Transcript
Speaker: What is up Welcome to this week's episode. This is a late episode. ah one of my Actually, my best friend passed away this past weekend, and I just haven't really been able to do a whole lot. I spent some time out there with his parents and spent time with him in the hospital while he was...
Speaker: um you know, still on life support. And anyways, he he passed away. And so I just kind of been in a weird spot. And so this episode is late. Sorry, it is what it is.
Speaker: ah But nevertheless, I think you guys will enjoy this one. um This was um recorded with my friend Carly, who has been in the Subaru game for a little while and ah recently decided to switch over to a new platform.
Speaker: And I just thought her viewpoint would be kind of interesting for those of you that, ah you know, you're considering buying a Subaru or maybe you already have and you're wondering, well, how far can I push this platform or, you know, what can I expect and what should my expectations be when I'm off-roading in one of these cars?
Speaker: Uh, but yeah, we're going to jump into that before we do that. Um, if you're not already checking out the Subie and you podcast, there are a ton of good episodes over there. Should definitely, um, go give that a follow. Also massive shout out to melee design firm for being a supporter. And one of the perks of them supporting the podcast is you guys get 10% off pretty much anything in the melee design firm.com store.
Speaker: All you got to do is use code DIRTSUBIES at checkout. You guys hear me ranting and raving about upgrading your battery pretty regularly. They sell some of the best batteries in the game. a lot of good mounting systems for batteries. They sell some other ah really cool parts for our cars. My friend Patrick Anderson, the owner of Anderson Design and Fabrication, he has also recently come on as a sponsor of the podcast.
Speaker: The way that he's sponsoring what we're doing over here is by giving you guys a 5% off discount. So if you guys need a lift kit, skid plates, ditch light brackets, all the good stuff like that, ah most ADF branded hard goods are part of that deal. so Go check it out and you just use the code DIRTSUBIES at checkout to get that discount.
Speaker: If you're on the fence about lifting your car the right way or cheaping out and buying some eBay garbage, this is your cue to do it correctly. Let's go ahead and jump into this episode.
Speaker: So we got with us today. Wait, what is your Instagram? It's Ursula the GX. Rad. Okay. And there's underscores in between the words. Right.
Speaker: on while wanted to have you on because I think you have kind of an interesting perspective you currently own is it 2018 Outback own a 2018 Subaru Outback right on is it premium trim um it is the limited ooh nice you got that got that fancy that fancy joint with the leather I like it how long have you owned that car for um I've owned it for about four years Okay.
Speaker: Is that your first Subaru? It was, yeah. Okay. what What was kind of the purchasing process? Were there other cars you were considering at the time? or Yeah, so my best friend owns a Subaru Outback Legacy, and she was like, you have to get a Subaru. They're great. So was actually making the move from Oregon to Colorado, and I was like, actually, I think a Subaru is like a perfect Colorado car.
Speaker: So I started hunting around and like, honestly, nothing was catching my eye until I saw Subaru that I have now was listed for sale and it like had the lift in it and everything already. so I was like, wow, this looks really badass. Like I need to go check it out. And so it was actually the first ah Subaru I test drove. And um i was like, I test drove it. i loved it But I was like, let me think about it. It was kind of expensive.
Speaker: um so then i test drove a different like cheaper out back and i was like no i'm like in love with this one that has the lift like i have to get it so honestly like it was the first one test drove and i kind of knew right away that that was for me that's rad was it was it mainly the lift that that kind of sold you on it or or was there something specific about the driving experience that you liked Um, so I mean, I drove like a stock one that was pretty similar to the one with the lift in it. And I think it was like the lift that ultimately sold me I just, I felt like it took it from like, a bit of a mom car to like a bit of a just like badass car even just with two inches. But um yeah, I think that was what sold me was the lift.
Speaker: Right on. um Had you ever seen lifted Subarus before? was that something you were already kind of following on social media or or what was the deal with actually, like I didn't even know it was a thing. I was like, wow, this Subaru really a badass. Like I want this. I didn't know it was...
Speaker: like a like a culture essentially. So i i've learned about the Subaru culture when I moved to Colorado and I like joined some Facebook groups for off-roading and I was like, I kind of want to get into this. And then someone told me to check out SoftRoad Nation.
