A few random thoughts...

[Ldub]

Well said my brother! I, myself being somewhat challenged (Don't go there!) am so very proud of Sir Jim's accomplishments. The blessed attitude of "I do" lives very strongly in Jim and I am humbled to have been in his presence. He and his 'tude will remind me of what I can accomplish on a daily basis and I can do it without complaint, no matter the difficulties.

Thank you both for finding a way to make this year a great experience!

Yes!! another wonderful gathering of my chosen brothers and sisters.Thanks for being there,in body or spirit.

Well put Dub. It was great to see you and Jim, as well as everyone else, back in Moab this year. It truely is the high point of my year and I always look forward to next years Moab trip as soon as I get home from this years.

I am always amazed at how all of us seem to get along so well yet we come from such diverse backgrounds. Our little family went through a lot this past year and we're always there for each other even though most of us have never met face to face before.

I am very proud to call everyone on the forum family and I look forward to what's around the corner.

Thanks alot Dub. I'm already upset that I can't make it cause it's too far. Now you lay this inspirational guilt trip on me. I can't take it anymore - think I'll go re-invent the chocolate monkey.

To All,
I was thinking along the same lines over the last few days as what Larry expressed here. I compiled an email at work, full of photos, to highlight the great time I had in Moab with the rare collective of friends and rigs (of which I am proud to be a part of), so I could show my selected and favored co-workers (35 of them) that simply, we exist... only because I think it/we truly is/are that special of a group worth noting. We are all so lucky to have had the option and means to attend the gathering in these times. But on a personal level, and more so, we are lucky to also be a part of a group that makes the gathering so special for each and every one of us! I thank you all for that feeling of belonging and acceptance and... peace... I get from you!!! Truthfully, Moab in May has become what I have started to term as "the family reunion".

I get sentimental when I think about selling Zeus because owning a VX has proven to be more than just about owning a car... Yet ironically, my experience has grown to be more about belonging to something as special and unique as what the VX has brought me, and less about owning that special and unique vehicle that brought me there. 4 years ago, I never would have been able to imagine the car I just bought would bring such a gift as "chosen family". LUV YA!!!

Sappy Sheeot or not......

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around what the last four years of Moab adventures has meant to me & Jim.
I know what this trip means to me every year , & I don't think I'm the only one around here who knows what it means to Jim.
If you've met him in Moab, you know.
It all started as an offroad adventure, seeing all the posts & pics from years gone by got the hook in DEEP.
We talked about it & started planning & saving, & were under the mistaken impression that the whole deal was about driving around on a bunch of rocky scenery. (it's everywhere you look, I tell ya...)

I'm happy to say I was completely wrong, even if they closed all the trails, I think there would be a pretty high percentage of this bunch that would still be there every May...
Some of us might even go hiking or mountain biking...

You all are what makes me go into a post Moab tail spin every year... And I Thank You!
After all, how could one appreciate pleasure, without pain to have as a comparison?

I can't explain how bummed I start getting about the time I cross the ND border. We've been back since tue afternoon, & today is the first time I've felt like posting, or even reading my email.

Oh, & Tom...You're welcome. Do whatever it takes, you won't be disappointed.