Energetic, friendly, and knowledgeable describes Jeep enthusiast Jim Horne as he joins us for Episode 59 to share how a kid graduated from a Missouri high school ends up in Pahrump, Nevada (for now). Lots of stories and laughs along the way with his strong, beautiful wife, Barb.
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2:56 – since I was born I’ve been around everything Jeep-wise
8:14 – I don’t know if I maybe had anger issues, but I love playing football
9:47 – A couple of years ago, Barb was diagnosed with breast cancer
12:50 – I really got into this industry, it’s saved us
17:26 – it’s those personal experiences that build character
18:46 – we would shut the job down because he was yelling at me and I was yelling back
27:35 – aircraft mechanic jobs were flooded with ex-military, no room for me
34:41 – it was time to settle down
37:09 – once you’re on the Rubicon, you’re not getting off until you’re done
38:57 – we started Outlaw Jeep Tours on the corner like a hooker
42:54 – Steve Nantz has been a key person in my life
46:25 – you’re living the dream
58:29 – I put her into a roll
1:04:34 – fighting vapor lock in the race truck
1:15:59 – you’re only failing if you don’t try
We want to thank our sponsors Maxxis Tires and 4Low Magazine.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:20.510] – Big Rich Klein
On today’s episode of Conversations with Big Rich, we have Jim Horne, some of you may know Jim, some of you may not.
[00:01:28.580] – Big Rich Klein
Some of you may wonder, why am I interviewing Jim? Well, Jim and I go back around the beginning of Dirt Riot. I believe Jim was a spotter for Steve Nantz, first at our rock crawls, and then we jumped into racing the Dirt Riot series with us. And then Jim left the area and started other endeavors. And we’re going to get all into all that with with Jim right now. So, Jim, thank you for coming on board with us.
[00:02:00.320] – Jim Horne
Trust me, it’s it’s my pleasure, Rich. Any time I get a phone call or text from you, I’m always excited.
[00:02:05.600] – Big Rich Klein
And I think that’s kind of overrating it. But that’s good. Anyway, let’s let’s jump right in and let’s start talking about like we do with everybody where you grew up and what your interest was as a young kid and and eventually how you got into this industry and, you know, your love of the of the industry itself. So where’d you grow up?
[00:02:32.870] – Jim Horne
Sure. Yeah. I was born in Yakima, Washington. We lived in the area for Yakima. My my grandpa owned an apple orchard. So I think almost anybody in this sport, they’re outdoor individuals for sure. And that’s the way I grew up. We I was born in Yakima, Washington. Do that all the way back in nineteen seventy one. Oh, wow. I’m getting old brother.
[00:02:53.630] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah. You’re still not as old as me.
[00:02:56.120] – Jim Horne
I know, but yeah, I grew up in the Washington State area and when I was a kid I grew up around jeeps. My dad back in the 70s. Racing a CJ five. We were a member of the Timberwolves Jeep Club back in the day. So for my my whole life, ever since I was born, I’ve been around everything you possibly could jeep wise. And I remember back, you know, five and six years old, like every kid does.
[00:03:23.600] – Jim Horne
Well, maybe not every kid, but, you know, handing my dad a wrench, you know, helping him pull a motor, just just things like that. And it kind of, you know, once it gets a hold of you, you can’t shake it. And heck, I really haven’t wanted to shake it.
[00:03:35.360] – Big Rich Klein
You know, I didn’t I would never have guessed you were from Yakima. Really, we do we do an event in Goldendale, Washington, every year, and, yeah, I’ve competed in that with Steve. That was one dusty, dusty event.
[00:03:50.500] – Big Rich Klein
It’s all that volcanic dust from the rock out there.
[00:03:54.820] – Jim Horne
Yeah, yeah, definitely. That was a good event, though. There’s some there’s some good stuff out there. I really enjoyed that. But it was really dusty.
[00:04:00.730] – Big Rich Klein
I remember that. Yeah. Everybody everybody likes the event. It’s except for the dust. But you can’t have everything you know, it’s funny, speaking of that event, I remember I got into an argument with you over some rules about Steve and I crossed the cones and somebody, you know, they were trying to time it’s out there like you timed out. And I was like, no. And you had to come over. And it wasn’t heated between us.
[00:04:27.950] – Big Rich Klein
It was competitive. That’s what it was when we were out there.
