Page updated: 01/17/2002 02:51 PM

You know, I've been seeing the sport of wheeling trip along at an enormous rate lately. Bigger is better attitudes seem to prevail anymore. I've built my Jeep (pokey) up to the point that I would have to disassemble it entirely and start over to make it any bigger or better. It has all the trick stuff on it and I can get myself up, out or over anything anybody can dream up. True! I might have to winch over something that some 44" bogger laden V-8 D-60 clad jeep might be able to drive right over with no problem. Even though I'm running 37" SSR's and have D-44's with Warn axles and lockers both ends and so many other modifications I don't have room to list them all.

So, what should I and many others in my situation do? There ain't a trail I can't do with all the equipment I carry although it may take me a little more time than the giant land ants being constructed today. heh heh! I love them but damn! Do I really want or need to go 2 ton? Interesting question and one a lot of you should be asking yourself before using the child support for monster jeep parts maybe. There's at least two people in my group that have gone large so far and a few other that either will or wish they could afford it.

So the question remains, do you need to? Or do you want to? Or are you just trying to keep up with the jones'? It's your of course but you will be needing to give it some thought in the future because as we all know, jeepism is a creeping decease that is not easily overcome.

In any case, here's my take on it.

I own my jeep for many reasons. It gets me into places I would never see otherwise. I enjoy fishing camping and I attend all the event's I can with my wife and friends. I really find myself not wanting to take the chance of screwing up my jeep again. I've rolled and repaired it and a few other's more times than I care to remember. It never bothered me much for I knew it was part of the sport and a hazard you face when a lapse of common sense engulfs itself into you psyche! I find myself enjoying the other aspect's of wheeling these day's it seems. Maybe it's because I've been doing it so long but, I do find that when there is a good chance of endoing Pokey I am backing off or going around more and more. I still get the feeling that I'm a candy ass for doing it but after seeing some of the damage done to the others I'm cured from that particular notion right off! Hahaha! I mean, I spend enough time on Pokey just keeping it running and packed full of equipment. In any case I make no excuses. I have no ego about it even though I take some crap about it once in a while. As long as i know I can do it if necessary, it doesn't phase me. And of course I'm always there and well preserved to extract the he-men that are usually driving over their heads anyway.

I do have sort of a new hobby involving the wheeling though. I have a couple of camera's (movie and still digital) and the computer programs to cut edit etc. It ain't all that easy to get the good shot's but the challenge is worth it when I get home and watch my handy work. I'll be adding some new movie shorts this year to my site so keep checking if your interested. Needless to say one of my favorite pats of wheeling is sitting around the fire pit shooting the crap about what everybody did during the day. With my group there is always some stunt to re- live around the fire pit. Good fun poked at all who tried and triumphed and or failed a certain hill or pile of rocks. If you happen to be the one (and the only one) that had to take the strap you are toast of course. Hopefully you have consumed enough of your favorite beverage by then to fend off and think of all the reasons you goofed up and made yourself look like a newbie.

Trail fixes are also one of my favorite parts of wheeling. Not Pokey of course but, some other poor soul that has either under built or forgot tighten something that went south on the trail etc etc etc. Never seen one yet that couldn't be figured out and fixed to at least get you back to camp to install some of those extra parts you've been carrying for years. I've seen some very innovative and strange fixes on the trails over the years. Some of them are still running on a few of the jeeps today the fix was so good.

I almost always take up the rear position to keep an eye on the other's and make sure nobody gets lost or left behind. Don't know why exactly but it needs to be done and by the time the more radical wheelers are done doing their thing on some impossible rock pile I catch up and get some pic's and ain't notice to much to get pushed into rolling old Pokey after being harassed. heh heh! I mean joke em! They ain't paying fore my repairs right! Besides either me or Pokey are usually involved to some extent in the fixes. I guess I just like helping people out. Always have and probably always will get great enjoyment out of it. That includes some wheelers we have never met and probably never will again. Hopefully they will pass on the good Samaritan attitude when they run into some poor guy that has no clue about what to do with their problem.

we have a fairly large group with people in different stages of the sport. The radical's can have a go at some of the nastier obstacles as the newer jeepers look on. They of course crap their pants when someone inevitably will roll or at the very least roll over on their side and just keep grinding away a brand new paint job in order to make the trail. heh heh! Fun to watch but dang! A couple of them are re-building to get even more wild. Wild in the sense that it looks wild that is! In reality it's perfectly safe in most instances and these guys have been over enough to know what to expect. so we don't usually have to go out and collect any extremities to take to the emergency room. It's sort of like an orchestrated disaster. An actual art form if you want to look at it like that. I mean you know when there's a good chance your going to go over. If your smart, you do the choosing where and when to eliminate to much damage. They know the consequences of their actions in other words. It ain't like they are looking to roll but some of the rock piles they are attempting have certain hazards and one small mistake and your getting the cable hooked to your undercarriage to roll you back over. Open the hood and remove the plugs to get rid of the hydrolock and your good as ne. Well, except for the body damage which was not exactly straight to begin with with them knowing what the jeep is going to be used for. The trick is..... to get through the obstacle on the verge of disaster with ought needing a strap or winch. Pure unadulterated poetry when it works out. Total chaos when it doesn't and the real reason most watch such things. Same thing on a race course or many other event's I can think of.

Anyway, back to what and why I'm doing what I an with my jeep. I think I have a very nice and well equipped jeep for just about any trail. Yeah! I'm gonna smash a fender or two and I'm very sure I will roll it again some time from a lack of good judgment on my part. The paint will get scratched by that nasty manzanita and well, who knows what all! I built it to get me everywhere I want to get and it does a fine job of it as is. If I ever decide I want to go climb giant boulders for 1/4 mile stretches I'll build a rock buggy from scratch. Haven't decided if I want to though. It is kind of a dilemma which I'm sure many of you have also. Main thing is to have fun on the way up the ladder with what you got and build it as you go. Your never really done with it as you all know so there's always some new and improved part to jack up your credit card and make the old lady whimper. Or vise versa depending on your gender. So, I figure I'm about as far as I'm going with Pokey anyway. I'll continue to have a blast with what I have and when I feel like it I'll follow the big boy's with that 35K added on just to bring em back to earth. Wala, the bends dent's etc prolly! heh heh!

I really like seeing the diversity in drivers these day's. Women and very young kids are involved or getting involved. That's a very good thing for the sport we all love. With ought them we could forget wheeling in a very short time. Many clubs are emerging and doing some very fine work to combat those frieken greenies that if they had they're way would shut down every trail in the good old USA. The younger people are carrying on the good fight and are getting educated beyond belief to kick those greenies asses. I love it!

Anyway, even though I drifted off the main subject some, you people get the idea of where I'm coming from. And don't get me wrong. I'm still and always will be a wheeler. Whatever it takes and I'll continue to repair my mistakes when they occur. Hahaha! In other words, don't count me out on any trail. If I show up I'll make it. Always have.

So with that said, I'll be hoping to see you people on the trail some time. Be sure to stop me and say hi if we pass one another ok!!

Bud