jeep

It took less than 12 hours to get this lil’ desert runner off pavement.
And yeah… IT’S A JEEP! We’re gonna have some FUN.

Her name is Kiki Sparling Pew Fitzsimmons, and she’s a beaut.

It was harder than expected to say goodbye to Ruby Jean.
(She’s gonna make someone in Idaho really really happy…)

But a REAL Jeep that’s GREAT on road AND can tow stuff?!? What’s not to LOVE?

Uh oh! Does that mean we can upgrade the camper?

Beautiful. Remote. Perfect.

I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be Ruby Jean’s final night at camp.

My SIXTH Jamboree and I wasn’t alone, Mini-Skullkin had his keen eyes on the trail…

I learned new things and saw beautiful new sites, but as always, it’s the people that make these events worthwhile!

Fully loaded, the Cricket is still under its GVWR of 2,500 lbs. But that’s a little higher than I’d like to see for a lifted Rubicon running 35 inch tires…

Trying NH Oil on Ruby Jean this year. She’s just turned 7 years old and we gotta keep her working and looking her best! Time will tell…

So this is our FIFTH Jamboree?!?!?

Well, what better way to test Ruby Jean’s new upgrades than a series of intense rock gardens and the famous “Roller Coaster” (which was more like a slip-n-slide after a night of rain?

As always, we learned lots of new things, but it is the people that make these events so freakin’ wonderful!

I like to camp. A LOT.

Zorro and Fletcher like it too. (especially Fletcher) And wherever we camp, Ruby Jean is there. Which is why after 7 years, it was time to upgrade to a proper towing suspension that’s still at home off-road.

Enter the Teraflex 3″ Outback Overland Suspension…

I think camping time is coming soon…

Today, Ruby Jean took me up. Higher than we had ever climbed before. The California Pass reaches 12,960 feet. And there just isn’t much up there.
Just silence. And beauty. In all directions.

Oh, and an old, abandoned mining town called Animas Forks. Now, that’s my kinda town!

This morning I awoke to find that the fall color was moving in. And quickly.

Many of the local mountain trails connect Ouray, Teluride, and Silverton, so if you’re in the area and you’re Jeepin’ around, you’ll most certainly end up visiting Silverton. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District called the Silverton Historic District.

Here’s a nifty little video describing Silverton and the surrounding area: