The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor of the garage in a pool of blood. I couldn't hear anything, but that soon changed to ringing as hearing slowly returned. I tried croaking, "Help me," but the unintelligible mumble that came out didn't bring any. The pain in my left knee was unbelievable. Both hands were the size of softballs, and blood was pouring out of my torn right little finger. My wife and little girl heard the explosion but thought Dad had just dropped something big in the garage while working on the Jeep. When they didn't hear any more noise, my wife and daughter decided to take a look. Imagine their consternation as they opened the garage and saw what looked like a crime scene with me looking at them and saying, "I think we better get to the hospital." My wife immediately went into action while my little girl started crying and repeating, "Oh Daddy, oh Daddy!"

I'd like to say that I'm a fair and honest guy whose personal opinions and professional integrity are not swayed by money or politics. I have set my life's flight plan and am heading where I feel most comfortable: right under the radar. I try to live life as stress-free as possible, because in this profession there are hundreds of things that can cause problems. The issues I try to avoid at all cost are the repercussions brought on by the unethical review of products, a practice my staff and I refuse to take part in. We try and give you our fair and honest opinions not based on anything other than our experiences with the products.

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to: 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility MAGAZINE, Attn: Christian Lee, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 700, Anaheim, CA 92806, or christian.lee@sourceinterlink.com.

Everyone deserves his big break, right? Lately I have been receiving quite a few inquiries about submitting articles to 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility MAGAZINE. A majority of them come from the average automotive-adventure enthusiast with little or no publishing experience. In some instances, I have actually received well-written articles from aspiring editors that included some great photography. A photo from one such article even wound up on the cover of the magazine last year. Not bad for a first-timer!

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to: 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine, Attn: Christian Lee, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 700, Anaheim, CA 92806, or christian.lee@sourceinterlink.com.

This month I would like to unofficially quiz you to find out more about you, the readers, and what you think of 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine. It's been a few years since my last reader survey, so I think it's time to update my files. This is not a marketing scam - I am not looking for your contact information so I can nail you with junk mail. However, if you do decide to include your contact information, the first 150 respondents will receive a handsome 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine license-plate frame. All other respondents will receive 4WD&SU stickers.

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to: 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility MAGAZINE, Attn: Christian Lee, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 700, Anaheim, CA 92806, or christian.lee@sourceinterlink.com.

There are certain nostalgic, automotive-related images that stick with a guy and never fail to bring out strong feelings and emotions. For me, it's the noxious smell of a slightly mistuned carbureted engine (I love it), the interior stink of an old car, the sticky feeling of Gasgacinch on the fingers, the sound of scraping auto metal and trim plastic against a wet and muddy gravel bank, and the thought of the first cheap set of tools I ever bought.

Inflating Tires in 2.37 Seconds?
Correction: I was just reading an article in the May '07 issue of 4WD&SU about the new Warn winch with the built-in air compressor ("PowerPlant Dual Force HP"). The article states, in a photo caption, that the air compressor will inflate a 35-inch tire from 5 to 32 psi in 2.37 seconds. Wow! Sign me up for one of those, please! I've been airing up tires on the trail for quite a few years with every type of air compressor you could imagine, and 2.37 seconds not only sets a record for trail inflating, but possibly a Guinness record too. Perhaps the article meant to state 2 minutes and 37 seconds (just a guess on my part). As always though, you guys put together a great magazine, and I look forward to each issue. Locating typos is more fun than finding the GeoStash coordinates. Keep up the good work.

Tom Gaydos
Thompson Falls, MT

Four-wheeling adventure to me is in some respects very personal. It's a way to escape the realities and hassles of daily life. It's a way to refresh and rejuvenate the soul and spirit and to collect my thoughts. And there are no better places to escape to than some of this country's most spectacular and remote lands.

J-Series Jeeps
Q: I am 18 years old and just joined the Navy. I was looking for a cheap 4x4, and I found a '72 Jeep J Series for $500 and I fell in love with it. I've always liked the look of those trucks, but the problem is I've been looking online for parts for them but I can't seem to find anything. The only thing I can find is a 3-inch body lift. I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction and if you guys could show some J-Series vehicles in your future issues. Thanks.
Jimmy Lawley
via e-mail

Late last year, I had the opportunity to attend the 50th anniversary reunion for the Chuckwalla Jeep Club in California. The event not only moved me professionally, but it stirred my senses personally and slightly emotionally. In attendance at the reunion were first-, second-, third-, and fourth-generation club members. It would actually be more fitting to say this was a family reunion rather than a club reunion. These folks are tight and are bound by their love of adventure and four-wheeling in Jeeps as well as an amazing 50 years of great times out on the trail.