Speaker: And so when I did that, i discovered and it's called Off-Roading Subarus of Colorado. And that was like a whole group of people with badass off-road Subarus that went off-roading together and so I just like joined the group and then and think in like May 2023 I joined them for the first time and i got to meet a ton of people with like snorkels on their Subarus and like all these big lifts and I was like this is so cool. i think the community makes it the most fun you know yeah when you get around other people and you see kind of what they're doing with their builds or you know I that's how I learned you know everything about off-roading was just getting out and uh
Speaker: you know, doing, doing hood rat stuff with the homies. Yeah, absolutely. ah what all was on the car when you purchased it? Was it just a lift or did it already have aggressive tires?
Speaker: Um, it had a couple like smaller upgrades, like the person that had it before me installed mud flaps and like some visor things. But, um, yeah, I put the skid plates on the snorkel on, ah yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: I got a couple of questions, but the skid plates, what did you end up doing for skid plates? Did you go all the way front to back? And then what brand did you go with? I did full coverage with Primitive Racing. Dude, I love Primitive.
Speaker: ah Blake's the homie. he's He's a good dude, knows what he's doing. Their stuff is, well, they're kind of the Subaru skid plate OGs my opinion. Yeah. So when I got my oil changed, my mechanic was like, oh, I can see where you scrape these and hit these quite a bit.
Speaker: Sick. love that. They're doing a good job. Yeah. Dude, they're they're worth their weight in gold, you know, instead of, you know, ending up stranded on the trail, you know, he can make it home.
Speaker: um who Are there any situations where you remember, like, giving them a good a good hit? I remember hearing it. I was like, well, I'm already going over it. So I'm just going to keep going. but Dude, that's what's up.
Speaker: Now, had you, had you already kind of been off road and been on trails multiple times before you installed them? Or was that like a preemptive thing that you did? Um, it was preemptive.
Speaker: Yeah. So i kind of like talked with the group before I went out with them and I was like, what do I need to go off road? Uh, and they kind of gave me, you know, just the low down on like, well, you need skid plates to protect your undercarriage. And so that was like the first thing I did once did my first upgrade.
Speaker: That's what's up. Yeah. It's, it's ah like a night and day difference. Cause I've, I've driven off road without them and the way your mind works is completely different. You know, as soon as I had skid plates, I was like, oh, it doesn't matter. Like, oh, I smashed into something. Okay. I'll just keep going. Who gives a fudge? Exactly.
Speaker: Just put it up against that boulder and let God do the rest, you know? Yeah. Just send it, dude. You mentioned that you moved to Colorado from Oregon. Have you since moved back?
Speaker: Yeah, I moved back last summer, so I've been here about a year-ish. Okay, nice. what How long were you in Colorado? For three years. Okay. how is ah What was kind of the that whole journey? what What took you out there and what brought you back? I mean, you don't have to get super specific or personal, but...
Speaker: Um, honestly, part of it was the weather. Like it's really sunny in Colorado and obviously not in Oregon. So i love the sun. So weather and then I'm really outdoorsy. So obviously, like Colorado is a huge outdoorsy place.
Speaker: um And then I'm really into edm music. And so there is a huge EDM scene out there. So ah that was fun for a little while, but I was ready to come back. Yeah, i've um I've lived in a lot of different places. I lived in Asia for a little bit.
Speaker: And I totally understand that, like, wanting to to do something different, see something different. But that feeling of I'll never quite fit in the way I fit in at home, you know, or yeah it just doesn't quite feel the same. You know, I don't even have any family out here oh anymore.
Speaker: ah But it's still, you know, it's it's home. Grew up, like, in the Portland, Vancouver area. okay. And ah now i live in East Oregon. So I understand the sun thing. there's It's literally like sunny here, even in like November and December, we'll have sunny days. It's so cold as crap, you know, like we get down to the single digits and negative.
Speaker: So the the snorkel, there are no snorkels that are made for Subarus to my knowledge other than I think Brittany the Crosstrek, I think of that dude, I think is designing one right now. But did you use like a Pajero snorkel?
