed crabs. So there were no, uh, pinchers or legs or nothing to do other than just, you didn’t have to pull it apart and do all of that. So another quick story about seafood.(…) And this is funny enough that my mom actually told my, my wife about it. Um, she’s my, my mom and my dad love seafood and my mom would on occasion boil some shrimp, uh, down here on the Gulf coast, there’s lots of places that we can get fresh, fresh shrimp. So she would boil shrimp and I’m sitting there eight, nine years old and she’s peeling the shrimp for me and she’s putting them over there and I’m, you know, just popping them in. Yeah. I like some shrimp, you know, come on, come on, keep it coming. And she’s, she got, I don’t think she could eat because she was busy. (…) It takes a while to peel those shrimp. So she told me, she goes, I’m not going to peel a shrimp for you anymore. You need to peel your own. And I go, okay, I don’t want any shrimp. I stopped eating the shrimp because,(…) oh, it’s too much work. (…) And I’m sure that’s how it is with crabs for kids. I mean, they’re wanting their parents to probably do all the work because it was a lot of work. Oh yeah. Absolutely. A bit to get into it. So, but I’m so glad that I did it and tried that out. It was really cool, especially to be right there in Maryland, you know, the heart of crab, everything. So, but yeah, and Jetco does other things for companies like, um, old Bay and those tight brands. So yeah, they, they have a lot going on. Now they’re not a direct to consumer, are they? They, they, uh, make these products and send them to other people that sell them.(…) So you can get on their website and you can order as well. Just like if you wanted to get on, uh, order a Jeep shirt, you can. So it will come directly to you, but they do, uh, house out to other people as well. So like you can go to Dick’s Sporting Goods and find their gear, um, other companies too, like Academy. Uh, so yeah, a lot of, a lot of, they, they have their hands in a lot of things and doing some really cool things. So it was easy to see firsthand. Yeah. So jebco.com with that. Jay. E D D as in discover Jeep echo dog and then CEO like company. Um, dot com. So, so check it out. I want to check it out. I’m, I’m kind of curious to see all what they got there. Uh, and I won’t hold them again, hold it against them that they’re carrying Ford Bronco stuff. (…) They do carry Ford Bronco. Of course they do. (…) All right. So on tonight’s episode, they’re going to be talking about, uh, speaking of Ford, could Ford’s Bronco be the reason for the Toyota FJ return? Yes. FJ cruiser is coming back. Although Toyota has not officially released this information. I think it’s a pretty good, a pretty good thing that, uh, pretty good information that it’s coming back. I work. We talk about that. Yeah. It’s definitely out there. I watched a video on it. So yeah, they’re, they’re pushing it and there’s, there’s, you know, they’re testing the waters. I suspect making waves. And I will say,(…) I don’t hate a FJ cruiser. So I never have it’s, it’s not a Jeep. So it’s, I’m not interested in having FJ cruiser to take off road or really do anything, uh, but, uh, it was a, it was a cool looking vehicle. And I think that having off-road alternatives, uh, are, is always a good thing. It’s just like, uh, and I don’t want to offend any Apple people out there, but it’s like Apple. I have no desire to have an Apple product. Uh,(…) yeah, you know, but I love that they’re there because they’ve always pushed the technology forward. Uh, I mean, I mean, there was a, I mean, there was the, the windows, I’m sorry, the PC and it didn’t have a mouse and then the Mac came out and it was a mouse and then the mouse came out. Oh, the way back then it was the, uh, five and a quarter inch floppies, but Apple came out with a three and a half inch floppy, which was hard and it’s smaller and had more, so they’ve always pushed it forward. Yeah. That makes sense without competition. Why do you need to keep improving? So it’s the same thing with vehicles or anything, or just like a one tired company moving across the street from another tire company, you got to keep doing bigger and better. So to keep everyone happy. But yeah, I don’t, I guess growing up too, within my dad’s body shop and seeing him work on multiple, all kinds of vehicles, I don’t hate any vehicle. I have a love and respect for all of them and the work and time that it takes going into just build a vehicle, put it together and just, you know, make it do all the things that needs to do is pretty amazing. Oh, it’s a very, very cool company,(…) building here. So that’s going to be a neat, huge facility to see vehicles come out of. So yeah, I’m just always fascinated by just the whole process. There’s a, there was a lot of vehicles, off-road vehicles from the mid to the late sixties that were very impressive. Bronco being one of those. I think that Bronco is really cool. I don’t know any, any much about it. I don’t know how good it was. It just looked cool. And I really, really enjoyed the, the Ford Broncos from that timeframe. Uh, the one they have now seems to be a little fat and they seems to be a little wide, you know, not, not as nimble, but of course the Jeeps have gotten that way too with the rankers and the four doors.