Originally from New Hampshire I moved out to Colorado back in 1980. In ‘83 my father purchased a new Jeep CJ7 which was eventually passed on to me in the summer of ’88 as my first set of wheels. Prior to its new owner the Jeep never had much trail time under its belt. That would quickly change. Being only 16 years old at the time I attempted some stupid things as a majority of teenagers do. Now with the knowledge of what my friends and I did with it I would never buy a Jeep for my 16 year old child. Let’s just say a few of us are lucky to still be alive today! In the winter of ’92 I wrecked the Jeep on an icy road and pretty much totaled it. The frame was severely bent just before the fire wall and the entire front end was trashed. Through the kindness of my father it was rebuilt and driven for another year or so. It just did not drive the same after the accident and rebuild so I traded it in for a car. Probably one of the most depressing days of my life. After having a Jeep in the family for 12 years the new car was just not cutting it. In ’95 I decided it was time to start looking for another Jeep.

I found good ole Black-n-Tan, my current ’83 CJ7 in the classifieds. It was owned by a young woman who it bad been given to by her grandfather. The Jeep was all stock except for a 3” body lift, 33” tires and some crappy Rough Country shocks. The body and frame were in excellent condition and it ran like a champ. Needless to say I bought it on the spot. I now had a nice platform to build on. Over the past 16 years or so the CJ has seen many build stages. Three suspensions, two motors, body modifications, etc…the Jeep is where it is today and still transforming a little at a time. As we all know this is not a cheap hobby. Now all I needed to do is find a group of folks that had the same interest as I did…building and wheeling Jeeps. I spent a couple of years attending many meet and greet events around the Denver area and came across this group guy’s that had some pretty bad ass Jeeps and interesting personalities…The Rock Zombie Outlaws.

We started to get to know each other, hanging out at a few social events and eventually I was given the opportunity to become a member. Wheeling and building my Jeep is a huge part of my life and I don’t know what I would do with out it. Maybe go insane! It is something that gets into your blood and only grows more rampant over the years. I have had some of the best times of my life on and off the trail with the 4x4 community, met some great people, been to some spectacular places and maybe even increased my life span a bit due to the enjoyment that it all brings.