You may call me crazy, shoot most do, but when I first heard Cappa talk about the OD Road Trip I knew I wanted to go. Besides the gobs of invaluable digital media I was bound to collect on our trip it just sounded like a fun adventure, one of those stories you tell your kids and grandkids (probably a few times with the way my memory is going).
For those of you not familiar with the 'Deuce' here is a quick run down. What is commonly referred to as a 'Deuce' or 'Deuce and a Half' is actually a military 2 1/2 ton 6x6 truck. They come in many varieties and configurations. Some spend their lives as water trucks; some spend their lives as troop carriers, while others spend it carrying around cargo to our men and women in all corners of the globe. The interior of the 'Deuce' is very crude. Aside from the drivers suspension seat there are no other creature comforts, in fact the passenger seat may as well be a piece of plywood (actually, it is). There is no radio, no AC no heat, though they do have 2-40 air (2 windows/40miles per hour). Even if it did have a radio there would be no way to hear it over the loud hum, well roar, of the engine and muffler-less exhaust. Cappa described it best; it is like sitting on top of a diesel generator.
Anyway, back to the story. By now I am sure that you have all read John Cappa's "Impulse Deuce" story (page 48, November 2006 issue (http://www.jpmagazine.com/roadtests/154_0611_jeep_m35a2_military_truck/) ) and have read about their adventure bringing his new to him '66 M35A2 back over 1,000 miles from Washington state. As you read in that story Tech Editor Hazel joined Cappa on this journey, and boy was he glad to see me hop into the passenger seat of the Deuce. Finally somebody else to laugh at, he wouldn't be the only victim of the Deuces 'passenger seat of doom'. If you don't get it, I refer you back to the "Impulse Deuce" story.
As the start of the trip loomed nearer and nearer I kept getting more and more excited. The morning of the trip I made the 100 mile trip from my house to meet up with Cappa and his Deuce. Let me tell you, the first time I saw that truck and first sat down in the 'passenger seat of doom' it was nothing like I had imagined. It was better!
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of 'Five Day's in a Deuce'