(…) You know, and I have to say from far away, sometimes it’s like, is that a Jeep or is that a Bronco? So maybe, maybe I’m the only one that thinks that, but you know, you’re going to have to time your wave. You know, I think that’s the reason why I think that’s the reason why they got Bronco across the grill, you know? Yes. Yeah. So, and, and I don’t own that. Yeah. And I don’t hate any vehicle. I just, like I said, if it’s not a Jeep, I don’t care. Yeah. Yeah. So, because, yeah, I’m only, only interested in Jeep. So I don’t see that changing anytime soon. All right. So as we were talking, talking about Toyota FJ Cruiser comeback, the Toyota FJ Cruiser, a cult favorite retro off-roader discontinued in 2014. Can you believe it was that long ago? That that’s, that’s crazy.(…) 11 years ago. And I’m just, it didn’t seem like that. Um, it has been a subject of intense speculation for a revival while Toyota hasn’t made the official announcement. Recent leaks, patents and reports of the patents. I think that’s, that’s really important to this story. Uh, and credible sources like a best car Japan and car scoops point to strong likelihood of a return potentially as the land cruiser FJ or the new FJ Cruiser. I think they ought to call it the same thing. I mean, I don’t know if it’s going to be significantly different from the original FJ Cruiser. I mean, if it’s, if they’re going more towards the, uh, the overlanding crowd, maybe they do want to call it a land cruiser FJ. Yeah. I did see that they are going towards overlanding. They’ll have packages, um, as far as, you know, even being able to get a tint already on it, but you know, I think it’s still what it appears is the retro look, but completely modern. So, you know, all the, all the fancy bells and whistles that you might want, but in a retro look. So, uh, it looks like they’re having a lot of offerings. And I know I saw like the base price starts at 45,000 and it’ll go up to like 60,000 depending on, you know, if you want an overlanding package on it. So yeah, there’s definitely that offering. So I’m seeing here on the information that I pulled up entry level around 35,000 to 40,000 in the U S under cutting the 2025 Land Cruiser, Cruiser is 58,150,(…) uh, hybrids could push, uh, to 45,000. I still have a problem with an off-road vehicle being a hybrid. Um, people, people love the four by ease. We have a recent, uh, a Jeep talk show listener that was talking about they rented a four by rankler and they were really impressed with it with a power, especially, you know, acceleration on the highway and, uh, the additional fuel mileage it gave them. I mean, it’s not giving you full fuel mileage, but you’re leveraging that battery and that, uh, that, that battery charge, so it does help overall. So I guess I can’t really say because I haven’t driven one per say, but. You know, just preference again, it’s not for me, but then also I haven’t driven one, so,(…) um, yeah, there’s a, there’s a, there’s an informed opinion and there’s an opinion and I think that’s what you’re talking about. You have your opinion, but you qualify it that you haven’t driven one. Same thing. Same here. I don’t like the idea of having multiple systems because that’s more than one thing that can go wrong, but you can also say this, that with one thing goes wrong and the other one doesn’t, maybe you can still use the other one to keep going.(…) I just, I just think it’s a, it’s rife with a potential, uh, additional costs and all lots of stuff that you shouldn’t have to really deal with. Um, so the global W first half of 2026 with production starting, uh, late 2025 and Thailand or Mexico, which means tariffs people, uh, you’re going to be paying extra for this, but I mean, it’s, it’s Toyota, but they could still make them here, right? They could, they could, and they should. (…) Toyota’s strategic statuary lines with freedom of choice, uh, push offer, uh, gas hybrid and eventually EV to compete in the booming compact off-road segment against Jeep and Ford. Uh, if it launches, it could re revive the FJs legacy while addressing moderate demands, like better fuel economy for official confirmation. Keep an eye on Toyota’s site or events like the LA auto show in November. So I think people pay attention to that. If you’re really, really curious about this, uh, even if you’re not planning on buying one, maybe you just like to stay up on what’s going on. See if they, if they show up with one at the LA auto show in November, cause that’s not very, that’s not very far away. Yeah. I think it is. They, they mentioned that. So I bet you that’s why, why they mention it. (…) Uh, April, I was curious, uh, we talked about Jebco and that sounds like that was a fun thing. How long were you there by the way?