Episode 516 – JTS Hidden Falls Texas Event Recap

This Week In Jeep

Bono (From The Band U2) Gets Involved With Jeep’s Parent Co.

Jeep, Ram Trucks, and Fiat are partnering with U2 frontman Bono’s (RED) organization to offer special-edition vehicles, aimed at raising more than $4 million to fight against health crises. The vehicles will include ”(RED)” editions of the Jeep Compass and Renegade small SUVs, Ram 1500 pickup, and, for Europe, an electric version of the Fiat 500, which Stellantis previously discontinued in the U.S. Money from the sale of the vehicles will support the Global Fund, which began operations in 2002 to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It has since expanded to include aid for the coronavirus pandemic. The Jeep Compass and Fiat 500 are red in the color of the (RED) organization’s logo. The Ram 1500 is black with red badging and accents.

All of the vehicles feature other red characteristics and special (RED) badging.

(RED), named for the color of emergency, is not a nonprofit. It is an organization created by Bono and activist Bobby Shriver in 2012 to engage very large, very wealthy companies to donate money, goods, and logistics, and to raise awareness for its causes. (RED), which has been criticized for financial transparency and partnering with companies that could have easily offered to donate funds, reports it has generated nearly $700 million for the Global Fund, helping more than 220 million people.

The Grand Cherokee “L Just Can’t Stay Out of The News

The state of Michigan on Monday filed a violation notice against the new Mack Assembly Plant in Detroit following investigations into nuisance odor complaints about the facility that makes the three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Stellantis NV (Jeep’s parent company) has until Oct. 11 to initiate actions necessary to correct the cited violations and submit a written response to the MDEGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) about the steps it is taking. The company may also object to the violation’s legal application. According to the press release, Stellantis is currently reviewing the notice it received today from MDEGLE. Stellantis takes all environmental issues seriously and understands it’s the responsibility to be a good neighbor. They are working with MDEGLE to identify and resolve any concerns in an affirmative manner. The company, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, expanded its site on Detroit’s east side from a partially idled engine plant to a $1.6 billion assembly plant employing hundreds of people and began delivering the SUVs in June to dealerships. The expansion has created anger and concerns from some residents living around the plant, especially in relation to health and environmental impacts on the neighborhood that already had the Jefferson North Assembly Plant next to it. The Detroit News reported earlier this month that EGLE’s Air Quality Division conducted investigations into complaints it received of nuisance odors. On Aug. 27, staff observed “persistent and objectionable paint/solvent odors of moderate-intensity, impacting residential areas downwind of the facility, according to the notice. Similar odors of moderate or strong intensity also were identified on Aug. 31 and Sept. 3, according to the inspectors. State rules and the automaker’s permit to install emission units state the operating of equipment on the site should not result in the emission of an air contaminant that ((QUOTE)) “causes unreasonable interference with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property.” Stellantis has said the new plant is one of its most efficient and sustainable manufacturing operations, and that updates to its Warren Assembly Plant are reducing volatile organic compound emissions (or VOC’s) by 30% in the seven-county region of southeast Michigan that is already above Environmental Protection Agency limits on ozone. Ozone is a toxic gas that is created when VOCs combine with other atmospheric gases. The Mack Assembly Plant has the lowest VOC emissions rate of any U.S. assembly plant, according to the company.

