On 16th April 2005, we drove to Scotland to
collect "Jessie". On the same date in 2014, the insurance began for
"Hope" allowing a first drive of the GPW. Now in 2021, it's sixteen
years since we bought "Jessie" and seven years since
"Hope" returned to the road. We decided an anniversary drive was in
order for both Jeeps to celebrate their time with us. It also provided the
opportunity to give "Hope" a test drive with the new cylinder head
gasket. We waited until early evening as the sun was getting lower in the sky.
The temperature was dropping, but it would give us better photo opportunities.
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Like my other recent trips out, we didn't stray too far from home and found
country lanes to drive and lay-bys for photos. At the first few stops, I
popped the hood open on the GPW, checked for leaks and checked the radiator
level. All was good, so we kept going. I took the lead as I'm now a little
more familiar with the local lanes than Lynne is.
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Initially, the daylight was still bright and the sky blue, but as the minutes
passed, the light started to become a more golden yellow as the sun headed for
the horizon. The drive continued, passing the house once and heading through a
couple of local villages from several different directions. We got a few waves
and toots on car horns as we toured around, but generally, the roads were
quiet.
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We'd already passed some nice looking trees down one lane and decided to head
back there to wait for the sun to drop lower in the sky. That location would
give the best backdrop for the sunset.
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This time, we approached the trees from the opposite direction, allowing the
Jeeps to be photographed from the front with the sunset behind. The sun was
quite low in the sky, but not right down to the horizon.
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It was going to be another half an hour before the sun reached the horizon,
but as the temperature was dropping even further and my daughter was turning
blue, we decided to head home. Once home and putting the Jeeps away, the sun
was setting and while my picture looks orange, it was actually bright
crimson.
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