(…) So just, uh, a couple of days, like three days,(…) which is good. No, no. Yeah. So we did, we, like I said, we got to travel a little bit. Um, we went to the George Peabody library, which was massive or Nate and just gorgeous, apparently they do a lot of weddings there, but it’s still run, um, for the local schools around there. So there were students working in there, but I mean, just, just beautifully insane, um,(…) amazing to look at and see. And then we went to the Patterson park, which they have this, uh, very ornate again, uh, observatory building, uh, almost looks like something out of Japan. So just a really, really cool, neat place. So, um, and then just enjoyed the sites. Uh,(…) you know, some of the old buildings, restaurants, that sort of thing. So glad to be there. I would definitely go back. Um, so yeah. And you know, it’s a pretty place. Maryland is a pretty place. And I guess the only thing with just Amber and I going, you know, everybody was like, Oh, y’all need to be careful. You know, a lot of it is, uh,(…) for a high crime area. Yeah. So, but we didn’t have, yeah, we didn’t have any problems. I will say one night we decided to order Cheesecake Factory in and we sat and ate our cheesecake and from the window, there were like five cop cars outside. It was like laugh PD at its finest and just, uh, people running from every direction and then back around, we saw the running back around, uh, one of the big parking buildings and kind of like hiding out, so I was like, okay, maybe it was a good thing that we ordered in tonight, but that was probably the most, um, entertaining excitement we had as far as crying goes to speak. So, yeah, but everything is potentially dangerous. You just don’t want to put yourself in a situation that’s unreasonable. (…) So I don’t think I mentioned this to you. Uh, when I was in Baltimore, I actually, I was in Columbia, Columbia,(…) and, uh, we went to Baltimore for something probably to eat crabs. Uh, but, uh, the, uh, I don’t know how far away it is because it’s been a number of years now, but Washington DC is not very far, uh, from, and we went to the Smithsonian, not all of them, but I went to the air and space museum. Uh, and it was amazing. (…) I mean, I walked up to a V two rocket from world war two, the German V two rocket just sitting there. I mean, I could have reached out and touch it. I didn’t touch anything. Uh, you remember the, the, it’s just bad. (…) I mean, they don’t, they, there’s nothing there that tells you not to, but just common sense, you know,(…) everybody doing that it’s going to ruin it over time or make it further away from you. I mean, it was just right there. I mean, I was that close to a V two,(…) but whenever I walked in the entrance, um, the, the Voyager, the one that did the, um, um, non refueled flight around the world was, was hanging above my head at the entry.(…) And in it, I could have done this and touched it as well.(…) So here’s, I mean, I know the whole thing is history, but here is this huge piece of history first time ever. And, uh, the bottom of it wasn’t painted. (…) And then, and the reason why it wasn’t painted is because paint is weight and they didn’t want unnecessary weight, but in the, the pictures and stuff I saw of it and it flying and, you know, during the thing, I didn’t see that it wasn’t painted, it was, it was painted on the sides, but not on the bottom.(…) Nobody’s going to see this. It does. And, but because I was there and saw it made the difference because, you know, anyway, uh, yeah, if you, if you go back, make sure you, you go to some of those places, the, we will that Amber wanted to so bad. We just didn’t have ample time, but yeah.(…) Oh, and I bet you need a week to go to all the specific.(…) They’re huge. It’s amazing what all that taxpayer money can buy. Right. There’s so much to see. I mean, just even across the whole U S if you could just, you know, you need, you need weeks to spend in every state. So yeah, we would have loved to. All right. So I was going to ask you a question. I don’t think we’ve, uh, we’ve, um, uh, talked about this before. Uh, you know, we have doobies listening to the show all the time. People are always new to the show. And, uh, I think that it would be, uh, I’d like to know, and I think they would too. What do you think, or maybe what was your first modification to your Jeep? And maybe, maybe it’s a twofold question. What was the first modification and what was the first modification you should have made? (…) Oh, okay. The first modification I made, I believe was my bumper, Warren elite front bumper. I didn’t do