I have been fortunate to attend many vehicle events from the Indianapolis 500 to the Beijing International Auto Show, but have never seen the spectacle I saw today in Michigan.
Over a thousand Jeeps, and two thousand attendees showed up in the small town of Mesick (population 451) for the 9th Annual Jeep Blessing. I was amazed by the collection of rigs on display from classic Willy’s, to 2010 Jeep Wrangler JKs and everything in between.
The Cadillac Jeepers club hosts the event and really knows how to throw a party. Jeeps started arriving at 7:00 AM and continued flowing through the gates until early evening. Most were reverently parked in a huge field by 11:00 AM when a local pastor blessed the Jeeps and their owners.
Vendors were set up prominently between the mud bog and off-road course and lines of Jeeps queued up for each of the events. It was wonderful to meet many of the attendees from new drivers to seasoned veterans. These diverse groups of folks all share in common their love for the iconic off road vehicle – Jeep.
I took the opportunity to visit with some of the drivers as they waited for their turn at the mud bog or off road course to learn about their vehicles. These are good people, down to earth, fun loving and real. One young man in a beautiful dark blue CJ-7 casually brushed of the compliments I gave him on his ride. He said he loves his Jeep but knows there are newer and prettier ones out there. I turned the conversation back to his ride and he laughed and said that he spends a lot of time touching up some of the little flaws when he sees them. But being a teenager he does not have a lot of cash -- so he does what he can. As he was about to enter the bog, I asked him if he was worried about the mud, and he replied that the thrill will be worth the time it takes to clean it up again. He grinned and said that after last year’s event it took him two full days to get all the mud cleaned up from inside his Jeep.
Later in the day I met a couple teenage girls trying to help each other brush mud out of their hair. I asked “tongue in cheek” if they had been mud bogging and they said they had ridden along in their Dad’s YJ with the top off. Their Dad asked if they wanted to watch from the sidelines but they insisted in riding along.
Jeepers come from all walks of life and enjoy using their rides in all sorts of ways from a simple soccer mom Grand Cherokees, to perfectly restored Willys, to extreme mud boggers and rock crawlers. It is truly a privilege to associate with these passionate folks and to be able to work at Superior Axle and Gear that supplies products to fuel these passions.
-- Jeff