 As a child so intrigued by the lore Of the local Army Surplus Store I would visit every chance I got Not knowing then that Surplus would be my lot As I grew older I loved to visit them still The gas masks the boots, when I had time to kill The camo jackets, pants and shirts I loved to look, its one way I got my kicks I can remember the musty smell when walking in They still smell the same as I’m taken back agin’ an agin’ Its a constant reminder of gone by days Alive in my memories which are at times a haze Mickey Mouse boots and Jackets telling tales of distant lands In the Army Surplus stores, there they sat - on shelves and stands That musty smell, oh so grand A nostalgic trip, you understand. Growing older I still love to go To the surplus store rain sleet or snow Oh, those Surplus stores of yore Where memories linger evermore Never knowing that someday I would have my own A store with my daughter at that time unknown When she was little I would take her to enjoy The camo, jackets gas masks tents and more It must have stuck in her mind All that camo and gear To make such an impact To want her own store - named for a Bear BearTrax was her idea not at all mine It came to her one day and I came along for the ride - Bill Kregel  How we picture our brick and mortar.
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 Amidst untamed wilds, where shadows do dance
The Wilderness calls with its silent trance A world unchained, where freedom is sung Its echoing voice, by nature's tongue I hear it call, that primeval plea A summons so fierce, a call to be Free Despite the hardships, the rugged path I heed its call, dispelling its wrath For in its heart, a solace reigns A peace untouched by mortal pains A sanctuary where my soul takes flight In the realm where the day meets the night The Wilderness, a stern domain Its brutal rules, its rugged terrain Yet I press forth, with spirit ablaze Seeking wisdom in its untamed maze For midst the struggle, a truth unfolds My own mortality, stark and bold The fleeting years, like stars they fade Yet in The Wilderness, no fear pervades Embracing death with a steady grace I find a refuge in its embrace For life and death, like rivers, flow In The Wilderness, their secrets show A whisper in the rustling leaves A sacred hush, my spirit receives I see and hear, in every sound The presence of God - profound In every howl of wind and beast In every sunset's fiery feast The Wilderness, a temple grand Where God's Creation takes its stand So though The Wilderness may bear its strife And test the limits of mortal life I journey on, with heart unswayed In its wild embrace, I find God's shade  In the heart of nature's grandeur lies a realm untouched by the hustle and bustle of urban life – the rugged mountains. These towering giants, crowned with misty peaks and cloaked in lush greenery, beckon the intrepid traveler to step beyond their comfort zone and embrace the allure of the wilderness. Join me on a journey through time and terrain as we prepare for a hiking escapade into the majestic mountains. My intent is to stir within you the love of the wilderness and what it has to offer your soul. To share with you the solace I find in the wilderness. The Call of the Heights The distant rumble of the mountains calls to the wanderer's soul with a siren's song. The heart stirs at the thought of conquering their heights, traversing untamed landscapes, and immersing oneself in the secrets whispered by the wind through the ancient pines. The journey ahead is a pilgrimage to the core of one's being, where nature's splendor and the human spirit merge as one. The Path Less Taken With the spirit of exploration burning within, the selection of the right trail becomes a choice of paramount significance. Maps spread before the firelight, the fingers tracing the lines of potential routes, each a thread woven into the tapestry of the land. Trails vary in difficulty, terrain, and sights to behold. The seasoned hiker understands that every step forward leads to a choice – an affirmation of the path less taken, promising untold treasures and challenges alike. Gathering the Provisions As dawn breaks over the horizon, the hiker dons the mantle of preparedness. Provisions are chosen with care, for the mountain demands tribute in the form of sustenance. The satchel is filled with hardy rations – dried fruits, hearty bread, and jerky cured to perfection. A canteen of fresh water is primed to quench the thirst that accompanies the ascent. Maps and compass, like loyal companions, are tucked close to the heart, ready to guide the way through nature's labyrinth. The Dance of Elements In the mountains, one becomes attuned to the symphony of the elements. The sun's embrace and the cool caress of the mountain breeze shape the rhythm of the day. The trek unfolds amidst the ceaseless ebb and flow of nature, each moment an encounter with the untamed beauty that has remained unchanged for eons. Rain may descend, a reminder of nature's dominion, yet the traveler presses on, their spirit unyielding. Campfires and Celestial Canopies As the sun dips below the craggy peaks, the adventurer's thoughts turn to campfires and camaraderie. The flickering flames dance with shadows, casting stories upon the walls of the wild. Beneath the celestial canopy, stars twinkle like gems set in the vast expanse of the night sky. The conversations that transpire around the campfire are a tapestry of tales, woven with threads of awe, laughter, and the bonds formed in the crucible of nature. The Summit's Embrace The summit looms above, the culmination of toil and aspiration. Each footfall becomes a testament to the indomitable spirit that carried the traveler this far. The peak's embrace is bittersweet – a moment of triumph and reflection, where the world lies spread before the gaze like an open book. The mountains, silent witnesses to the passage of time, whisper their secrets to those who dare to listen. The Legacy of the Mountains A journey through the mountains is more than a mere physical escapade; it is an odyssey of the heart and soul. The legacy of the mountains lingers, woven into the very fabric of the traveler's being. The lessons learned, the challenges faced, and the bonds forged are a testament to the human spirit's resilience and capacity for wonder. As we bid adieu to the heights and descend back to the realm of the everyday, we carry with us the echoes of the mountains, forever etched in our memories. And so, dear reader, I beseech you – answer the call of the mountains. Embark on a pilgrimage to their grandeur, for within their heights, you shall discover not only the mysteries of the natural world but also the depths of your own character. In short you will see and hear God.   It was November 11th, a Thursday morning. I woke up at 4:30, checked the weather for the third time. The forecast was promising. It was going to be 31 degrees and clear with no wind. I didn't want to waste a day like that at work. I sent my boss, Danny, a text message telling him I'd been up all night, sick, and didn't feel like coming in. Danny understood me and deer season. I stayed up and got ready. My springer spaniel, Lucy, stayed in bed and just before daylight I was sneaking toward my tree stand called "The Super Dome". I named it that in memory of a tree stand my dad had built down in South Georgia. He built his stand using four trees for corners and it was about 25 feet high. It had a square floor and a seat that could face in any direction. My Super Dome is a 20 feet tall ladder stand. It has a really comfortable seat at the top with a roof with a blind built around it. It's tucked back into the woods just enough to hide it and over looks a food plot planted in buck oats and peas. There are a few persimmon and apple trees, too. I was crossing the creek when I heard a crashing in the brush that sounded like a D6 Dozer coming towards me through the trees. It was two does and a spike, running. Behind them was a really big buck. Man, he was skint back. Because of his speed his rack was a blur. It all happened in half a second and they were gone. They didn't even see me. The four of them turned to their right and went toward the food plot. I turned to my right and hoped to intercept the buck on the trail that goes behind the Super Dome leaving the food plot. I was standing at the end of that trail and here he came walking and bobbing his head. I pulled up on him and he saw me and turned and ran back toward the Super Dome. I kept walking, hoping he'd take the next trail that was parallel with Interstate 75 South...and he did. He stepped into the open and after several tries I got a dry whistle out and he stopped and looked at me. I already had the cross hairs on him. Time stood still as I pulled the trigger of the Winchester 270 rifle my dad had gave me 30 years before. I knew I'd hit him but had my doubts when he took off and was running South up a hill. Then I saw his white belly as he piled up and rolled down the embankment. I walked up to him and it was then that I realized what a good buck he was. I sent Danny a picture and a message telling him I was feeling much better now. After gutting him, I loaded him in the truck and took a slow drive to the deer cooler...the long way. It was one of the best days of my life, so if you ever get the hankerin' to go hunting on a work day, do it. Pete Griffin   I have owned 2 different Jeep Cherokees in my life, the first one I paid $800 for it, it had a solid body and ran really good, the front end however was wobbly. When I bought it the driver's window was gone and it had a piece of plexiglass in it. I bought it because prior to it we had a Ford Windstar that was wrecked, which my oldest son drove, and I told him I would replace the Windstar but it was gonna be with a 4x4 Jeep. So I found it on Facebook Market Place for $800, I drove it home! It always ran really good and I did not have to put any money into it in order to drive and use it, the tires were good on it and I tolerated the steering. Oh, and the power brakes did not work so the brake pedal was hard to push, my son was not impressed with it and chose to buy his own car, but it was exactly what I was looking for, something I didn't have to worry about scratching or denting in the woods and it never left me stranded! After selling Jeep#1 (which I regretted by the way) I used my F-150 for daily driving and hunting, unfortunately it is a 2 wheel drive and there were places in the woods I could not go. Along with the 2 wheel drive limitation it has a long wheel base and could not make some of the sharp turns required in the woods. I considered many options on different kinds of vehicles and had decided on a Jeep Cherokee. Once I decided I wanted a Cherokee it then became - what year? What motor? Automatic? Manual? How much do I want to spend? How much work do I want to do? I decided it needed to run and of course try to get it as cheap as possible. I searched Facebook MarketPlace and found lots of Jeeps. Some were in really rough shape or the 4 wheel drive didn't work and some just were too much for what they were. I was looking for a Cherokee that was not all jacked up and abused in the woods and mud pits, it turned out to be quite a search as a lot of them are used for driving in the woods and are heavily modified. I settled in on a 1993 Jeep Cherokee Country. It had the 4.0 Liter inline 6 cylinder that I wanted, it was 4 wheel drive, it ran and the 4 wheel drive worked. It looked like it had been sitting for a while so I had it towed home and the fun began. I drove it off the flatbed and to its resting place for the next few months. My goal was to have it ready for, you guessed it, deer season! Once it was resting in the back I decided the first thing I needed to do was get the title squared away since the owner had lost the title and I only had a bill of sale. Off to the tag office with my bill of sale, which was scribbled onto and old envelope I found on the floor of it. Needless to say the lady at the tag office was not impressed at what I thought was pretty adaptive on my part, hey at least I got it on paper with his signature! As she looked down here nose at me she offered me an “official” bill of sale of the State that she told me I had to have filled out and taken to an insurance company that “bonded” titles. I never heard of a bonded title, she made it sound like I had took a shot at the pope or something by even buying a car without a title. Anyway, she gave me a list of insurance companies that bonded titles and off I went. For those of you that don’t know what a bonded title is, I will attempt to explain in laymen terms - I essentially had to purchase, for $100, an insurance policy that protected the interests of the state in case they issued 2 titles for the same vehicle. I was required to buy a $5000 insurance policy to protect the state, what that meant was if Drove the Jeep around town and somebody produced a title for the same Jeep and we went to court over it, one of us would receive the $5000. The coverage is based on what the state determines is the value of your car, they valued the Jeep at $250. The minimum value, for them, had to be $2500, even though in their mind it’s only worth $250, and the pay off is double the value, hence $5000. All in all it wasn’t a big deal, just red tape, even though the the snooty lady at the tag office tried to make it sound like I was a criminal. Oh, I had to have a policeman come and look at the Jeep to make sure it wasn’t stolen and even he had to fill out a form for the state. Once I got the title squared away I started disassembling, first taking lots of pictures before removing anything, pictures which turned out to be very valuable during reassembly. I should have had somebody filming the disassembly, that would have helped as well. The exhaust manifold had a big crack in it so that was first on my list, I went online and ordered it off Amazon. I found lots of the parts I needed on Amazon. I removed everything down to the block, the cylinder head I had cleaned, checked and all valves redone. New gaskets, new alternator, water pump, radiator, rackers, push rods, lifters, fuel injectors, sensors, coil, fuel pump, front fog lights and a hitch on the front. All of which was put together by deer season. There are some photos below where the driver's side front fender is damaged on the white Jeep, that happened the day I let my youngest son drive it to his friends house on a rainy day, ironically the same child did the exact same thing, on a rainy day, and the exact same fender with the red Jeep. There were a few hiccups and bugs to work out once it was on the road but so far, at the time of this writing The Jeep is running and driving good. I have listed below the parts I used, all of which were good parts and worked great for my 1993 Jeep Cherokee. Exhaust Header Jeep Manual Jeep Injectors Jeep Coil Jeep Radiator Jeep Front Spot Lights Jeep Front Hitch Jeep Marker Light Jeep CrankShaft Sensor Jeep Rocker Arms Jeep Shocks For HatchBack Jeep Number 1Jeep Number 2 |
