Jeep: The Easiest Way Down

It’s winter time in the Colorado Rockies and that means our  Jeeps turn into vehicles of survival rather than just fun.  Yeah, the hard top has to go back on the wrangler, but it’s a battle against the elements.  Blizzards, icy roads, below freezing temps, yeah, whatever.   Never had a problem in the Jeep when other cars are sitting on the side of the road, spun out, broken down, unable to compete.

It also means that ski season is in full effect up here.  Being avid skiers, we snapped this shot at our favorite small resort up here – Araphaoe Basin.  You can officially put them on your “nice list” for X-mas this year since they have s ski run named “Wrangler.”  Not only does it pay tribute to the greatest vehicle on earth, but it appropriate lists it as a green run, or, “The Easiest Way Down.”

“The Easiest Way Down,” couldn’t have said it better ourselves!  Props to A-Basin for the naming and safe driving to all our fans out there this Holiday Season.  If you need some good gift giving ideas, head on over to our Products Page and be on the look out for some discounts in the coming week!

Jeeps Blessed Sight – A WWII Vets Story

With a family history steeped in military service, Veteran’s Day is always a time to reflect for us here at Jeepwaves. As it should be for everyone. Lost in the day off of work and school is the real substance of remembering service and sacrifice and being thankful before the fourth Thursday in November.

That said, we were recently going through some old heirlooms passed down from my grandfather and came across a series of newspaper clippings from Louisville, KY describing the events of his time as a POW during WWII.  Injured in 1944 after bailing out of his P-47 Thunderbolt (clipping his leg on the tail section), he was captured and sent to a German controlled hospital.  The details of the story can be seen below in this scan of the original article.

Long Jeep story short, it was the American Jeeps rolling down “rubble-strewn streets” that signaled an end to their ordeal, and ultimately, a sign of the end of the war on the horizon.  He was 22 at the time and it’s hard to imagine the feelings going through all the soldiers minds as they saw what they did that day.  My father was born two years after this happened, and was it not for countless heroes, he, and I might never have existed.

The very personal aspect of this aside, I hope it’s something we can all take pride in as we drive down paved and un-paved roads today in our Jeeps.  They truly are a blessed sight. Think about THAT today and the next time you wave at a Jeep.  Here’s to all those past and present who serve our country.

Kite Lake Jaunt

Went out this past weekend here in Colorado to enjoy what might be one final hike before the snow sets in and stays in till next June.  We usually take the Wrangler out for any serious off roading, but finally got the Grand Cherokee off pavement this year (yeah ,yeah, we know) and drove up to Kite Lake / the trail-head for Mt. Democrat, one of Colorado’s 14ers.  Kite Lake sits at around 12,300ft, easily accessible by most vehicles with decent clearance.  That said, mashing the gas and whipping up the road was fun, especially watching the two other vehicles we saw putter around the holes and mud puddles.

So, no serious off roading to speak of, but it reminded us that Jeeps might not be the reason you’re going somewhere, but they’re damn good at getting you where you wanna go…and now some pics of the surrounding area.

Crawlin' for a Cure

As most of us know, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  So, we went out last weekend to a local Jeep event here in Colorado called Crawling for a Cure, with proceeds going towards Breast Cancer awareness and prevention.  The first round of crawling went down early in the day, with two classes of Jeeps (and others) based on tire size (36″ being the separation line as I recall).

The crowds were decent sized and the action was plenty fun to watch.  A little mud, some boulders, and a few stacks to get over made it a fun little course.  Most of the top times were around the 30-40 second mark, with a few DNF’s in the lot due to broken parts, flat tires, or just plain stuck vehicles.

After the first round was over, the ground crews cleaned up the broken axles and set up the course for the main even in the afternoon.  This meant bigger rocks, higher stacks, and all around a much tougher course. We got some bbq for lunch in the mean time and then headed back just in time for the rains to come in as well.  Fitting that mother nature provided an even greater challenge for the drivers with mud, slippery rocks, and rain soaked wood.  A “course” much like you’d find on the trail…unpredictable.

So yeah, the rigs got bigger, and louder.  You could tell the owners put a lot of time and passion into their rides, so it was cool to see them being used for a good cause.  The early morning Jeeps were nice, but nothing we hadn’t seen before.  The afternoon competitors were something else entirely as was the course.  You can see as the even progressed, it got a lot harder and pushed even the big rigs to the limit in some spots.  Especially that last stack section.  Straight to the moon! While the first round was an average of 30-40 seconds per run, this go-round, drivers were taking 10 minutes at a time. Multiple tries, a lot of failure, but some damn good entertainment.

The evening crowds were much larger than the afternoon group and plenty rowdy.  Jeeps + a crowd drinking beer on a Saturday night made for a fun and loud group that cheered at every near flip, roll, or crash.  In fact, a rolled Jeep made for the loudest roar of the night as the driver, trying to ease the pain of a jacked up Jeep, stoked the crowd with some fist pumping antics.

All in all, no body got hurt, a few jeeps got dinged up, a big crowd had a great time, and we all raised some money for a good cause.  Hopefully, the event returns to our part of Colorado next year.  Share your thoughts with us and let us know if you’ve got anything similar in your neck of the woods!