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I lived for Saturdays with my Puppy. On almost any Saturday, if you were looking for Ross Allen
and me, you would find us in my Jeep, Thelma Jane, and we would be on the trails at Turkey Bay Off Highway Vehicle Area in
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
My hobby, pastime, sport, or whatever you want to call it, is off roading with my Jeep.
Ross Allen shared my passion for "wheelin', " which is what Jeep people call it when they go off roading. I have a regular
gang that I Jeep with, and some of them are there just about any Saturday.
I bought a brand spankin' new 2001 Jeep Wrangler and took delivery on December 8, 2000. I call my
Jeep "Thelma Jane."
I was so particular with her for the first fourteen months that I owned her that I would never even
THINK about taking her off road. Geez, she might get DIRTY!
I kept reading messages that people had posted on Jeep websites about the fun they were having
going off road with their Jeeps, and I finally decided that I had to try it. On February 15, 2002, I went to Turkey Bay for
the first time. I had hooked up via the Internet with an experienced Jeeper who agreed to serve as my trail guide.
Ross Allen was with me that very first time that I ever went "wheelin." My cousin, Perry, who was
more like a brother to me than a cousin, was also with us that day. Perry and my Rossie Pup are both gone now. Perry had cancer,
and that's probably what Ross had as well.
Rossie Pup was with me the first time I ever "wheeled" my Jeep, and he was with me every time
I went wheelin,' except for three times that I can recall when it just wasn't possible for him to go with me. I have
almost certainly been off roading at least 200 times since that first trip in February, 2002, and, if so, Ross would
have been with me 197 of them.
Ross went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, with me to the Superlift Off Road Park the two times that I
have been there. That's about an 8.5 hour drive from my house. He was with me the two trips I have made to Tellico, which
is a famous Jeepin' place in North Carolina. You couldn't ask for a better traveling companion.
It's hard for me to have any enthusiasm for off roading now. I have been a couple times since Ross
died, and it was just too sad. Wheelin' was "our thing." Spending the entire day with my Puppy like that was the best
part of the those trips.
After a day spent wheelin', I would usually sit on the edge of the bed, as I always do when using
the computer, and upload the day's pictures to a Jeep website that I hang out at. Ross Allen would be dead to the world
and lying on the bed beside me. I would look at him and say, "Grandpa and Rossie spent the whole day together, ain't
that good?" I really meant it, too. I was always thankful for the days spent with Ross Allen.
The picture below was taken on my first "wheelin' " trip. The guy on the far right is Rod,
the guy I hooked up with to be my trail guide. That's me, of course, kneeling beside Ross Allen, and the guy with
the sunglasses beside me is my cousin, Perry. He was already battling cancer, and he lived just a little over a year
from that day. The guy to the left of Perry (Perry's right) was also going wheelin' for the first time and was a
friend of Rod's.
The second picture below shows how Ross Allen rode in the back of my Jeep while we were wheelin'.
The black carpet in the cargo area of my Jeep is solid brown with his hair where he always lay. His hair is embedded in the
fibers of the carpet, and it would be virtually impossible to clean them out. That's OK, I'm glad they are there. I don't
want to remove them.
The third picture below was taken during our Turkey Bay Clean Up Day on April 26, 2003. Ross
Allen was glad to help out. :)
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February 15, 2002 ,Turkey Bay, First Time Wheelin' |
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Turkey Bay 7/30/05 |
Even Doggies Know Littering is WRONG |
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Ross Allen Helps on Turkey Bay Clean Up Day 4/26/03 |
Our Saturday routine was something that I will always look back upon as being some of the happiest
days of my life.
I'm an early riser, and Ross Allen and I would get up about 5:30 AM. Ross always came up to me when
I put my legs over the side of the bed and put my feet on the floor. I would sit there on the edge of the bed for a few
seconds before standing up, and Ross would place his chin on top of my thigh and wait for me to scratch his ears. He always
had a doggy smile and a wagging tail for me in the morning.