the back bumper at that time, although I have a worn elite back bumper as well now, but it was definitely a bumper. I would say just because of the weight and everything, um, you know, I don’t, I don’t know that I would change it, but, and I’m not sure I know in my mind, I thought I should probably do a lift in tires first, but for whatever reason, I did not, yeah, that’s a common thing to do. So yeah, if I were to do it again, I would definitely do the lift and the tires first. So I guess it’s really kind of silly to get a bumper and a winch before you put on your big old, we always, we always tell people that they’re, they’re wrangler, they’re gladiator is, uh, off-road capable straight off the showroom. That is true. That is very true. And if you’re going to go someplace, uh, off-road having a winch is one of those things that you really, really want. So I think you made a great choice. Okay. Okay. I thought, you know, people might be like, Oh, why did you do that? But no. And, and in hindsight, that, that is true as far as having the winch on there and being able to pull myself out of a situation if I needed to. But yeah, that’s, that’s exactly what we did. So, um, but I do love the tires and the wheels. They just look pretty and I like them. Probably the most fun thing to do whenever you’re doing, uh, uh, non, non OEM wheels and tires, the same was true. I had a, uh, a 72 Nova that I put, uh, you know, tires and wheels on, and it just makes the whole vehicle change. And it’s especially true with Jeeps. Yes.(…) And, uh, it’s, it’s deep being seen. I mean, I don’t drive my Jeep around to, to impress people, but it is pretty cool. Whenever your, uh, your kid is with you or our kids are with you and they go, dad, this person’s checking out your Jeep. (…) They’re breaking their neck. Look at your Jeep. You know, it’s so cool to see, uh, we were coming back from great smoking mountain Jeep invasion. We stopped at a rest area and this lady comes running up to the Jeep. She was like, I hope you don’t mind. But can I please take a picture of your Jeep? And I’m like, Oh my gosh, of course. Let me, let me, let me think about it. Sure. (…) It’s so fun to see people get excited about it. But what she said she and her kids do now, instead of playing punch buggy, they run around and they take pictures of Jeeps and they will send them back and forth. So it’s kind of like a game to them, which I’d never heard of. So I think that was really cool. A different. I like that better than ducks. Did you tell her about the duck thing? Oh, she knew about the ducks. Yeah. And I had a whole bunch because I was coming back from great smoky Mount Jeep. So I don’t normally ride with the ducks just because I do off road and they will all end up on the floor. We’ve, we’ve definitely done that before, but, um, I had a ton coming back from great smoky. I will say earlier, I should have said. Your answer to, um, what did you do first? I should have said lights just to get people going. Yeah. Did you start off with a, with a Rubicon?(…) I did. I did start up with a different. So you didn’t have to worry about a rocker protection or rock sliders and stuff, because it came with that. Right. You still have the originals. Go ahead. I don’t know. I’ve, I’ve traded out a whole bunch of stuff. So, I mean, there’s definitely still some original parts and pieces, but yeah, I’ve traded out a bunch.(…) So yeah. And I think I had to, I will say, I think if I had to do that again,(…) I would not buy a Rubicon, I would just buy the bare minimum and put on exactly what I want and just build up every single one. It seems to be a waste, doesn’t it? Uh, I mean, it’s nice having the lockers and the four 10 gears. I mean, the, the, the JLs, you can get that with, uh, the, you get the four 10 and the heavier duty axles with a Rubicon, but there’s, uh, there’s things that you can do, uh, to still get that, but not have all the stuff that, uh, the, is the Rubicon and you can always put a Rubicon sticker on the hood. Nobody will know. But you and Jesus. So, yeah,(…) although, you know, I kind of want to take mine off and put something else on, but I don’t just because it’s already on there. So I would felt bad if I had bought a Rubicon gladiator and then pulling that off the cheap talk show on there. But you know, the show’s important. It’s all I’d rather important. My son had rather important. I’d rather advertise my stuff than jeeps or, you know, yeah. (…) But yeah, if I had to do that part again, I would just buy a base model and build it. Um, I think that the, the most important thing, and I learned this the hard way, the most important thing to put on a Jeep that doesn’t already have rocker protection is rocker protection, rock sliders, proper rock sliders, not something that looks pretty, it can look pretty, but it needs to be able to support the weight of the Jeep. Uh, because, and