Making Lifetime Memories Off-Road with Grandpa

Special to ModernJeeper by Phillip Thorpe, known to many from the ModernJeeper Forum.  We appreciate hearing stories of off-roading, jeeping, the great outdoors and family.

The Editors

Paw Paw Takes Me Hunting (and Off-Roading)

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm blares letting me know its 4:30am and it’s time to get up. I can still smell the coffee as it brewed before my grandfather even rolled over and yelled, “Get your lazy rear up!”

It would always take me a little bit to wake up, but once awake I was dressed in my warmest clothes and in the “Monster Truck” and ready to go in a matter of minutes. I knew I was about to embark on my favorite part of the morning…riding to the hunting stand with my “Paw Paw.”

Grandpa is an amazing man. I called him Paw Paw as a youngster and still do to this day.

The mornings were always my favorite time to go into the woods. Something about hearing the hoot owls in the distance or even a turkey gobble on a warm day. But during the wintertime, it was busting through the ice in the 4×4 truck and digging through the mud holes of our bottom lands.

I still smile fondly at the ability of my grandfather to fool me into thinking that the truck could steer itself as it drove inside the ruts of the road. Hands off the steering wheel, he would look at me, smile and boast how this magical truck could do its own thing and stay on course.

An old Jeep helps these hunters get around in the bottom lands.

It’s the journey…

Getting to and from the stand is what I enjoyed most as a kid. Yeah getting to harvest a deer was always a blast, but it was spending that time with my grandfather that always meant the most.

I can remember hoping it would rain, just so we could go ride around and look for deer. While the hunting is what brought me to the outdoors, it was the off-road vehicles that I enjoyed the most. It didn’t matter if it was a truck, Jeep, or even a four-wheeler. It was just getting off the pavement and spending time with my best friend.

I think many of us get so wrapped up into our build or just going out and conquering the hardest trails, that we forget what is important. Spending time with our kids, grandkids, or even just the neighborhood kid that adores your rig every time you drive by.

It’s the time that we spend with them that shapes their lives for decades to come. You create a new steward of the land. A person that one day may return the favor to another youngster and keep the cycle going.

Some of the Thorpe clan during hunting season

While it was me going deer hunting with my Paw Paw, it was really him getting to spend time with me. He unknowingly molded me into a person who would love off roading, love the outdoors, and love spending time with family. Thanks Paw Paw. You’re the best.