Member
Spotlight:
Eric Finch
From the June 2004 Issue of Trail Tales
by Joan Wolf
Eric and friend, Lisa DiCarlo 
How do you spot Eric Finch at a club function? According to well-placed sources, “he’s the one who’s always late.” Otherwise look for a tall, lanky, long-haired guy (that eliminates the Werkmeister brothers) with a ready smile and a white ’87 YJ.
Eric was recruited to NM4W by his good friends Jason Lavy and Paul-Baptiste Baca. His first club event, the 2002 Christmas tree run to the Jemez Mountains, was memorable because the four-wheel drive in his Jeep didn’t work. But everyone helped with the diagnosis and that was memorable also. It was the first of many four-wheeling lessons he learned from NM4W.
An Albuquerque native, Eric’s first “four-wheeling” experience was with his dad in the family’s Honda Civic in the then-vacant foothills area above Juan Tabo. “One time Dad drove us sideways down an arroyo, really off camber,” Eric remembers. They were going very slow and the weight was just enough to tip the car over. Eric, his brother, and Dad climbed out the passenger side and rocked the car back and forth until it fell back on its wheels.
His parents, two brothers, and sister all live in Albuquerque, but none share Eric’s enthusiasm for four-wheeling. Maybe the Honda Civic experience lingers. However, his girlfriend Lisa DiCarlo loves off-roading. As a viola player with the New Mexico Symphony and a local quartet named Onyx, her busy schedule hasn’t allowed much wheeling time. But she has enjoyed the two runs she’s been able to attend.
Eric found his ’87 YJ on eBay for $2,500 and had it shipped from New Jersey for $600. He wasn’t concerned about the high mileage (173,000 mi.) “Because I bought it to beat up.” Since the engine had been recently rebuilt, the only immediate repair after purchase was new brakes.
Modifications since then include 3-1/2” lift (with help from Jason and Paul-Baptiste), onboard air, and 33” tires with TJ Canyon rims. He recently mounted the rear bumper and tire carrier built as his project for a TVI arc welding class. His YJ wish list: new front bumper (now in progress), axles to replace the stock axles, more lights, safari rack, spring-over, and lockers to replace the stock Posi-trac in the rear.
To pay for the Jeep upkeep, Eric works as Network Administrator at Parsons Brinkerhoff, a civil/traffic engineering firm. Since 1997, he’s handled the computer and network needs of 35 employees at the Albuquerque office and at smaller branch offices in Santa Fe and Las Cruces. After studying electronics at TVI, Eric learned his way around computers during a three-year stint at Computer Works. But he said most things he’s just learned on his own. “Learning about computers is just a matter of playing with them,” he declares. Sure, Eric, if you say so.
For the past five years, Eric has volunteered for chase crews during the Balloon Fiesta. He takes a week off from work--and then gets up at 4 a.m. for nine days in a row! He usually crews for a pilot from Arizona and enjoys his turn to ride in the balloon. If anyone is interested in crewing, Eric would be glad to fill you in.
A recent endeavor is his projectjeep.com website, a venue for sharing his Jeep experiences. Eric also organizes and participates in monthly LAN parties at which 50 - 100 people play computer games (Gammathon.com). A not-so-relaxing pastime is maintaining a few housing rental units.
Hopping Jalapeno at the 2003 Chili Challenge rates as Eric’s worst trail experience. He was still gaining confidence about wheeling, so he signed up for Hopping Jalapeno, rated as “Easy”. The trail leader had broken his Scout the day before and there was a group raring to go. Eric volunteered to lead with the trail leader riding shotgun. The trail turned out to be really rough and the day got very long. It was getting dark by the time they got off the trail and aired up. They’d just gotten back on pavement and were going 25 mph when his rear wheel fell off! Luckily other Jeepers in the group scrounged up some lug nuts and coached him on how to use a high-lift jack. Another lesson learned--check those lug nuts!
One of Eric’s favorite places to wheel is the Rio Puerco. “It’s close, there’s a lot to do, and there is plenty of opportunity to break things,” he says. He’s also enjoyed numerous Colorado trails, including Imogene, Engineers Pass, and Black Bear. Future trails? He’d love to find something in the Sandias, wants to do Moab, and hopes to make the SW4WDA Summer Quarterly in Fairplay. Eric appreciates the wealth of information and resources that NM4W offers and he looks forward to more learning and outdoor fun with the group.