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Brucewillys

Active Member
First Name
Rick
Joined
Aug 29, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
36
Reaction score
20
Location
Hancock NH
Vehicle(s)
2021 jeep gladiator willys
Occupation
Merchandising
They say Jeep Owners are crazy and there may be some truth to that. After being laid off and having nothing better to do, we embarked on a trek across the Northwest on a quest to obtain the most elusive Badges of Honor and show our Jeep Gladiator what life is like outside of Arizona.

After a “brief” drive to the coast, we began our journey to Tillamook, Oregon to meet up with Jeep Jamboree and get the 2 badges there. Instead of taking the boring freeways though, we went straight up Route 1. Yes, it was slow, a few sections were closed but the view and the scenery were well worth the weeklong trip. We had an amazing time with the Jeep Jamboree group conquering Firebreak 5 and Cedar Tree!

Since we were already that far north, we decided at the last minute to drive up to Montana to do the Wild Bill Badge of Honor trails. The trails were fun, and it was interesting to see obstacles dug up on the side of the trails instead of the natural ones that we’re so used to here in AZ. Since we were driving solo, we decided to skip most of the obstacles and instead enjoyed the serene and picturesque drive through the forest.

While in Montana we had an extremely disappointing time at the Glacier National Park. “Going to the Sun” road was closed due to snow and at the bottom there was perpetual road construction pretty much in the entire park. Yellowstone didn’t disappoint though and having the Jeep gave us the ability to go places we wouldn’t dare with a rental.

From there we drove south to Wyoming and attempted to conquer Monument Ridge. We managed to make it about halfway up the trail before turning around due to muddy conditions, it’s been raining in Wyoming daily for nearly a week, or so we were told. Regardless, even halfway up provided us with an amazing 360 view of the surrounding snow peak mountains.

From there it was a 900-mile mad dash back home so the wife could get to work on Monday. It was a costly and grueling adventure, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Even our 5-year got accustomed to the long drives ……. although some may call it borderline child abuse 😊

Cost of getting the 4 Badges:

DURATION: 15 days
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 4,363 miles
TIME IN THE JEEP: 107 hours 30 minutes
COST for Hotels, Meals and Gas $5,300
ADVENTURE VALUE !!!Priceless!!!

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I enjoyed reading your story. It's inspiring. Very nice looking build you have going there. What fender flares are those? They look perfect for my build trying to gain clearance while maintaining tire coverage.
Thanks!
 
 



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