There aren't many new car dealers out there that openly embrace the sport of four-wheeling. However, this is beginning to change with the increasing popularity of the sport utility vehicle. Now dealers that promote offroad use of their vehicles are beginning to pop up all across the country.

"I have seen the future, and no longer does it involve explaining to your service technician that your vehicle has never been offroad, despite obvious rock-rash and bent skidplates."

No longer is recreational four-wheeling a rich and colorful advertisement in a new 4x4 vehicle brochure. It is now something tangible that manufacturers have been implying for years that it was something we could do with our vehicles. All American Jeep offers the experience with open arms to its customers. Learning to operate a four-wheel drive vehicle on varied terrain in a safe and controlled environment is the opportunity they are presenting to the general public. The event participants are seperated into several different groups depending on vehicle modifications, trail difficulty, and driver experience. It is made clear by staff and employees of All-American Jeep that four-wheeling is a slow stroll through the woods, as opposed to dashing through mud and bouncing off of trees. (as the misinformed have regretfully stereotyped it) To minimize risk of injury, or damage to the environment, experienced trail guides appointed by All American Jeep see to it that all event participants have working knowledge of their vehicles, are informed of necessary off-roading techniques, and are helped through difficult offroad situations.

The last All American Jeep Trail Ride was held on April 30th, 2000, at Paragon Adventure Park in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Paragon is a private four-wheel drive park in eastern Pennsylvania that has been made popular by four-wheelers from all over the country. All American utilizes Paragon Adventure Park to offer their customers a good selection of terrain of varying difficulties.

Calling All American's one day four-wheeling extravaganza a "trail ride" really doesn't properly describe the event. The event began at a catering establishment with a ballroom located within the city of Hazleton. This was the spot where participants arrived in the morning. I had arrived before any of the participants, and the All American Team was just setting up. "Jeep" flags were hung at the entrance of the parking lot to help people coming in find their way. Outside the entrance to the ballroom building was a large orange full-size Jeep pickup, restored and built-up by All American. I found my way past the pickup, and enterred the lobby, which contained a member of the All American Team accompanied by a roster, a sign-up sheet, and door prize tickets. It was at this point where the story of All American's Trail Ride unfolded.

I had driven two hours that morning from Lancaster County to attend All-American's event, requiring me to get up at 4:30 AM in order to arrive comfortably around 7:00 AM. Making my way through the lobby and into the dimly lit ballroom, I inspected a table full of door prizes. The variety of items was impressive, ranging from Jeep parts to apparel. The smell of breakfast wafted through the spacious ballroom, as my empty stomach churned with desire for sustinance. It was still early, and there was plenty of time to mill around while folks were rolling in and breakfast was being prepared. I wandered back out into the parking lot as more participants were coming in. Despite it being a little cold outside, checking out the new arrivals' vehicles is one of the most interesting things to do while waiting for a wheelin' event to begin.

Jeeps of all shapes and sizes arrived. TJs seemed to be the rig-of-choice, but Cherokees, Commanches, ZJs, full-sizes, and even a couple of WJs were present. The whole event was hardly geared toward modified vehicles, but many showed up anyway, just for the variety of terrain that the day had to offer.

Most of the arrivals went right into the ballroom area where they signed up and took a seat for breakfast. Not many formalities took place once everyone was crowded together in the ballroom. People just socialized, discussing their vehicles, and where they were from. Folks from distant states showed up because they had heard about the event on the Internet. Many locals native to Tamaqua and Hazleton were also present. You did not have to be an All American Jeep customer to participate, although the majority of the attendees were.