Leighton’s Blog

Tucked in for the night. Dinner and a movie next. Hickory Creek Wilderness, PA Alt:1652 Over 700 miles today from Illinois. 600+ miles to home tomorrow. #itsjustsnow #jeepsinsnow #jeeps #jeepin #jeepsters #itsajeepthing #snow #hickorycreekwilderness #jeeproadtrip #roadtripvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2SBMNww

Just put dinner in @myhotlogic and it should be ready by the time I hit the woods outside of Erie, PA. Have a couple new movies to watch tonight…life is good on the road. #jeeproadtrip #beverlyorbust #headinghome #jeephacks #jeeps #jeepsters #jeepin #jeeplife #itsajeepthing #myhotlogic #hotlogicmini #hotlogic #via Instagram https://ift.tt/2tGL2En

Meet a new friend I made last night on my way to Shawnee National Forest just north of Abbott, Illinois. The plan today is to drive to the northwest corner of Hickory Creek Wilderness which is east of Erie, New York. I left pretty early this morning and I’m just over the border of Indiana in New Harmony. My first time in Indiana...I think. I’ve got just under 600 miles to make the woods by this afternoon. #horseselfie #jeeppastor #jeephoodie #jeepsterslovehorses #jeeps #jeep #jeepin #jeeplife #roadtrip #jeeproadtripvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2GTV6m6

Yesterday morning I pulled off the highway to get some gas, coffee and cash. I went into the gas station after gassing up and filled up my cameo travel mug with java and paid at the counter. I walked over to ATM and the machine wanted $3 to spit out cash. If you know me, I’m thrifty and that wasn’t going to fly.  I got into my Jeep and jumped on my phone to find a Walgreens to get some cash. I followed Waze’s directions to downtown Ava, Missouri to find the Walgreens. I got to downtown Ava and drove around in circles for 10 minutes trying to find this mysterious missing Walgreens. Waze never ever fails me. I was perplex to say the least.  I gave up and pulled over to jump on my phone to see if there was a Walmart around. I was in luck, there was only four minutes away. I was there in the 4 minutes and pulled into the parking lot. As I drove into the Walmart parking lot I spotted a army green bus. The bus looked pretty interesting so I parked about ten spaces to check it out....

Another boring night time shot of the Jeep but home sweet home for the night. Shawnee National Forest just a little northeast of Vienna, Illinois. Toughest part of the drive was smelling the meatballs cooking next to me in @myhotlogic and wanting to stop and eat them before I found a spot for the night. Time for dinner and a movie. #JeepLife #ItsaJeepthing #Jeeps #Jeeping #jeepster #hotlogic #myhotlogic hotlogicmini #myhotlogicmini #meatballsvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2ECgmKH

I try to think about just about everything.… Including how to take this photo. I think camping since as kid, cruising on sailboats and oversea mission trips have helped me so much to prepare for this next journey in my life. God has been prepping me for over 50 years. 1 Peter 4:10 🚙 🌳 ⛰ ⛵️ ✈️ 🌲 #jeephacks #jeeps #jeepsters #jeepstuff #jeepin #bible #bibleverses #verses #peter #scripturevia Instagram https://ift.tt/2U9ebnm

You may know that I’ve started to make my way home to Beverly, MA. I don’t plan on doing any more out reach on the way home but you never know who I will run into. I still have some stuff in my Jeep. The first few photos where taken in the Ozark National Park in Arkansas where I stayed Sunday night. There is an image of my Jeep on the Peel Ferry crossing the White River making my way North to Missouri.The rest of the photos were taken in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri where I stayed last night. I highly recommend the Glade Top Trail. It goes along several mountain tops in the Mark Twain National Forest about 1,200-1,400 feet up. The road itself is just gravel/dirt and not technical at all but views on both sides are absolutely gorgeous. There are dozens and dozens side trails and no gates! And some of the stuff is pretty challenging. I turned around on a few of them because I don’t have a winch, by myself and I’m all stocked. I could literally spend a week or two just in th...

A beach landing without the beach. I didn’t even know I was going on a boat today. #awesomejeeproadtrip #Jeep #Jeeps #JeepWrangler #Arkansas #ar #jeepin #jeepster #missionforhopevia Instagram https://ift.tt/2Nvzpt5

Beautiful sunrise… No filters! Omelette on the griddle. Bacon on the grill… Roughing it! You can make an omelette on a square griddle. But of a balancing act. Breakfast Mode Work Mode 

Yesterday’s highlights: 1) Jeep loaded up with recused food from Walmart, coffee and hygiene kits. 2) Cynthia, one of my new Memphis friends I met yesterday while serving coffee, treats and hygiene kits out of the back of my Jeep. 3) Graceland 4) Guess? Hint... not in Tennessee. #memphis #graceland #theking #elvis #e #tn #jeeps #jeepers #tryingtodogoodvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2GLyTqe

Good night from a very dark Ozark National Forest. (Another late night landing.) #jeeproadtrip #jeeps #jeepster #jeepin #ozark #ozarks #ozarknationalforestvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2NxGDwM

