JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - Spring 2008 - Index

She’s got it figured out, and – what I think is most important
– she’s helping new Jeep and SUV owners get a handle on their
vehicle and trail ethics. Remember the first time you looked at a
transfer case lever and saw “4-hi” and “4-low” etched on it?
“Aw, shit, I don’t have to learn how to use that do I?” is exactly
what I wondered. I’ll bet you thought the same thing, perhaps
without the foul language.
How about the first time you saw trash on the trail and
thought, “Somebody should do something about that?”
Nena’s made it her daily work to teach driving technique, safety,
and trail etiquette through Sedona Jeep School.
Bonus time: Sedona Jeep School really isn’t school at all, as
there are no exams, there are no beatings with a yardstick, and (it
seems) the whole day is recess.
Not all jobs are perfect, though – not even running a Jeep
school. On the counter at headquarters I noticed a shiny, black
three-hole punch. My least favorite piece of office
equipment. Paperwork infiltrates every business, I
guess.
I have to admit that Nena is not what I expected,
either. Straw cowgirl hat, six-shooter on the hip,
rattlesnake boots, and a pair of long horns on the
hood is what I was prepared for. Instead, a
ponytail, hiking shoes, pleasant smile, and
Columbia convertible pants—a modern
outdoorswoman, cut from the latest REI catalog.
At our fist stop along the trail, she set the
precedent. “Look at all of these bullet casings.
Let’s pick these up. Get that beer can, too.”
The Biz
Nena opened up
Sedona Jeep School
four years ago as an
annex to a Jeep
rental business,
Farabee’s. You may
have seen this rental
outfit in Moab, Utah;
Ouray, Colorado; and lovely Sedona, Arizona.
Sedona Jeep School is successful, in part, because
of the nature of Sedona’s tourism economy. The
Coconino National Forest surrounds the town, as
do the famous red rock spires and vortices that
bring vacationers and pilgrims alike – they’ve all
come for the scenery. Local tour businesses have
fleets of Jeeps modified to carry up to 10
sightseers. The nearby roller coaster-like trails draw
in the tours as well as individuals renting Jeeps,
and Jeep owners looking for a suspension-testing
thrill. The “Jeep thing” is in the air here, but not
everyone is satisfied with a tour or rental.
And how does one get into this business? Maybe the destroyed
ring and pinion displayed on the rental counter answered it well:
a solo green driver behind the wheel of a rental on a rocky trail is
often disastrous. Being in the rental business, Farabee’s has seen
countless folks come to Sedona, rent a Jeep, and then proceed
to twist the drive train into a Christmas tree ornament with
amateur antics; or they’ve met folks who fear putting the first
scratch on their new Jeep. It seems a natural progression then:
personal off-highway training, debunking the myth that
successful off-highway driving is in the throttle.
That’s what I was thinking, anyway.
(Left) Just a portion of the trash we collected
(Below) A view from the Sedona Jeep School
mobile office