It was a Blast!!  The temperatures were little warm on Saturday, but a great weekend for “Jeepin”.  The Murphy’s Law Trail lived up to its name on several occasions. It is really quite amazing how many different ways the trail can rise up and claim unsuspecting victims. One thing that never changes on Murphy’s is the irrepressible namesake, Gary “Murphy” Williams. Knowing the forecast was for high heat and humidity, Murph put his mind to work and came up with a plan to stay nice and cool in his non-air-conditioned Jeep. Murph and a select group of known innovators gathered together to develop the Dual Circulating Murph-O-Matic Super Ventilator. After acquiring a dual electric fan from an old Ford Taurus, the plan was developed to locate the fan on a special plywood material which would then be placed upon the roll cage of the Jeep.  The fans would provide near hurricane force wind circulation in the seating area and cooling power unsurpassed by any other system so far developed at this time. The plan worked to perfection with one small exception. Anytime Murph would pass under a branch with leaves, the leaves would be sucked into the Murph-O-Matic, chopping them into fine clippings, suitable for rolling if you would be so inclined.  This opens up a whole new aspect for the Murph-O-Matic but we won’t go there now.  Doug “Cannonball” Richter who was forced to ride with Murph on Saturday afternoon due to a steering box issue with the Cannonball, had nothing but praise for the system.  He noted the leaf clippings were a bit of a distraction, but it would sure move a lot of air. Included are some pictures of the system.

We experienced several issues on the trail.  On Friday, the “Cosmetic Elixir” mud hole claimed a TJ as the mixture of mud and other organic compounds caused the TJ to stop running.  Faithful Trail Guide Randy “Ghost Rider” Newport helped get him back to town and fixed up to run on Saturday.  Another Jeep managed to pop a bead on the Slick Rock section.  Saturday was rather uneventful until the afternoon when the infamous MUDHOLE ate two Jeeps. The water level was down, but the mud level made up for it.  The Can Opener created havoc for several of the brave adventurous souls. Several opted for climbing the ledge wall while a few sought to conquer the gnarly crevasse of the Can Opener.  White knuckles were evident for several of the drivers. Winches and expert guidance from the Ghost Rider got those out who found themselves wedged in the rock. Brenda McKinley faced the challenge of the wall and was unstoppable as her black YJ seems to morph a little more each event. Jeff “What Road” Shuck worked his way up the crevasse with the help of his trusty winch.  Several of the boys from Wisconsin faced the challenge as well. It was a good weekend of Jeepin. It is hard to believe the summer is nearly over, but just like the Cub fans say, Wait till Next Year!