"Howdy" from the new guy
 

Hello All,
My name is Tom and I live in central Texas about an hour west of Austin. I’m a long-time lurker on this site, but I post infrequently. I have a 2008 X 2-door, 6-speed in yellow ( the best color!) My mods are fairly mild at present; 33” Baja Claws on Procomp wheels and 5.13 gears. I’m planning to move to 35” tires when these wear out. I’m considering the possibility of doing it with no lift, just flat fenders and ¾ “ spacers up front to take out the rake. (And maybe welding in C-gussets although I’m not convinced I need them for a mostly street-driven jeep.) I think this site is a great place to get JK knowledge from our collective successes and misfortunes.
This is my second jeep. My first was a red 1981 CJ5 that I owned around 1991 when I was in the navy. I hesitate to call myself a Desert Storm veteran. I was in the navy during Desert Storm but I spent the entire time in sunny Florida so it does not count. I did get my turn a few years later doing two tours in the Persian Gulf as part of Desert Shield, and I spent a month down around Somalia as part of Operation Restore Hope ( If you remember that one).
Although I grew up in Texas I spent 13 years in SoCal. While there I owned a sand-rail and a dirt bike. I spent a few weekends camping at Ocotillo Wells and Glamis/Imperial Sand Dunes so I’m familiar with the off-roading scene out west. I’m planning to do more wheeling in the coming years but rock crawling is not my thing. I’m more into exploring the back country and expedition-style wheeling. When it gets too rocky I’m more apt to park the Jeep, grab my backpack and go for a hike.
My other interests ( things we may have in common?):
• I’m an avid runner and a fitness nut. I work out and train 3 to 5 days a week. I usually run anywhere from 9 to 15 miles in an average week around Town Lake in Austin. I also cross-train with a fitness coach at least twice a week. I like to run 5K’s whenever I have time. My current “best” times are 1 mile in 6:57 and 5K in 22:41. While not blazing fast, I think these are respectable times for a mid 40’s guy like me.
• I am a hobby farmer and previously a rancher and beef producer. It’s kind of like Green Acres but I don’t wear a coat and tie when I drive my tractor. I tried a small cow-calf operation for a few years but lately I have sold all my cattle and I’m focusing on producing hay for everybody else. I find it less labor intensive than dealing with livestock while still satisfying my desire to participate in agriculture. And it works better with the schedule from my “real” job in electronics engineering. After all over half of all small family farms lose money so I need the real job to feed myself. If I won the lottery I would farm full time.
I’m looking forward to more Jeepin’ and possibly a trip to Colorado in the coming year.
Have a good one.

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