For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted a Jeep. Whether you believe it or not, I even had photos of Jeeps up in my room when I was growing up. Yeah, I had a photo of a Jeep Wagoneer side by side with my poster of Farrah Fawcett. “You can’t have one,” I was told over and over. “They flip over too easy,” was another statement I heard a lot. Not one to back down, I kept up my Jeep vigil. I was patient, willing to wait until the time was right. My first car was actually a truck. An early model Toyota truck, my first truck was truly unique. Unlike other cars and trucks, the fog lights on this truck were mounted on top of the front fenders, like stalks sticking up. This truck lasted for a couple years but was replaced by a newer Toyota truck when I left to go to college. This truck was flashy, bright yellow with a roll bar in the back. This truck was my constant companion through four years of Forestry at NC State. There was always a load of tools in the back and a rather large black dog in the front. But my itch for a Jeep was too strong. I traded my truck for a Suzuki Samurai, a smaller, less powerful clone of the Jeep Wrangler. The teal Samurai with a white top was my first ever four-wheel drive vehicle. It was also my first convertible. I thought that it would satisfy my desire, my longing for a Wrangler. It had the opposite effect on me. This miniature knock-off of the Wrangler just reminded me every day just how much I really wanted a Jeep. Jump ahead several years to my mid-thirties – still no Jeep, still a burning desire to own one. It was time I told myself, time to make the move. A little bit of research and a lot of looking around resulted in my next vehicle purchase – a red Jeep Wrangler with a black top. This was a real Jeep – a Jeep Wrangler. I think it’s important to point out there’s only one Jeep – the Wrangler! I finally had the car of my dreams (and I still have her). That’s not a typo by the way in the parentheses. My Jeep is female and very protective of me. She takes me safely wherever I need to go. Owning a real Jeep does carry with it a responsibility, however, the responsibility of acknowledging other Jeep owners. Most Jeep people call this “the wave.” Regardless of how you wave, it’s part of Jeep ownership to wave at passing Wranglers. No exceptions. Apparently there’s a new generation of owners that are unaware of this tradition. I’ve noticed this lack of courtesy primarily in owners of the four door Wranglers. To these poor misguided individuals, their vehicle is simply a four door SUV instead of the legendary Jeep Wrangler. These misfortunate souls are content to stay on the road traveling from home to the grocery store and back. A real Jeep owner sees a road everywhere they look, no obstacle too large to overcome. A real Jeep owner tires of the blacktop and looks for opportunities to go off-road. A real Jeep owner respects the vehicle and the traditions. A real Jeep Wrangler owner waves.
Betty Murray
3/7/2013 12:27:55 pm
I think I remember a truck driver who did not stay on the road all the time either..the little green truck was sort of like a mountain goat at times
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Tony Lee Glenn
3/8/2013 02:36:34 am
This was a good post Sammy. Knew you loved Jeeps, but didn't realize your level of conviction!
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Sam Murray
Award-winning Graphic Designer and Writer Archives
February 2015
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