the other thing is, even if you’re not going off road, it’s great for door dings because people are probably going to hit that, that, uh, that rock slider, which is much more capable of handling doors. In fact, it’s going to mess up their doors more than it’s going to mess up your, your rock sliders. And my rock sliders are completely bent on the driver side from a web. (…) They, they look that you could, who did you get? What, what rock sliders did you get? I actually have am off road. Um, they’re a company that had sent them, but I bought them and I have to say, you said don’t buy them because they’re pretty, but I think, I mean, we like to make our Jeeps pretty. Yeah. So they actually, cause I have kind of an American theme on my Jeep and they had stars within theirs kind of cut out and I just really liked them. So I have those and I will say they have held up so well. Um, I’ve had them for years and years, but yeah, I, I just, um, a little bit of massive damage going to Moab on a big rock. So, um, but I will say I’m also not one of those people who wants a really clean Jeep all the time, like I’m okay. Being in a show and someone looking at it and be like, Oh, okay. Yeah. You definitely will this, I see this and this and this. So, uh, you know, I’m proud of my bandages.(…) Yeah. I mean, it’s easy to have a Jeep and keep it nice and put things on it that are heavy duty, uh, and keep it nice and pristine by not taking it off road. Right. But, but what’s cool is that, yeah. What’s cool is when you take it off road and you do do some minor damage to it and the stuff that you bought is doing what it’s supposed to do and being used for, for what it’s, what it should be used for. In my opinion, you do not have to wheel your wheel, your Jeep. I think a lot of people don’t wheel their Jeep because they’re concerned about damaging it or maybe even themselves being hurt. Uh, it’s just, it’s scary. And, uh, but, but once you try it, just not, uh, and not hardcore stuff, just a little something that’s outside your, your comfort zone and you survive and the Jeep survives, I think, I think it gets you hooked. It does. It does. I will, I will definitely agree with that. So, I mean, it’s just the memories and the people and everyone coming together and seeing what the Jeeps can do. And like you said, even if you go to an off road park, you don’t have to do level nine, you can get out and you can watch someone else, you know, completely destroy their, their Jeep. Their FJ cruiser. Yeah. I wasn’t about to say, or their FJ cruiser. So that’s a lot of fun to see or their Bronco. Yeah. (…) So it’s just, it’s just fun regardless of whether you’re doing it or you’re watching someone else do it. It’s just a whole, it’s a thing. It’s just a whole thing. Yeah. It’s a lot of fun. Oh, speaking of going off road and doing fun things or even watching it. Uh, so maybe you’ve already heard about this, uh, April Johnson Valley’s fast 9,600 off road, uh, highway vehicle recreation area and the Mojave Mojave desert, uh, East of Los Angeles. Well, what a spot. Uh, and the San Bernano, uh, Bernando, uh, County, California managed primarily by the Bureau of Land Management, uh, events like the annual King of the Hammers that, and that’s the part I want you to pay attention to, uh, approximately 5,300 acres operated under the shared use agreement, uh, with the adjacent Marine Corps air ground command center, uh, at, uh, 29 palms, uh, allowing limited military training access up to, uh, two 38 periods per year while prioritizing public recreation. All right. Why did I read that is because they’re trying to change it. (…) Oh, you don’t know about this. All right. So maybe, maybe some of our listeners and viewers don’t either. So yeah, the U S Marine Corps and federal aviation administration proposed to establish a permanent special use airspace over Johnson Valley as, uh, has, it has reignited the tensions announcing an environmental impact documents. This would restrict civilian aircraft, uh, including drones, helicopters, and general aviation above the area, potentially for up to 90 days. I’m sorry. 60 days annually, uh, though expanded after the first year, I’ll repeat that. Though it could be expanded after the first year. (…) So not 60 days more than 60 days. So, uh, groups like blue ribbon coalition, uh, and a king of hammers organizers fear disruptions to media helicopters, uh, media, I’m sorry, medical evacuations. That is really important. I mean, it’s Mike monkey making money is good, but getting people out of there that are injured, uh, and drone filming during events, king of hammers, February, 2026 race, uh, on, um, uh, means dry Lake could require us MC clearances. (…) Risking delays or cancellations. Uh, founder Dave Cole called it a different bite, same Apple.