Four-wheeling is my life. I began exploring the great outdoors with a stock '87 diesel Trooper II that would teach me at an early age the importance of driver ability as opposed to relying onexpensive equipment. Fresh out of college with a degree in writing, it was my passion and knowledge with four-wheel-drives that secured me a position at one of the fastest growing 4x4 shops in Wilmington, North Carolina. An avid reader of 4-Wheel & Off-Road over the last 10 years I knew that the mag was looking for a new guy, so with fingers crossed I mailed off my application in hopes of becoming the next feature editor. A few weeks later I would get the phone call that turned my world upside down. After a phone interview with Editor Rick Pw, I was invited to fly out to Southern California, where I would participate in a tire test in mud, rock, sand, and snow.
So there I was sitting in an airport terminal anxiously awaiting the start of my five-day interview as a Feature Editor of Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road. This was far beyond simply a job, but rather a dream that I never imagined could be realized. Who would have thought a simple Wilmington, North Carolina, boy would ever have the chance to write for the magazine that he has followed for so many years?
Day 1
Always inspect your trailer before towing. Seriously. What cost you little in time and money now can save you thousands in the future.
I hoped originally to use the seven-hour cross-country flight to figure out a few things about my new digital camera, but in my rush to gather the essentials, I mistakenly grabbed the other owner's manual that was written entirely in Spanish. Doh! Somewhere between the puzzled expression on my face and my failing attempt to put that damn camera neatly back into its holder, the passenger next to me sparked a conversation. He was a retired Los Angeles County defense attorney who schooled me on the gang problem, the horrendous traffic, and the fact that you can never trust anyone, although he did say the weather was nice. It was a long flight.
Armed with only a cell phone and two overstuffed bags, I muscled my way through the hoards of people that lined the drop-off area in front of Burbank Airport. After a few confusing minutes on the phone I spotted Rick Pw in a slightly abused green JK Wrangler. Originally the plan was for me to fly out and help with a tire test that was to consist of two test vehicles (Feature Editor Jerrod Jones' Blazer and Rick's M38 A1 Jeep), six sets of tires, and three days in the elements.
That thing got a Hemi? Heck yea, along with four sets of tires, a packed cab, and one stout A1. It's safe to assume that this Hemi wasn't winning any races or passing many pumps, but our '06 4x4 of the Year Dodge Ram TRX4 still gets the job done.
As fast as a phone call is made, the entire test was put into jeopardy. Jerrod's Blazer had lunched the flexplate and torque converter on the trans. With the test scheduled to start first thing in the morning, there was a bit of urgency to get the Blazer repaired. We headed over to South Bay 4x4 where Jerrod had towed his Blazer for emergency surgery. Luckily for us, the owner, Frank Gilliland, had located an upgraded flexplate and converter and would be able to install it that evening. The decision was made to leave Jerrod with his Blazer at the shop and for us to load the JK onto the trailer and head back to the office. Less than an hour after touching down in L.A., I was pulling ramps, loading vehicles, and absorbing information from three different directions. The interview process had begun.
Chaos is the only way I know how to describe what locals would have you refer to as traffic. There is a certain level of commitment and blind faith that you have to have to survive in L.A.'s road system. How Rick was able to squeeze the Hemi-powered Dodge 4x4 of the Year, with trailer in tow, seamlessly through that disaster called traffic still amazes me.
Eventually we made it to Primedia to unload the JK and take the grand tour of the office. I must admit the view from the 11th floor window is quite spectacular, if you enjoy smog-filled sunsets, hills lined with houses, and monstrous rectangular buildings. So, with my arms full of my first taste of 4-Wheel & Off-Road swag and time ticking by fast, we headed off to finish loading the truck and trailer with the last set of tires.