Speaker: um So I did the, I think it was a T80 series, if I remember correctly. Like a Toyota? Yeah. Okay. Okay. So like, oh, I guess that makes sense.
Speaker: i I'm almost certain I record ah remember your car ah at, what's that place called? Browns, at Browns Camp. Oh. pretty sure I remember seeing you there. I don't think, I think you were in a different area for the most most of that day. But um yeah, I think that makes sense. Like an FJ80 or something like that. It looks like it could come off of that.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. um How hard was that installed? Did you do it or did anybody help you or give you guidance on it? Yeah, so um I didn't have any part of it. um So there was a mechanic in Colorado that I used to go to that specialized in like off-road Subaru modifications. And so I had him do it.
Speaker: And it was an expensive job because, well, not like super expensive, but relatively expensive because of the labor. Like it did take quite a while for them to get it on. um It involved obviously drilling the hole in the panel and then there was a bar that was like kind of blocking where it needed to connect to the airflow and so they had to like melt and bend the bar a little bit.
Speaker: um And then obviously the snorkel itself like wasn't fit like snug around the outside so they had to do some like heating and bending and then like adding plastic back to to it so it was like a whole process.
Speaker: Some people just slap the snorkel on. They don't, they don't, ah you know, cause they have to be airtight or like watertight. You know, people just be like, Oh, it's a snorkel. it'll You know, it'll work, but then they still, so you know, suck water right into their engine. yeah yeah That's, that's what I've heard though, is there's um I guess, yeah, on your Outback, the FJ 80, that sounds like it would.
Speaker: be the closest fit but yeah i know a lot of people use like the Mitsubishi uh Pajero which was like a Japanese yeah yeah yeah and you got to like heat gun the piss out of them and you know finesse a little bit have you have you run into any issues with that catching on trees or causing any damage to because I know you got a drill like straight into the car has that caused any issues for you at all No, actually it hasn't. I've never caught it on anything. It's been solid.
Speaker: Okay, nice. And have you put it to the test? Have you driven through anything crazy? So this what's frustrating is so in Colorado, when i put the snorkel on, it was right after I did a water crossing and um um it was really deep. And ah when I got out of the water crossing, we all kind of like just waited for everyone to get through. and then when i went to start going again, like I hit the gas and nothing was happening.
Speaker: um And so I was like, no yeah, it's like what happened. so it was that point where I was like, oh, if I'm going to be serious about this off road stuff, like I have to get a snorkel or get a higher lift or something. And so I was like, well, snorkel would be a badass to have. So I'm to do that. So I got the snorkel.
Speaker: And then unfortunately, a year later, I left Colorado and I was surprised that there aren't that many deep water crossings that I found in Oregon. like there really aren't Colorado yeah which is interesting because I was like it rains so much more in Oregon but yeah so that's what's a bummer about um you know i'm eventually selling my Subaru and I'm like I really haven't had the opportunity to use a snorkel like I would have liked to so that's kind of a bummer but it's okay Well, I guess it's, it's better to have it, not need it.
Speaker: yeah not Yeah, it was kind of a peace of mind thing. It's like, well, now if I need a deep water cross, I'll feel better about it. When you ended up ah floating in that water with no power, what happened? Did water get up into like the mass airflow sensor um So my air filter was just wet.
Speaker: And then some people I was with, they were able to just like dry it out with like some power air essentially. And. Once it dried, they put it back in and then I was able to go. So i don't, I don't really know the logistics of that. I just know my air filter was wet. I couldn't go and then it was dry and I could go.
Speaker: ah Perfect. Well, that makes sense. If, I mean, I guess if the ah air filter, it sounds like you were right on the cusp of actually having a real problem. What was the story with that? Where, where were you at? And like, how deep was the water?
Speaker: Oh, I was out on some trail in Colorado. i can't remember what it was called now, but it was like the hardest trail i've ever done in my life. And so that would have been really upsetting if I like ruined my car on the first hard trail I've ever done. So I'm glad that didn't happen.
Speaker: Yeah, no kidding. ah There's nothing like having your car, you know, stuck in the middle of nowhere and you're like, oh, no, how am I going to fix this and get the thing home or talk real nice to somebody and get them to drive a wrecker out there to pull it out.
