Jeep JL Build Update

So I am getting super excited, I recently learned that my Jeep JLU Rubicon's factory build is complete! I now have in my possession the build sheet and my Window Sticker! I am just waiting on shipment from Toledo, Ohio to my dealer in NJ, so hopefully, I actually have a shot at seeing my Jeep before Christmas/New Years' break is over. I would love to be able to play with it and start on some of the build (like the RSE Step/Sliders I have sitting in my garage) while I am off from work. I have also been online trying to decide on a new front bumper and steering stabilizer while I wait for it to arrive.

On top of this, the Jeep JL Wrangler was just named SUV of the year by Motortrend magazine! I do think the designers did a really nice job on the modifications to the JK to produce the JL without sacrificing much of anything. The JL is, without a doubt, the next incarnation of what made Jeep great and I think it will continue to bring new fans to the product line. And if that was not enough, take a look at the new Jeep Gladiator and you will be hard pressed to find a better line of vehicles for the outdoor and off-road markets. Very well done in my opinion! Only issue I see with the Gladiator is that now I want to buy both and I am out of money!

Back to my shopping, in searching for a front bumper, I had already shared that I really loved the AEV JL bumpers demoed at SEMA but I failed to catch one other contender, the new Bondi bumper from ARB! This is a very cool and different looking bumper than I am hoping to see in person soon. If I needed to buy a bumper today, it would either come from Artec Industries or Genright as I really like both of their offerings but after seeing the Bondi bumper, I think I will wait just a bit longer...

The next item I am definitely interested in is the Teraflex Falcon Nexus EF 2.2 Fast Adjust Steering Stabilizer that I have been reading some great things about. One of the common issues I am seeing on all the forums surrounds what some are calling "Death Wobble" but seems more to be a steering issue than real death wobble (but as I have not experienced either personally, I cannot say for sure). Either way, this steering stabilizer offers some great customization options for your daily drive, off-road excursion, and the highway commute.

The last item, for the first phase of the build, will be new wheels if I can afford them. I really like the bronze look on white jeeps and have seen a few that are peaking my interest... Which appeals to you the most?

  The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

Somewhat a bitter sweet morning...

So, yesterday was a bit cold but still a nice day without too much wind so I decided to take off the few items I planned to keep from my JK in the hopes of using them on my JL or selling them. As it turned out, I felt a little sad for INCUS (I named my JK) in those moments when, for the first time ever, I was stripping parts off of him with no intention of upgrading or replacing them. He looks a little naked now and it got me thinking about all the good times we had.

There were many fun times and I could always count on him to bring a smile on my face after a rough day at work. I put almost 80,000 miles on him from December 2013 until now and never had any issues. We have been all up and down the East Coast with him from Florida to Maine and as far west as PA (so not that far). I have driven him off-road in the snow, mud and sand, crossed some small streams and even climbed over a few rocks. After a thorough wash, he was presentable enough to take to my cousin's wedding in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and he attended the funeral of a very good friend in upstate NY. He was the "go to" vehicle when my son learned to drive and was a huge part of him passing his "behind the wheel" driving test. INCUS was a part of the family and I preferred to take him out more than our other vehicles.

I know I will be very happy with my new JL but can't help feeling a little guilty or wondering what his new owners will be like. Will they take him out in to the woods and let him stretch his legs, allow him to play in the mud, or swerve to catch every puddle they pass? I can only hope so...

I realize now that I will miss him when he's gone and plan to enjoy my few remaining weeks with him and I felt compelled to jot down this quick tribute to all the joy he has given me and to say,

"Thank you, INCUS, I hope your next family deserves you and treats you right!" 

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

Christmas is already here! (Now if only my Jeep was)

The first part of my build just showed up on my front door and I am really excited. It's now becoming "Real". My Rock Slide Engineering Step/Sliders were delivered yesterday in a huge box mounted to a pallet. They were packed really well and I can't wait to open the box. Big thanks to Northridge 4x4 for the great Black Friday sales price, free shipping and fast delivery! I will be buying from them again in the near future!

Once I take delivery on my Jeep, I will record an installation video and provide some feedback on the steps themselves but unfortunately, that will have to wait a bit longer.

I have been actively "shopping" for what's next and think it will be a new front bumper with a winch mount, a new winch, or possibly a rear bumper but nothing has been decided. I like two very different front bumpers, the Warn full width and the ARB stubby bumper. I had had great results with my current ARB bumpers and love sticking with a great product. The outlier, as I have mentioned. is the AEV bumper that was revealed at the SEMA show. That was really cool and I loved the rear bumper. Matching bumpers is very important to me so it will be hard for me to have two different bumpers from two different manufacturers.

