The Jeep Eater
It is my opinion that each region of the Northwest has its own personality. There’s the melting pot of Seattle with its music- and coffee-scenes underscored by the yuppie contingent. Snohomish has its antique-shopping crowd (people shopping for antiques, not old shoppers). The coast has its slow-motion ocean appeal. SunRiver has its camping and glamping enthusiasts. Northern Idaho holds tight to its survivalists and live-off-the-land attitude.
Here in Boise it seems that escaping-to-nature is the primary focus. There are so many trails, dirt tracks and wilderness paths that it’s sometimes difficult to know whether you’re in a real, honest-to-goodness Capitol City or just passing through a mass of civilization on your way to another hidden camp site. There are real 4X4s here. I’m used to highly polished and very clean trucks with normal-sized tires. The trucks out here, though, have mud on them; and big ol’ tires; and mud on the tires.
Mr. Fixer is big into the off-road experience. He is, and has been, so interested in this lifestyle that he built his own off-road monster truck. You really must understand; this truck isn’t just a transportation tool. No, she’s a fierce, aggressive, dirt-eating machine. She can climb, cross and conquer anything. Mud, sand, concrete, gravel; she can take them all on.
Isn’t she pretty???
This 1985 Ford Bronco is Mr. Fixer’s first love. She is, in essence, my step-child just as my dog, also pictured, is his step-child. Having been a step-child, I do my best to be very loving and kind to Mr. Fixer’s Jeep Eater. I only rarely complain about the fact that I need a ladder to get up into her. I always let her have the garage in inclement weather. And, I’ve promised to never drive her, as I wouldn’t want to confuse her with my come-to-a-complete-stop-at-all-stop-signs method of driving.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that Mr. Fixer built this truck. Granted, he started with a normal, average, everyday Ford Bronco, but that’s about where the normal stuff ends. He upgraded the engine, doing all the work himself. He scrubbed, sanded, taped and painted her. Custom exhaust; interior and exterior paint; hand-crafted bumpers; personally-installed lift-kit; springs; mounts; tires; wheels; there is no part of this vehicle that Mr. Fixer hasn’t worked on with his own two hands. He’s truly put his heart and soul into this truck.
Before I came into his life, the Bronco was the only thing that made his life enjoyable. Okay, so that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think it’s much closer to the mark than even he would admit. I’ve heard about men having relationships with their vehicles, but it hadn’t hit home until I saw the photo album filled with the various stages of creation – perhaps “recreation” would be the better word. There’s one album dedicated to our wedding. There are boxes and boxes and boxes of pictures of the Jeep Eater.
Okay. Only two boxes, but, you get the point.
Regardless, twice Mr. Fixer has taken me into the hills to show off the power of his baby. The first time – pictured above – was an exciting and delightful adventure including a lot of mud and a lot of climbing. We only got stuck a couple times due to a semi-faulty starter. Getting unstuck in those situations was a simple matter of Mr. Fixer hopping out of the truck, raising the hood and manually bypassing the starter with a screwdriver while I, the co-pilot, depressed the accelerator, keeping her running, until he could get back into the truck.
The second foray into the wilderness was… a little more interesting. Our initial goal was to do some light rock hounding. Because it was hunting season, we figured going out into the Owyhee mountains was unsafe so we opted for the more foot-and-bicycle-friendly Rocky Canyon Road. After all, wouldn’t you think there would be some interesting-looking rocks in a place called “Rocky Canyon”?
We rode along pleasantly, turning off the paved road and heading a few miles in. Those first few miles were rather uneventful. Sure, we had to maneuver cautiously along a couple stretches of not-quite-wide-enough road and a few blind turns, but it was a steady grade and did absolutely nothing to stretch the Jeep Eater’s muscles. Heck, Mr. Fixer hadn’t even locked her into four wheel drive. Then, we took a sharp left and found the trail we really wanted.
But, to hear about that you’ll have to tune in Saturday.
Until next time…
D. S. Vic
Copyright © 2009-2010 D. S. Vic.
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