Ah, another night, another raid. Those humans sure do keep it interesting. One night we hit the jackpot. Another night, it’s zippo. As in nothing. You just never know what to expect. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Learning the ropes quickly Hello, I’m Frank. A native of South Lake… Continue reading
I was hanging out in my garage one day with good buddy Bruce. He had a project to work on and I, well, I just felt like hanging out. (It is my garage, after all!) At one point the conversation turned to this nasty malady that afflicts so many men… Continue reading
“Begin with the end in mind” is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things. Stephen R. Covey, “7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” That passage is from Habit 2 of Covey’s best-selling… Continue reading
One December about five years ago, I took a group to Saline Valley to celebrate New Year’s Eve. While at the campsite I realized I didn’t have a tent. Completely forgot to pack it that day. As a seasoned four-wheeler, this basic blunder was especially difficult to swallow. On top… Continue reading
Tis the season for gift giving…whether for yourself or another four-wheeling aficionado. With that in mind, Santa Tom offers up these fine gifts and ideas sure to please any four-wheeler or other outdoors enthusiast. Continuous ratchet strap: Most ratchet straps have a hook on each end. A continuous ratchet strap,… Continue reading
I was scouting a new trail in the Parashant National Monument, located in the Grand Canyon. At one point I wanted to take a shortcut, but didn’t know if the road ahead was open. A recent storm had me concerned about a washout. If the road were passable and interesting… Continue reading
Anyone old enough to remember the Apollo space program may recall hearing the term redundancy. Back then, NASA was referring to extra electronics or other systems in the space capsule and lunar module. Today’s commercial aircraft also employ a certain amount of redundancy. In either case, the principle is the… Continue reading
Coming back from the Independence Day outing, I took some time to reflect on this amazing hobby. Over the years I’ve enjoyed countless hours admiring many fascinating places in the western US. There are so many possibilities open to four-wheeling that at times it’s easy to take this all for… Continue reading
Four-wheeling is truly a family affair. Participants are highly encouraged to bring spouses, children, grandchildren, even grandparents along for the ride. And while driving off-road requires certain skills, there are no age limits. As long as the person can competently maneuver a vehicle over the chosen course, he or she… Continue reading
You’ve been four-wheeling for some time now. Probably drove a few challenging trails and endured a weekend in ugly weather. Perhaps you participated in one of my excursions (or someone else’s) and thought, I’d like to be a Trail Guide. That’s great. While the position entails a fair amount of… Continue reading
I was well into my second day of a four-day trip through Death Valley. Suddenly, after bumping over a rut, the left front spring broke in half. I looked at it in disbelief — the rut wasn’t that deep. (The spring may have been cracked prior to hitting the rut.)… Continue reading
There is a long tradition in this country of applying names to inanimate objects. Tin Lizzie, you may recall, was the nickname given to Ford’s Model T. Some people still use the term when referring to their car. During World War II, pilots and troops would regularly give a name… Continue reading
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