I need to get back on the phone with my dealership and find out where things are... the last I was told, they still do not have a date from Jeep for delivery and I ordered it back on Nov 13th. Would have at least expected a target date by now...

I am not a very patient person so this will really test me...

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

To Sticker or not to sticker...That is the question!

So I think I mentioned a few posts back that I am trying to decide on an accent color. Right now it's between Orange and Blue. Just to refresh your memory, here is what my JL will look like. As you can see, there are Red highlights on the Rubicon lettering along with the "Jeep" logo on the sides so that will need to be addressed if I go with either of my two color choices. Additionally, I have always been a fan of the CJ look from the late 70's and early 80's and have recently found a pretty cool site for decals that has the retro decals from the real Renegade and Golden Eagle days and it got me thinking... Maybe I go all Retro and go with something like these:

Check out their Website for more ideas, they have more decals than I have ever seen.

I am not sure I will go with either as they are pretty BOLD and I am not that flashy but I do really like the look. For now I am still back and forth between the Orange and Blue but Blue is definitely pulling ahead. The other issue I have with both of these decals is that the JL Rubicon hood is not flat so I am not even sure these style decals will fit well. Just fun to dream...

On Instagram yesterday, I saw a white JK with a very similar Golden Eagle decal to the one above. It was not the newer decal and it looked pretty cool on that build. Got me thinking again but I do not want to copy someone else's build that much.

I plan to wait for a bit after I have my JL before I make any "lasting" decisions on decals but it's fun to plan what "could be..."

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

Top Jeep Destinations... The Bucket List!

So I wanted to share my "Bucket List" of locations that I would love to visit in my Jeep. I may never actually get to all these places but it is definitely worth trying.  This is a pretty big world and we should try to see as much as possible before we retire and have to pick one place to live in for the rest of our lives. Here, in no specific order, are my tops picks because they either are awesome off-road destinations and/or they are places I really want to visit with my Jeep (some are a bit more realistic than others):

Wilderness Lodge - Walt Disney World

• Walt Disney World (been here, done that many times) - I just needed to add one place that I can check off my list as a win!
• Daytona's Jeep Beach
• The famed Rubicon Trail
• Moab Utah for Easter Jeep
• Deadwood South Dakota
• Ouray Colorado
• Bethel Maine - should hit this area on next year's Northeast Trip!
• Ocean City Maryland's Jeep Week
• Australia - I have a good friend who lives there and 4 wheels
• Land Rover's Test Track/Proving grounds in the UK just to show them how it's done!
• Washington State along the coast
• Oregon along the coast
• Napa Valley Wine Trip
• MARs! Would be pretty awesome to be the first manned 4WD vehicle to drive on Mars - I know this is a long shot but you never know who reads your blogs! NASA, if you are reading this, I volunteer me and my JL! (I'd take the Moon too if MARs is already spoken for...)

As you can tell, many of these trips are Jeep Jamboree events and that is perfect for me. They save me the planning that would need to go into a trip like this and also insure I am not out wheeling alone in an unfamiliar location. It's win/win! Check out their website for more details and other upcoming trips, but hurry, they sell out fast!

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

2019 Northeast Overland Trip Plans

2019 Northeast Excursion Plans

So Far...

When I drove home last night from purchasing our Christmas Tree, I saw my trailer sitting in the driveway all alone with no where to go during this long cold winter! It started me thinking and when i start thinking, I always start planning my next adventure.

Our good friends purchased their camper the week after we purchased ours and we plan to tour around this great country of ours Overland style. We both took short trips this past fall to "break-in" our trailers but nothing more than 3 days and nothing farther than 500 miles.

Next year will be our first big trip and we are planning to hit the Great Northeast including a couple quick trips into Canada, our frosty but friendly neighbor. What I am thinking is that we will spend about 2 days in each area checking out the sites and trails as we explore new towns.

The first leg of our journey will take us up to High Falls Gorge in the New York Adirondack Mountains. This looks to be a great place to explore their 22 acre nature park. Their website boasts four splendid Adirondack waterfalls cascading over rocks into a deep crevice carved a billion years ago. You can also dip your fly line in the world famous AuSable River in the shadow of Whiteface Mountain as it cascades over ancient granite cliffs. This will bring us pretty close to Lake Placid where the 1980 Winter Olympics were held. There is plenty to see in the Adirondacks so we should have no problem filling only two days here!


From here, the plan is to head further north into the Great White North, well at least Montreal. I honestly do not know too much about Montreal so I will need to do some research before we head out but it seems to be a very diverse city with Old Town sections as well as modern districts all around. I
have also heard the shopping is great so my wife should really enjoy this stop. More to come on this once I have done more digging...