Arkansas sunset. What a day!  Instagram https://ift.tt/2tM9sfX

Meet Cynthia. Cynthia was making her way to the bus stop after coming from the hospital. She has her arms raised because she is joyful that her blood work was good again. She thanked God with me for the good news. I sent her to the bus stop with a coffee, a bottle of water, a tangerine, muffin and hygiene kit. I set up shop at three different spots in Memphis today including a veterans transitional home. I prayed with so many folks today. The day started of by praying with Marsha behind the service desk at Walmart when I was doing food rescue. The manager blessed me with a $20 gift card which made me quite emotional in the middle of Walmart. Yes… I’m a big softy. #Sojoyful #SoGrateful #Jeepers #Jeeps #TryingToGood #Memphis #Tennessee #TNvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2IMd7nY

“We’re going to need a bigger boat Quint...I mean Jeep.” When I was doing this last week most of my gear was in my hotel room. It’s a little bit packed with all my gear in the Jeep. It’s all good though! #Jeepers #Jeeps #TryingToDoGood #Memphis #Tennessee #tn 🦈 🚣‍♀️ 🚙 ☕️ 🥮 🍪via Instagram https://ift.tt/2NtX2Cb

I headed home (kind of) yesterday after going to a church just a bit south of downtown Nashville. My original plan was to explore the mountains of eastern Tennessee and Kentucky on the way home but with all the rain I think l’d get stuck in some mud. (No winch!) So I went left instead. Yesterday I went through Alabama and saw a random rocket in a rest area. Next stop was “The KIng’s” birthplace in Tupelo, MS. Last night I stayed in Holly Springs National Forest in Union County, MS. The plan today is to do some food rescue at a Walmart a bit north of the forest and grab most of their reduced bakery items. (First thing in the morning is the best time to get the good stuff at Walmart before they load them on the discount rack.) I’ll grab a case of water and some tangerines too. I’ll go over to the customer service desk and see what the manager will give me for free. Then I’ll hit one of the Dunkin Donuts in Memphis for a few Boxes of Joe. With my Jeep loaded up I will head to Memphis Uni...

Good night! #hollyspringnationalforest #jeeplife #nationalforest #jeeps #ms #mississippi #jeeping #jeepin #jeepcampingvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2U50WE1

Birth place of the King, Elvis Presley. 

Well the King started off Assembly of God. (My fellowship) He was water baptized at age 9. There are some stories that he was water baptized again at age 14 as a Oneness Pentecostal. I do love his gospel music! Big fan all the way around. #elvis #theking #ag #assembliesofgod #assemblyofgod #jeeproadtrip #ms #mississippivia Instagram https://ift.tt/2U7FQVQ

Welcome to Alabama! I didn’t even know I was going to go through Alabama today. I had to ask somebody at the visitor center why the rocket is here. Can you guess why? #randomrockets #rocketsandjeeps #jeep #jeeps #jeepsters #alabama #alvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2SjVcoo

I’m heading home today after church...kind of. My original plan was to explore the mountains of eastern Tennessee and Kentucky on the way home but with all the rain I think l’d get stuck in some mud. So I am going to go left instead. I’ve got some landmarks on my route I’ve always want to visit and some pretty cool National Forests I’m going to hit. I should be home Friday or Saturday. I never did get the time to see any of the touristy sites in downtown Nashville so I planned a pretty Fun-Sunday. I have some pretty cool stops up my sleeve and on my phone. UPDATED: I called this right ...mudslides north east of Nashville. #jeeplife #jeeps #jeepsters #goinghome #kindofvia Instagram https://ift.tt/2EtSzN5

Tony rolled up to my Jeep backwards in his wheel chair this morning. He was soaking wet and very distraught because of a pretty rough night in the rain.  Tony is originally from Florida. Tony was in the hospital two days ago because he had a grand mal seizure. He told me wants to get back to Florida and see his father one last time before his dad passes aways. He started to cry. I asked him if he wanted me to pray with him. He said yes. We prayed, we hugged and he wept. Tony liked my Key West decal on the door of my Jeep. I told him it is my photograph and I had the decal printed. He asked me if I had another one. I said “No...but I’ve got a decal for you”. I told him I give these decals when I pray over Jeeps. I asked him if I could pray over his wheelchair. He said yes because his wheelchair in such bad shape. After I prayed he insisted I put a decal on each side of his wheelchair. I gave him a postcard with the prayer I just said. He asked me if later I could call his aunt...

via Instagram https://ift.tt/2NmELXy Jeep loaded up again. It’s been raining for two days straight. It’s supposed to let up for a few hours this morning so I thought it be good to get out & bless some folks with coffee, treats, water and oranges. Most of the camps on the river have been washed out. I’ll also be handing out 100 hygiene kits also...thanks to a donation from Wicked Jeeps of New England & Wicked Jeeps New Hampshire.

I’ve pretty much finalized my schedule for a 200 day trip in my Jeep to 30 cities in the US which have the highest population of people experiencing homelessness. I would love to do a Jeep Meetup in the cities I will be in. But I would like the meetup to be far more than just a meetup. I’d like to go into the cities with my fellow Jeepers and love on the folks that are experiencing homelessness and the poor. This could be as simple as serving coffee, water, fruit and snacks to the poor out of the back of our Jeeps. And maybe distributing personal hygiene kits. (I’m working on securing some sponsors and/or donors for the kits.) I think I want to call these meetups “Jeepers Meet, Greet & Love!”.  I will be in most cities Thursdays thru Mondays and I think Saturdays would be the best day to do this. (But I am open to other days except Sundays.)   My schedule is below. I’m looking for a group or person(s) who could take the lead on the meetup in each city. If interest...