Wheeling!

I am so stoked! Here I go on another wheeling trip with Oklahoma Jeep Thing. Tomorrow we are going to Clayton, OK which is in the Southeastern portion of the state. About 3 hours from OKC.

Of course, I am feeling intimidated and I’m not even there yet LOL. The club went there in late 2007 and I’ve seen the pictures, and some of it is pretty intimidating, but I know Slim went last time and he was stock then, like I am now. Also, there aren’t any pictures of his Jeep in any of the really tough sections, so there must be some by-passes available. There appears to be lots of trail action with only a little bit of rock crawling. I am really looking forward to this run, it’s been 3 whole months, not counting the river trip. I’m excited about going somewhere new. I always like an adventure, even if there is some anxiety

trip, my lovely wife Samantha will not be joining me, nor will our angelic daughter Jennifer. Samantha has some prior commitments as well as having to take Jennifer to Tae Kwon Do class on Saturday. It’s still up in the air, but my best friend Jack might get to go on this trip.Originally, he was going to go, and then he thought he was going to have to help his sister move to Arkansas,then he got off the hook for that, then he had to have emergency surgery last weekend. So, all the bouncing and jostling might not be the best thing for him, so he is still up in the air.

I was hoping to make some mods to the Jeep by now, but those plans keep falling through. Every time I get some cash saved up, something happens and it has to go to something else. So, I guess I’ll have to start small. No more delusions of grandeur. I’m thinking maybe my CB and antenna, or maybe a steering box skid plate and some D-ring shackles for the front bumper, or the 1 ½” spacer lift. Decisions, decisions.

Well,Jack has backed out for sure. I didn’t really expect him to go, I hoped he could, but I knew he couldn’t. He just had surgery, and an off-roading trip would probably rupture something, and I’d just as soon not kill my friend.

So, here is an interesting situation I hadn’t thought of ever happening. One of the guys in the club called the other night, and there is a new guy that wants to go, but his Jeep is not ready. He’s offered to trailer someone else’s Jeep, in exchange for a passenger seat on the trails. Now that is a guy that really wants to wheel! Now, for a normal person, no biggie, but, I must admit I think I am a complete control freak when it comes to vehicles. I am the world’s worst passenger.If I had ridden shotgun with this guy, I'd have been a hypertensive nutcase after 3 hours on the road, even if he is a perfect driver. I don't think it has anything to do with driver ability. I can’t even ride across town with my wife without my blood pressure going through the roof. There is no rational reason for it either. I’m not over there fearing for my life; I’m not instructing where or how to drive, or even thinking that I should do these things.It’s just if I don’t have my hands on the wheel, I cannot relax…at all.Then, on top of all that, my Jeep is stock, which means some by-passes on the trails so if he is used to something a little more capable, it probably would have been a let down for him.

So, I’ll be solo on this trip, and someone else will be saving wear and tear on their Jeep and not spending money on gas on the ride down. Plus I’m sure they will enjoy a nice relaxing ride. I really wish I could relax in the passenger seat sometimes. We take road trips and Samantha wants to drive, but I don’t let her, and I know it frustrates her, but I’m such a bundle of nerves when it is over, it’s actually easier to fight with her over it than it is to give in. How psychotic is that? Oh well, lets not delve into this too deeply.

After checking the weather for this weekend, I’m wondering if I need to go buy a medium weight jacket. All I have are heavy leather jackets. It’ll be around 50 degrees late afternoon, but if I lose my mind and decide to take the top down, a jacket might be nice. I’d ask Samantha, but she’ll just say don’t put the top down. I wonder what jean jackets go for these days.

Woohoo,I just scored a Levi's Jean Jacket on eBay from someone local for$10.49! How sweet is that? They are $70 at Sears. Well, now if it stays a little chilly on Saturday, I can still put the top down and stay somewhat comfy! I'm such a little kid when it comes to these trips, I get so excited, like it's Christmas or something! Hee hee!