It's been awhile, hope you are still there...

 Well it has been a very long time since I posted something new. No real excuses other than life and enjoying the time I have been given.

Quick update on my Gladiator Mojave, within a couple months of getting it, we went to the Green Briar Jeep Jamboree and had a blast. Lots of rain made the trails more difficult but great guides and people made the event really fun. Hung up on a tree at one point and really came close to removing my rear driver side light but some quick thinking by my friend and the guides saved the day (and my taillight).

Also ran into some rocks and had a chance to christen my Rock Slide Engineering step/sliders. They took a bit of a beating but that's what they are for! Also hung up the rear bumper on a rock ledge so I see a new steel ARB bumper in my future!

We did do some prep work before the trip and installed a 2.5 inch AEV spacer lift, Metalcloak heavy duty diff covers, an ARB front bumper and a Warn winch, along with 37" Toyos and new wheels. I think the wisest upgrade was the diff skids from Metalcloak.

That trip was about 2 years ago and that's pretty hard to believe to be honest, the time really does fly. Since then I have made continual updates to my Mojave looking for just the right mix of functionality and comfort. I did pickup the ARB rear bumper as well as an updated steering stabilizer, drag link and tie rod from Synergy as well as a cap from OVS. It's coming along nicely and I have been enjoying it as I explore more places to go flyfishing. I will eventually pickup a roof top tent for it, but for now, I am sleeping in the bed if I need to overnight. Here's how she sits presently:

and in Sleep Mode:

Anyway, that's enough of an update for today. Hopefully you all have had some great Adventures over the years...

Thanks!

Big Things can happen When You Attend the NJ Jeep Invasion in Wildwood!

 

My Wife and I attended the NJ Jeep Invasion on Friday, July 14th with my 2019 JLUR @RetroRubicon and really enjoyed catching up with some old and new friends. Specifically, we were hanging out with Glen and Mike from Globex Performance and I was drooling over Glen's Gladiator. Anyway, we check out all the vendors, took a look at the other Jeeps on display, enjoyed the boardwalk, and then headed home for a Wedding we had on Saturday. On the ride back, we were discussing just how much I had really wanted a Gladiator and what would have been different if they were not delayed when I was shopping for my JLUR back in 2018.

The rest of that night I was on the internet configuring my Gladiator build and checking local inventory.

Shortly after that, I found what I was looking for and we went to the dealer. Long story short, meet Bigfoot!

I will definitely miss my JL but on to a new build a little more Overland focused...

Road Tripping for 2023

This year my wife and I have been discussing taking a 2 week road trip from Sedona to Denver Colorado. This would take us up from Sedona to the Grand Canyon, over east to Cortez Co, then north to Moab, over east again to Grand Junction, then to Morrison and ending in Estes Park. Along the way, I would love to do some fly fishing, fossil hunting, Gold panning, and just general exploration. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to bring my Jeep out there so will be renting something local. 

I would love to get some feedback from others maybe in region on what are "Must Do's" for the different towns. So far, I am looking at the following activities and stops:

Sedona:

• Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village
• Cathedral Rock
• Seven Sacred Pools
  
• Honanki & Palatki Heritage Site
• Sedona's Rainbow Trout Farm
• Multiple Wineries

Grand Canyon:

• South Rim Entrance
• Desert View Watchtower
• Grand Canyon Railway
• Horseshoe Bend
• Fly Fishing in the Canyon

Cortez:

• Mesa Verde National Park
• Montezuma Valley
• Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
• Notah Dineh Trading Co

Moab:

• Arches National Park
• Corona Arch
• Moab Cowboy Off-Road Adventures
• Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks and Petroglyphs

Grand Junction:

• Dinosaur Hill
  
• Multiple Wineries

Morrison:

• Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center
• Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

Estes Park:

• Rocky Mountain Park
• Museum
• Trout Haven Fishing Pond

The plan will be to fly into Sedona and back home from Denver. Would love to understand from others if we are missing anything that we should not. Mostly interested in Fly Fishing and Fossil Hunting locations/services and places where we can learn to pan gold (not too much of that on the East Coast). My wife loves to hit different wineries and antique shops and ghost towns...

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon

Happy New Year! and What are your plans for 2023?

 Well, this time of year everyone is running around making and breaking their New Year's resolutions and I am really no different - even when I say that "I am not going to make any resolutions" - I always wind up making some...

This year, I tried to keep them as realistic as possible...

• Attend another Jeep Jamboree (already registered for the Greenbrier Valley Jeep Jamboree in October)
• 
  Travel more - Spain, Moab, Arizona, Colorado, England, etc...
• Spend more time outside (I pre-ordered my Kammock Outback Stand) - Camping, Fly Fishing, Overlanding, Shooting, Hiking, etc.
• Get back in shape! This is a big one for me as I am having knee replacement surgery this month so all excuses will be gone)
• Have more empathy - I think we could all use this, it does not require anything more than listening to someone and understanding where they are coming from. If I do not agree, I can keep my mouth shut and leave it alone or if I agree, I can be supportive - it really does not take much to be a better human.

Slightly different from a "Resolution", I also have quite a few "Wants" for the year...

• Upgrade my Steering (purchased my new Synergy Tie Rod but still need the Drag link)
• Upgrade my brakes
• Find some land to buy near a lake or stream
• Upgrade my spare tire hinge and mount
• WIN THE LOTTERY so I can pay for everything above!

Now for the World, I wish...

• Fewer Politicians
• Cleaner Environments
• Inclusion and Diversity

At this point, I really don't care who you love, where you are from, or what you believe, treat everyone equally and lets work together...

Now that that's out of the way, we can talk Jeep! I have been contemplating trading in my JL for a JT. Long story short is that when I had my 2014 JK, that was the plan. The JTs wound up getting delayed so many times, that I just went and upgraded to my 2019 JL. Ever since then, it's been in the back of my mind. I am not a hard core off-roader and prefer overland trips to be honest. The JT makes a better Overland platform to work with I think. Now if you take a look at my Build Page, you will see what I have into the JL above and beyond the original sticker price. This would be very hard to let go of and have to start again on the new build. While New builds are fun, I do really like my current setup so I think I will need to find another way (Come on Lottery).

I have been running the Yokohama 37s for about 1200 miles now including one longer trip and they handle very well on the road for a Mud Terrain! Noise is almost the same as my quiet Duratracs were and the vibration is only slightly more. The 5.13 gears spin them very well and it's not really noticeable that I went up in tire size. All in all, I am very happy with these. Still waiting on some snow to test them in but here in NJ, winters been hiding.

I have just started to plan for the warmer months and have been tying up some flies for Tenkara fishing, still working on ceramics and very much enjoying that, and thinking about what I want to do in the garden or with the pond. I am a big believer in having something to look forward to weather it is a trip or a goal does not matter, what matters is that it motivates you to do what needs to be done to achieve it.

Anyway, I wish you and your families a Happy and Healthy New Year with great prosperity!

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon

Yokohama Geolander MTs G003 - 750 Mile Review

I wanted to wait for a bit before I provided a review on these tires, was hoping to get in a decent amount of on and off road driving but unfortunately, I spent the last 750 miles on the road. This was the break-in period for the new gears (I had Revolution Gears 5.13's installed by Globex Performance).

First, I want to say that the 5.13 gears made a huge difference in performance. Previously, I had the factory 4.10s with 35 inch tires and performance was still good. I was very concerned moving up to the 37s and the 5.13s that my on-road ride and gas mileage would be horrible. That is not the case, these gears turn these tires effortlessly and I still have full benefit of my 8 speed. 

So, on to the tires... Well I honestly purchased these based on the looks and the customer reviews. I had zero previous experience with Yokahama as I have always run either BFGs or Goodyear Wranglers. These tires are Quiet! for mud terrains and possibly even some all terrains. I have noticed very little additional road noise if any over my old Wrangler DuraTracs. They do have a slight vibration but it's so small, it's hard to notice and you forget about it quickly. Ride quality is comfortable and they seem like they will be very good off-road (once I get an opportunity to try them out).

As far as wear goes, these are soft and should be rotated pretty often, maybe even every 200 or so miles.

I used my handy Superchips F5 tool to adjust tire size and the gearing in about 5 minutes and all was well. 

I will add more once I have had some off-road experience with them.

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon

Upgrading to Yokohama Geolandar MT G003 Tire 37X12.50R17

Coming soon...

Globex Performance will be upgrading my gears to 5.13s and installing my new Yokohama 37" Mud Terrains in October. Can't wait to take her for a spin after that...

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon

2022 Tennessee Mountains Jeep Jamboree Gallery

 I know I am really late publishing the trip details but life has been busy...

This was a great trip but wet! We wound up driving up waterfalls that were previously just some rocks. The entire terrain was transformed into a clay slushy that was fun, challenging, and at times quite "Squirrely"!

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon

JL Full Bellypan - 4 door 2.0L ALUMINUM Skid Plate Install

Well I finally pulled the trigger and purchased a set of Artec Industries, JL Full Bellypan - 4 door 2.0L Aluminum skid plates for @RetroRubicon! The team over at NorthRidge 4x4 gave me an awesome deal and I wanted to get this taken care of before we head to Windrock TN in May for the Jeep Jamboree.

Detailed instructions and a video can be found on the Artec site so I will just share with you, here, my perspective and tips...

First, the skids comes nicely packaged and in 4 boxes. They are aluminum so much easier to move around than their steel counterparts. This comes in handy when you laying under the vehicle balancing them while trying to insert the bolts and whatnot.

Installation is pretty straight forward as long as you follow along with the Artec video. I think it took a friend and I about 3.5 hours to complete the install and we really did not have any issues. Swapping out the gas tank skid plate is really the only challenge and that has more to do with access in a tight space. Definitely do this install on an almost empty tank of gas if you can.

I would also recommend a Fumoto Valve (I still need to order one) to make oil changes much nicer. I would also suggest using a piece of cardboard under your oil filter when you are removing it to ensure an easier and cleaner oil change.  

I have only been out on any real trails with the skid plates installed so far but had a great experience with them. I will share more on the ride in an upcoming post but I definitely had a less nerve racking experience when I came down hard on an obstacle verse my previous trips before I had the skids in place.

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #gladiator #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon