We had a great time this SAT at the Midnight 4Wheelers Club charity ride for Wheelers for the Wounded at Boulder Creek Park.
The event was held to raise money for an event in May where the club will host wounded warriors and their families to give them a weekend outside enjoying trail rides. Jason of Wheelers for the Wounded is trying to organize a ride in every state over the course of 2009. The boys and I might just get the chance to hit a couple of states.
We skipped the Friday night camping because it was Halloween and nothing was going to stop the boys from rounding the neighborhood for candy. Since we headed out early on SAT, only B. and the dog joined me. It was a great ride. Many of the Midnight 4Wheelers rigs are trailer rigs, so even if they flop, they still have a ride home.
Since we were driving up and back in the JK, I was hoping to at least make it out in drivable condition.
Bumblebee did pretty well; we lost one tire in a river bed, front and back license plates popped off, and I knocked the gasoline evaporation canister off the bottom climbing a hill. Nothing that kept me from making it home, and when we ripped the tire, I couldn’t believe how the Midnight 4Wheelers all pitched in to get it changed quickly and safely.
Dad, B., dog, and JK all made it home in one piece. I should have the new tire tomorrow. (The crew at 4Wheel Parts knew I was looking for it because they had already seen the picture of the damage!)
The evap canister is sitting on my dresser with the glue drying. (I think the Jeep will run without it, but I’d feel bad about the fumes getting into the environment.)
After the ride, we had a great dinner of chicken-fried chicken with white gravy, corn, and fries while the TexasTech game played.
We heard all the plans for the upcoming event for wounded warriors. B. even won a gift certificate to General brake shop in the door prize raffle!
We met an amazing bunch of people: John, Terry, Jorge, Rich, Lynne, Mike, Kyle, Jeremy, Tommy, Al, JD, Dale, and so many others, all very nice. Kyle told me about some amazing experiences driving the HMMWV’s around Ramadi, and Jorge had the good news that his wife just made it home from Iraq.
There were so many organizations and people that gave their time and sponsorship to the event that I want to list as many as I can remember. These are regular folks who want to do anything they can for troops who have sacrificed their bodies to defend us all. If you are in the area, do patronize their businesses if you have a chance. (I'm sure there are others I've forgotten!)
Wheelers for the Wounded
http://www.wheelersforthewounded.com/
Midnight 4Wheelers
Midnight 4Wheelers
http://www.midnightfourwheelers.org/
Boulder Creek Park
Boulder Creek Park
http://www.bouldercreekfarms.org/offroad.html
Take a Soldier Fishing
Take a Soldier Fishing
http://takeasoldierfishing.com/
4Wheel Parts
4Wheel Parts
http://www.4wheelparts.com/stores/Store-Info.aspx?sNo=35
General Brake and Alignment
General Brake and Alignment
http://www.jkcustoms.com/
Trees Ranch
Trees Ranch
http://www.treesranchoffroad.com/
If you want to see any more pictures of the event, here is my flickr album on the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccoppola/sets/72157608611055649/
If you want to see any more pictures of the event, here is my flickr album on the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccoppola/sets/72157608611055649/
(And some of the pictures here are borrowed from Jesus Man and Shane, to give proper props!)
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