(…) In other words, this has been going on for awhile. Uh,(…) yeah, as the old land crab. So, uh, this, this reason why I’m bringing this up is because I heard about it and you know, what are you going to do? Uh, the, the, the part I heard, I think I was actually talking to Tyler over at more flight, uh, in his, uh, his interview. Yeah. I think he was talking, talking to me about it. And it was like, um, I’m thinking to myself, well, who cares if you can’t fly things over it? And then it was like, Oh yeah. They fly helicopters and drones and all kinds of stuff for the king of the hammers. And they def, I mean, that’s like complete mayhem. Sometimes, I mean, they need to be able to get medical rescue in a thing. (…) That, and they’re trying to make money off of this deal and selling the media coverage for people on YouTube or wherever is a big deal. And this, it costs a lot of money to do this. And so I was kind of the mindset. Now don’t get me wrong. I think everybody knows I love our military. I support them. They need to be able to train. They need to be able to do this stuff. But next time they say, Hey, can we, we want to share this space with you? If you can say no, I’m just going to say I polite no, because you guys want too much. You don’t list, leave it at this. You want to expand, expand, expand.(…) Yeah. All or nothing. Yeah. (…) I know king of the hammers brings in like a hundred thousand people. Yeah. It’s a huge town that doesn’t exist until king of the hammers. And then this, this town. And, and just you think about for economy and all of that. I mean, that’s important too. I mean, yes, all of it is important and they all need to work together. Um, but yeah, I would hate to have to see something like king of the hammers go away because I mean, that’s just, it would be, it would be completely different. I mean, this is where it’s always been so different. Yeah. So this is a good reason why you need to be able to go and places like, uh, blue ribbon coalition, uh,(…) uh, God, I’m brain farting on the other organization.(…) Um,(…) anyway, I’ll think of it, uh, three days from now, but, uh, blue ribbon coalition, especially because they help keep things like this, keep these areas open, uh, and they’ve got lawyers and they know people in, uh, and, uh, Congress and DC and so on and so forth. So, uh, critics see, uh, see it as eroding the 2014 compromise potentially leading to more restrictions alternatives in the proposal range from full permanent closures to shared with delays. So it’s kind of hard to plan things whenever it’s shared with delays. And, and I don’t think that you should have to do that. Uh, I’d like to hear what the, I’d like to hear the U S uh, Marine Corps are excited argument on this. Oh, we, we just want it. You can’t drive your tanks out there whenever it, although it’d be pretty cool to see some M one Abrams on the, on the course during king of the hammers.(…) It would be cool. I mean, I, you know, like you say, you respect the military and I get that as well, um, but also respect the economy part of it for other people and, you know, it’s just having a space and sharing that space if at all possible. So, you know, king of the hammers doesn’t last all year. It’s, you know, here in the two weeks. Yeah. And I’m sure there’s a buildup.(…) Right. So it would seem that they could keep that time open for something that’s been ha I don’t even, how long has the king of the hammer has been going on? Do you know? Good Lord 20 years, 15 years long. You know, I don’t know a long time, a long time. It’s a staple. Everybody looks forward to it. Classic. It’s classic. So, and it gives a lot of builders opportunities, not only to, to get out there and try their try out what they’ve built, but also to advertise their abilities, uh, that this is what I’m capable of building type thing. Although some of it’s luck, you know, and, and of course the driver. Right. Yeah. It’s, it’s all of it, all of it for sure. It’s, you know, a puzzle comes together. So yeah. So I’m not trying to put you in a bad situation as far as upcoming events, but do you have any upcoming events, uh, here in the next, uh, couple of weeks? So yeah, I do have overland expo East coming up as an Arrington, Virginia. So huge overlanding show, not only for just jeeps, but they’ll have Harleys out there, Toyotas, um, any of your off-roading overlanding type vehicles will be out there. So it’s a lot of fun. Everyone camps for the most part in this huge open field, and then you’ll have all your vendors around, but at night it kind of comes alive. They’ll have, you know, big cookouts and just a whole bunch of people getting together and doing the camp thing. I will say, as far as events go overlanding events, probably one of my favorites, because I dunno, just the camping and the off-roading in combination, it’s just more of my thing, but it’s a great, you’re seeing more than just off-road stuff. You’re used to the off-road stuff. At least that’s my, that’s