REDNECK WHEELIN’ REVIVAL!
A revival is defined as the restoration of life, consciousness, vigor and strength. The 4x4 Corps returned to
Corral Canyon this last Sunday for some fun. It was Ken Steele’s last run before deploying to Afghanistan and we had new members that wanted to run some trails. Let’s see, we had Josh, Justin, Jeff and Jesus as well as others and of course Ken, he just seemed to be in Heaven. This wasn’t just wheelin’ it was a redneck wheelin’ revival. What could go wrong we had Jesus with us and one of our token rednecks Justin. He is the only member of the club that I know of that has jumped his Jeep in “Dukes of Hazard” style and driven his Jeep in a crash up derby. At different times of course. These are just a couple of the things that certifies him as a redneck. Just remember “Redneck” in 4X4 Corps terms equals entertainment. The weather was perfect and life was good. The only thing missing was red Jeep Ryan. I have to refer to him that way because we also had blue Toyota Ryan with us. Anyway this wasn’t the first time he’s gone missing, so we rolled on without him. We had eleven rigs and some really good people to rock crawl with including one of our newest member, Josh Peterson. It’s always good to have new members especially ones with mad skills.
As an avid off roader I have my concerns when the new kid rolls up in a Jeep with eight inches of lift, a four cylinder engine and open diffs. Come to think of it, this is the same crazy talk I got from Jarred Lutgen when I first ran Los Coyotes with him years ago. Anyone who has been running trails for anytime knows the problems this set up can present. No problem we had Jesus with us. Not only did Josh and his Jeep do awesome on the trail but he is probably the best newbie driver I have come across, a natural if you will. He also brings a big smile, a great attitude and welding skills. YES, I said welding skills, certified welding skills at that! This nineteen year old welded all the frame and axle mounts on his jeep’s eight inch coil over suspension system. He did it in a professional manner and not in a Kevin level of precision or Seth level of perfection. Awesome job! I’m sure we’ll have work for you. All I can say is welcome to the club Josh!
Ken was enjoying his last run for a while and the rest of us were making our way down Bronco Peak, when I received a call from red Jeep Ryan. He wasn’t missing anymore but he was broken down at the bottom of the hill. Turns out his battery took a dump on him. No problem we had Jesus with us and the eleven rig rescue team. Good thing I run duel batteries. A quick fix and a few laughs later we were back on the trail. We made our way down Bronco Flats and back over to Sidewinder. Ken didn’t want his last run to be over and I got the feeling that Josh wasn’t done playing either. Sidewinder it was. We stopped at one of our favorite spots along the trail and took in the sun and some conversation. The club made short work of this trail and made it back down to the four corners parking lot. I just had a big smile on my face. I couldn’t think of a better way or a better day to send Ken off and to bring Josh in. I was reminded why I do this, fun and friends, and making fun of friends especially Seth. What could be more entertaining except maybe a “Dukes of Hazard” style Jeep launch? This was truly an awesome redneck wheelin’ revival.
