Hey, dudes.

[Stretch]

Hope all you kitty-whippers are doing well.

I really appreciate the PM's and e-mails I've received from you guys.  This is a great community of Tiger enthusiasts that really has each other's backs.

Things are going great for me now.  I've been back at work for about three months and back in the Tae Kwon Do dojang for a bit longer than that.  I'm fully-recovered, nice and strong, but with a slightly bent frame.  Sometimes it makes me walk in circles.   :mrgreen:

I got a great settlement from GEICO (my insurance), as the other driver was uninsured and Driving While Stupid.  I've been using the Tiger money to get my Jeep ADV-ready for scads of trails during a cross-country trip this fall.  So while having left the world of bikes, my ADV spirit is alive and well.

It still pains me though.  I saw a Steamer parked at a store a couple weeks ago, and I spent several minutes staring at it and sighing.  That's the reason I haven't spent any time here or on ADV... I'm still pining for ADV bikes and riding.  This is my first spring without riding since I was 12.  It just ain't natural.

But life goes on, fortunately.  

[Mustang]

 

[Bixxer Bob]

Good to hear you're doing well  

[Yukon]

Stretch,
It is good to hear from you again.  Glad to see your life is getting back in order....I think we need to see some pics of the Jeep.

[johnnyadventurepants]

Good to hear from you!  This site is definitely not the same without you.

[KuzzinKenny]

Good to hear from you!  This site is definitely not the same without you.

i`ll second that !!

now try and keep the Jeep rubber side down  :lol:

KK

[coachgeo]

Still think you need a Unimog instead of a Yeep  :D

Good to see  you in here.  Get a good roll cage. Stock Yeep cage is ok.  It saved my neck on a 2 3/4 roll in my 97 TJ but.if I had kids... would not trust them to an OEM cage.

[HappyMan]

Thanks for posting Stretch and great to hear from you.....Mustang, I think we need a place for Stretch to post photos of his four wheeled Tiger.  It could go under Tech..Roadies, Girlies, Steamers and Dreamers!  :D

We miss you Stretch.  Post some pics whenever you can.  We don't care that you're not on two wheels but I know that while it's easy for us it's difficult for you to be around it when you are pining for it.  I get it.  I've had sports that I've loved that I had to quit because of similar issues and I've had to remove myself completely from it or it would be too tempting to start up again.  But hey!  You're much more of a man than me so suck it up and post some pics!!!!  :roll:

[jphish]

Walking in circles ?  hell -  I do that & my frame isnt even bent...yet. Glad you're up and about and feeling good again. Jeeps are fun - put some stripes on the hood and you can think of it as a 4 wheeled Tiger. The experienced & knowledgable folks like you & Mustang are the backbone of these forums - thanks for all your past assistance to us newbies.  Best to ya, j

[Stretch]

Thanks, guys.  Good to BS with you all again.

You know me... I'm going full ADV on the Jeep.  New heavy-duty axles with locking differentials, full skidplates, tall springs and shocks, beefed-up steering, big mud tires.  You know, like if it were a Tiger.  

I'm just not myself unless I've got some dirt-worthy vehicle to overbuild.  Bikes sure are cheaper though.  

I'll post some pics of the Yeep in another month or so, once I get it hatched out of its larval stage.  The vehicle was completely stock when I bought it, so  everything that's been done to it I've done myself.  Which is the best way to do it, I think.  This way I don't have to repair some other idiot's screwed-up work and cheap parts.  Built, Not Bought... as Jeepers say.

I'm serious about continuing on with the ADV spirit though.  I have a military reunion in San Diego in September, and I was planning on making it a full-on ADV bike trip.  

But Plan 'B' will work just fine:  I bought the entire set of TransAmerica Trail maps from TAT guru Sam Correro, and I've rigged up a mountain-bike odometer for the Jeep.  I'm going to catch the TAT in Columbia, TN and take it as far as Colorado, then cut over to Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass (the Alpine Loop).  From there I'm going to spend a few days in Moab, Utah.

Also planned are Monument Valley, Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods, Canyon de Chelly, Sequoia, Yosemite, and scads of other interesting places.  I'll post the Trip Report here.  Hell, I might even see some of you ADV dudes out there on the un-pavement.   8)

[Advwannabe]

Great to hear from you Stretch!

I'm sad you've left the bikes behind, but I'm not you.

Enjoy the four wheeling and keep posting up here, we like having you around  :D

[Sin_Tiger]

Still think you need a Unimog instead of a Yeep  :D

 :roll: Pah! a man of Strech's stature needs a Range Rover  

Good to hear life is working for you    :icon_salut

[oxnsox]

Great to see you checking in Stretch, pop back anytime you see something that needs your input...or ours... :lol:  :lol:

[HockleyBoy]

Good to hear you are ok Stretch. The jeep thing sounds good, will look forward to your report.  :D

[aeronca]

your sounding great stretch. now, what if you got a steamer and added a side car? not quite a bike, not quite a car, but a happy medium :P  especially if you made it 2 wheel drive :twisted:  but, on the other hand, a jeep is pretty damn cool too. good to hear from you.     eric


p.s. i havent forgot the monroe fire dept. patch i promised you.