Trip Summary:
Miles: 1774 (including trip to NYC and side trips)
Quarts of Oil burned: 3
Gallons of Gas: 92
Hotels that didn’t provide soap: 1
Hotel rooms that reeked like cat urine: 1
Conversations about Extreme Ironing: 1
Miller Lite Pounders turned into exhaust patches: 6
How many times the Texas Roadhouse staff said they make everything on site: ad nauseum
Wrong turns: too many
Roadside waves from a crazy man with a flyswatter: 1
Stalls while in Reverse: Probably in the teens, including two memorable ones in Roanoke
Thumbs up from a fellow motorist in Hendersonville, NC: Just one
EZ Pass tolls: Stopped counting at $25
Confused looks from the group of Acura RSX and Mitsu EVO drivers at Deals Gap: Priceless
Special thanks to all of our fans that followed our progress and cheered us on. Okay, by fans we mean our spouses, fiancés, parents, family and friends who would support us no matter what we’re doing but the support was appreciated nonetheless. It was really surreal to get phone calls and text messages in the middle of nowhere with words of encouragement or asking why the tracking system hadn't refreshed in the last 15 minutes or so.
The jeep sold on eBay for $560 and the new owner is a jeep enthusiast and welder / fabricator by trade. We can only hope that the jeep will be patched up and continue racking up the miles in the greater New Orleans area. The BABE Rally has really opened my eyes that in an internet world you can still meet really good people that are honest and reputable. We found the jeep on craigslist and sold it on eBay and met two cool jeep fans in the process. Had a bit of a panic when eBay pulled our original auction (you can’t sell titled vehicles in the “parts” section) but Tom quickly reacted and developed two contingency plans and the jeep sold to someone who was watching our original auction.
After the jeep sold on eBay we thought this would get a few raised eyebrows from fellow motorists and rally’ers:
Before the BABE rally, the big pet peeve I had with my car was a cantankerous sunroof switch. After driving a jeep with sloppy steering, straight exhaust and a rotten frame I’ve gained new perspective on how nice my car is and to take nothing for granted. You really don’t need much to get you from Point A to Point B.Special thanks to the hard working folks at the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio for building our truck in 1982. The original factory is closed now, but jeeps are still built in Toledo and continuing the tradition of tough trucks. Our jeep performed flawlessly over the course of the trip and never failed to start, stop or do whatever we asked of it. The only real concern we had was the frame. Here’s some pics of the problems with the frame that were exacerbated by our trip but nursed along.
Rear shackle being held up by the body:
Front shackle damage revealed when we pulled the bumper off at Deal's Gap:
We were tempted to go into an Auto Parts store along the way and ask for 2 feet of frame rail for a 1982 Wagoneer and see how long it took the salesperson to realize we were kidding, but never got around to it.Since this trip occurred over Memorial Day weekend, I’d be remiss if I also didn’t thank the brave men and women in the armed services that continue to protect our country from foreign and domestic threats and allow us the freedom to embark on such a frivolous notion as an adventure in a $250 truck.
If you’re reading this blog, we hope you’ve enjoyed our misadventures and inspired you to get out from behind your computer and embark an adventure. Team Deer God probably won’t be participating in the BABE again but we’ve already started discussing our next adventure. Maybe Red Bull Flugtag or Soapbox Derby? A future Grassroots Motorsports Challenge? Who knows? Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.
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