I always think of Trent McGee as a magazine guy, and that’s certainly how he got his start – but listen in to see what else he’s been up to in his 20+ year career in off-road. Ultimate Adventure, Superlift TV, there’s lots of great stuff packed in this episode.
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4:40 – early days developed my love for the desert
7:06 – everything just stings, stick,s or bites
8:27 – theater set the stage because I had on-camera experience
10:35 – rules to keep teens safe while driving: buy them something small so they can’t put many people in it, add a stick shift so they can’t text
12:37 – my dad was livid….
15:20 – I needed an internship
17:08 – my 10 seconds of courage
21:02 – I thought I was pretty knowledgable
32:00 – yeah, Louisiana, not a chance
41:45 – the most special build was for a co-worker that had a unicorn
49:48 – I hung out my own shingle about 10 years ago
50:54 – I’m one of two guys that have been on every Ultimate Adventure
59:16 – to Alaska at 25 mph
1:04:42 – Jeep Dirt-n-Drive to Moab
1:25:57 – Life is not about things
We want to thank our sponsors Maxxis Tires and 4Low Magazine.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:20.110]
On today’s episode of Conversations with Big Rich, we have Trent McGee. Many of you probably know Trent from the early days and the magazines at four wheeler.
[00:01:30.650] – Big Rich Klein
That’s about the time I met Trent and then as the host of Superlift TV, but he’s had many badges, he’s had many business cards and like everybody in our industry, nobody ever really disappears. They just change business cards. So I’d like to thank you for coming on board today and and talking about your history and off road.
[00:01:52.400] – Trent McGee
Well, thank you, Rich. I really appreciate it. Rather, it’s kind of an honor to even be asked to be on your podcast. Thank you very much.
[00:01:59.060] – Big Rich Klein
Well, it’s my honor to have you with us. So, you know, I thank you so much. So let’s just jump right in. I understand that you grew up in Arizona and were born and raised there,
[00:02:12.800] – Trent McGee
not really born there. Technically, I was born in Northern California and Los Gatos, San Jose area. But my parents moved to a little town outside of Phenix, which is not so little anymore, called Fountain Hills when I was three.
[00:02:31.070] – Trent McGee
So I really kind of consider myself an Arizona native, even though I’m technically not born here. I was definitely raised here and stuff, so it’s definitely home.
[00:02:41.430] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah, I was born a Bay Area boy as well, farther up the peninsula, but I always say I’m from Placerville and I didn’t actually move there until after college. So let’s talk about that Los Gatos time at three years old. I know I don’t have any three year old memories except for what people have told me.
[00:03:04.920] – Trent McGee
Yeah. Now, I mean, I guess I maybe have some vague recollections of the house that we lived in, but it’s hard to say whether that was an actual recollection or, you know, my mom or dad telling a story or something like that. So now I really, you know, three years old is pretty small. So I don’t really remember much time there. I’ve been back there many times. We’ve still got to have some extended family up there.
[00:03:31.010] – Trent McGee
And it’s a neat area, but I think I’m much better served, you know, moving here and bouncing around the desert stuff here.
[00:03:40.610] – Big Rich Klein
Absolutely. Because you got a much earlier start than me. Probably I had to wait until I was nineteen eighty when I finally got on the Rubicon. It’s real off roading. So cool. You know, I wasted a lot of time there where I could have been doing stuff. I did a lot of backpacking and stuff, but not the same. So anyway, talk about Fountain Hills and growing up there. How long how long were you there and what precipitated the move with your parents to there from Los Gatos?
[00:04:07.550] – Trent McGee
Well, my dad was my dad actually worked for the IRS. Believe it or not, I got a certified public accountant. And I believe what precipitated the move was leaving the IRS and getting a job at one of the big accounting firms of which they had an office here in town. And I think I think even then, that was maybe not so enthused about raising it, you know, raising a family. And in Northern California, where it’s very expensive and lots of maybe questionable influences and stuff like that.
[00:04:40.010] – Trent McGee
So, you know, I guess really my early days was that really developed my love for the desert. You know, it being a real small community, I think basically I think there were two classes in my grade in my school that I was in. So was about 60 kids and and stuff. So it was just it was really cool being able to you know, I would walk to the bus stop and would run around in the desert with a buddy of mine, you know, building forts and and stuff like that and chasing rattlesnakes and rabbits and stuff like that.
[00:05:18.800] – Trent McGee
So I think that’s really where it’s at. The time, it was a a more rural sort of a place and but a cool place and with lots of neat stuff to to explore. So but I think that’s probably where at least that that established my love for the outdoors.
[00:05:37.520] – Big Rich Klein
Well, that makes total sense. Yeah. It’s probably why I don’t like the big cities, because I grew up in those either, although I do live in one. But it’s but you know, you also have to make a living so. Right.
[00:05:50.030] – Big Rich Klein
That’s true. But you’re aren’t you farther out. Are you in the metro area.
[00:05:58.250] – Trent McGee
I mean I’m definitely in the metro area. I’m but I’m, I’m kind of way up on the northwest side of town. And so I’m not like in the center or downtown adjacent or anything like that. I’m I’m definitely up in the suburbs. So but what’s cool is I am I’m only about 20 minutes from Table Mesa, which is a well known area off-road area here in Phoenix and somewhat known elsewhere. But that’s only about 20 minutes in the house and the boulders, which.
[00:06:29.910] – Trent McGee
Is another off road area that’s between Phoenix and Wickenburg. I’m only about 20, 30 minutes from there and, you know, it takes about, what, five hours to get out the back way to Crown King from here. So definitely like being on the outskirts. It’s no shortage of places to go right now. READ MORE
