My first vehicle was a ā78 Jeep CJ so I guess Iāve always liked the off-road, never stuck aspect for my personal transportation.
The Jeep handled like crap but was fun. She had a standard tranny, an inline six and saw one winter but was stolen before she saw any dirt or sand.
I saw a Nissan Pathfinder at the ā88 NYC Auto Show and bought one new in ā89.
This was a great truck that I added a front push bar, AR āOutlawā aluminum wheels, BFG ATās, a CB and had welded on what were at the time called āNerf Barsā (sliders). I took it āoff-roadā near my in-laws house in PA. Fire and access roads that I thought were āhardcoreā.
In 2000 I was driving on a previously unexplored dirt road and dropped it off of a six foot ledge. The truck survived the hit on the front end but rolled being yanked off the ledge. I had it repaired but it never felt the same.
When I saw one of the
āStevie Ray Vaughanā Xterra commercials and my wife said āyou should look at one of those".
By month's end I sold the Pathy to my brother-in-law and bought one.
While looking online for ways to āfix upā my new truck I found out about what others had done to their Xterras and that these folks got together to wheel at Paragon and Rausch. I bought a front bumper, sliders and skid plates and headed to my first Off-road event, ECXC, I think it was ā04.
When I got to Rausch there was a ton of guys with moded Xterras to check out. A couple of guys who were setting up groups saw that I was armored, must have thought I knew what I was doing and put me in a group of maniacs from New Jersey, the crew from the New Jersey Area Xterra club, NJAX (no longer in existence). This was akin to throwing a kid who canāt swim into the deep end of the pool. I was like WTF, these people are crazy. There were a few trails I did not run but watched and learned. These guys held my hand and were very cool and welcoming. And did they know how to party! A fun bunch, I think all but Ken and TJ are out of the game now.
I was hooked and joined a few boards, NJAX, XOC, and XF in my effort to learn more about my truck and set up wheeling trips. This was great but most of these folks ether did not get out much, were too far away or were into the āsocialā aspect of the board rather that wheeling.
Back in my early Xterra days I found that some guys from Danās Northeast Import Off Road Association, NIORA (no longer in existence) went out the most so I hung with them. Between NIORA, NJAX, XF, LINXC and ECXC I was wheeling almost once a month and moding my truck adding stuff I found I needed to keep running tougher trails.
During a few of these runs I met Scott and Micah and we became friends. When they started the Upstate New York Xterra club (UNYX) I joined even though they pointed out I was not located in Upstate New York.
In ā07 I joined New England Xterra club, NEXTerra (despite the similar objection) since most of the stuff UNYX did was with NEXTerra. The clubs merged in ā08.
Although I have made many friends wheeling I have never been good with the āsocial networkā deal, I find the whole āMeet & Greetā thing and the non truck related banter a bit creepy. I try to be a good person to be with on the trail but on the boards I want to set up wheeling trips, find out about my truck or maybe help with someoneās truck. Thatās it. Otherwise I just complain or break balls; troll and act like a jerk, then apologize. It has always been so.
You folks here at NEXTerra get out to wheel more often than any other club/board and seem to put up with my BS better than mostā¦
ā¦and here we are.