Great!… Now that I’ve officially grown a good head a of Jeep hair (stays nicely within a ponytail!), Jim tells me that we have to put the hard top back on the Jeep for the Winter.
Can you believe it’s already time to start planning for Winter???
It seems like just yesterday that we took the hard top OFF the Jeep.
But I guess it was inevitable. I recently took down our all our hanging- and potted-outdoor plants that are usually filled with bright red impatiens and vibrant purple pansies. Seems they’ve officially given up and called it a season, too. (My laziness in watering them lately might’ve had a little something to do with that though.)
You see, the Tennessee nights here have just been getting too chilly for us (riding around in the Jeep topless) and our flowers!
Downsides of Colder Temperatures
Just 4 days after the official start of the Autumn season, Jim and I officially closed the door on summer this weekend.
Despite the fact that the outside temperatures have been quite pleasant (highs 80s, lows 60s), it’s been hard for us to enjoy any Jeep rides BEFORE 1pm and AFTER 4PM regardless of the temperature, without being bundled up in fleece sweatshirts and long pants.
And night rides in the Jeep have been pretty much out of the question for the past couple weeks altogether.
So, with only 3 to 4 ‘good riding’ hours able to be had on any given day, it just made good, practical sense to put the top on now.
Pro’s Of Having A Hard Top
Good news… As it turns out, it might not be so bad after all. Seems we’re able to experience our new Jeep on a whole new level now.
You see, immediately after we lowered the Jeep hoist (that lifts & stores this mega-pound topper up along the ceiling of our garage) and placed it squarely back on the body of the Jeep, Jim and I took it for a spin (…to the nearest Smoothie King of course). And, I must admit, the ride at night, on a calm cool evening was quite pleasant with the hard top on and the windows down! There’s no way we could’ve enjoyed such a ride without it.
Plus, now the Jeep is lockable, so we can leave our valuables inside whenever we go into a store, restaurant, or what have you. With no doors and top, we always had to make a conscious effort not to bring anything that wouldn’t fit inside our armrest/console – cuz it’s the only thing on the whole Jeep that’s locked!
Since we’ve been married, my husband and I have owned 5 Jeeps (3 Wranglers and 2 Grand Cherokees). And when we’re not driving our own Jeep, we’re usually renting one (a 4×4 Wrangler on vacation). We keep a Jeep Bucket List of places that we’d like to go next, and we're always crossing more states off our list of 'Places That We’ve Jeeped in the USA'. As our daily driver, we keep the soft top on our Jeep Wrangler year round (and the back window permanently rolled up) so the dogs can enjoy the ride. Yep… even in the winter! I've been sharing my best Jeep ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998. When I’m not Jeeping or writing about Jeeps, you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
