Author Archives: Matty

Lifting the LJ

because a lift kit answers every thing! In the beginning… If you’re going to roll bigger tires, then you’re probably going to want a lift kit. Some modifications seem to just go hand-in-hand with each other, but few are as close as a “lift & tires”. A couple of years ago I lifted my TJ …

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Modifications, Upgrades, and B.S.

it’s just a lot of work to give you a better impression of my lack of skill Modification – noun; 1. an act or instance of modifying. 2. the state of being modified; partial alteration. Upgrade – noun; 1. an increase or improvement:an upgrade in the year’s profit forecast. 2. a new version, improved model, …

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It Began With a Dream

It was February of 2019 and COVID would be taking over everything. At the time, I was just interested in finally getting a Jeep Wrangler. I’d looked at Jeeps for years and read anything and everything I could about them. What year models had what quirks? What to look out for from a rust stand …

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Queen Wilhelmina State Park

As a life long resident of Arkansas, I love to visit all the treasures of our state parks. I’ve known of Queen Wilhelmina for several years, but it’s location just kept pushing it down the list of places to visit. I have mixed feelings about the state park. On the one hand there are several …

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2022 ONF Adventure

The Ouachita National Forest is a favorite of mine. While not as technical as the Ozarks, there are still a ton of great trails to explore. The idea was pretty simple: My buddy Jackson and I would meet at Queen Wilhelmina State Park and drive across the Ouachita National Forrest to Lake Sylvia. We knew …

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January Camping

What a brilliant idea this was! So, it’s been a little while since Rendezvous in the Ozarks and we were all itching to camp and ride trails again. So a couple of friends and I decided to do just that last weekend. You know, when the weather dropped to 18 degrees at night. Yeah… Things …

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Adding some Tailgate Space

One of the things that I realized from RITO 21 was that I needed to address my lack of cooking space when out adventuring. My lack of space meant that I was at the mercy of the elements for whether or not I could cook food or make coffee. I had my small cook stove, …

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Well That Was Interesting

The whole COVID-19 thing is/was a really weird time. I’ve moved jobs, worked on the Jeep, and been to Rendezvous In The Ozarks (RITO) 2021. While there I went through 3 days of rain, lack of tools to overcome, failure after failure in my setup, and a generation appreciation for overlanding. I’ll be doing a …

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Rendezvous In The Ozarks

Going to kick this post off with a shout out to Natural State Overland for the great work they put up in making this event happen. Also want to give a shout out to Byrd’s Adventure Center for hosting it. So on October 13, 2021 I loaded up the Jeep TJ and headed out to …

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Hello September, I’m ready to Camp!

I believe that Arkansas has two seasons where it shines as a state. One is the springtime when everything starts to bloom and the fish start getting ready to irritate me for another season. The other is fall when cool evenings and clear skies beg for campfires and morning coffee. To be clear, the fall …

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