As you know I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve, the night before an off road adventure. Sure there is the anticipation of the adventure and the excitement of what’s to come… But there is always more.
Sitting outside a Starbucks (got to grab the WiFi where you can on an adventure) in the Biggest Little City in the World, I am struck by, of all things, community. You see six years ago when we started all this we didn’t really know much about what we were getting into… What we found were good people and a community that cares.
We mention Metal Tech 4×4 often and sure they make some of the best off road products in the world but they are more than that… in the last few weeks I spent a lot of time in their shop getting the Blue Bunny ready for Rubicon. I mentioned my concerns about not having time to really shake down our rig after all the mods (Ultimate FJ Cruiser), the 2,000 miles we’d be driving and the real possibility that we’ll break something on the trail (after all this is The Con). Without a second thought, Mark offered us their truck and trailer to haul our baby down and back. Mark and LT have done so much for us and their generosity seems to have no end!
The tie-rods on the early Toyota FJ Cruisers have a weak point that will give when you apply enough force from larger tires, re-gearing and granite rock. Running down spare parts we gave Auburn Car Repair & Offroad a call. Without thinking twice, John gave us a couple he had picked up for their race truck, offered us tips he’d learned from his FJC desert racing experience and double check a few things on the rig for us.
This type of help goes on and on… guys like Beau Jaramillo, Kevin C… go out of their way for us. The NWFJC, NW Overlanding Society, TLCA are filled with great folks who will help turn a wrench or offer a hand when you need it.
Six years ago we thought we were individuals going out to get away from it all. Instead we have found a strong rich, community of people who have our back and are willing to go out of their way to help. We may venture out by ourselves. But we are never alone.