Hey, there!  My name is Pat, and I am the proud, unfortunate owner of a 1993 Jeep Cherokee, designated by AMC as the "XJ".  Proud, because it is a rugged, macho, go anywhere (you know -- work, the mall, grocery shopping, the Rubicon Trail) vehicle.  Unfortunate because I've discovered the old adage that "Jeeps aren't made, they're built" equates to some serious bucks going into a vehicle that spends 95% of it's time crawling through the traffic quagmire that is the Bay Area.  But a scant four hours away is what might be four wheel Nirvana -- the Sierra Range.  And I hear its call constantly (Paaaaaattt, Paaaaaattt!!!).

My Cherokee started out tamely enough.  The first modification was a dealer installed cruise control.  Seems appropriate, right?  After all, most SUV's spend their entire lives struggling through nothing more serious than California rush hours or Chicago potholes (some of which can rival the best the Sierra's have to offer!).  So why shouldn't mine start with something geared to asphalt?

The first serious trip I took was to the Anza-Borrega Desert of Southern California (momentary pause for Northern Californians to recover from their shock).  We pulled our tent trailer down there to escape the monotony of our San Jose winters (the sun rises, temperature in the 60's, occassional rain, the sun sets, boo hoo!).  I was hooked on off-roading my first trek part way up the Coyote Canyon Trail.  I've created this little slice of the web to share my escapades in trying to create a bigger, better, trail ready XJ without destroying it, or its on road capabilities.
 

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