Is this heresy?

[Tucker]

Gettin' there, for me, is about half of the fun of wheelin'.

I only mod my rig because I can't get to the places I want to go without lift and tires. I don't wanna be a hard-core rock crawler just for the sake of conquering the stone. I love to fish remote streams and lakes and I can't get there without the mods.

Is it true that most of the runs that I see folks making are on trails that don't really go anywhere? Or am I mistaken? I certainly don't mean to offend, I'm just curious. Do you folks do any fishing/camping/hiking type runs?

 

[GSequoia]

Well, for me it's about half and half. Sometimes the offroad is just for it's own sake, I'll just go out and do it. Then there's the camping angle, I'll want to go camping and work the offroad into it. I don't hunt, but I do lke fishing, although it's been YEARS!

I forget where Paradise is..but if it's in the south of California we'll get something going!

Sequoia

 

[Eagle]

Events like Tellico and NACFest are, as you surmise, runs on "trails" that go nowhere. I'm more interested in using my XJ to explore old dirt roads that disappear over the horizon with some expectation that the vehicle will take me there (wherever "there" is) and back, hopefully intact.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[RichP]

Most of my off roading is to reach areas for fishing and hunting. I also use powerlines and gas line right of ways to avoid some roads that are twisty and seem to have alot of accidents on them resulting in long delays when on my way home. If it were not for some of the fences pesky housing developments I could almost get to allentown from my house without using any roads cept to get from one right of way to another. I have noticed some of the old right of ways have had gates installed and I understand why, some low lifes drop off old appliances, tires and furniture instead of getting rid of it correctly. I have reported observing this twice with license numbers and descriptions all to no avail.

 

[FarmerMatt]

We started with the Jeeps to get back into good deer hunting spots, but after several years of not getting any deer we just started leaving the guns home. Most of the trails lead to great quiet camping lakes & beautiful spots. Other trals, like the Hammers, are trails purely for harcore 4 wheeling. The camping with good friends & BS'ing around the camp fire is still there. For me the camping & BS'ing is almost as fun as the wheeling.

Matt

 

[XJguy]

I do it for the sake of doing it. The journey (in this case building my Jeep) is the greatest adventure. I just like to work on cars and make them better. Hopefully this fall I will be shown the light and learn to enjoy that which I build.

XJguy

 

[XJEEPER]

My interest in outdoor photography and 4 wheeling go hand in hand, since I live closer than most to Moab, I get both. It's hard to run a trail down there that doesn't net you a breathtaking vista, hidden arch or petroglyph, dino track, or just the sheer contrast of pure blue sky, framed by red rock........(I'm getting a little turned on here, I'd better stop) is more than enough reason to build my Jeep to the level I have. One cool thing about the Moab area, you can see alot of it from a stock XJ, but a modified XJ allows you to see even more.

Aside from that, my family enjoys getting out on the trail and camping as well, so it's shared by them as well. And I can't leave out all the great people and new friends that I met along the way since I've been involved in 4 wheeling.
itself is a great example of what can happen when people with a common interest put their heads together.

Lifted or lowered, stock or modified, enjoy your Jeep and let it take you where you want to go.

XJEEPER

 

[xj-fx]

It's all about the rock. The journey is building a machine to handle the trail... the destination is conquering the trail.
The thrill of a fisherman being at a secluded lake is the same thrill I get mastering a challenging trail.
Your supplies are bait and tackle mine are Hi-Lift jacks and a 5-point seat harness.

 

[Rev Den]

2 schoold of thought here. I am more of the means to an end school. I like having a vehicle that will get me where I want to go, it matters not if that is the store, hidden fishing spot, or a remote fire tower in Wyoming. I do go wheeling just to wheel, but mostly, I wheel to go somewhere.

Rev

 

[JnJ]

Well besides running around in the woods for the Army in Jeeps, Gamagoats, Hummers, 2 1/2Ts and such, my wheeling started much like yours. I'd "wheel" just to get to my fishing/hunting spots. But, eventually I found I enjoyed the "sport" of wheeling a lot, and now spend more time and $$ on it then any other hobby I have.

 

[Tucker]

Thanks guys ... very informative as always, and courteous too! I was worried that I might stir the pot some, and I didn't want that to happen.

I am proud to be a member of this group, you folks seem to know how to have fun, and are very knowledgable. I look forward to meeting all of you. We (Teri and I) plan to be at Moab, it sounds like a blast!

GSequoia, Paradise is nestled away above the N.E. corner of the big valley, in the foothills of the Sierra ... not close to you but not that far, either. We'll definitely get a chance to meet on a trail or two ... I'd like to come down that way, I've never been off-road in the southland.

Waiting ever so patiently (ya right) for the XJLA lift...
I did get the 4.56 gears and the rear no-slip though (yay!)
Now I have to find a reliable shop nearby. I don't trust myself to do the gears, the locker seems pretty straightforward, but doing backlash and preload is beyond me for sure.

I digress, as usual ... thanks again!

 

[Bent]

Sometimes getting to where you've got to get to get where you're going even though you don't quite know where you are, least of all anyone else who's going with you is all the adventure you really need. huh huh huh, catch my breath after that one. The joy is the friends you're with and just being where you're at.
Tucker, if ya ever get down south this way, hit the trails with us. that is if your jeep dosn't mind getting a little dizzy. LOL !

Tim B