What a difference a few weeks makes, the weather at the Ladies Day run was great.  Of course, as with all of the TRJC runs this year it rained a lot just before the run but the ground was pretty dry.  In the morning it was in the sixties and by the afternoon it reached the low seventies and there was a breeze, really good weather for Jeepin.

Two trails were open for the run, Pokey’s and Hopewell.  Fifteen Jeeps went to Pokey’s, Chris and I went with seven other Jeeps to Hopewell.  Charlie led the way and Doug, Jennifer and Maddie rode drag.  We also had a new couple on the trail, they joined the club at breakfast and headed to the trails with us, everyone had a great time meeting and getting to know Paul and Lanie 

Chris and I had been on Hopewell for a work day a couple of years ago and we found that a lot has been added to the trail since then.  The part of the trail we worked on has been extended and The Wombles family has been very generous and opened up a lot more of their property to the club.  Charlie and Doug, with the help of many club members have been very busy clearing and making the trail a great place to spend a day. 

At one point Charlie led us through a tunnel that they had carved through a heavy stand of trees, it was pretty unique.  There are a lot of good hills, off camber areas and many creek crossings, many of them a little more difficult than the trail is rated as.  There is also a loop that is tight enough to give Cherokees and the new JK’s a real hard time.

At the lunch hour we climbed to the top of an Indian mound and looked out over the Mississippi River Valley and we could see the state of Missouri from that vantage point.  The day was pretty uneventful as far as damage goes, nothing broke although Charlie managed to rip a front fender flare off of his Jeep. 

At the end of the day Charlie led us back to Pittsfield through narrow country roads and we got to see a lot of nice country.  Ten of us then went to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant and ate a great meal.  At 7:00 PM several Jeeps met at the VFW and we headed to the Clark 54 Drive In located in Summer Hill.  We were all surprised to see Gary and Lee show up, Lee sure likes his popcorn.  Everyone sat in lawn chairs, socializing and enjoying the movie.  I say movie as several of us old and tired members left after the first show and headed for a nice soft bed.  I guess that we had too much fresh air, fun and excitement which of course is what the club is all about. 

TRJC has two more events scheduled for this year, the next one being the Annual General Meeting and Ma Earth run on September 26.  I have a feeling that there will be several trails open as everyone will want to get that last run in before the snow flies.  No one should miss this event or you’ll spend all winter kicking yourselves and wondering how you could do such a thing.  See you there.