The Jeep Wave
One of the best things about being a jeep owner is the community that you automatically inherit upon ownership. It is truly amazing how you instantly are connected to other Jeep owners. And the first recognizable evidence of that connection is the Jeep Wave!
The Jeep Wave is that greeting as two jeeps are approaching each other on the road. It can be as simple as lifting your fingers off of the steering wheel as the most casual of signals that says, I see you, Jeep friend. Or can be as energetic as my daughter waving enthusiastically toward an oncoming Jeep. Most of the time, I live somewhere in the middle. I’ll raising all of my fingers and most of the palm to Wave hello, unless the doors are off. Then it will be a full hand wave outside of the Jeep.
Where we live in eastern Pennsylvania, the Wave is almost never missed. It seems like jeepers will go out of there way to recognize and greet their fellow jeepers. Kids and jeepers alike participate on a very consistent basis. There may be the occasional Jeep where the driver is distracted or just misses the Wave. But, that is really a rarity.
On a recent visit to East Tennessee, I was blown away by the lack of the Jeep Wave. I was passing jeeps everywhere. I would Wave and see nothing in response. Jeep after Jeep and no response at all. It was completely disorienting. I know that I have passed 70 jeeps or more since being here in the Tri-cities. I have had three waves in that time. It was as if I had been transported to another dimension. Another oddity: I haven’t seen one jeep with top down or top off either. Not one with the doors removed. The weather has been amazing here and I’ve had my topdown the entire time. What kind of twilight zone have I landed in. This is a mountain area and a college town. There is a reason for all of these jeeps. But not for their owners behaviors.
I have questions that would be great for us to try to answer in the comments: Is the Jeep Wave dead in this area? Is the Jeep Wave dead in your area? Under what conditions are your tops down or doors off? Am I making too much of a big deal about this? Let us know.