emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
About eWillys
Welcome to eWillys.com, a website for vintage jeep enthusiasts. I update this website nearly every day with jeep deals, jeep history, interesting reader projects, jeep related info, and more.
These quick searches can help you find things on eBay. People list in the wrong categories all the time, so don't be surprised to see brochures in the parts area for example. This section used to be split into jeeps, parts and other categories, but recent changes to eBay will require this information to be recoded.
The links to posts below show jeeps grouped by models, condition, and other ways. Some of these jeeps are for sale and others have been sold. If you are unsure whether a vehicle is still for sale or not, email me at d [at] ewillys.com for more info.
Importantly, the allure of buying a project jeep can be romantic. The reality of restoring a jeep can be quite different, expensive and overwhelming without the right tools and resources. So, tread carefully when purchasing a "project". If you have any concerns about buying a vintage jeep, or run across a scam, feel free to contact me for help, comments or concerns .
Today we drove from Laughlin, Nevada, to Yuma, Arizona (view yesterday’s post here). We began the day brilliantly, with a trip for ‘breakfast’ to Laughlin’s In-N-Out Burger. Ann and her gluten/beef intolerance forced her to spurn a delicious cheeseburger, but she did partake of a few of my fries. I, on the other hand, was quite pleased by my breakfast.
Map of our trip from Laughlin, Nevada, to Yuma, Arizona
We drove north out of Laughlin, crossed the Colorado River, and quickly reached Bullhead City, Arizona. One of our goals was to take a photo with the city’s large tortoise. Our mission was soon accomplished.
Next, I wanted to take a few photos of the Colorado River and the casinos of Laughlin across the river. Somehow, my wife thought that meant stepping into the cold river.
Good thing I was there to keep her from getting beamed up! I’d miss my travel partner.
Today we drove from Ely to Laughlin (see Yesterday’s post). We hadn’t planned to go that far, but hotels/motels in Vegas on Saturday night were expensive, while Laughlin was dirt cheap. And, since we’d never been there, we decided this was the opportune time!
We drove from Ely to Laughlin.
Our first objective of the day was a visit to the Ward Charcoal ovens. To reach them, we drove south on highway 50, a road that spans the width of Nevada and once called the loneliest road in America by Life Magazine. Just past Ely, we turned onto a dirt road and followed it for ten miles or so. As usual, when we arrived, we had the place to ourselves.
The ovens were constructed in the late 1800s to turn wood into charcoal for fuel in nearby smelters. When coke replaced charcoal, they were then used as, among other things, places to stay for sheep herders and cowboys. Finally, the area was turned into a state park. The ovens were much larger and in better shape than the one’s we’d seen yesterday in Utah.
History of the ovens.
How they make charcoal.
The six ovens all lined up. The setting was georgeous.
Ann doesn’t seem to mind being jailed. She’s enjoying her strawberry margarita.
Day three took us from Provo, Utah, to Ely, Nevada (See yesterday’s post here). We spent the night in Provo, because I got a deal on a hotel. The downside was that, in the morning, when I went down to the jeep I witnessed what appeared to be an odd transaction between two normal looking guys who could have been BYU students. Moments after I saw them exchange something in the middle of the parking lot, the police showed up. All this time I thought the best action was in Salt Lake City!!
Ann was trying not to be obvious, hence the blurry photo.
Day 3: Provo to Ely
From Provo, we drove south I-15, until we exited for Delta. For the next few hours we saw some sagebrush, some dirt, some mountains, and some snow. We even saw a couple flatties, too!! And, that’s about it. The Great Basin area is a desolate place and, if you like that kind of space, like my oldest son does, this is a bit of heaven. Here are some pics.
A self on the one-lane, crumbling, salmon dam located just west of Rogerson Service, Idaho.
We began the morning just north of Twin Falls (See day one of our trip here), We didn’t make if far before we realized that we, and by we I mean “I”, had forgotten to pack our Gazetteers (like this), those trusty, detailed maps, ones safely tucked away in my office. Sigh. But hey, who need maps when we have the internet … until that disappeared, too. Then we relied on hope!
Day 2 took us from Twin Falls, Idaho, to Provo, Utah.
Our first destination on a cool Thursday morning was the county park near Buhl, Idaho, called Balanced Rock. We followed Highway 93 through Twin Falls, then veered south until reaching E 3700 N Road. We took a right and encountered the strangest center line. After much discussion, we concluded it was a disgruntled county employee who’d had enough of life: too many straight lines.
Why the strange centerline? We’d soon find out.
Satisfied at with our arbitrary conclusion, we followed E3700N for what seemed like hours, but was more like twenty minutes. Suddenly, the flat lands gave way to a gulch. To negotiate the gulch, the road began to wind back and forth. Aha! That explained the wavy line at the beginning of the road: it marked the road that led to the park!
The road into Balanced Rock Canyon Park.
At the bottom of the gulch, a small sign guided visitors to the park.
Zollie (a male) is a Shitzu Pomeranian. He’s more cat than dog, fearful of his own shadow. He’s most brave when camped under our bed. He tolerated the situation as best he could, even if his expression suggests he’s being tortured. Those are his Easter bunny ears.
Day 1 of our trip to the 2016 FC-Roundup started slowly (See our trip overview here). My wonderful, unpredictable wife decided that coloring Easter eggs and taking a photo of our dog Zollie was an important task to accomplish prior to our departure. While I was not amused, Zollie was even less enthused about the idea. I think his face said it all, “Oh, the inhumanity!” However, he’s a good sport and the photo session ended fairly quickly.
Today’s trip was a quick drive to Twin Falls.
Once we made it out the door, we drove for five hours until we reached Boise. There, we stopped at the new Boise Co-op in Meridian, which is a definite step up from the downtown location. It’s also much more convenient for us, because it is a short hop off of Interstate-84. We will be back!
Next we ate dinner at the Boise Fry Company. The burgers are good, but it is really the fries that bring you back. In the bowl is a large order of purple potato fries (they have 7 or 8 different kind of fries you can choose and something like 10 different dipping sauces as well). Next to the bowl of fries is a bowl of brussel sprouts that were very good. It was the first time we’d seen those on the menu and we’ll order those in the future as well.
With full bellies, we waddled out the jeep and drove the rest of the way to Twin Falls.
Tomorrow, instead of taking I-84 (the fast route) to Salt Lake, we plan to drive south to Wells on 93, then cut east through Wendover, drive through the Salt flats, then on to Salt Lake City where we’ll dine with my two youngest kids. We’ll be spending the night in the Provo-Orem area. On Friday we’ll be heading back to Nevada and, after hitting the National Park & Ely (pronounced Eee Lee), will head south until we feel like stopping.
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who offered to read the book! I’ve selected a couple readers. I will do my utmost to get the book finished so everyone can get a copy.
On Wednesday afternoon we begin our drive to the FC Roundup. We’ll be on the road just under three weeks. We’ve got several tours, a giant fork, a wild west town, an art museum, a ride in a GPW, dinner on a plane, a photo op with a (mostly) naked book seller, lunch at 13,000 feet, and much more planned. Of course, we’ll also have a busy couple days of FC fun at Jesse’s.
This is a rough map of our planned trip.
On another note, I’ve printed seven “proof” versions of my next book. I plan to do one more sweep through the book to refine it, build an index, and look for errors. The book is a non-fiction 450-page book that has nothing to do with jeeps. I hope to have the book finished by the Fall of 2016.
