Riding a child's mini Jeep across two states to visit Area 51 seems like a completely mental idea when you say it out loud, doesn't it? Of course it does. Which is probably why Ed March and some buddies did a quad conversion on the thing, after quickly realizing that the original engine that the mini Jeep came with was absolutely not up to the task.
And then, to make the idea even better, March decided he wanted to ascend some gloriously snowy Utah mountains on his newest whip. So, he and his friends asked, what if they made it possible to swap from normal, road-going wheels to snowmobile tracks to enable such a method of travel?
There are, of course, plenty of problems with this idea, not the least of which is that ground clearance is still very much an issue. Those snowmobile tracks make a difference, but the kind of deep snow that March is traveling through still means that the inherent low ground clearance of the mini Jeep is sometimes too big a challenge to overcome.
That's why you'll see and/or hear about March having to spend multiple hours digging himself out after getting stuck in the snow in this latest installment in his Area 51 series.
What's kind of funny watching this video after having my own first snowmobile experience last week is that I feel like I understand the dynamics at play here a bit better than before. I don't know what the mini Jeep and twin snowmobile track contraption that March is driving weighs, but the way the skis and the single snowmobile track on the back work together keeps the 600-plus pound machine nicely perched on top of the powder, even in the super deep stuff.
Conversely, if a rider gets off their sled in that deep powder, you'll instantly sink through and be up to your hips in snow; ask me how I know. That's also, I imagine, a big part of what's happening here with the mini Jeep.
But while spending roughly five days up in the Utah mountains freezing doesn't sound particularly fun, something else March discovers along the way is that there are some really kind people you can run into. Sure, there are also awful people in the world you can run into, but if you're lucky, you'll meet super rad folks like the ones March meets up the mountain. An extremely nice man named Vince and his family offer some much-needed help to March when he needs it most.
Not, incidentally, that they don't think that March is out of his mind. But it seems like they admire both his seeming insanity in pursuing this vehicular pilgrimage, as well as his sheer and stubborn refusal to give up no matter how difficult the going gets.
Honestly, both March and Vince have the kind of energy I think we need going into this year. Persistence and kindness are two things I think we could all use more of. Chase your dreams, do the impossible, and be kind.
