Member
Spotlight:
Cliff & Jeanne Meier
From the April 2005 Issue of Trail Tales
by: Joan Wolf
Like
many four-wheelers, Cliff Meier loves the backcountry and uses his 4WD vehicle
to access it. But unlike most four-wheelers, he also accesses the backcountry
astride his horse. As part of the Backcountry Horsemen, he and others perform
public service work for the Forest Service and BLM. They clear hiking trails in
wilderness areas and perform special projects for the agencies. Once they even
disassembled and packed out a WWII practice bomb that was found in the Sandia
Wilderness Area by a hiker.
Cliff and Jeanne (pronounced Jeannie) Meier became NM4W members in March 2004. They learned about the current incarnation of the group from the Internet. Cliff knew there was a club in Albuquerque because in the early 1980’s (when he owned a Scout) he attended a 4WD club meeting at a bank building on Eubank. However, that group talked mostly about having fun breaking stuff, so Cliff never went back. He and Jeanne both appreciate that the current-day NM4W club is family-oriented and offers many levels of four-wheeling.
Cliff and Jeanne met when attending New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Jeanne was raised in Deming, but also lived in Mexico City and Celaya, Mexico as a child. After Mexico, the family moved to Arkansas and then to Roswell, where she graduated high school. Cliff was born in Sioux City, Iowa, but moved around a lot since his father was career Air Force.
After graduating NMSU (Jeanne in Economics and Cliff in Mechanical Engineering), Cliff went into the Air Force. He helped launch test rockets and was stationed in Florida, California, Utah, and Kirtland AFB. After 20 years in the Air Force, he retired with the rank of Lt Col and became a government contractor. He’s been a Project Manager at Honeywell for six years and works on various military avionics involving cockpit displays and auto-pilot systems.
Jeanne works for a company named ACS as a COBOL Computer Programmer. “I’m obsolete and trying to keep employed until my retirement,” says Jeanne. Her current assignment is working with Blue Cross Blue Shield of NM programs. She enjoyed being a stay-at-home mother when their two sons were growing up. She’s also done clerical and real estate work. She and Cliff both hope to retire in spring 2006.
Their family includes two sons, Ron (and wife K’lyn), who live in Durango, and Chris (and wife Annette), who live in Albuquerque. Their oldest grandson, Brett, 13, has accompanied them on several four-wheeling trips. He likes the hard trails, but also seems to enjoy just being a kid in the outdoors. Their other grandchildren are Madalen (age 4), Gavin (age 2½), and 18‑month old Breken.
Jeanne’s favorite pastime is being Grandma. She also enjoys computer games (especially Free Cell), yard work, reading, and traveling. B.F. (Before Horses), Cliff did auto-cross and restored European sports cars. He also enjoys reading adventure tales and four-wheeling magazines (aren’t these the same thing?). Together, the Meiers attend plays and four-wheeling events. And there’s always something to tend to on their seven-acre spread in the East Mountains, including horses, Misty and LF. While Cliff has ridden horses for 20 years, Jeanne is content to feed and pet.
In addition to Backcountry Horsemen, Cliff volunteers with the Bernalillo County Mounted Search & Rescue and the State Search and Rescue. He and Erwin Greven also serve on the Torrance County Sheriff’s Department Reserve. Their role has evolved from directing traffic to serving as regular enforcement officers, weapons and all. Their shifts are usually Tuesdays from 6-10 pm and Saturdays from 6-12 pm.
Cliff
has modified his 2002 Tracker with a 2” suspension lift, 2” body lift, ARB
locker in the rear, 30” BFG All-Terrains (“big tires for a Tracker” notes
Cliff), rocker rails, and 5.12 gears. Since the Tracker is his daily driver,
Cliff feels done with the modifications. Anything more would require the
radical step of cutting up the body, something he’s reluctant to do.
Cliff’s favorite trail is Imogene Pass in southern Colorado, while Jeanne is partial to the 3-D trail in Moab. Jeanne, Cliff, and Brett will attend the 2005 Moab Easter Jeep Safari, their third consecutive year for that big event. Closer to home, Cliff enjoyed the Box Canyon Trail at the 2005 Chile Challenge and looks forward to the new trails at the Socorro BLM land. He’s content to run moderate trails because “they’re comparable to a hard trail for a Jeep.”
Jeanne doesn’t like heights or shelf roads, so Imogene Pass is out of the question. She clarifies that the problem is not shelf roads themselves, but rather STOPPING ON SHELF ROADS!!! At the November Caballo run, she was maintaining her composure, until the group stopped in the middle of the Palomas Gap to look and gab. It sounds as if my dearly beloved husband, Mark (the trail leader), would’ve been dead meat if she’d gotten a hold of him.
Cliff and Jeanne have also enjoyed four-wheeling runs to the Jemez and the Santa Fe National Forest. Cliff hopes someone will lead La Bajada Hill, so he can learn the route and perhaps lead it himself. So whether it’s via horseback or Tracker, Cliff is always ready to head to the backcountry. And if there aren’t drop-offs, Jeanne will be there too.