Brian: Where all have you been with your FJC? What trail/park/location is your favorite?
Tanya:
Sugar Hill Off-Road Park - Bellaire, TX
Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area - Gilmer, TX
Brazos Valley Off-Road Ranch - Bryan/College Station, TX
Hidden Falls Adventure Park - Marble Falls, TX
Big Bend National Park - Old Ore Rd, Black Gap Rd, River Rd, etc.
Big Bend Ranch State Park – Road to Nowhere and others
Terlingua, TX - Christmas Mountains & county back roads
Down South Off-Road - Crosby, TX
Bridgeport OHV Park - Bridgeport, TX
Superlift OHV Park - Hot Springs, AR
PINS (Padre Island National Seashore) - Corpus Christi, TX
High Island/Upper Texas Gulf Coast Beaches
Moab, Utah - Shafer Trail, Hell’s Revenge, Long Canyon, Island in the Sky, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point & La Sal Pass out of Moab
Ouray, Colorado - California Pass, Corkscrew Pass, Imogene Pass, Last Dollar Road, Black Bear Pass
My favorite local park is Barnwell Mountain. My favorite local area to visit is Big Bend.
Brian: What park/location that you have not been to yet would you like take your FJ too?
Tanya: I’d like to explore some more of the parks in Texas like Trees Ranch. For out of state wheeling, I think it would be amazing to be able to wheel somewhere in each state. But I’d really like to spend about a month exploring the trails in Colorado! I do foresee a future trip to the Northwest states at some point, eventually making my way to Alaska and Canada.
Brian: What has the FJCruiserForums done for you?
Tanya: The FJC Forums has been a very helpful resource, starting with my first search when researching the FJ before I bought one. It has helped me increase my knowledge but what I value most is the community and the avenue it provides for meeting so many great people that also enjoy this really fun hobby!
Brian: Has anyone on the forum inspired your build or been a go to resource for you?
Tanya: I’ve gotten help/advice from many people and I appreciate it all! I think Old Sarge deserves a special mention here though – we met through a mutual friend shortly after I got my FJ and he’s become a really good friend and has been very generous with his time and knowledge – always willing to help me out when I have a question or need help installing something. Old Cruiser has also done an install for me and swapped my tires out, letting me borrow his KM2s for a wheeling trip before I got a lift & bigger tires. And, I have to give special thanks to Wilson – he was so very patient with me when I was trying to figure out which armor to buy before my first wheeling trip! I’m sure I’m forgetting someone and I do apologize! But, the help, advice from everyone has all been greatly appreciated!!!
Brian: What has been the most memorable experience with your FJ Cruiser?
Tanya: One memory that stands out is from my second wheeling trip to Barnwell Mountain 2 years agoo. I had so much fun at Jambo I went back to Barnwell a couple months later. Tish and Bryan Tatem took me under their wings and helped me develop confidence in what my truck could do and what I could do. I didn’t even know how to put it into 4WD until Tish showed me! Anyway, they took me down one trail and when I got to the bottom and turned around and looked back up I was so shocked that I had made it down in my stock FJ. In fact, if they had shown me what it looked like beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have gone down it. So, after that trip, I kind of followed them around like a lost puppy dog for the next several trips because Bryan was my first spotter and the only one I trusted for a while. Now, I’m trying to pay it forward by helping other new wheelers.
Brian: What advice do you have for someone new to the FJC or the forum?
Tanya: If someone is new to the FJC and is interested in mods, I recommend going to a few get-togethers/trail-runs/events stock, checking out other rigs and learning about the mods that others have and why they chose them, how they’re working for them, etc. Being patient until you figure out what is best for you and your needs will pay off in the end. The two mods I wouldn’t put off though are a CB and blind-spot mirrors!