Upon the urging of my wife, and with no objections from me, we retired our 1987 Bronco, and in August of 1997, we purchased a brand-new Ford F-250 truck, naturally very well-equipped.

As of this writing, it is the only four-wheeler that I own, and it has amassed has a little over 75,000 miles.  The last couple of years has found it mostly reposing in the driveway, as its not a commuter vehicle, and now I only use it for camping, exploring, four-wheeling and occasionally hauling stuff to the dump, or bringing goodies home from the home improvement store. It's also used as a back-up vehicle, in case one our daily drivers is in the shop.

Photos:  How can you resist playing "on the rocks" near Tonopah, Nevada, in April of 2004?  No, I'm not causing damage to the earth, as this is an abondened mine site with dirt roads, as can be seen in the left photo.

Features of my truck include:

* 4 wheel drive (of course!), 3.82:1 gears and 5.8L engine

* BFG Mud/snow 32" x 11" tires

* Manual 4WD  (I wouldn't have it any other way!)

* Custom rims (Not by choice; they on the truck when we purchased it)

* Four-speed automatic tranny (a concession to my lovely wife)

* Air conditioning (I never use it on the trail, but it sure makes it nice getting there)

* Navigation gear, consisting of compass, altimeter, GPS, plus a notebook computer with GPS and moving-map display software

* Amateur Radio communications equipment, including: 2m, 220, 440, 1.2 GHz , HF (75 meter phone)  and  CB  (I can communicate  to almost  anywhere in an emergency)

* Back seat that folds down for cargo or sleeping

* WARN 9500i winch, cover and all winching accessories

* Front/rear tow hooks and 30-foot tow strap

* On-board air, with four-gallon tank, handy for cleaning and running air tools

* Large bed-mounted tool box in back that is crammed with tools, spare parts and survival gear

* Complete computerized weather station

* Brush/headlight guards

* Complete first-aid kit that would make a paramedic proud

* Survival gear, survival gear, and more survival gear

* Rancho 5000 shocks, front and rear

Left:  I pose at the top of a hill climb at the enterance to Mazourka Canyon, in the Inyo Mountains.  Right: Sometimes you need to get drastic, and use a tow strap to move a pesky piece of granite that blocks the trail.

I have a tendency to "baby" the truck, since it cost me twice as much as the first house I purchased, eh... that's been a few years ago.  However, it is not just a "pavement princess" as it goes on the trail, albeit with caution in mind.  I will take it on short sections of a Class- 3 trail, but that's as far as I will go.  The mission of the truck is to take me to exotic places, not to prove how difficult of a trail it can traverse. It has performed flawlessly the last seven years, and has done everything that I've asked it to do. Since I don't drive it much, I will probably keep it until it hits the 200,000 mile mark, which should it should reach in the year 2017!

Left:  I pause in the Inyo Mountains, on the trail to Betty Jumbo Mine.  Right:  At the CA4WDC High Desert Roundup, 2004, I decided to have breakfast at the world-famous Bagdad Cafe.

I've taken my truck on many trails, in California, Nevada and Oregon.  I've attended CA4WDC's High Desert Roundup and Panamint Valley Days in my truck, and have driven on the Jail Canyon and Blue Moon Runs.  

Left:  At High Desert Roundup, 2004, I take the truck up the ramp.  Right:  I achieve a score of 507, which is not too bad, considering that my truck sports mostly stock suspention.

Unfortunately, I've had a few mishaps, so the sheet metal isn't as pristine as it was when the truck first rolled out of the factory.  However, it's a truck, and, well... things sometimes happen to trucks, when you take them off the pavement.  

Left:  My brother Paul helps me air down the tires, in preperation for the "Blue Moon Run," at High Desert Roundup, 2005.  Right:  Jesse May, of the Dirt Devils, spots me at a hard section of a steep hill climb on the "Blue Moon" trail run.

Future modification plans?  None, as I plan just to use it the way I've been using it for the last several years, for mostly fun, and scenic trails.  Well, I may upgrade the electronic suite, but that's about it...