About Outdoor Recreation Network and the Listed Articles

Our interest in travel goes back several decades. On earlier trips out west, we frequently found ourselves in remote areas, many times limited by the ability of our vehicle to go any further on the rugged trails. It was time to get a properly equipped 4 wheel drive vehicle and learn the skills needed to explore these remote areas safely. The ongoing interest in exploring the Colorado River Basin and the Rocky Mountains from Arizona and ultimately, into Canada, dictated that we outfit our vehicle to be comfortable for long cross country trips, yet enhance it's off road performance and reliability for exploring the region's spectacular 4x4 trails. In many areas, and in particular the state of Colorado, does a wonderful job of maintaining and documenting the trails, many built by the early the settlers and miners of the region. Old mining trails, and mountain passes at 12,000+ elevations with names such as Engineers Pass, Poughkeepsie Gulch, Corkscrew Gulch and the adjacent beautiful alpline meadows makes me feel like a vistor to another world.

I was fortunate to find the Outdoor Recreation Network 4x4Wire web site, which is a multimedia Internet publication covering responsible trail and family oriented off-highway and outdoor recreational activities. It has assisted greatly in preparing and learning to do this type of travel responsibly, safely, and for meeting people with similar interests.

After having benefited from the off roading knowledge available at this web site and the available discussion forums, there came a time when it was only fair to give back any knowledge I could provide that might be helpful to others.

Since my particular background is in electrical engineering field, I have authored several articles to help in understanding the complex onboard computer and electrical systems found on today's vehicles. In addition, I moderate the Toyota SUV and Off Topic and General 4x4" Forums, and serve as the Associate Editor for the Toyota 4Runner & Tacoma Section.

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