Jeep Jamboree Hits Ground On All Fours Four-Wheeling Devotees Have Rugged Good Time

The hills around Wallace crawled with Jeeps and old Willys this weekend, as more than 100 four-wheeling enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada drove in for the Silver Valley’s third annual Jeep Jamboree.

“We see things that people on the freeway never will see,” said Einar Mortenson, a school bus company owner from Sturgis, S.D.

Small caravans of Jeeps trundled up overgrown mining roads on the way to ridgelines and alpine lakes. Along the way, experienced drivers coached novices over tricky terrain and steep slopes. There were no accidents.

“There’s a finesse and an art to be learned,” said event organizer Mike Millward, explaining how to deflate tires for more traction, and how to balance the wheels between road ruts.

In between trail rides, the four-wheelers talked shop, comparing suspensions, tires and gear ratios. Many wore Jeep hats, shirts and sweat shirts.

Millward said organizers were disappointed by the low turnout - half of last year’s. School and the approach of the Labor Day holiday cut attendance, he said.

“Next year, it will be earlier,” he said.

Millward, of Priest River, grew up with Jeeps. His father was a forest ranger in Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks. Even as a boy, Millward was impressed by his father’s “mechanical mules.” Today, he owns 31 of the rugged vehicles, from a 1947 Willys to a 1987 Jeep Wrangler. He restores the rigs as a sideline.

Jeep Jamborees are sponsored by the Chrysler Corp., which makes the vehicles. There are more than 30 such gatherings a year. People at this weekend’s event ranged in age from 3 months to 77 years old.

The gatherings give four-wheel-drive owners a chance to show they can be responsible, said Millward.

“The stereotype is that anybody with a Jeep is out there to tear up the terrain,” he said. “I love the outdoors, and I don’t like to see a meadow screwed up.”

The group picked up some trash left by what Millward calls “beer and hot dog” four-wheelers.

“Somebody forgot to spank them when they were young and make them accountable,” he said. “It’s not the Jeep that leaves the trash. It’s the people.”

Idaho State Police Cpl. Terry Ford, on hand as a medic in case of an accident, vouched for the group’s driving.

“I’ve seen a lot (of four-wheelers), how they tear up property,” he said. “This was completely different.”

Four-wheelers’ reputation as “hot-rod thrashers” has caught up with them, said Millward. State and federal agencies have closed many areas to the vehicles, he said.

“They’re shutting off more and more land all the time,” said Mortenson. “It’s only organizations like this that let us get back into the forest.”

, DataTimes