We’d like to hear from any residents in the area that may be listening to this, which could help provide some perspective to this. If you live in the vicinity of the Mack Assembly Plant and have or have not smelled anything like this, please let us know.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Top off

Our forest trails have been closed up here in Big Bear and pretty much all forest areas for the past month in California. This is due to the high-risk fire season and low resources since a lot of our firefighters are up in northern Calif fighting all those horrible fires. Shout out to all NorCal off-road clubs and what they are all going through. The Rubicon trail was impacted but last I checked the fire was stopped before getting to Lake Tahoe and did not burn in or around the Rubicon. But there are still fires all around that region and I’m sure it’s affecting other great trails up there. Well, our forest management has opened the trails as of today, but with some limitations. So last week we had a planned winching and recovery training class with 4 students. This was a bit different for us since they didn’t have a jeep or off-road vehicle. They are a logistics company that helps get their delivery vans unstuck when driving in rural areas to make deliveries (think soft sand, deep dirt, mud, etc). The Company had recently purchased a “set-up” 2 door jeep for recoveries but they weren’t sure how to use the jeep or the equipment needed to recover their vans. Since they didn’t have jeeps to drive, we rented two jeeps from the Big Bear Jeep Experience up here (you can drive a jeep on the trails in Big Bear if you don’t have a jeep). Now we had to drive them down to the desert (Cougar Buttes) since the forest trails we would have used were closed. Sounds pretty easy, but there would be a total of 4 jeeps and three drivers to get them to our starting point. So Bill and I each drove one rental jeep down the hill and Don Alexander drove us back up to drive our own jeep down. The cool thing was that these two rented jeeps are very well set up (Tony you drove one of them) but they have their tops off and doors wide open. There are 1/8” thick aluminum ½ doors, but essentially it’s an open jeep.

I have never driven a topless/doorless jeep before and I know we were only going about 35 minutes on paved roads, but it was a bit daunting at first. That particular early O-dark-thirty morning it was 38 degrees. YEP, I don’t like being cold, and driving 55 miles an hour is cold when you are topless. So I bundled up like a kid going out to play in the snow during Christmas break: head completely covered with two layers, heavy gloves, and three layers of jackets. I had no idea how cold I might be, but I was darn sure I wasn’t going to find out LOL. Well, turns out driving topless is a blast. I wasn’t as cold as I thought I might be, sure my hands and feet got a bit chilled but I turned the heater up and my feet were warm enough. Surprisingly, there wasn’t as much wind as I thought it would be. Maybe it’s because of the aerodynamics but I was quite comfortable.

After arriving at our destination, I was really excited to have driven topless. I get the allure and the fun and the openness. It was great to just drive and enjoy. Not sure I want to pull our top off yet, but I proved to myself that driving a jeep topless was no different than driving with a top on. Well, maybe a bit warmer with the doors and top on. And I still love my air conditioning. The desert was 102 that day and I was loving our jeep, just for that reason. Cool Air. LOL

We had a great day working with some wonderful people, no issues, and a good chance to teach others how to recover safely. The students really got a lot of hands-on experience about how to recover a vehicle. When the day was over Bill and I drove our jeep back up the mountain, collected our truck and trailer, and headed back down to haul one of the jeeps back up the hill. These jeeps are really not set up for highway driving and the owner didn’t want them “driven” back up the hill. We hauled the rental jeep up, tucked her in, and we’re done for the day. I would have willingly volunteered to drive that topless jeep back up to Big Bear… who knows perhaps next summer I might even go topless.

http://bigbearjeepexperience.com

Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update

Two of the Jeep Talk Show hosts have now driven the 2021 JTS Gladiator. NEXEN Roadian MTX 35

Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

The Original Cooling Towel By South Sport (Blue) 27″ by 17″

https://amzn.to/3lSRItV $9.99

The COOL RAG Extreme Cooling Towel is made of hyper-evaporate PVA material. The unique cooling system uses moisture from the towel to draw the heat away from your skin to keep you cool. It is made up of high-quality polyvinyl acetate material. This provides a comfortable silky feel and it’s skin-friendly, extremely absorbent, and chemical-free. To use it, simply soak the cooling towel in water, wring out excess water, shake a few times, and use it for an instant chilling effect for hours. The manufacturer also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, if you are unsatisfied with the product for any reason, they will do whatever it takes to make it right.

Camp Fire Side Chat

Open Discussion About JTS Texas Event At Hidden Falls 9/18/21

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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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