Photo above: Well, it's a long story and it goes like this...

FAMILY: Me, my wonderful wife of 20-some years Lori, our mid-teens son Matthew, our 16-year-old cat Nutmeg, and our spare cat Red-eye (some call her Scarlett).

EMPLOYMENT: Forester with the USDA Forest Service.

A BIT OF LIFE HISTORY: Born and raised on a farm in Iowa. Introduced to wheeling by my Grandfather who took us on several trips in the 1970s to explore Colorado backroads in his Blazer and Suburban. Got a job, met my wife, and lived in Red River, Idaho near Elk City. Followed our jobs to Frenchtown, Montana in 1988 and have been here ever since.

4X4 VEHICLES: Currently own a 1990 Chevy K1500 pickup and a 1992 Jeep Wrangler YJ. Formerly owned a 1976 Jeep CJ-7, 1978 Ford F150, 1987 Mitsubishi Montero two-door, and 1988 Mitsubishi Montero two-door plus several cars and two-wheel-drive pickups.

MODIFICATIONS DONE: My YJ is my daily driver, so I've kept modifications to a minimum? 3.5 Black Diamond lift and shocks, one inch Daystar body lift, one inch Daystar motor mount lift, Bestop soft top and factory hardtop, Bestop Trailmax seats with Cabela's Realtree Camo seat covers, AM/FM/CD radio, Garvin Wilderness rack that isn't used much, Warn M8000 winch, Olympic side bars on the rig and grill guard sitting in the garage, tossed the front and rear track bars, and K&N air filter. Hope my wife doesn't read this! [webmaster's note: ha - too late!] Ford 8.8 rear end with disc brakes, 4.10 gears, and 33- inch BFG AT tires.

FAVORITE VEHICLE OF ALL TIME: Gotta be early Ford Broncos or IH Scouts. They were built from sturdy components and engineered to work, not to be comfortable. Maybe a Unimog.

IF MONEY WAS NOT AN OBJECT, WHAT WOULD YOU DRIVE OFF ROAD? Any darned thing I wanted to. I'd have a fleet of modified rigs including a crew of mechanics and the best off-road tow truck you've ever seen. You be as likely to see me at Moab piloting a built Grand Cherokee as thrashing a stock Cooper Mini over Black Bear Pass just to see if I could.

SAME QUESTION BUT ON ROAD? Same answer.

FAVORITE TRAIL OR TRAILS: I've had a lot of fun in Colorado and Utah, but I think my favorite for remoteness, lack of crowds, scenery, and mild challenges is the Magruder Corridor.

TRAIL OR AREA THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO RUN SOME TIME: So many places, so little time. Still have lots to see in Montana, Colorado, and Utah. Gotta be some nice places in Wyoming, Oregon and Washington. Always wondered about Tellico.

SAME QUESTION BUT UN-REALISTICALLY: Mars

FAVORITE TYPE OF FOUR WHEELING: Four wheeling that doesn't break anything. Gotta have scenery, too.

WHAT OTHER THINGS DO YOU LIKE TO DO? I like reading, watching movies, hunting, ice fishing.

FUTURE GOALS IN LIFE: Retire relatively healthy so I can enjoy my grandkids, assuming I get some.

IF YOU COULD BE ANYTHING IN LIFE, WHAT JOB WOULD YOU HAVE? I always thought it would be cool to be a high school math or science teacher.