my take on it. I love those, those, uh, uh, those little mini homes that they call trailers, you know, 50, 60, $70,000, you know, and it’s just amazing what they put, they build on these things and what they do. 50, 60,000 is a start to what they’re showing at these overland shows. I mean, they’re up to like 200 grand plus. They’re massive and just incredible. So, um, I personally like more on the smaller side, but you can honestly imagine and dream anything and it’s going to be there. It’s, it’s incredible, but you know, Starlink or anything you think about wanting to have on your vehicle. Um,(…) it’s there, it’s there. It’s, you know, and the one thing too that I love when they have, um, and I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re the guns that kind of spit out the, I dunno, the little pellets. (…) Uh, do you know what I’m talking about? Oh, is it Barry something like that? I’m thinking nerf, but there’s another one that has little hard pellets. Uh, that I’m thinking about. Yeah. Little hard plastic pellets. But I can’t remember the name. They have things like that other than, you know, just your ordinate, your bumpers and your, I mean, not that they don’t have all that too, but they have some other really cool gears and gadgets that they’re, you know, wanting to promote and get out. So it’s a neat show. It’s a neat show to just see the innovation and things coming about. So could you see if you had infinite money and could you see yourself living on the road for a full year? (…) Could you imagine waking up at Moab and 100%? Yes. And just, you know, I mean, it’s snow or whatever you’re, you’re all set up. We’re ready to go. You’re right there. And you got star link. So you got high speed internet. So it’s like, you know, you’re feeling lazy. You pop open the little, uh, the little recliner that you got in the small thing. And you’re cruising the internet, you know, but you’re in the middle of nowhere. Look, I can spend massive amounts on tick tock just watching these girls, especially like I’m not so much as to watching the guys do it, but I’m fascinated by watching these women just go off by themselves, live out of their vehicle. I don’t even need something pulled behind me. Like literally scary as hell. The little, the vans that they’ve got set up. I find it very interesting. I mean, some of us not even a van. It is literally their Jeep, their car, whatever they’re cooking in the back seat. (…) Sleep.(…) I am mesmerized. I can just watch them for hours, but I’m just thinking I would do it. I know people would think I was crazy, but I would so do it. Seeing these women do this, I think of safety. I think from the, the, the, my, uh, my wife perspective or especially my daughter’s perspective and you’re pulling up into a, uh, to a Walmart. I mean, if you’ve ever been camping with friends, there is no better fun that you can have, you know, when you’re on the ground in tents, there’s no better fun. You can have the wait till that three o’clock in the morning and go over there and beat on the side of the tent. It’s a bear, you know, yes. (…) Or I mean, one time it was camping.(…) There were some, we’ll just say they, they had probably been drinking a little too much or whatever. I’m not sure what they were doing, but, uh, we were in, I think it was a pop up, pop up tent. I’ve kept it just about everything you can imagine. So from just a basic tent to a pop up to, you know, pull behind trailer.(…) But this guy came over and just started beating on the camper in the middle of the night, I mean, that was, that was a little bit freaky. So, um, we ended up having to get the camp hosts to come over and have them removed, but they were just trying to camp in their vehicle at the time, but this was years ago before it became popular. So, um, I dunno, we like to say they were running from the law. (…) Well, they’d be running from bear spray or something electrical. I have my bear spray, I have protection and you know, whatever I need. So I’m not afraid, but you know, but I mean, you definitely know who’s going to walk, you don’t want some dumbass, uh, losing their vision temporarily or their ultimately their life simply because they don’t know how to behave whenever they’re drinking alcohol or some wacky tobacco or something. So yeah, you don’t, you don’t, I don’t like putting myself in that situation, but you’ve been through that you’ve learned and it’s less, it’s less of a concern now. Right. Right. Oh, you know, even around here, going to a rest area, you have to be on guard. So, um, yeah, you just, and everywhere, anywhere I can imagine you just have to know, you have to know your surroundings. You have to know what surrounds you, whether you’re camping or, you know, walking around Walmart. Oh, you can be walking around in your house and have problems. Yes. Oh yes. Absolutely. (…) There’s just one, one thing’s less