Speaker: um What made that trail difficult? lot of rocks or a lot of steep inclines? Um, a lot of obstacles where you had to pick like, you know, the right line. And, um, I was obviously very new to it at that point. So for me, I mean, for an experienced off-roader, it's probably not a big deal, but for me, I was like, wow, I've never done anything like this before going over all these obstacles.
Speaker: Um, yeah, just having to try to figure out the right line to take, to get plenty of traction and make uphill and everything. What about in Oregon? What's, what's some of the craziest stuff you've gotten into out here?
Speaker: We did one There was a fun one we did in Battleground, Washington with a few of us in the group and like Milton Silver Star a Silver Bullet, I think.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. was the trail Silver Star. yeah. um i don't I don't recall. I wish I knew trail names more. um and then when I went with the group after I think it was the Ironman rigs thing and and then we went to like the Browns camp area, there was a couple that were pretty hard. And i um part of the reason I'm selling my Subaru is because it was like overheating constantly on like the tougher trails.
Speaker: And yeah, so that's where I like discovered its limits. Yeah. Yeah. um When you say overheating, was the transmission or the engine overheating?
Speaker: I mean, it smelled like CBT oil, like burning. And then like the, yeah, the gauge would show it was like starting to overheat for the engine as well. So. crap. Yeah. I haven't been able to get it diagnosed. Like there's no check engine light for it. So I don't know what's going on, except maybe I'm just pushing it past what it's capable of.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. I think anything where you're wedged in somewhere or you're on a steep incline and you have to like really push the push the you know because we don't have look we don't have t cases yeah and we don't have any way to utilize our torque at low speeds and so you just end up heating everything up like crazy okay yeah uh let let me ask you because i want to you you alluded to it so i want to ask about you know why you decided to move away from the subaru platform but before i do that um
Speaker: Can you talk a little bit, you know, I know it was already lifted, so I don't know how familiar you are with what's on it. um But do you know what kind of lift is on the car? So that's kind of a funny story. yeah um So when i ah got the car from Subaru of Portland, they were like, yeah, we installed like an Ironman lift. And they said it was like some amount of money that was like super expensive. I was like, wow, that's amazing.
Speaker: And then um at the time, I didn't know that Iron Man specifically was like Green Springs and the car had yellow springs. And so everyone would ask me and I'd be like, Iron Man, not knowing that it was like it should been green. Yeah. Yeah. So then someone told me like, no, I think that's King Springs. And so that's when I learned like less than a year ago I have King Springs.
Speaker: OK. okay Yeah. So it's probably got like a sounds like a primitive racing lift. A lot of people. We'll say and and they're they're right um that the King Springs are super uncomfortable off road.
Speaker: I mean, I just air down. That's how I manage that. But what's what's kind of your drivability thoughts on that whole thing? Like, does it handle OK on the street? And then when you take it off road, does it still feel pretty good?
Speaker: Um, I definitely feel like it's pretty stiff, for sure. um But I do air down, like you said, off road. And so I think that helps. But yeah, it's not the most comfortable ride.
Speaker: I dropped a lot. little layer pressure never uh never hurt anybody yeah okay yeah that's um i mean they they work really really good for keeping you know keeping the rear from sagging if you're yeah you know loaded up with i mean even one camping trip's worth a gear like for a couple nights that amount of gear can you know when do you When you really ah budget it all out, you're like, oh, that's 400 pounds worth of stuff. you know um So I have ah open range tires.
Speaker: I'm not sure if you're familiar with that. Yeah, I think it's a Les Schwab tire. Yeah, it is. Yeah, I see a lot of people run those. Dudes on full-size pickups and stuff. They seem like good tires. I've i've never run them, but ah have they treated you pretty good?
Speaker: um As far as I know, i can't claim to be an expert in tires. So I just got like the most aggressive tire that Les Schwab offered. i love that. i So that's what I went with. Okay.
Speaker: No, ah no sidewall failures or any punctures or anything like that? No, I haven't had any issues. Perfect. I love that. And then what size are those? Are they like a 245, 65 or um I know I'm, I'm putting you spot here. Yeah. I wish I knew off the top of my head. I don't. Okay.
