By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Whether you want to cruise around the city with your doors off or take on the challenge of off-roading over 13,000 feet above sea level, the local 785 Jeep Club may have something for you.
Kyle Keezer is the president and founder of the club. He was the president of Kansas City Jeep Club, and when he took a job in Hays, he decided to create a new Jeep chapter in Hays. The group, which started in 2017, has about 40 active members.
The group participates in many different events. They do parades, will appear for business openings, off-road, do cross-country trips, and go to Jeep-sponsored events. They also participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program.
“We are a group trying to educate people about Jeeps, and we work with the community,” he said. “We try to be a family oriented community club, but our interest is Jeeps.”
Keezer particularly enjoys off-roading. Sometimes the group goes out into trees or other times into sand. They have visited Tuttle Creek Reservoir near Manhattan, Kansas; Oklahoma; Missouri, private land in Kansas; and mountainous areas of Colorado.
Keezer’s 15-year-old son goes on Jeep trips with his dad when he can.
“In the beginning, he was one of those kids that didn’t want to do this. He was, ‘Dad, how long before we get to go home? I’m tired. There is no Internet out here.’ But now that he is getting a little older, he is getting to enjoy it more. He likes to go with me when I go to Colorado and go out on adventures. He likes getting up into the mountains.
“There are views up there that you don’t get to see from the road. You have to take back roads to take to get to them. The mine trails are pretty amazing. You can see for miles and miles.”
Last year, he and a group of Jeepers got up to 13,800 feet above sea level. The year before he got up to 13,900 feet. To give you perspective, Pikes Peak’s altitude is 14,114 feet.
“It is a really good way to get out and see the world,” he said, “and not be sitting behind car and driving. It is actually going out and doing something with the vehicle.”
Many modifications are available for Jeeps, some of which help vehicles like Keezer’s off-road to those amazing heights. Keezer said the joke in Jeep circles is that Jeep stands for Just Empty Every Pocket. Keezer drives a 2013 two-door JK. He has lifted his jeep and installed larger tires. It has gearing, lockers, a suspension kit and modified exhaust system. He has installed CB and ham radios, as well as a camera to catch the action when he and his Jeep buddies are off-roading.
Keezer has dreams of going higher into the mountains, and plans more modifications to his Jeep this year to get there, including adding bigger tires and a stronger spare-tire carrier to balance the rear weight.
Most of the work Keezer did himself, but some work he had to have done in shops. He served in the Army for six years and gained wrenching experience working on helicopters.
Off-roading can be dangerous. Keezer has never been in any serious crashes, but he has broken a fair amount of equipment.
“Accidents happen,” he said. “It’s an extreme sport. There are hazards in it.”
The club tries to educate members on how to operate their Jeeps safely on and off road.
The club sponsors a wrench-a-thon, during which the group teaches owners about the parts on their Jeeps and the maximum tolerances on their vehicles. It also conducts a safety course during which owners learn how to winch, go up hills, find lines in rocks and get unstuck from the mud.
Keezer has been fascinated with vehicles his whole life. He raced in the National Mustang Racing Association. He still has a Mustang, which is supercharged. When his local track closed and he couldn’t race his Mustang anymore, he started off-roading, first in a truck and then he bought his Jeep.
“It is kind of like a Harley or anything else,” he said. “It is just one of those things that you find an interest in, and it is pretty easy to get hooked to that kind of lifestyle … to going out in the country and being out in the woods and being off-roading and the camaraderie of going to an event and seeing other Jeeps.”
You don’t have to break the bank to be in the club. Plenty of members just have stock Jeeps. He said it is still fun to go out with the club and enjoy dirt trails for the first time.
“We are not out to tear up stuff and break stuff. We are out to have fun and an adventure,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had fun taking someone who has never been before and taking them off road and seeing that smile on their face.
“They know so much more about their Jeep. They got to experience what it is like. They get to take advantage of what they bought and they have their money involved in. And the next thing you usually hear is, ‘What do I need to do more? Because I want to be able to go over stuff.'”
The club is always looking for new members. Keezer said he has met all sorts of people from all over the country and from as far away as Israel through his Jeep hobby.
The 785 Jeep Club meets from 1 to 3 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month. You must own a Jeep to join. The membership fee is $30 per year, which gets you a T-shirt, stickers and access to members-only events. Find out more at 785jeepclub.com.