likely than the other. Um, so I have a, uh, a confession to make and I have to do an apology to Nikki G. So on the last two flagship episodes, I have forgot to put in Nikki G. Oh no. Into the episode. And the sad thing is on the, uh, the flagship episode, uh, from, uh, this Tuesday, this past Tuesday, I actually mentioned it when I was talking to Greg during the thing and it didn’t dawn on me until about 30 minutes ago. Did I put the Nikki G in and I actually made jokes about it. I said, Greg, do something interesting. In case I forget to put the Nikki G in. (…) So make sure you put Nikki G in here. Yeah. Yeah. Make sure. I mean, I thought about it last time. Uh, so, uh, but anyway, uh, my apologies to you, Nikki G has nothing to do with, uh, with you or your, your funny jokes that you, uh, that you put in here. And I appreciate the time and effort that you do to it. Totally my fault. And I think it’s just because I’m editing too many things and I’m trying to, you know, go through the, the, the, the steps that I go through on everything. And also to you guys, the viewers, the listeners, uh, you know, um, especially now, uh, that I’m going to tell you that, uh, we put in the Nikki G in post. I mean, we used to play it as part of the episode and then I didn’t forget it because I’d play it. Uh, and, uh, I’m sure that, uh, April and you and Greg and everybody else would like to be able to see it and hear it at the time, but, uh, it’s just, uh, I gotta put it, I gotta edit it anyway. So I might as well put it in and post and post is that fancy way of saying it after we record the show. So, uh, if, if the, if we’re lucky, I will remember, I actually have a note here on the bottom of my monitor that I didn’t read obviously last time that says Nikki G and if we’re lucky, you’re going to see a new Nikki G right here. I actually, I may put in the last three Nikki G’s that I was supposed to use at the end of this, this, uh, this episode. So now I can forget to do two things. All right. So anyway, here’s your remember. Yeah. You think so? I think it since I talked about it, I bet y’all will. Anyway, here’s Nikki G.(…) Hey, this is Nikki G. And, uh, I just caught the episode where you guys talked about winches and, uh, age old question of which is better, uh, steel cable or synthetic rope. And I’ve got so many questions.(…) Like, is there ever a day where mattresses are not on sale? (…) And if seven 11s open 24 hours a day, why are there locks on the door? (…) Who invented liquid soap and why? (…) And if I get scared half to death twice, what happens? (…) All right, boys and girls,(…) seems like there was one more. All right, boys and girls, chat to you later. You have a good one. Bye. (…) That’s probably all you can handle for the day. (…) Now laugh like you had just experienced the Nicky G. There you go. Oh, that Nicky G. He’s hilarious. (…) I love it. After that explanation, I’m like, Oh, they’re so phony. (…) All right. So are you ready to join the Jeep talk show crew? Become a Patreon subscribe today at Jeep talk show.com slash contact and unlock exclusive perks while supporting the show. Keep the adventure rolling by leaving a five star rating and review on your favorite podcast platform to help grow our Jeep community. If you’re watching us on YouTube, don’t forget to like, subscribe, share and comment. We love the comments. Stay in the loop by following us on social media, signing up for our newsletter at the latest Jeep news and must attend events. Got a question or idea for our next episode. Sit it our way at Jeep talk show.com slash contact. Thanks for riding along and let’s hit the trail for some more epic adventures. April, thanks for being here. And I think I’m going to have me. I didn’t call you Amber once today. I don’t think, but I’m okay with it. So I’ll take either one. See you later. Bye. Broadcasting since 2010. (…) Hey, this is Nicky G. According to a recent survey running into stationary objects can be painful. (…) Yeah. According to a recent poll. (…) I tell our, did you know that a school of piranhas can devour a child to the bone in 30 seconds? (…) Yeah. (…) Coincidentally, I lost my job at the aquarium today. (…) I was a girl. So I’ll chat to you later and you have a good one. Bye. (…) Is the camera really that blurry? (…) No. (…) Holy crap. I can’t. I was walking around like that. Hey, this is Nicky G. And you know, I saw a turtle on the side of the road the other day taking pictures. (…) Yeah, it’s real snapping turtle. (…) Yeah, I know. That’s pretty bad. Let’s see if we can do better. I had a friend who used to be a Zamboni driver, but then he disappeared. Yeah, but don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll resurface eventually. (…) I wasn’t much better. Uh, it is what it is. (…) That’s the Nicky G slogan. Nicky G. It is what it is. All right, boys and girls. Chat to you later. Have a good one. Bye.