Speaker: Yeah, I, ah off the top of my head from looking at your pictures, I i can't, they're either a two, I would say they're a 235 a 245.
Speaker: um Are they, and you're not running stock wheels, are you running Motegi's? Is that what you've got on it? Sparco, think. Okay, okay. um And did they sell you sell those to you at Les Schwab as well?
Speaker: No, those also came with the vehicle and I bought it. Oh, nice. Okay. A little upgrade. love that. Sick. oh Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Those are good-looking wheels. I like those. yeah Heck, yeah.
Speaker: um Now, as far as like tire stuff, when you go off-road, do you carry anything specific? like Do you carry air compressors, air down tools, or anything for yeah you know field repairs you know if something unfortunate happens?
Speaker: ah Yeah, so i I don't carry a ton of stuff, but i have the basics. Like I have an air compressor. i have a tool for airing down. I have traction boards. I have a shovel and I have a rope.
Speaker: So the basics. Have you ever needed to be recovered in that car? Yes. yeah so the last time I went out, which was the time where I made my decision that I was going to sell a Subaru um unpaved, Derek had to tow me out.
Speaker: Oh, no. Okay. What happened? Was it because of the CBT overheating? Yes. Yeah. It was like there was like one stretch that was really steep. Like you got to get some good momentum going. And it was just like.
Speaker: really also very bumpy. So I was just afraid to send it too hard. So um it was just like at the very beginning, it started kind of doing this thing overheating and then it just didn't get better the rest of the trail. So even like baby bumps, it just wasn't doing it. So okay yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, I, I love CBTs. I think they're like a work of engineering art, but they're just not very robust. yeah know Yeah, I don't I don't know. i don't know if there's something they could do to them to make them a little more capable in our cars. But I mean, Derek, you know, he's gone.
Speaker: What is he on like number four now? think so. I just put one in. Poor Derek. If I just, you know, he, cause people always point at guys like, you know, Milton or Derek and be like, yeah, see what you can do in a Subaru. And I'm like, okay, but.
Speaker: At the expense of. How many, how drivetrain swaps have they done? You know, like. Yeah. Derek's on engine or a transmission number four, you know, like there is a cost to it. Like, yes, you can make these cars do like pretty much.
Speaker: yeah Well, you you know what they say, like the measure of what makes a good wheeler is how much you care about the car. Yeah. You can make a Toyota Corolla, dude, almost anything, but it just depends on how much you care about it, you know?
Speaker: Right. um I don't know if this is going to show. oh right here. It shows that photo. Is that the is that the trail in BG that you did? Yes. Yeah. Sick. Okay. So that's the, that, so that's like my old stomping grounds. Like I've gotten into so much mischief in that area.
Speaker: Like not really mischief, but you know, like that's one of my all time favorite places on planet earth. that hole Did you guys go all the way up to the top to like the gravel parking lot with the with the viewpoint? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. With the like little fire pit in the middle where everybody like leaves their trash for whatever reason. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah that's uh yeah that's silver star that's okay seriously such a sick such a sick trail i've uh left a lot of dignity on that trip for sure um did you guys go around the backside and go to any of um like molten falls on the way back or in um i'm honestly not sure i don't recall okay yeah Yeah. We, Oh, that I'm watching the video right now of you. Uh, there's that one spot where like before you start to go up the silver star trail, this video, the one where you're coming down the yeah yeah thing. I've definitely, uh, definitely scraped my bumper there a few times.
Speaker: Um, okay. So other than like the CVT issues, do you feel like the car been overall pretty capable? Oh yeah. I've, I've loved the car. It's been fun driving it. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. I'm, you know, despite their limitations, I'm always, always tell people like, yeah, it's not going to be the same as like a twin solid axle, you know, TJ Wrangler on 37, but you will be blown away by what they can do even, even in stock form, you know, and for things as simple as, uh, you know, getting milk in the middle of a winter storm,
Speaker: Like I've never been like, Oh, it's snowing. I have to stay inside. Never. You know, like yeah I've owned Subarus for like 20 years and, uh, almost 20 years and I've never not owned one. You know, I've, I've had other stuff, but I always have a Subaru in the fleet. Like, okay that's my jam, dude. Yeah. Um, what is your, what, what are maybe your let's, how about this? What's your favorite mod?
