Episode 542 – Jeeps With Lights On Parade
This Week In Jeep
Jeep Worker Found Dead At Jeep Plant
This is just tragic, and right before the holidays too. A Jeep employee was found dead on Monday at the Toledo plant where the Gladiator is made. Stellantis released a statement Tuesday morning saying the employee was found about 4 p.m. at the assembly complex. Production was not running at the time of the discovery. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson had this to say: “We are cooperating with the Toledo Police Department in their investigation and have made arrangements to provide counseling support for our employees,” At the time of this recording, the automaker declined to release the identity of the person or any other details about the incident until the next of kin can be notified. The second shift on the Gladiator side of the Toledo Assembly Complex was canceled Monday night for the investigation.
Santa Had Nothing To Do With It
According to a Ross County Sheriff report, on December 7th of this year, a Deputy was dispatched to a home on Massieville Rd. In the report, the Homeowner stated to the deputy that he works the night shift and when he woke up he found the greatest gift of all time. Something that any one of us would be utterly thrilled to see sitting outside. A shiny red Jeep just chilling right there in his front yard. All that was missing was the bow. And that’s how he knew it wasn’t Santa finally coming through after all these years.
He called a local towing company and of course, made the reluctant call to the Sheriff’s Office to see if it was a stolen rig. In that fateful call, his fears were realized, and dispatch confirmed it had been reported stolen on November 29th, eight days prior.
The hardest thing for that poor homeowner was seeing the towing company arrive and transport the Jeep away to the Sheriff’s impound lot. Dispatch was able to contact the Jeep’s rightful owner and inform him his Jeep had been found. At least one of these guys is going to have a Merry Christmas.
Lighted Jeep Parade In Maryland
I’m going to start this story with a disclaimer, And that’s to say that I am in no way trying to take away anything from Wendy’s segment later, and you’ll know what I’m talking about soon enough. Now, I’m a bit of a traditionalist myself. Not to say I’m stuck in my ways or anything, but I like certain things a certain way. Like we all know that there are only 12 days of Christmas, AND THAT NOT A GOD DAMN ONE OF THEM IS IN OCTOBER! But I digress… If you’re looking to add something new to that family tradition, or maybe you’re looking for a whole new holiday tradition… and if you live in Maryland, then this might be just the thing. A lighted Jeep parade will roll through the Perry Hall/Nottingham area this weekend. The event will begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 11, 2021. I know it’s short notice, but that’s tomorrow, the day after this show is released! The Lighted Jeep Parade of Perry Hall will begin and end in the Perry Hall Square shopping center, located at 4313 Ebenezer Road (21236). Anyone who would like to participate is asked to bring a new, unwrapped gift or toy, as ACE Hardware will have a collection box for Toys for Tots. A convoy of Jeeps is always something to see. And having a whole string of them all lit up with Christmas lights and decorations will be a spectacle worth the drive. And it’s no secret we here at JTS fully support the work that Toys For Tots does for needy families during the holiday season. So if you’re anywhere near the Perry Hall/Nottingham area this weekend, be sure to head out and show some support. https://www.toysfortots.org/
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Toy Drive/Night Run
It’s the time of year when toy drives are prevalent and participating in one or more is a real joy…. We participated in one up here in Big Bear to benefit Doves, a family violence outreach program (https://www.facebook.com/DOVES4HELP/). They assist in getting women and children out of bad situations and into a safe environment. Dove’s collects all sorts of clothing, and housing needs throughout the year but this time of year they focus on getting donations of toys to help the kids through a rough time. There were about 20 jeeps that participated with lots of toys donated, including 10 bicycles that Desi donated, from BigBearjeepExperience.com. Almost every jeep was decorated with Christmas lights and decorations. I apparently missed that part of the invite and we were one of the few jeeps with no lights. Ughhh! (I need to read ALL of the invitations next time).
Scott Durkin of @thetrailreaper was the organizer. He drives a highly modified, stretched, LJ on 46” Mickey Thompson tires named the Trail Reaper. Nick Ashby from #therockstargarage arrived with two jeeps. He drove the GRDLOC. A HIGHLY modified, custom CJ with 1-ton axles and 400+ horsepower. Google it and check it out. It’s a pretty extreme machine. He also had a JT fully modified to fit the Halo video game theme and it’s a Rockstar energy drink giveaway. Yes, that’s right, if you drink RockStar, there is a QR code on each Halo decorated can to enter for this mega giveaway. The contest ends on Dec 31, so you better hurry. I have pictures of these rigs in the show notes.
After the toy drive, there was a night run on Gold Mountain planned once it got dark. After a quick ride through the downtown village of Big Bear with all the Jeep’s Christmas lights on, we headed to the trailhead at Gold Mountain. Don Alexander asked me if I wanted to drive his jeep on this trail. NOW when anyone asks you if you want to drive their highly modified jeep, DO IT!!!! Of course, I said YES! And then the nerves started to creep in with things like “what if I mess up his jeep” or “what if I make a mistake?” Once I got my brain rearranged I realized that I have spotted so many people on this trail, that I know it very well. I have driven it in the daytime, and I know all the lines, etc. I jumped in, got situated and we started to drive. The beauty of this trip was that we were just part of the group, we were not leaders, guides, or teachers, we actually got to just wheel…. Someone else was in charge, it was a nice change.
Don’s jeep is set up on Currie 60 axles with 40” Mickey Thompson tires and he has a 4” RockJock suspension system. He also has air lockers – that was new to me. First, you have to turn the compressor on and then the lockers. He has them mounted on his dash with a series of switches. Super easy but just a different placement and set up from what I am used to. We have e-lockers and just flip the switch. Driving his Jeep was like riding in the top of the line of any vehicle, compared to our LOL, everything is so much newer, has fewer creaks and handles like a gem. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE our jeep. The turning radius was a little different than ours – his jeep doesn’t turn quite as sharp as ours. Same PSC ram-assist steering, I think it’s just the way the 60s are set up. There were a few times I had to back up and re-stab a tight hairpin turn. Driving at night changes everything. The shadows from the sunshine during the day are gone but you can clearly see the trails. Your senses pick up things that you might miss during the daylight hours. Feeling your way through an obstacle is ever-present. Having all the jeeps with their headlights on also helps “light up the trail”. It’s really amazing how different the trails are and navigating rock crawling is also a different challenge. The spotter has a hard time seeing the driver and the wheel tracking with the headlights on. I was lucky to be a driver and didn’t have to worry about spotting this trip. I love driving at night, it was a completely different experience and I highly recommend it if you get the chance. All in all, driving in the dark with Don’s jeep was a blast, and I so appreciate him riding shotgun and letting me drive. Who better to learn from than the master himself?
There were 13 jeeps on the run and no issues. Just a lot of fun in the dark, wheeling & rock crawling and a great time was had by all. Met some new friends and of course, it was for an awesome cause.
I hope there are runs and toy drives in your neck of the woods. I know some of our Zoom people have posted events coming up. Such a great thing we do as jeepers – helping others. Plus we got to have some fun too.
Camp Fireside Chat
Armor or Skid Plates… Which Should Come First?
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Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
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