We B Jeep'n'! June 22-24, 2018

We did something this weekend we'd never done:  we went on a Jeep trail ride!  Our 11-year-old grandson went with us.  We had a big time!

The trail ride was at the Loretta Lynn Ranch, near Waverly, Tennessee. 

My sister-in-law and her husband also have a Jeep (well, SEVERAL Jeeps), and they went on the trail ride, too. 

We left at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.  The Husband and The Grandson drove our Wrangler.  I followed them and The In-Laws in my Patriot.  We all stopped to eat a big breakfast, then hit the road.  So we wouldn't have to battle I-40 traffic, we drove up Hwy. 70 to Waverly, then took Hwy. 13 to the Ranch. 

Before checking in at the Ranch, we checked in at the nearest KOA campground.  It was just off the interstate.  We booked two camping cabins, each of which came with a full bed, a set of bunk beds, and an air-conditioner.  That was it.  But the room was clean.  The bathroom and shower were in a bath house across the road from the cabins.  The restrooms were clean, although a little funky-smelling.  Thank goodness the air-conditioners were loud enough to drown out the interstate traffic noise!

As soon as we'd checked in, we climbed in the Jeeps and went to the ranch.  After getting a sticker at the information booth, we headed for the trail.  We'd been warned not to try the intermediate and difficult trails, so we stayed on the easy trail.  It was not altogether easy.  There had been a rain on Thursday, and the trail was muddy.  Still, we were able to motor along in 2-wheel drive for most of the trail.  About 3/4 of the way through, we encountered The Hill.  It was steep and curved, and lined with trees and saplings that ached to yank off our mirrors.  My Wrangler had not been in 4-wheel-drive mode for at least two years, and we had trouble shifting into 4-Low.  We tried several times to get up the hill in 4-High gear, but it wasn't happening.  Finally, The Husband gave the lever a powerful yank, and it worked; we clawed our way to the top of the hill. 

The In-Laws had already made it up the hill ahead of us and were waiting on us.  We proceeded along the path behind them for a few yards, then they came to a halt.  I could hear some clanking and some cussing.  It seemed that The Brother-In-Law's Jeep was refusing to move either forward or backward.

He got out and wanted to lie down on the ground to look under the Jeep, but the ground was soupy.  I found a towel in our Jeep, and he spread it on the ground and slid under the Wrangler.  More cussing and clanking.  Meanwhile, traffic was piling up behind us.  I heard engines turn off and doors slam.  Soon, drivers from the Jeeps behind us were coming up to see what the hold-up was.  I heard one guy say, "We'll just pick him up and set him off the trail" (referring to the Jeep)."  Another guy walked past our Jeep and said, "OK, where's the Newbie?"  I said, "WE are the newbies, but it's the guy in front of us that's broke down!"  Altogether, about three guys came forward.  One of them said he knew what the problem was, and he slid under the Jeep, yanked something, crawled out, and said, "OK, try it."  A miracle!  We finished the trail with no further delays.  The evening ended with a live band on stage near the parking lot.

The next morning, we went to breakfast then went back to the trail ride.  The sky was overcast, and we were afraid it was going to rain any minute.  We signed up for the 10 a.m. trail ride and the 12 p.m. Jeep trail to a wine-tasting at a local winery.  The trail was even soupier than it had been the previous day, but we shifted into 4-L and motored right along with no problem.  By the time we reached the end of the trail, it was time to get in line to go to the winery.  Seeing about a 1/4 mile train of Jeeps on the road made me smile.  :)  On the way to the winery, it started to rain.  The Husband and I were staying dry in the front seats, but The Grandson was getting a face full in the back seat, so we pulled out of the train and yanked up the top right fast.  We made it to the winery in time to join the rest of the drivers for the wine tasting.  This winery was called the "Grinder's Switch Winery."  It was very neat, and the people were very nice, and if you are in the neighborhood with a little time to spare, you should go there!

After the wine tasting, we detoured to visit a little flea market, then we grabbed a bite to eat and went back to the cabins.  The In-Laws went back to the Ranch to look around a little more.  The Grandson wanted to go swimming in the KOA pool, so we stayed at the campground to let him swim.  Late that evening, we all met up and went to dinner together.

Sunday morning after breakfast, we headed home.

The trail riding was fun.  But here's a hint:

If you have a sensitive gut, don't eat gravy for breakfast then go on a 2-hour trail ride unless you are willing to go potty in the woods.

East Tennessee Trip - June 10 - 16, 2018

Last Sunday, we left out of here around 9 a.m. to go to east Tennessee to see our kids and pick up our camper.  Back in March, our son started his new job, all the way across the state, and we loaned him the camper until he could find a place to live for him and his family.  They're all settled into their new house now, and we wanted to see it, and them, and help them celebrate the baby's 4th birthday.  We arrived on Sunday evening, a little after 6 p.m.  (Tennessee is a l-o-n-g state, especially when you're traveling from lower left to upper right!) 

We had a couple of fun days with the kids.  Monday we did a little birthday shopping for the baby in the morning, then went out for birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant that evening.  The baby loved it when the wait staff sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  Tuesday, we lazed around a good bit (well, *I* lazed around while everybody else worked), then went to a lake that had a little sand beach and a swimming area.  Wednesday, after hugging all the kids, we picked up the camper at the RV park where our son had left it and drove to Cedars of Lebanon park to camp for a couple of days.  We spent most of Thursday and Friday poking around in antique malls.  Today, we battened down the hatches and drove home.

About the only arguing my husband and I ever do is when we are trying to park the camper, whether in a camping spot or in our driveway.  He has this thing: the camper MUST be perfectly parallel to whatever we're parking it on.  He usually does a pretty good job of backing the trailer into the parking spot at campgrounds, but getting it into our driveway is always a bitch.  It's either too close to the house, or too close to the edge of the driveway, or it's crooked. 

On the return leg of any camping trip, we're always tired from a long drive, and it's usually hot outside.  My job is to get out of the truck and "c'mon back" him.  It seems I can never find the right place to stand so that he can see me as I motion him.  Today, it was about 95 degrees when we began the parking attempt(s).  He pulled that camper up and back about half a dozen times before he quit (and I think he's secretly STILL not satisfied with where he put it).  On the next-to-the-last attempt, I asked him if he wanted me to go inside and get the tape measure, and measure from the front of the camper to the house then from the back of the camper to the house to make sure he's got it straight.  He turned his backside to me and said for me to measure THIS. 

I told him my tape measure wasn't that long, and then stuck my tongue out at him.

It was a fun trip, but it's good to be home.

And parked straight.  ;)