<– Day 15 – April 1: From Cathedral Valley to I-70 | Overview  –>

Checking out Jack’s M-38A1 and Randy’s CJ-5 at the Boise Fry Company in Boise, ID.

Day 16 April 2nd: We spent Tuesday night, April 2nd, in Salt Lake City.

Day 17 (final) April 3rd:  On Wednesday April 3rd, we arrived home in Pasco after 5,198 miles of adventure. However, earlier in the day we had one last meeting and a large bet to settle. A little history . . .

In February of this year I spotted a set of mounted Terra Tires in Boise for only $50. Since he lives in Boise, I asked Josh if he could pick them up for me, but he told me his wife was having a baby that day. I asked if they could reschedule the whole baby thing since the tires were a great deal, but for some reason they didn’t think that was a good idea.

So, I asked Jack if he could pick them up, which he did for me (thanks Jack!). It just so happens that my darling wife was listening to me as I made final arrangements for the tires. I told Jack that we’d pick them up in early April on our way back from our Southwest trip.

After finishing my phone call, I hung up, only to see Ann giving me an odd look. She asked why we were going to Boise on our way back when we were supposed to return through California from the FC event. Well, that didn’t register with me. My brain suddenly kicked into high gear, sorting through thousands of jeeps posts and other useless information in an attempt to remember any conversation regarding a trip through California. Finally, there was a brief hint of some conversation months ago about us celebrating a honeymoon by driving north up highway 1.

Now, having been in several relationships with women one thing I have learned to do is fess up right away if you think you’ve screwed up. So, I told Ann that I had forgotten about the honeymoon trip. While you can imagine that went over well, I countered by explaining the value of getting the tires for only $50 and how important it was to meet with Jack and his friends.  While not swayed by my arguments, she did agree that it wasn’t practical to go through California on this trip. I breathed a sigh of relief!

But then, she threw down the gauntlet. She told me she didn’t think the tires would not fit in the back of the jeep since we’d be full of camping gear and clothes.

And thus, for the weeks before and during our trip, every time I mentioned Boise or the tires she teased me about having to rent a uHaul trailer to bring them home. I replied, confidently, that one way or another I’d get them into the jeep, even if I had to tear out the seats and ship them home. I really hoped I didn’t have to do that.

Our jeep before we tried packing the tires. It was pretty full. I was confident though.

Could I fit these tires into the back of our full jeep?

At 1pm on Wednesday we showed up to have lunch with Jack, Randy and Josh at the Boise Fry Company (they have great burgers and fries)!  Jack beat us to the restaurant. In the back seat of his M-38A1 were the tires. One look at them and Ann was sure she would win the bet. Ever confident and cocky, I began to unpile everything from the jeep.

I’m pleased to report that after re-arranging, packing, pushing, flattening, twisting, praying, and jumping up and down, I successfully managed to get the terra tires into the back of the jeep. They are now in Pasco awaiting transport to be tested on Biscuit in Renton. Yeah!

Victory! By dropping down the seats I was able to push stuff farther towards the ceiling. My wife lost graciously :-)

After the tires were packed, we checked out Jack’s M-38A1 and Randy’s CJ-5, both in fine condition. Then we ordered some burgers, ate, talked jeeps, and enjoyed the warm spring Boise sun. It was a fine ending to a great trip. Thanks to all three guys for taking the time to meet with us!

With the great Southwest Trip over, we now have our sights set on the Eastern Seaboard. We have  chosen a departure date just yet, but will announce it soon. It should be a great time and another fun adventure.

Jack added a lawn mower starter to his jeep after being teased for using a part from a lawnmower (but I can’t remember which part!).

The great dash debate: We all got to wondering whether a CJ-5 dash and a M-38A1 dash were interchangeable. It took us a few minutes to remember that we had both right in front of us and could compare them. It was the first time I realized how much taller a M-38A1 dash is. But, it seems like the CJ-5 dash would fit onto a M-38A1. To fit the M-38a! dash onto the CJ-5 you’d have to add holes for the bottom left and bottom right bolts. Has anyone ever swapped the dashes?

<– Day 15 – April 1: From Cathedral Valley to I-70 | Overview  –>