Hitching up the trailers once again, we will return to the USA on route to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. I was turned onto this place by Jim (did not get his last name) at the Quadratec Jeeps & Java event this past December. It has a 17 mile loop around the property that we can explore and the sights look amazing. This looks very serene and peaceful. After the trail ride, I am really looking forward to another fishing spot along the East Branch of the Penobscot River. A couple more days exploring the area will have us heading back into Canada but a bit further east this time.

Saint John in New Brunswick Canada is the next leg of our journey and one I am looking forward to.

I have always wanted to go here and witness the Reversing Falls in the Bay of Fundy. For those of you that are not aware, the Bay of Fundy have one of the largest changes between high and low tide on earth! This area is also rich in history going back to the whaling days and beyond. Depending on who you are talking to, New Brunswick might also have been the Vinland that the Vikings spoke of! That alone is enough reason to visit!


Once we have proven that the Vikings discovered North America long before Columbus ever thought to hop on a boat, we will be returning to Maine for the last major leg of our journey and the best part! Acadia National Park and I am ashamed to admit that this will be the first National Park that I have ever visited and I am 48! I am really excited to start this trip!
LOBSTER!!! I plan to eat enough Lobster that I develop an allergy to it. We will be heading to Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise before anyone else in North America can, explore Bar Harbor before a classic Maine lobster bake, and drive the Park Loop Road.

On our way south to return home, we will be stopping at one of my favorite Lobster Pounds in Maine, The Bedrock Lobster Pound to fill up our coolers! This will be an EPIC trip.

I sincerely hope that this inspired you to sit down with your family and friends, open up a map and pick a path that you can explore! The Journey is what matters - Adventure Awaits!

Quadratec's Jeeps & Java Events.

I previously mentioned Quadratec's Scratch & Dent sales and how I am a huge fan of them. Another event that they host on a monthly basis is their Jeeps & Java mornings. They are scheduled monthly through December and consist of a Sunday morning get together where they provide (for FREEEEE...) coffee and donuts. They typically collect donations for local and national charities as well a dog rescues. You get to show up and see other Jeeps, hang out with the Jeep community and help out a good cause while also having a chance to win very cool prizes that range from T-Shirts to Gift Certificates to Multi-purpose Shovels (a crowd favorite). Dogs are always welcome and many bring their masters along too.

I was not able to attend too many this past year but hit about three of them. They take place rain or shine and regardless of the temperature so some are more fun than others but that has nothing to do with Quadratec (Mother Nature likes to play games)!

This past Sunday we attended the last one of the year but I missed last months where they went to a local Christmas tree farm and had an obstacle course. We had rain all day but still a good time. They did not have their famous Quadratec Cans out but did increase the number of raffles and there were some nice ones! While I did not win anything, I did meet some very cool people and saw some friendly cute pups. One person I met was Jim, he had his Rubicon with him that he had Ursa Minor install one of their camper tops.

What I thought was really cool about Jim is that he drove to California (Ursa Minor's home state) and had then do the install. He then headed to Utah and the Four Corners Monument to test it out! I love that he had the gumption to drive cross country for the install and then explored the region. We talked for quite while and I told him about a planned trip I want to do next year up to Maine and Acadia National Park. He told me about another site near there, Katahdyn Woods and Waters National Monument. Jim is presently in the market for a new camper and rig, and while he might be leaving the Jeep community in the near future (he is looking at a Tundra), he will remain a friend and part of the Overland community. No reason we can't all get along.

I know other companies host a similar event and I would suggest you find something local to you. Quadratec does a great job and I really enjoy attending these events when I can. I also really want to commend them on the charities they support, these included Toys for Tots, The Michael Strange Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children of Philadelphia, Camp Out For Hunger, and Providence Animal Center.

Thanks for hosting us and looking forward to stopping in next year!

Christmas Presents Continued... Over $50.00!!!

So if you are still looking for something to get that special Jeep person in your life and you want to spend a bit more, here are some additional ideas that don't worry about things as silly as price! I would still point out that you should really know the person you are shopping for and what they want. Gift cards are always welcome and can't be the wrong size or color...

Jeep Ideas:

PLEASE NOTE: It is very important to pay attention to the differences between Jeep JKs and JLs as well as 2 door verse 4 door and in some cases what trim level the Jeep has (i.e. Rubicon verse Sport S) These are just examples of products that would make great gifts IF you know precisely who and what you are shopping for.

Have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Peaceful Kwanzaa, and Exciting Festivus (or whatever you celebrate) and I am looking forward to meeting you all on the trails in the New Year!