As Jack Frost has most of the country in his frigid winter clutches, the rest of the U.S. that is too hot for summer travel is open for exploration. The migration to this country's arid desert lands usually starts in mid-October and runs through May. Call me crazy, but I used to think some parts of the desert weren't exactly worth driving through. I guess heat was the factor that annoyed me. When I drove by Death Valley National Park, I thought people were crazy for spending any amount of time there. I never really thought about visiting during its cool season. After my first few trail runs through the park, I was hooked. Now, I find a particular sense of curiosity within myself and want to explore each and every acre.

In our June 2000 issue, I took U-Haul to task for some trouble I'd had with one of its rental trucks. Now, you may remember this incident where I rented a U-Haul truck to carry the parts I had received from J&W Jeep Salvage in Antelope, California (located near Sacramento (916) 723-3950), back home to Los Angeles. My problems began when the small truck I had reserved was rented out and a larger truck was substituted. I finally got the smaller truck from another U-Haul dealer. If you remember, when I stopped to fill the truck with fuel for the first time, it just wouldn't start again - dead as a door nail, no ignition. In that 4Word, I explained just how inconvenient it was to find myself sitting around for more than three hours at night in the rain, during a power failure, waiting for U-Haul's roadside service to get to me. Later, I stated that I had to stay overnight and transfer my parts to another truck in the morning. While this was not the best time I've ever had with a rental, I've come to learn that it could have been much worse.

A few days before writing this editorial, I had just returned from a very nice anniversary event with a time-honored four-wheel-drive club. The event was held inside a state park, and to my amazement there were still four-wheel-drive trails left open in this park. How long they will remain open is, of course, a mystery. The name of the park isn't important, but I will tell you more about this spectacular place in next month's issue.

Along the trail I have gathered quite a collection of good friends. And why not? I am a respectful, likable, goofy guy. There really isn't much that offends me. My theory is that a thick hide helps you make it through life with a lot less stress. I may be a little quiet, but that's only because I am usually stressed and tired due to burning the midnight oil trying to meet a crazy production deadline.

As far back as I can remember I had an urge to explore strange new places and wander off into the unknown. My grandfather had homesteaded 5 acres of desert land back in the 1950s (this doesn't make me old), way back when it was considered the middle of nowhere. Travel to this same area today takes about an hour and a half, but back then it was about a three- to four-hour journey, considering the 55-mph speed limit and conservative elderly gentleman taking his time. The long drive was well worth it to a young kid who just couldn't get enough; the memories and experiences I had out there are numerous and priceless.

For some people, including myself, the anticipation of a road trip is almost too much to endure. Our day-to-day sanity hinges on thoughts of a looming escape from the daily grind of life. It doesn't matter if the trip is a weekend getaway or a month-long hiatus, it helps us get through the year.

Recently, I ran into a couple of situations that left me scratching my head. While standing around passing the time with some enthusiasts, we started talking about the qualities of a good vehicle. We all agreed that a person should have their four-wheel-drive vehicle in the best operating condition it can be in before it hits the trail. Not only is this a major safety concern, but it's also being considerate. Considerate in the respect that unless you and your buddies love wrenching on your vehicle under really crummy conditions and tying up the trail, it shouldn't be out there unless it is capable of moving itself on and off the trail. I know some guys live for this type of trail repair fun, but I bet the majority of enthusiasts just enjoy rolling down the trail.

I was sitting at my desk the other day thinking of ways to give my readership everything they could possibly want out of this magazine when one very important question popped into my head: Who am I trying to please? Not knowing that much about you folks makes it a little difficult. I have a pretty darn good idea what you are all about, since 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility has been on the newsstand for more than 20 years and is one of the most popular off-road titles. Since we're still around and you're still buying the magazine, we must be doing something right.

Before taking the position as the new editor of 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility, my predecessor warned me that my editorial would be the toughest part of the magazine I would have to write. The more I thought about it, the more it started to unnerve me. After all, I now stand in the footsteps of some pretty cool cats. My column, views, and opinions are supposed to make profound statements about the state of four-wheeling and vehicle technology - where it's headed, what we've learned, what mistakes have been made, and how we're going to correct them.

The Quiet Months
The juxtaposition of the publishing world and the real world creates a skewed view of time. As I sit here writing, it is only three days before Christmas; yet I am already beginning to work on the May '03 issue of 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility. In the real world, I've scarcely begun winter, while in the publishing world, I'm already halfway through a year that technically has not even begun. Einstein was right: time is relative.

Well, after vacillating for the last year or two and making a series of assurances and denials, it is finally official. Later this year, DaimlerChrysler will cease production of the XJ Cherokee. Many ardent four-wheelers will mourn the loss of the XJ not only because it was a such good, solid vehicle, but also because it hearkened back to a period when SUVs were built with exploration in mind. They were the product of a philosophy that had little to do with strip malls and everything to do with the great wide open.