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Jeepers
Creepers
By
Bill E. Branscum ©2003
(Click Pics to Enlarge)
In a number of Jeep related things I've written,
I have made it a practice to suggest that anyone who happens
to be planning to bring their Jeep to Naples e-mail us,
as we know the area pretty well. That may seem a little
odd to those who are don't drive these contraptions, but
the Jeepin' community was like that when I bought my first
Jeep about twenty-five years ago, and that's one of the
things I liked about it most.
I'm sure that some people see pictures in offroad magazines
and envision a bunch of nasty, drunken brawlers with green
teeth engaging in all maneer of reprehensible activities
to the tune of "dueling banjos," but that has
not been my experience. While there may be any number of
Jeep owning "creeps" (my Megan's new word this
month), and there's nothing to stop Joe Serial Killer from
buying one, I've liked most of the people I've met through
Jeep related activities - some of them I've liked a lot.
In September, a guy who identified himself as "Omi"
e-mailed me, and wanted to know where I lived, as he and
his friend Almo were going to be coming over from Miami.
He seemed like a nice enough guy, but I knew right away
that Omi was going to need a sense of humor - "Omi
One Kenobi" seemed too obvious a nickname
for the kids to miss.
Omi said they couldn't make it on Saturday, so we agreed
to meet early the next Sunday morning and go riding before
Church.
Omi and Almo showed up right on time. |
Omi's '02 TJ |
Almo's '98 TJ |
We took them to the Picayune State Forest,
a huge tract of land within about five miles of our home.
It's a local playground for all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts.
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In looking at the pictures, I admit that
Omi, who we re-nicknamed "Omi Juan
Kenobi" since he's Hispanic, looks like a bad boy from
the hood, but the bottled water doesn't quite fit that image.
The fact is, Omi Ramirez is a recent graduate of FIU, with
a BA in Psychology, who is preparing for Grad School. He
and his wife Ileana own a computer company in Miami and
"Ily," who also has a BA in Psychology, works
for the Dept. of Children and Families.
A truly pitiful excuse for a serial killer. |
Almo Cattani, and his wife Lisa, who are
standing behind Luz, brought their three year old son Johnathan
who is standing with Omi. Almo is a product development
manager for a computer company called Alienware and Lisa
works as an analyst for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. They
also have a 5 month old son named Stephen.
He and I don't speak Spanish. |
Lisa, Ily and Luz |
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| They wanted to come see some of
the mud puddles I had written about, so I took them out to
Miller Blvd Extension, a dirt road connecting the Picayune
Forest to US Highway 41 which is under water during the wet
parts of the year. While we were taking pictures of Almo,
he was taking pictures of us. |
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Almo 's '98 TJ doesn't have the benefit of the
new ignition system and the difference was evident. Although
he invariably plowed thru the worst of the water, he stalled
out several times which neither Omi, nor I, ever did. The
coil for each plug system certainly makes a difference. |
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| Although both Omi and Almo had 4 inch lifts
and 35 inch tires, our Rubicon managed to ford the water right
along with them. Omi recorded the "Submarubicon"
video - if it wasn't a video, nobody would believe that the
Jeep would continue running with the hood under water. |
Click for Video |
Along the way, Omi decided to try climbing over an abandoned
car. |
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"Omi Juan Kenobi" |
Ooops - the force went to wheelspin! |
Omi had the lift, but he didn't have the
lockers or the gears that Almo did. |
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Although slightly disadvantaged by his ignition system in
the water, Almo had all the advantages when it came to climbing.
His '98 TJ has 4.10 gears, 36" Swampers, air lockers
front and rear and a Terra Low X transfer case. |
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Then, he turned around and
climbed the car from the other side. |
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| Unfortunately, the time ran out before the fun
did. By this time, it was about noon so we all went back to
the house where my son Jeremy had pizza waiting - he had to
work that morning so he was unable to go with us. |
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| We had to pack it up and get to Church, but
we all agreed that we'd had too much fun not to do it again.
They told us about the 6th Annual Jeeptoberfest in Ocala that
the Ocala Jeep Club was having at the end of October; we checked
schedules and we all agreed to go. |
I suppose we may one day encounter a Jeepin' Creep, and
realize our mistake when he and his banjo show up at our
front door, but we have a German Shepherd that would bite
Jesus, and with the price of dog food being what it is
these days . . .
Anyway, from what I've seen thus far, I guess things
haven't changed so much in twenty-five years after all.
If you're planning on visiting the 'Glades in SW Florida,
e-mail us and let us know.
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