Aaron Robinson: Occupied Moab Surrenders to the Wrangler

Among the unexpected things that Jay Harvey Robinson did during his life was buy an army-green 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 out of the newspaper for $1500. He said he thought it would be "kinda fun." In fact, it was an antisocial cube made out of rust, noise, and mechanical disaster. Dad started calling it "the Land Smasher," and I have no memory of  him ever driving it. Instead, my sister and I shared it for a few Michigan winters, after which the road could be seen passing underneath. Youth is a time for bad decisions, and an FJ40 is an excellent catalyst. I once turned up four hours late for dinner, encrusted to my frostbitten knees with muck and being followed by a tow-truck driver demanding $150 in cash. Another time, I decided to explore a new housing development that was little more than a muddy field. About 150 feet in, I realized the danger and put the Smasher's helm hard over. Heeling to starboard like the wounded battleship Yamato, she was starting to turn around when the sea of ooze finally claimed her. I lost a sneaker trying to long-step out, then galumphed on one shoe to my friend Chris Schop's house. His dad tried lashing some rope to the trailer hitch of their Buick LeSabre, but when the rope snapped, he shrugged and went home. From then on I was known around the Schop house as "the mud puppy." READ MORE ›› from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 647533