Go Topless Day 2013

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Go Topless Day is on Saturday May 18th this year and we will once again be joining the South Park 4×4 Club in the highest in elevation event in the world.  We’ll be up 2 miles high in Leadville, Colorado. This pic is from a few years ago in 2011, but as you can see, it’s a good group that gets to see some great views – rain or shine on Go Topless Days.

If you’re in Colorado, feel free to check out the SP4x4 event page on Facebook HERE and join in on the fun.  If you’re not close enough to come out and play, let us know in the comments if you’re doing your own thing this Saturday and be sure to share pics going topless AND Jeep Waving!

Crawl To A Cure 2.0

The second annual Crawl To A Cure event went off in Eagle, CO at the fair grounds last week. With a goal to raise money in the fight against breast cancer, off road machines from all around Colorado came out to race around the course.

Like last year, the rain / snow / sleet came in right on cue and muddied up the course. It was cold and the crowds weren’t quite as big as last year, but the folks that did show up sure weren’t lacking any enthusiasm.

There were two classes of vehicles, some that were mostly stock that ran on the small course and some built up rigs that ran the big course.  In some respects, seeing what the stock-ish Jeeps could do was a lot of fun.  Nothing impresses us more than watching a Jeep more or less off the factory line do things you don’t think it can do…like catch air.

That said, it wasn’t all roses for the regular sized Jeeps.  While you can see the big wall in the background, the little stack in front caused some problems when one lady took a turn driving her husband’s rig and got a little hung up.

All in all, good fun for the first round, but we were excited to see the big rigs come out next.  Now, hard to tell if some of these were Jeeps…all that was left was and engine, wheels, some seats, and a vague outline of a frame.  AKA:  Crawling Machines.

The most impressive part of the whole deal was seeing who could get up and over the big wall.  Looking at it before the start of the event, and based on last year’s showing, we didn’t think anyone was gonna make it.  Stretched up in front of the wall, you can see how big it was…

Surprisingly, or not, depending on your faith in your Jeep, a couple rigs made it up and over. The most impressive one was probably this green monster that made quick work of the big wall.  HUGE!

All in all, a really fun event again this year.  We’re glad to support a good cause and have some fun at the same time.  We hope to do it again next year!

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!

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!