I grew up on Lookout Mountain in Fort Payne, Alabama; which happens to be the midway point between Chattanooga and Gadsden- less than an hour from both cities.
Despite visiting the place throughout my own childhood, somehow I had yet to take my own family there. I suppose our new Jeep serves as constant motivation to discover (or rediscover) nearby hidden gems!
Children ages 3 and under are free admission, so we only paid a total of $16 to enter the park. That granted us access to the petting zoo, the train ride around the park, and the trails that go down to the bottom of Noccalula Falls.
It was a great way to spend an Autumn morning…
So if you are looking for a fun affordable family road trip, I highly suggest Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama!
Owning a Jeep Wrangler means that suddenly, any drive immediately becomes an adventurous road trip. That definitely was the case Labor Day Weekend.
My wife and I drove from my parents’ house in Fort Payne, Alabama to downtown, Chattanooga; the while time with the top off the Jeep and the whole time along the brow of Lookout Mountain.
We traveled through 3 states in doing so: Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.
About halfway through, we stopped for a hike along side of the mountain top, at Cloudland Canyon State Park.
From there, we stumbled upon some hang gliders who were flying all around us. This was quite a sight to see!
It was a fun date! I really enjoyed being able to spent time alone with my wife all afternoon, while my parents and sister watched our kids.
At age 38, having fun is still important. Having a cool wife and a cool Jeep helps make that possible!
Part of my character arc and personal journey this year in 2019 is that I had to test out my new Jeep’s off-roading capabilities and my own abilities to drive it through some self-prescribed extreme conditions this summer.
After 3 really close calls in the span of 3 weeks, I finally decided I need to settle down a bit, knowing that I had truly broken in my Jeep.
With that being said, I got the Jeep really, really dirty… and muddy… and stinky.
But thanks to Papa visiting last week while I was at work, the two of you were able to help get my Jeep looking and smelling better than it ever has since I’ve owned it.
You no longer have to worry about or wonder why your Jeep Wrangler JK 6 Speed randomly pops out of gear for no reason! And no, it’s not you.
It’s not that you’re accidentally not forcing the shifter all the way into 1st gear. And no, it doesn’t pop out of gear every day.
In fact, I handed over to the keys to my 2010 Jeep Wrangler JK to a local transmission shop, but after a week of the shop owner driving it on a daily basis, he handed the keys back: “I couldn’t find anything wrong with your Jeep.”
Fortunately, I have the answer you have been looking for! I will save you thousands of dollars, and, I will save your from cringing in anticipation every time you shift into first gear, doubting yourself as you wonder if the shifter will pop out of 1st before you can get it into 2nd.
Instead of rebuilding or replacing the transmission, the first (and likely last) place to start is buy purchasing and installing a B&M Precision Sport Shifter (45195), which fits the 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK.
It will cost you a little over $500, plus hiring a mechanic who can install it for you; about 3 hours worth of labor.
It’s this simple: Chrysler didn’t make a strong enough shifter for the Jeep Wrangler JK.
Therefore, it’s pretty common for them to pop of out of 1st gear and to not always go into reverse.
I admit- I questioned whether this new upgrade would actually solve such a seemingly serious and potentially expense issue.
Therefore, after my dad spent about 3 hours installing the B&M Precision Sport Shifter (45195), I took him and my mom on a trial by fire, off-road test drive. Just a few miles down the road from my parents’ house where I grew up on Lookout Mountain in Fort Payne, Alabama, there is a series of dirt roads that are part of the Little River Canyon National Reserve.
The main path is simply called 05; which extends from one end of the trail to the other. At certain points, you can cross Little River to get to another road like 02 or 04.
Keeping my 2010 Jeep Wrangler JK in 4 wheel drive, it was just no issue driving through giant mud puddles that stretched from one side of the road to the other; nor was it any struggle to cross the river itself.
We were gone from 10 AM until 6 PM, only stopping for one hour for lunch at Wildflower Cafe in Mentone, Alabama.
And during that solid 7 hour test drive, not once did it ever pop out of gear!
Not only that, my Jeep simply drives better since the upgrade. It’s as if the beast now has a new master!
Since the big test drive, I have also driven it 3 hours back to my home near Nashville, Tennessee; as well as to work and back a couple of days now.
It just doesn’t pop out of gear anymore. Not once. Problem solved.
For every year older you get, it seems that much closer to my memories of my old childhood; since my memories are that much more elaborate the older I was.
So for me, it’s pretty easy to think back 30 years ago to the summer of 1989.
I remember I attended baseball camp. The main thing I remember is that Jonathan Shugart got hit in the head with a baseball.
I remember that was the summer that our town got a Taco Bell; because I went there for the first time in my life, after baseball camp; during the first week it opened.
And I definitely remember our whole family going to see the original Batman movie in the theater.
I remember that I was excited about starting 3rd grade, because it would be at a new school, where you were able to pick juice instead of just milk.
You’re going to have a great school year. I can tell you from experience.
I also can tell you that you won’t forget this summer, just as I didn’t forget my summer preceding 3rd grade. I’m sure getting the Jeep will help ensure that!
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