I’ve been having fun keeping an eye on the Jeep communities on Reddit this week, and much like the classic JRitS series by Urambo Tauro, I thought I’d share some of the highlights.
Much like my recent recaps, I have no idea whether I have enough interest to sustain them, but it can’t hurt to experiment. Feel free to complain to the ownership and get your money back if you find this indispensable yet I fail to continue it.
(Given the general lack of response to the recap series, don’t hold your breath on the long-term survival of that feature.)
First, you should be aware of the subreddit dedicated to the mockery of all things crappy in the Jeep world: r/heep. Sometimes they get it wrong (example forthcoming) but in general they focus on the things I find derisible, like angry grilles.
What makes a heep? We’re not quite sure; but if it’s got angry eyes, Punisher logos, or is all around painful to look at, then it likely belongs here.
I don’t like gatekeeping. Except, of course, when I do, and as I’ve expressed on many occasions here, Jeeps are not mean machines. Even in WWII, their crucible, they were scout vehicles, communications, logistics. They kept our men and women on the move, but they weren’t (generally) killing machines.
Now, where does the mockery go off the rails? I’d argue neither of these qualify: the first, because you go girl/boy/whatever and you have the most fun you possibly can, and the second...well, basically the same.
I’d absolutely drive the first one. The second, well, it depends on the intent, but on the assumption that of course it’s meant to be silly, sure.
Jeeps are supposed to be fun. Have fun with them.
I can’t decide on this last one. I think it falls under the “Have fun” category. Probably.
Dogs & Jeeps were made for each other.
XJs...mmm. Hold that thought for tomorrow.
If you’re unfamiliar with Black Bear Pass, it’s among the more dangerous roads in the country. There isn’t, to my knowledge, any rock climbing like the Rubicon Trail; it’s just someplace where you don’t want to lose attention and drift off the shoulder. (You should definitely check out the dashcam video of that wreck.)
While we’re here: this is a classic photo often attributed to Black Bear, but in fact it was part of a WARN advertising campaign and the image was manipulated to make the trail narrower than it actually is. Whether it was even taken on Black Bear I can’t say.
Regardless, the scenery is spectacular.
If you missed them earlier this week, this post was actually inspired by two previous Reddit treasures I discovered and shared. The second is a video of some impressive (or impressively stupid) water crossings in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
And finally, people doing genuinely stupid things in Jeeps. I suspect I’m just scratching the surface with this one, but it’s wondrous.