As I clamor to have the rainy season end and the fall to kick in, I've been in the get-to-know-you phase with my Jeep. For instance, I have to get used to sitting closer than I used to in the Liberty. It is stick shift, and the seat is higher. Combine that with my short legs, and it makes for cozying up to the steering wheel a bit. I'm not thrilled about this, but it's a worthy sacrifice. My shortness also means it takes a little extra effort to heave myself up into the seat. The Jeep didn't come with side bars, but this is easily fixed because my husband ordered a set to be arriving any day now. He'll put them on and problem solved. I'm also getting to know the various panels of the soft top. There are three pieces that zip off and then the top is similar to a car convertible. It's easy to get off, but takes a little practice to get back on. Seems like no big deal, but when you live in Florida and it can rain at the drop of a hat, you need to be prepared to reassemble anywhere you are, not just in your garage or driveway. I'm working on that too.
Tonight I had a rare night out with my friend. A leisurely dinner at Carrabas with a glass of sangria and I was feeling relaxed. We laughed a lot, as we always do, and because I don't drink very often, I decided to hop in her truck to go over to the movies and we left the Jeep parked by the restaurant. Seems harmless, right? Well, August in Florida means the sky cracked open during the movie and it appeared to have rained quite a down pouring during the movie. We hopped back in my friend's truck and she dropped me at the Jeep. It was dark, and drizzling, so I hopped up in a rush and started the engine. There was already someone waiting for my parking spot, so knowing something wasn't quite right, I pulled out anyway. And by the time I got to the end of the parking aisle, I knew exactly what the something was.
My entire rear-end and the backs of my legs were totally soaked wet through my jeans. At the stop sign I dropped my clutch foot to the floor, only to splash down in a big puddle of water. I panicked. I pulled over and started feeling the inside of the roof panel, and the side panels on the door near the zippers. I was relieved but confused. There was no water at all on the ceiling or in the panels. Relief was for the assurance there was no leak, the confusion was over how the hell the floor of my Jeep was filled with water. I felt all around me and the passenger seat and nothing else was wet. The water was isolated. And then I took a closer look in the door frame. Mystery solved. The window was cracked open, barely enough to see, but just enough to provide flow from the rain outside, in. There was no way I could do anything until I got home, so I remained wet, uncomfortable, and annoyed. Did I leave the window open? Did the window slip down into the door? Or maybe on my way out at the restaurant, I knocked into the window- it's a crank window, not an automatic one.
Actually, none of that mattered. I was wearing sandals and my soles were sitting in water. I spent the rest of the drive home planning how I would dry it up. Jeeps are pretty rugged and resilient. The fabrics inside are pretty durable, but I don't want my new Jeep to stink in the morning. I pulled into the garage and ran and got some towels. I soaked up the puddle and blotted as much water as I could out of the carpet, and the seat, which I had largely sopped up with my clothes during the drive. Thankfully, my husband has a garage full of everything. I set up his shop fan inside the Jeep, ran the cord through the passenger side door to an outlet, left the window half open, and I'm running the fan all night. Hopefully, it will all be dried out and odor free tomorrow.
Jeep fiasco #1 is in the books. Let's hope it's the only one, or at least the last one for a long while. Lesson learned, always make sure the windows are all the way up, especially until rainy season is over!
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| Here's an idea... But I didn't even have the top off mine at the time! |
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