Member
Spotlight:
Jeff & Lauri Rector
From the February 2003 Issue of Trail Tales
by Joan Wolf
The
Rectors have packed a lot into their first nine months as NM4W members by
attending nearly every meeting and event on the calendar. Says Lauri, "The
Club feels like home. Members have been so open and made us feel welcome."
Ethel May Peeples remarked about the Rectors, "They’re such a great
couple and have put a lot into the Club, they come to everything."
Their journey to New Mexico began in June 1999 when they drove Jeff’s CJ-7 from Indiana to Las Cruces in search of four-wheeling. Spotting some modified rigs outside an automotive shop, they had fortunately come upon some members of the Las Cruces 4WDC. At their suggestion, Jeff and Lauri checked out the Deming mud bogging event and then Broad Canyon. They loved the wheeling so much, they set their goal on moving to New Mexico.
In 2001 they sold their place in Indiana, quit their jobs, said goodbye to their grown sons (Ben is now 21, Jake is 19), and headed west. Given their job skills and Midwestern work ethic, it didn’t take long for Albuquerque employers to snatch them up. Lauri is a Customer Service Representative with Manuel Lujan Insurance and Jeff is a steel cutter at Choice Steel.
They attended the 2001 Chile Challenge and again ran Broad Canyon. "It’s my favorite trail," explains Jeff. "I’ve run it three times and every time it’s different. You can make it hard, or take the drive-arounds and make it easy." They also enjoyed last summer’s quarterly SWFWDA event in the mountains outside Salida, Colorado. Future runs? "An extreme trail at the 2003 Chile Challenge and every trail in Moab. We were there once, but only had time to run Pritchett Canyon. We want to do ‘em all."
Okay,
for you gearheads that have patiently read this far, here’s what you’re
looking for. Jeff bought his Jeep CJ-7 new in 1984. It now sports a
fuel-injected 401, Turbo 400 automatic transmission, Dana 20 transfer case,
reverse pinion 9" rear with Detroit locker, Dana 44 front with an ARB
locker, 4.56 gears all around, and 35" BFG mudders. Jeff did the camouflage
paint job himself and reasons, "If it gets scratched, I just go in the
garage and touch it up."
A two-Jeep family, Lauri drives a ’95 Wrangler with 2-1/2" lift, 31" BFG All Terrains, and she proudly adds, "Borla cat-back exhaust." After driving her Wrangler on the recent Chic Challenge, Lauri said "driving off road was awesome. It was an extreme trail for me and my Wrangler, but I loved it!"
Lauri and Jeff hope to take occupancy soon of their new house being built on the far West side. Jeff beams, "I’ll have a 32’x32’ stand-alone garage. It’s bigger than the house and can fit nine Jeeps inside!" Okay Jeff, if you say so.
And what’s with their classy (?) bumper sticker "Jeep Naked—It Adds Color to Your Cheeks". Lauri explains, "We hit the shops in Moab and spent $90 in a half hour, including the bumper sticker."
Jeff and Lauri hope to lead some runs after they become more familiar with the area and get settled in their new house. "We really enjoy the Club and the four-wheeling, and hope we don’t lose our enthusiasm," says Lauri. The rest of the Club hopes the same and that the Rector’s enthusiasm proves contagious.