I finally bought a house in Cave Country! W00T!!!

[stuartv]

I can lock/unlock/start my truck with an app on my phone.

But, that keypad would let me leave the key in the truck while I'm, say, diving at Ginnie.

A Hitch-Safe is the current substitute. And it does work. But, it's just not as nice as the door keypad.

 

[The Chairman]

Oh, I get it. I love the Ford Key Pads. I also love the Ford app, when I want to cool down the car on a hot steamy day, before I get in. The other day, it was cold and st-st-storming. Cats, dogs, and a lot of sky barking. Rather than run over and use the keypad, I started the car (it locks automagically when you do), and then unlocked the door before I dodged raindrops. I parked in the handicap zone which was incredibly convenient. The car was nice, warm, and easy to get in.

 

[The Chairman]

I can't tell you the amount of tension that has been relieved now that the TIG is a TIGGING. My bestie in Orlando makes knives and wants a quench tank made out or an AL80. I want to weld a hinge onto the top before I finish cutting it off, so the lid fits nicely and can act as a fire break. I'll use a bit of rubber gasket on the lid to compensate for the kerf.

 

[-JD-]

I'm not a Dodge or Jeep fan. The Willys were awesome, but the recent editions seem to be all hat and no cowboy.

Something is certainly missing in the Jx (JK, JL, JT) Jeeps. On the other hand they are much more comfortable for daily driver use that most see 99.9999% of the time.

I have a LJ (2006 Wrangler Unlimited - basically a slightly stretched TJ) Manual windows, manual locks, manual Trans, manual T-Case. For the most part, 4-low and lock both axles and it will go almost anywhere it will fit. I so want to do a de-electrified OM606.962 swap in mine. Basically a post-apocalyptic.

 

[The Chairman]

Something is certainly missing in the Jx (JK, JL, JT) Jeeps.

I was up in Utah's back country, right by glacier lake in my Honda Ridgeline. The two Jeepers were giving me all sorts of crap about my citified truck, and to be candid, I was prepared to turn around at the first hint of too much trail. We had to straddle 200 year old wagon tracks dating back to Oregon Trail times. It was fun albeit rugged, rugged country. I get to the bottom with no problems. I should also point out that, I'm the Floridian, and the two Jeepers were born and raised in Utah. I was there by invitation, teaching Scuba to Scouters and this was NOT Florida. My phone rang. It was Jeeper #1, telling me that he was going back to pull Jeeper #2 out of a ditch. It's harder going the other way, so I should keep my citified truck safe. Over a half hour goes by, and I get another phone call. I couldn't understand through all the break ups, other than they were both stuck.

On my way back up to get them, I saw the sign telling us that these trails were closed till further notice. I didn't have shovels, or anything else... not even another warm body in the truck. To make a long, long story a bit shorter, my citified truck, pulled both of their butts out of the holes, and I never got stuck.

All hat: no cowboy.

Part of the problem was unmitigated hutzpah tied to Jeep ownership. On the other hand, I was scared schittless that my truck would have to be carted down in little pieces. The other part of the solution was that I had spent a lot of time getting unstuck in Florida swamps and stuff, trying to get to dive spots. I knew my truck's limits and felt no need to exceed them. Honda 1, Jeeps -2.

 

[The Chairman]

Oh yeah, the phone call was to tell me to go get help and not to under any circumstances try to come back up there to help them pry their stupid jeeps out of the holes they put themselves into. Oopsie! The jeeps followed me down the mountain, where we were greeted by a forest ranger telling us that I had no business going up that mountain with these Jeeps. He had heard someone was stuck, was headed up there to help, and had assumed it must have been me. I pointed out that there were no scratches in my paint. That was before we had cameras on phones, because I would sure have loved to have some pics of that.

 

[-JD-]

Rental Chevy Trailblazer XL in the days before GPS maps, etc., with my wife and 2yr old. We were at the Death Vally "RaceTrack" which is about 26 rough miles in from pavement.

I looked at my DeLorme Nevada Gazetteer ... Hey look, this road continues on over that ridge to the Saline Valley, always wanted to check that out, seems to be the same class of road and is kinda sorta not much longer than going back the same way. Don't worry about that 4x4 sign, this a national park and they are just uptight.

10 mi. In my wife screams "stop", gets out, and starts walking 'cause half the time we are 6in. from 50 ft++ straight drops. Son is in back having a complete blast! Get over the ridge and down into valley and we have a good mile of boulder field. Then another 40 miles of washboard, washout, and mud until pavement.

Only later after getting home did I find this ...

4-Wheeling the Lippincott Mine Road in Death Valley - DesertUSA

BTW Did I telly you that I LOVE Saline Valley. I've been back twice since.

That which doesn't kill us, makes us try harder.

One time I was following this tarted-up 4-Runner out from the springs in my rental. I think he might have been half-baked, but is slewwing all over and tears out his sidewall on some road-edge guard blocks. Twit did not have the special long-thinwall socket for the lugs in his aftermarket wheels. Probably had to send someone to Vegas or at least Lone Pine to find something to be able to change a spare and get out of there.

I miss the desert!

 

[The Chairman]

I already posted this in the EV thread, but I bought that Stang. Meet Machelle, aka My Little Pony. My biggest complaint with my buddy's Prius, is that the two ruts for a road onto my property are too deep for it. Like my T350 (Vanessa) and Edge (Carnessa), Machelle clears it just fine.

 

[The Chairman]

Just in tonight is a level 2 48A Tesla Charger that seamlessly transitions between NACS and J1772. I'll pick up the 6AWG cable and 60A 240V breaker in the morning. I also got the 240V adapter to go from a NEMA 6-50P to a 14-50R, so I can plug her travel charger into most any drier outlet.

[

 

[The Chairman]

Wow. The new adapter really makes a huge difference on the travel charger. It was showing that it would be ready tomorrow just before noon, now it will be done way before midnight.