[00:04:32.300] – Big Rich Klein
Absolutely. I never think it’s personal. And no, that’s one reason I think I make a good promoter because I don’t take. I don’t take it personal, and that’s one thing you can’t you know, when you you hang around with a bunch of competitors and just like yourself, it is what it is when you’re out there, you know, everybody shakes hands and drinks the beer after it’s all over. And that’s one thing I really loved about this sport is, you know, from from the competition side to the racing side or just even being out there on the trails, the camaraderie, you know, everybody is out there to help everybody out.
[00:05:06.390] – Big Rich Klein
And I really I’ve really enjoyed that. And I think that’s what keeps me drawn into the sport. And just people people still help me. And I love helping other people. It’s been fantastic. But anyway, back to my childhood. Yeah. You know, growing up in Washington lived there for about 14 years. Like I said, my dad always raced Jeeps and all my uncles did. So I’ve constantly been around it. After that, we moved to a place called North Poutre, Oregon, just a small town.
[00:05:33.570] – Big Rich Klein
And then your memories.
[00:05:35.760] – Big Rich Klein
Where is that? I’ve never heard of that.
[00:05:38.100] – Jim Horne
It’s just let’s see, it’s south of LeGrande and just north of Baker are two of the bigger cities. Oh, really?
[00:05:46.660] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah, I’ve been all through all every single road there and I don’t remember. Interesting.
[00:05:51.930] – Jim Horne
OK, yeah. So and then I remember replacing the spider gears of my dad’s jeep, we had a CJ seven then I think it was in 1984 CJ7 and laying in the driveway, replacing Spider Gears when he blew those out when we were up in the mountains, messing around, doing the logging roads and everything in that area.
[00:06:11.320] – Jim Horne
Yep, yep. You know how that is especially going up in the Northwest or some beautiful country up there.
[00:06:16.750] – Big Rich Klein
Absolutely. Especially around those volcanoes.
[00:06:20.340] – Jim Horne
Yeah, definitely, definitely the landscape can change from depending on where the lava flows have gone in in the prehistoric times or, you know, to me anything over 200 years is prehistoric, you know, any of those those changes like that to the area really are dramatic in the volcanic areas?
[00:06:45.450] – Jim Horne
Yeah, yeah. For sure. And then let’s say, oh, go ahead.
[00:06:50.160] – Big Rich Klein
No, I was going to say so in in school. Were you were you interested in any of the sports that the schools may have offered or were you one of those.
[00:06:59.970] – Jim Horne
Yeah, yeah I, I played a lot, a lot of football, you know, obviously in high school, back in the glory days, you know, high school and ran track. I was had some decent speed for who I was. It was funny because after I, we left Oregon, I only lived in Oregon for a couple of years or about a year and a half. And then we moved all the way to Missouri a while back.
[00:07:23.650] – Jim Horne
My grandparents moved to Missouri. And then my dad actually was he was born in Auburn, California. But then he lived a lot of our little quite a bit of time in Arkansas. And he saw an opportunity to go back there and kind of, you know, let us raise us there and move back there when I was 14 and being from Northwest and then moving to Missouri culture. I’ve never felt him. Oh, one hundred percent, dude.
[00:07:51.270] – Jim Horne
I’ve never felt humidity before. And we moved there in July. And yeah, that’s something I don’t care who you are, you don’t get used to it. You just don’t. But yeah. Anyway I move there and what you one great thing that came out of that, that’s where I met my wife Barb. So you know, I don’t ever, ever regret when I first moved there I was like, what the hell are you doing? And then, you know, after all that, play it out.
[00:08:14.460] – Jim Horne
It was great. But yeah, it was I was a pretty decent athlete for a shorter dude. I was always pretty quick. And I love playing football. I don’t know if I had maybe anger issues, but I love to take it out on other people. Perfect. And then ran quite a bit of track also. But yeah, for me, I was and I wasn’t very studious. I was just, you know, you go to school and hang out just because it’s a cool thing to do.
[00:08:42.780] – Jim Horne
And then as soon as it was over, I was out of there. I barely made it through, but I did make it through it just in four years of high school. So that was. Yeah. Yep, that’s right.
[00:08:51.900] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah. You got you know, you get that high school diploma, at least you don’t have to go back and get a GED.
[00:08:56.940] – Jim Horne
That’s it. That’s it. Two things. I’m proud of my high school diploma and well, there’s a lot of things I’m proud of. But a high school diploma and and an honorable discharge out of the Air Force, that’s not too shabby. READ MORE