Speaker: or accessory and which mod would you say would be like the useful the most useful mod or accessory on my subaru or just in general let's go with the subaru let's let's see where this takes us Um, I think my favorite one is the snorkel because um i feel like it's just so unique because I don't make them for Superoos. And so yeah um it definitely feels more special having it. And i feel a little more invincible, like, oh, I can do lot more now. It's like that 18 year old mentality of like, I'm invincible. I can do whatever. Like I'll never die. Yeah. And I've, I've definitely overheard some people like trash talking the snorkel, which, uh, I know. Right. Who are they dude?
Speaker: Um, nobody's, but it's just like um the comments I've heard. so I know it's not like the most popular thing ever, but I, I've loved it. And it's what I feel like has made my Subaru like special and unique to me Well, I like it because it's, ah I don't know, like the reason I remember your car um is because I've never seen, let's see, what is that?
Speaker: That fifth gen out back? I can't keep the gen straight because they shared chassis with legacies for a long time. so I always like mix it up, but I've never seen, you know, like a 2015 to a 2020 or whatever that chassis is. Never seen one with a snorkel until I saw yours at Brown's that one day.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, I dude, anytime I see stuff like that, I'm like, okay, cool. Like this person's ready to like, get it, you know, get down and like mess up their car. Like let's fricking do it.
Speaker: And then would you, would you consider that to be, um, the most useful mod, like the mod that, uh, has provided the most utility for you? No, unfortunately, i would say the skid plates probably have just because they have definitely saved me from, you know, scraping some pretty gnarly rocks.
Speaker: so Yeah. And they save a lot of money. Yeah, that's a huge money saver. I think especially with like the transmission, I think the transmission gets overlooked so quickly.
Speaker: often by people. I mean, if you put, um I mean, you can dent an oil pan and as long as it doesn't, uh, break the pickup tube for the, you know, for the oil pump, like,
Speaker: You're still going to make it home. Yeah, you should sort that out. But man, if you're CVT or ah even if you have a true automatic, if that pan gets dented, you're like you're bricked, dude. Like you're going to have a hard time getting getting anywhere unless you got somebody that's going to pull you out.
Speaker: So I love that that you did front to back. And I have saved so much money. Yeah. way too much money just you know because the cars you know they're independent suspension which is great for certain things but it leaves a lot of stuff uh open to uh damage yeah serious damage expensive damage any rooftop accessories on that car no i haven't done anything with the roof that keeps your keep your fuel economy looking good so yeah no worries there all right so
Speaker: you're trying to sell the car and you're not buying another Subaru. I'm not gonna hate on you for that at all. I totally understand. yeah um Can you kind of explain, I mean, I know you mentioned the the last fiasco that you had um off road, um but what ultimately kind of steered you towards the direction of doing like a body on frame, true four by four?
Speaker: ah So I think the limitations of the CBT with the Subaru just made want something that's more capable that I don't have to modify a ton to get capability from.
Speaker: um i considered possibly getting like a Forester or something and just maybe modding that out. But i was like, i don't want to put in a ton of work and money into something. I kind of want it to just be ready to go off road and already have that capability in it. And so I felt like um the GX was great for what I was looking for.
Speaker: Yeah, i I think all the Lexus stuff is super, super slept on, you know, ah because when it's all new, it's expensive. And so, you know, people don't really consider them because they're it's out of my budget. But like yeah when you're looking at the used market, most, you know, people that are like, oh I'm going to get a Wheeler, you know, or get so get a 4x4, they're not looking for Lexus models. They're looking at Toyota or Jeep or whatever.
Speaker: um the Which GX did you get? A 460. 460. Okay. is Do you know which Toyota model that's based off of?
Speaker: I was told it's got the same frame as a 4Runner. So you you already went and bought the car. You still have the Subaru, but you're in the process of selling it. um Have you taken it off road yet?
Speaker: A little bit. um So I went camping with some people from the Subaru group recently at Crater Lake. And so we just kind of like dinked around in the woods a little bit around there, but no major trails yet.
