Ashley Wants to do the Rubicon

You may recall reading about Pickle, a popular rider on the trails. He likes romping around the Southwest with other four-wheeling aficionados. He had his day in the sun back in April 2023. You can read about it here: Pickle Thinks He Is A Big Dill

I’m one of Pickle’s siblings by adoption. (Parkay, another sibling, is my older sister.)Because Pickle is older, I’ve spent a lot of time in his shadow. Well, no more. It’s time to bust out.

A TJ by any other name

Born in 2005, I am an Unlimited TJ. Most folks call me an LJ because I am longer than most TJs. I was a plain Jane the day I came home.

Whew.

Thankfully, Pops calls me Ashley. I like that name. And while Pickle refers to The Man as Boss, I prefer Pops. It fits him well. An older guy, he’s friendly with a corny sense of humor. He hums interesting tunes when he’s working on me, which happens occasionally. Takes good care of me, too, though he’s a little protective. More on that in a bit.

I’ve had a couple other homes over the years. I hope Pops and I can stay together. We make a good team.

Occasionally I’ll hear him talking about my coil on plugs and other electronic modifications done at the factory. “Makes her a lot zippier,” he brags to his friends. “She’s fun to drive.” I can’t help but smile. Yes, a TJ can smile, in her own unique way.

About a year ago he gave me new lockers for both the front and rear with 4.88 axle ratio. Now I handle the rough terrain just like the big boys.

But then I’ll hear him griping about my 33s. That guy. More on that in a bit, too.

Ashley gets absconded

You probably heard about my unfortunate incident recently. Don’t care to dwell on it, but you deserve to know the story.

When I’m not in the stable, Pops keeps me in a (supposedly) secure lot. It’s a handy place, near where he begins some of his excursions. Occasionally one of his students needs a vehicle. That’s where I come in.

The lot has cameras and a gated entrance. Someone lived there, and kept a couple dogs. So Pops felt comfortable stabling me there.

At one point this person takes off, leaving me and everyone in the lot vulnerable.

One day a couple of bad people snuck into the compound. They used a crowbar to rip open one of my doors. Ouch! That hurt.

They couldn’t get me started, though. Pops had installed some special parts to prevent that. So the bad guys pushed me down the road. How unladylike is that?

I ended up at an awful stable. Along the way, my roof rack was torn off. That left a nasty scar in my roof. To add insult to injury, the bad guys cut up a bunch of my wires and stole some of my innards.

Pops eventually tracked me down. I knew he wouldn’t give up on me. He, along with some guys in brown uniforms sporting handguns, rescued me. Pops towed me to his favorite beauty shop. After about a week, I was back to near normal.

I’m fine as long as we don’t go near that storage area. When we do, I get a little jittery. Some people call it death wobble. I can hear Pops muttering, “Whoa, there. Settle down. We’ll be past it soon.”

Ashley is one tough TJ

But enough about that. I’m back home now…and I’m no slouch. In fact, I think it’s time I proved myself. And what better place to do that then on the Rubicon?

I just love hearing Pickle’s stories when he returns. He seems to have a blast.

Oh, I get my dander up when they’re preparing to go. Pops picks up on that. “Settle down, ol’ girl. You’ll get your chance one day.” But when?

I hear Pops telling friends that I’m not quite ready for the environment. He moans about my 33-inch shoes. Heck, 33s used to be all the rage. Says I should have a beefed-up front end to handle the Rubicon. (I guess my rear end is fine. Haven’t looked lately.) He also says my Dana 30 front axle housing should be upgraded to a 44 or at least gusseted. Well, duh!

I don’t know what gusseted means but I like getting gussied up. I just don’t want eye lashes around my headlights.

What’s a gal to do? Drive down to Auto Zone and drop a credit card on the counter?

Pops is being overly protective, in my mind. I think I should be given a chance to prove myself. I wanna goooo!

A new wound for bragging rights

Us gals enjoy the outdoors just as much as the guys do. And while image is still important, I understand that four-wheeling can leave its marks on a lady (and a guy). I’m OK with that.

Speaking of owies, I managed to get another one the other day.

Pops was towing me when I had a little run-in with Big Red. Literally. The tow bar broke, and I kept going. Next thing I know I’m making contact with the gas can support rack on Big Red. I suffered a really nice gash above my left eyebrow.

Part of me wants to claim that I got in a cat fight with another TJ at the mall. But I’m an honest gal. I’ll hang with the truth.

Pops says he’s having trouble find a new hood. Says maybe I can get by with a patch over that spot. And place another over my right eyebrow to match. How would I get Ducked looking like that? C’mon! If the guy really cares about me, wouldn’t he plunk down some of the green stuff and get the right goods?

We’ll see.

Anyway, that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it. If you see me around town or on the trails, feel free to say hello. Perhaps we can even compare war wounds.

# # #

Did you miss the previous articles?

2025

2025-09-14 “You can’t get through” he said.
2025-08-07 Tow Bar Invaluable For Four Wheeling
2025-07-18 Valuable Hacks for Tent Camping
2025-06-10 8 Valuable Hacks For Four-Wheeling And Camping
2025-05-26 10 Concepts For Responsible Four-Wheeling
2025-04-15 Trail Safety
2025-03-22 Wheel Cheat: What It Is and How to Avoid It
2025-02-09 How to Quickly Escape a Natural Disaster
2025-01-14 Be A Hit At Camp With A Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie

Some Upcoming Events (click on the link for details)
The 2026 schedule of clinics and adventures trips will be posted by the end of November on the web site.
See the entire 2025 Schedule

73 KI6FHA
I hope to see you on the trails!
Tom Severin, President Badlands Off Road Adventures, Inc.
4-Wheel Drive School
310-613-5473
www.4x4training.com
Make it Fun. Keep it Safe.

If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. You can forward them the email. If you received a forwarded copy of this newsletter and would like to subscribe for yourself, go to: www.4x4training.com/w/contact-us.html and follow the instructions to join our mail list.

Want to Use This Article in Your Magazine, E-Zine, Club Newsletter or Web Site? You are welcome to use it anytime, just be sure to include the following author/copyright information: Tom Severin, 4×4 Coach, teaches 4WD owners how to confidently and safely use their vehicles to the fullest extent in difficult terrain and adverse driving conditions. Visit www.4x4training.com to develop or improve your driving skill.

Ashley Wants to do the Rubicon

October 2025

November 2025

December 2025

Related posts:

"You can’t get through" he said.

Tow Bar Invaluable For Four Wheeling

Valuable Hacks for Tent Camping

8 Valuable Hacks For Four-Wheeling And Camping

10 Concepts For Responsible Four-Wheeling

Trail Leader Safety

Like this:

Shopping Cart

Article Categories

Ashley Wants to do the Rubicon

October 2025

November 2025

December 2025

Related posts:

"You can’t get through" he said.

Tow Bar Invaluable For Four Wheeling

Valuable Hacks for Tent Camping

8 Valuable Hacks For Four-Wheeling And Camping

10 Concepts For Responsible Four-Wheeling

Trail Leader Safety

Share this:

Like this:

Shopping Cart

Article Categories