1995 Land Cruiser trip report

We took our "new" 1995 Land Cruiser on it's first major trip recently, "we"
being my wife and daughters, ages 6 and 9. It was an 8-day trip into the
Steens Mountain are of SE Oregon. The trip included driving on everything
from highways to the kind of gravel roads you go 50 mph to crawling up bad
roads at very slow speeds. Also pulled a small trailer for part of the
trip. We had the entire back filled with our backpacking and car camping
gear.

Now, first off, I didn't do any hardcore 4-wheeling on this trip. I own a
Jeep Wrangler and am conversant in bangin' a rig through tough terrain.
This wasn't that. I only hit the big rocks in the "road" a couple times,
both times on the trailer hitch under the bumper, I think. I didn't buy the
LC to thrash it. I DID buy it to use it, though, and I was thoroughly
impressed with how it handled the terrain I threw at it. While my Jeep or
many other "real" 4wd's could have make it up the mining roads etc that I
took the LC on, there are many of the "cute" SUV's that would never have
made it. Or if they did, they'd be damaged. For that matter, my old '86
Nissan would have had a hard time with the one road we camped up. The
Cruiser just smoothly and effortlessly went where i pointed it. At one
point my wife, who is NOT into offroading, said something like, "wow, I just
noticed how bad this road is! I have been just tuning it out!"... that
speaks volumes; she and my girls would not have been "tuning it out" in my
Wrangler, they'd have been hanging onto the hand straps and whining <g>!

I did break a tire on a rock, though. The tires on it are Michelin AT's
with a decent amount of tread; they were on it when I bought it a couple
months ago. I just ordered BFG AT's for it. They should be tougher in the
rocks and are an excellent snow tire (the LC is also our ski/snowboarding
rig).

Oh, and the brakes on this big heavy truck amaze me. Where we camped at
the end of this one canyon was right by a creek. There was a little road,
like a long ramp, but curving some, and narrow and steep, that connected the
"road" above to our camp. No room to turn around down at the campsite once
the tent was up. Did not want to leave the LC up above because we needed
access to the stuff in it and I had a rifle in it that I preferred not to
sleep 100 yards away from. Anyway, long story shorter, I trusted that rig
enough to back it down that little dirt road... you'd have to see it to
understand... pretty hairy. My wife wouldn't watch. I would probably not
back my Wrangler or any other vehicle I've ever driven down that. With the
killer brakes on the LC it never felt like it was gonna get away from me at
all.

On-raod, it was what we all know it to be: comfortable, smooth (in a
trucklike way), great stereo, etc... just wanted to report that offroad it
actually performed as advertised. Damn thing is awesome.

Gas mileage sucks on these things though. Bummer.

-jeff