In 1996, I hed gotten into off-roading, or four wheeling as some people call it. I had gone several times when I was growing up, both riding and driving in other people's vehicles; mainly in the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Usually through the forest or through sand dunes.
It was always a good time and a lot of fun; so I looked at capable vehicles in March of 1998 when I needed to purchase a vehicle. (I was involved in a Lemon Law suit at the time, in which I was returning my Ford Contour. A very long story.) I weighed all of my options and circumstances; I had just graduated (possibly putting less miles on my vehicle), and I was thinking of changing jobs (possibly putting less miles on my vehicle.) I ended up purchasing a brand new 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and have not regretted it one bit. They are a little pricey, but it's an incredible vehicle.
I ended up signing up for a 1998 Jeep Jamboree, a national off-roading event sponsored by Jeep. Created by Jeep, sponsored by Jeep, and only allowing Jeep vehicles to attend. It was being held in the Daniel Boone National Forest near Lexington, KY. This was a strong reason for me to go, since I visit there frequently to camp and climb. Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite a learning experience. I ended up doing around $7,000 in damage to my truck when I had less than 3,000 miles. I am still very impressed at the terrain we made it through, but I would have liked to have done it a little later in my vehicles' lifetime. Details on this trip and some pictures can be found on my Past Trips page.
During many of my trips, I try to rent a 4WD sport utility vehicle, just in case. The opportunity for some off-roading arises many times; such as this trip we did in 1999. We ended up getting a Chevy Blazer which handled fairly well on land, and it had pretty good ground clearance. Unfortunately, it didn't handle too well in the sand.
Here is a picture of some off-roading in the forests in California.
Here is a picture of us stuck on the beach. It was quite the ordeal, the tide came in and we had to scramble to gather several vehicles to pull us out of harms way. Very memorable.
For anyone even remotely considering off-roading, make sure you are prepared. At the very least, take a shovel, portable air compressor, warm/dry gear, and a tire gauge. It is also a very good idea not to blaze any unknown trails alone. The last word of advice, it can be a VERY expensive hobby. I have just begun to see the tip of the iceberg. During our off-roading adventures, we have met many people that have invested WAY too much (in my opinion) money in the sport. It can also be very expensive if you DON'T invest the proper amount of money in your vehicle and attempt too difficult of a trail (see my Jeep Jamboree experience.) Good luck and happy trails!