SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021 | 11A
JEEPS from page 1A
“I put an email out
and everybody gathered
together one morning.
We had around 17 Jeeps
show up that first time,”
he said. “We typically run
anywhere from nine to 20
Jeeps on a run.”
Jeeps R Us gathers on
the second Saturday of
each month.
“We schedule a run or
we stage someplace here
in town together, and we
take off on a backroads
tour,” Applebee said.
“We’re not hardcore off
roaders or anything like
that, but we do have a
group of members who
like to go out on the dunes
as well. They do that on a
regular basis.”
The “Dunes Squad,” as
he called them, typical-
ly goes out mid-week to
avoid weekend crowds.
“We have scheduled a
couple events where we’ve
taken novices like myself
out and tried the dunes to
see if we would like it or
not,” he said.
Unfortunately, that is
how Applebee learned of
a problem with the front
axle of his Jeep Wrangler.
His fellow club members
had to help him out of a
few sand traps out on the
dunes.
“I got it fixed and then
took it out on another
event that did just fine,”
he said. “A lot of the mem-
bers in the club are very
eager to help each other.”
The club’s rides of-
ten include traveling on
trails, lesser-known roads
and the highway to. So
far, their trips have in-
cluded taking North Fork
Road up to Yachats and
Richardson Road down
to Swisshome, as well as
driving around Mapleton,
Smith River, Ada and Silt-
coos Station.
“I always try to do about
a two or three hour
run, and then peo-
ple come back to
town and they
kick tires. Some of
them meet togeth-
er for lunch after-
wards and things
like that,” Applebee
said.
First, the club is
a vehicle to get out
on the road, but it
also allows people
to bond over their
Jeeps and the expe-
riences they make
from driving them.
All ages have joined
in, with one family
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
bringing their kids Cal Applebee (driving) is often seen around Florence in a
along for the ride.
historic Jeep, especially during parades and at events.
Club
mem-
bers also try to include to get out and about tion” newsletter that goes
non-backroad events, like and see what’s out there out once a month.
a poker run and scavenger around the Florence area,”
“It has articles on mem-
hunt.
Applebee said. “But then bers and their Jeeps, her-
“That was a lot of fun, the funny thing was, there itage-type
information
because a lot of these folks were some of the locals on vintage Jeeps and how
are fairly new to Florence. who’ve been around here Jeeps evolved,” Applebee.
So it gave them a chance their whole lives, missed
Up until he retired
some of the clues.”
from being the director of
Jeeps R Us is not a for- OCMM in 2019, Applebee
mal club, with officers or wrote the “Military Heri-
membership dues.
tage Chronicles” as part
“The real emphasis is of Siuslaw News’ monthly
Jeep owners and Jeep en- Community Voices sec-
thusiasts,” Applebee said. tion. In it, he often wrote
The club does have a about his vehicles and
logo and Facebook page, Jeeps in particular.
but
Applebee
focus-
“I counted up the other
es more on the monthly day, and I have had some-
events and a “Jeep Junc- where around 33 or 34
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Jeeps in the last 27 years,”
he said.
Some of those are his-
toric military Jeeps, which
other club members also
have. Those are just a lit-
tle bit harder to get to
highway speeds, Applebee
said.
“When we did the Vet-
erans Honor Cruise back
on Veterans Day, 22 Jeeps
participated in that,” he
said.
Other vehicles were
part of the November
cruise, held last year in
place of Florence’s Veter-
ans Day Parade. The club
teamed up Rhody Cruis-
ers and Rods N Rhodies
for the event, which drove
around Florence and past
area retirement homes.
The same car groups are
looking at ways to cele-
brate Independence Day
in July.
“We’re going to do an-
other cruise and we’re go-
ing to call it the All-Amer-
ican Cruise,” Applebee
said.
The plan is to start in
Florence, drive around a
designated route and end
with a tailgate party.
“It’s just a way for every-
body to get together drive
their rigs,” Applebee said.
“That’ll be open anybody
who wants to participate.”
The club’s events are
contingent on the state’s
guidelines and restrictions
under the COVID-19 pan-
demic. But with partici-
pants driving their own
vehicles, a vehicle club is
one way to maintain so-
cial distance and limit in-
door gatherings. After all,
“off road” is about as far
from the indoors as you
can get.
If people want to get
involved with Jeeps R Us
Florence, they can contact
Applebee at cal97439@
gmail.com to get added to
the email list.
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