{"id":35418,"date":"2025-10-09T18:55:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T01:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4x4training.com\/w\/?p=35418"},"modified":"2025-10-12T09:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T16:39:47","slug":"ashley-wants-to-do-the-rubicon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.4x4training.com\/w\/ashley-wants-to-do-the-rubicon\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashley Wants to do the Rubicon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m one of Pickle\u2019s siblings by adoption. (Parkay, another sibling, is my older sister.)Because Pickle is older, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time in his shadow. Well, no more. It\u2019s time to bust out.\"Ashley<\/p>\n

A TJ by any other name<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Whew.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s friendly with a corny sense of humor. He hums interesting tunes when he\u2019s working on me, which happens occasionally. Takes good care of me, too, though he\u2019s a little protective. More on that in a bit.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had a couple other homes over the years. I hope Pops and I can stay together. We make a good team.<\/p>\n

Occasionally I\u2019ll hear him talking about my coil on plugs and other electronic modifications done at the factory. \u00a0\u201cMakes her a lot zippier,\u201d he brags to his friends. \u201cShe\u2019s fun to drive.\u201d I can\u2019t help but smile. Yes, a TJ can smile, in her own unique way.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

But then I\u2019ll hear him griping about my 33s. That guy. More on that in a bit, too.<\/p>\n

Ashley gets absconded<\/strong><\/p>\n

You probably heard about my unfortunate incident recently. Don\u2019t care to dwell on it, but you deserve to know the story.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m not in the stable, Pops keeps me in a (supposedly) secure lot. It\u2019s a handy place, near where he begins some of his excursions. Occasionally one of his students needs a vehicle. That\u2019s where I come in.<\/p>\n

The lot has cameras and a gated entrance. Someone lived there, and kept a couple dogs. So Pops felt comfortable stabling me there.<\/p>\n

At one point this person takes off, leaving me and everyone in the lot vulnerable.<\/p>\n

One day a couple of bad people snuck into the compound. They used a crowbar to rip open one of my doors. Ouch!<\/em> That hurt.<\/p>\n

They couldn\u2019t 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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Pops eventually tracked me down. I knew he wouldn\u2019t give up on me. \u00a0He, 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.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m fine as long as we don\u2019t go near that storage area. When we do, I get a little jittery. Some people call it death wobble. I can hear Pops muttering, \u201cWhoa, there. Settle down. We\u2019ll be past it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashley is one tough TJ<\/strong><\/p>\n

But enough about that. I\u2019m back home now\u2026and I\u2019m no slouch. In fact, I think it\u2019s time I proved myself. And what better place to do that then on the Rubicon?<\/p>\n

I just love hearing Pickle\u2019s stories when he returns. He seems to have a blast.<\/p>\n

Oh, I get my dander up when they\u2019re preparing to go. Pops picks up on that. \u201cSettle down, ol\u2019 girl. You\u2019ll get your chance one day.\u201d But when?<\/p>\n

I hear Pops telling friends that I\u2019m 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\u2019t looked lately.) He also says my Dana 30 front axle housing should be upgraded to a 44 or at least gusseted. Well, duh!<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what gusseted means but I like getting gussied up. I just don\u2019t want eye lashes around my headlights.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a gal to do? Drive down to Auto Zone and drop a credit card on the counter?<\/p>\n

Pops is being overly protective, in my mind. I think I should be given a chance to prove myself. I wanna goooo!<\/p>\n

A new wound for bragging rights<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019m OK with that.<\/p>\n

Speaking of owies, I managed to get another one the other day.<\/p>\n

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\u2019m making contact with the gas can support rack on Big Red. I suffered a really nice gash above my left eyebrow. \"Silver<\/p>\n

Part of me wants to claim that I got in a cat fight with another TJ at the mall. But I\u2019m an honest gal. I\u2019ll hang with the truth.<\/p>\n

Pops says he\u2019s 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\u2019mon! If the guy really cares about me, wouldn\u2019t he plunk down some of the green stuff and get the right goods?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

Anyway, that\u2019s my story, and I\u2019m stickin\u2019 to it. If you see me around town or on the trails, feel free to say hello. Perhaps we can even compare war wounds.<\/p>\n

#\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did you miss the previous articles?<\/p>\n

2025<\/strong><\/p>\n