Everyone’s job has its ups and downs. Last week, mine tended to have more of both. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
The 50th annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari saw record numbers of Jeep enthusiasts signing up to hone their skills on some of the country’s most challenging off-road trails. And among the ‘newbies’ – the first timers – looking to check an off-road trail ride off their bucket list, was me.
It wasn’t in the original FCA Digital team coverage plan for Easter Jeep Safari, but when the opportunity arose to join a group of women drivers on a cure-for-cancer benefit ride, I signed on.
Turns out instead of observing from a backseat – I got the driver’s seat of a Jeep Wrangler Willys Unlimited. Women drivers’ ONLY, so my co-worker didn’t qualify.
Excitement was laced with a healthy dose of trepidation as I shifted into 4-low and set out on the six-hour Fins & Things trail, a winding series of deep sand and slick rock obstacles, each one bigger, higher, longer than the last.
By the half-way mark, I started to get the hang of it, not to mention the real thrill of commanding a vehicle that seemed to know what was needed to do the job before I did. My Jeep Willys and I were ‘one’ for the rest of the trip. The confidence that inspired translated into pure enjoyment and, as I powered up that last hill and saw the highway down below, a tinge of sadness that it was coming to an end.
But not yet! Here’s some closing thoughts on what being a Jeep enthusiast means from a couple of my Fins & Things ‘trailmates.’