I would take him out first thing to do his business and then spend some time on the computer, while enjoying
a cup of coffee or two.
At some point I would take my morning shower, and if Ross Allen wasn't already in the bathroom,
I would be sure that the door was not completely closed. When I got out of the shower, he would be lying in the bathroom
floor waiting for me. He loved to be near Grandpa.
By this time, it would be time to wake up my wife, and she would prepare breakfast, while I got
dressed.
My father in law is a widower and lives next door. He comes to our house each morning for breakfast,
and he used to get a real kick out of a little game that I played every time that I was getting ready to go Jeepin'.
When breakfast was over and it was time to leave for Turkey Bay, I would pretend that I couldn't
think of anyone to go Jeepin' with me. I would ask my father in law if he wanted to go, and he would say no. I would then
begin mentioning people who might go, but then state some reason why they probably couldn't. I would purposely ignore Ross
Allen while I was going through this routine. The longer this went on, the more excited Ross got. He whimpered and whined
and did everything he could to get my attention. Finally, when he could stand it no longer, he would jump up on
me, putting his front feet on my chest. I would then pretend to be surprised and say. "Oh, would YOU like
to go Jeepin' with Grandpa?" This routine was very entertaining to my father in law, and he always got a good laugh.
We would then head for Turkey Bay, a trip of about one hour and fifteen minutes, with Ross
riding in his spot in the back of the Jeep. Because Jeep Wranglers are so small, it was an easy reach between the seats for
me to scratch Ross's ears while we traveled along, and that's just what I did very often. I also talked to him quite a bit
during our trips.
When we reached Turkey Bay, I would park in the open field near the entrance shack. This is the
rendezvous point and staging area that people often use to get everyone organized before hitting the trails. As soon as I
opened the tail gate and let Ross Allen out, he would make his rounds, greeting whichever of my Jeep buddies were there. Of
course, he didn't limit his greetings to people he knew; he greeted EVERYONE as if he had known them for years. There were
smiles on lots of faces because of my Puppy.
Wheelin' the way we do it involves a lot of time out of the Jeep. Often, the challenging obstacles
are run one Jeep at a time while other Jeepers stand around watching, some taking pictures. Other times we might be out
of our Jeeps simply to take a break and discuss what trail we would like to do next. Of course, lunch was another time that
everyone would be out of their Jeeps. During these times, Ross Allen would socialize with the other Jeepers and with their
dogs, if anyone had brought their dog that day. (It was not too unusual for there to be at least one other doggy besides Ross.)
So, my Jeep buddies had plenty of opportunities to interact with Rossie Pup. They all loved him dearly.
Ross Allen loved going Jeepin' with Grandpa. He loved people, and going wheelin' gave him the opportunity
to be around lots of folks. Often there would be kids in the group, and Ross especially loved kids. Kids certainly loved him,
and even kids that were normally afraid of dogs somehow could sense that Ross was not a threat to them; they were not afraid
to pet him.
Ross enjoyed being outdoors all day, and so did I. We would come home and get so wonderfully sleepy
after all the time out in the fresh air. We slept like babies after a day of wheelin'.
My Jeep buddies were saddened by Ross Allen's death, and they wanted to do something to honor him.
I suggested that maybe we could have a little memorial service at Turkey Bay, and they loved the idea.
I took his ashes and a couple pictures of him with me, and we had a little service for Ross
Allen at a place where we often ate lunch. We gathered around Thelma Jane with Ross's ashes and his pictures on her hood.
Everyone in turn told of something that they remembered about him. Everyone had something to say. Our friends named that lunch
spot "Ross Allen Park' in his honor.
Ross Allen is mourned by many people. He was such a special, special doggy. He sure brought a lot
of smiles to a lot of faces and warmed a lot of hearts.
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Ross Allen Memorial Service 10/08/05 |
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