Speaker: Okay. And then if I remember right, I think I saw you posting on Instagram. There was a couple things that you've done to the car as far as wheels and tires. um What did you do for that? And then have you done any other mods to it?
Speaker: Um, so I did a body mount shop so I could fit 33 inch tires on it. Um, cause they were going to rub really bad if I didn't. So did the body mount shop. Um, I got the toy Toyo open country tires on there.
Speaker: I'm all terrain. And then i got some ultra motor sports wheels. Heck yeah. Um, the, the chop that you talked about, um, uh, what is that?
Speaker: I don't fully understand, but essentially they cut away my understanding, they cut away metal parts. There's no rubbing when you turn the tires or go off road with the tires. Okay. And then, and it's placed, they like create their own metal like piece that they weld onto the vehicle in place of that. So okay I don't know exactly how it works, but yeah, it's necessary. Yeah. i'm I'm not super familiar with, with all the Toyota based stuff. So I don't know how exactly how their suspension set up.
Speaker: Um, but dude, anything that's got a Toyota motor in it, like I'm a huge Subaru fan, but you won't catch me hating on anything with a Toyota block and like, let's fricking go.
Speaker: Um, how is your, uh, like your fuel economy in the, um, in the GX? How is that kind of compared to what you were experiencing in the Subaru?
Speaker: Yeah, so on average in the Subaru, I was getting 22.5 miles per gallon. Nice. Yeah, when I first got the GX before the tires, I was actually getting an average of 20 miles per gallon, which is really good. That's not bad.
Speaker: Yeah, but then once I got the wheels and new tires on, um that changed. So now it's more like 17, 18 miles per gallon on average. did you go up to 33s or 35s? 33s.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. thirty five s would have been a whole project to fit those on. Yeah, absolutely. The, um, do you, did you take into account the larger tire diameter on the GX getting your MPG?
Speaker: Yeah. Okay. Okay. So it's still bad. Darn. Um,
Speaker: What's been your initial impression? i know I know you said you haven't done any crazy off-roading, but are or do you have any buyer's remorse are you pretty much like, okay, this is this is sick? No, I love it so much. um I think the only thing is like occasionally when I first got my Lexus, I would still drive the Subaru actually like probably half the time because I still love it. And when I go from the Lexus to the Subaru, I was like, wow, the Subaru is like a little go cart. Like it's so fun and easy to drive.
Speaker: um So the Lexus, I think the only downside is it's bigger. But honestly, i I love driving it just as much. it's just different. Yeah. Yeah. I, I kind of came to a point with the Subaru where, um you know, I'd kind of modified it to the point where I was like, okay, this is sort of the end of the road, you know, like the, the next to get any more capability out of this thing, I would probably need to spend $5,000. Yeah.
Speaker: Spend a ton of money. And this, this is just like a old clapped out Subaru. It's like, just, it's fun to like smash it into trees and rocks and like, that's about it Um, but I hit this point where I was like, okay, like the whole thing is going to need overhauled and going to need a ton of, you know, custom fabrication and, you know, a bigger lift and like an Australian transmission just to get anything else out of it.
Speaker: And so I kind of came to that point too, where I was like, okay, I guess I need to get a four by four if I really want to. keep doing stupid things so i just went and bought like an old clapped out jeep xj okay and uh that's been that's been a uh an expensive project so just because i treat it so bad you know it's like it's like that kid that you don't like ah you know just treat it horrible i would never treat any of my kids bad but um yeah i just i just beat it half to death you know and so it always needs new parts and stuff like that but
Speaker: Yeah, I came to that same conclusion where I was like, okay, the Subaru, anything that's much steeper than, you know, like ah like a rich person's driveway, like it's not going anywhere. Yeah. Especially if there's rocks in the way.
Speaker: Yeah. So I was like, okay, I guess I'm going to have to add two off-road rigs to the to the collection. um But man, driving that thing is like, it's a gamble, you know? it's like Really?
Speaker: Oh, dude, it's like, It came with like 27 inch tires back when it was, you know, on showroom floors. And now it's got 35s on it. No sway bars. Like, oh, wow. No, it's just a it's a so it's like a toaster oven on wheels that just completely clapped.
