Fast forward 7 years. My
first appearance at Easter
Jeep Safari in Moab was
last month. For months
before the trip, I was
having fantasy dreams of
all of the old Willys 2A’s,
3A’s, 3’Bs, and even a good
showing of CJ 5’s, 6’s, 7’s,
and 8’s!!! Of course there
would be a plethora of
YJ’s and TJ’s I thought to
myself, and even a good
representation of JK’s on
the trails. It had been 7
years since the first ones
rolled off of the line, and
all though I still thought
Jeep was “Just Kidding”
about those red headed
step childs, I had at least
partially accepted them
as part of the clan. Once it
came down to it, boy were
my expectations turned
upside down…..
In the 7 days straight that I spent in Moab, I only counted 8 different flat fender Jeeps cruising the trails and around
town, that’s right… 8! The later model CJ’s weren’t well represented either. My CJ 7 was the only leaf sprung Jeep
that was on most of the trail rides during the week. The reality had set in… The YJ and TJ guys were even scarce in
the crowd, JK’s had taken over like the plague, and there was no stopping it!
You know what they say: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! I had caught wind that JK Forum had teamed up with Tereflex suspension out of Salt Lake City, and Rebel Offroad from Southern California to put on one hell of a trail ride,
Monday of Easter Jeep Week. Everyone lined up on one of the side roads near the North end of town. After a quick
drivers meeting, JK Forum handed out some killer event Tshirts, Rebel Offroad had lunch boxes stuffed with all kinds
of schwagg and things you didn’t know you needed, like chapstick! It is the desert after all, and your lips will dry out
quicker than dead bugs on your windshield.
June 2014
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