Speaker: So, you know, on the on the highway, it's like, you know, you're Well, you know, the the saying like, you know, old Jeeps, like you don't drive them, they drive you. I'll be on the freeway and I'll be like, oh man, I hope I don't have to pass anybody and I hope nobody cuts me off because it's not going to go good for either of so Are there any, is there anything about the Subaru?
Speaker: Um, you know, if you were to like compare the two cars, is there anything about the Subaru? I know you said it handles more like a go-kart, but, uh, so far have you found anything that you really miss about the car?
Speaker: Yeah, um so I would say, i mean, the CVT on road is amazing because it just, it drives like a dream, like on road. It's so fast. um It just speeds everywhere like it's nothing. And so like driving it windy back roads is so fun. And I can't drive the Lexus the same way because you know, it's big SUV.
Speaker: I definitely miss having like the size and the speed of the the Outback for sure when I'm driving those back roads. Yeah, especially with the suspension setup that you have on that, like with the King Springs, even though it's lifted, it still handles like a straight G. Yeah, it does.
Speaker: With the GX, um just in the little bit that you've had it off the pavement, have you taken it on anything where you've been able to get through something where you were like, oh, this is why people drive four by fours?
Speaker: Yeah, there was ah couple just like dips where I was like, oh, I don't know that my Subaru would have made it up that as easily. Like it would have taken some effort and my suit my GX just like crawled over like it was nothing, no effort.
Speaker: So definitely noticed. Yeah. What's your what's your thoughts on four low now that you've come to the dark side? um I mean, so I don't know if you know, but the GX is always in four low.
Speaker: Is it? Yeah. So what I mean for high. Sorry, it's always on. Okay. Yeah. So I didn't need to use the four low yet because it's just always got the four wheel drive on. yeah Yeah. Wait until.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. That's what I was thinking. I was like, man, if it drives this good, just like with the general four wheel drive, always on, like, I can't imagine how it's going to work with the four low. Yeah, four four low was um because I used to make fun of, you know, like four runner guys and Jeep dudes. I was like, ah look at these clowns, you know, just driving slow like slugs on the trail.
Speaker: And um then I then I bought one. I was like, oh, I get it. Like, this is crazy. You know, it's like it's like, you know, power lifters where, you know, it's like.
Speaker: They grab onto 800 pounds on the platform and they just start pulling and it's slow, but it comes up, you know, like yeah it's yeah you could just kind of crawl over. um I mean, the way that I drive off road with something that's got a, you know, like a low range T case is completely different than the way that I drive the Subaru.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, it's pretty eyeopening, you know, and it's, you know i i hear all the the silly comments from you know as much as i love subarus like from other subaru owners that clown on you know four-wheel drive people i'm like man you guys have no clue like you know what's up like i respect subarus and i love them and i'll always have one but it's like man you guys don't even have any idea yeah yeah especially with the gx having a v8 i feel like that makes such a big difference yeah
Speaker: Full time transfer cases are cool. The only downside is you can't do rear wheeler peelers and put it in put it in rear wheel and just let it eat, you know. um Are you, do you know anything about like re-gearing? Do you have any plans to re-gear at any point or have you thought about that?
Speaker: Um, so I talked with the shop that did my body mount chop and put my tires on and stuff. And they said that with the 33s, I shouldn't need to do any regearing. They said that would more so come with like the 35s. And so that just gets really expensive. And I don't want like a huge project where I'm tanking a ton of money into. It's like why I got it because it's capable on its own. so yeah.
Speaker: I think that's a good that's a good approach because making something as capable as you can to a certain point, I think is such a good way to to go. um Like with the Jeep, it's like you start going down that rabbit hole and it's like, oh, in order to run this one mod that seems like it would be affordable, I got to do these three other mods to make it sustainable and to make it work.
Speaker: And, you know, it's like, oh, now the drive line's at a different angle. So I have to spend $300 and four hours under the car doing a slip yoke eliminator kit so that the drive line doesn't wobble and break itself loose. Like yeah all sorts of stupidity.
Speaker: And I think for most people, you know, everybody wants like the biggest, most, you know, rad looking thing, you know, on the, on the trail, but. you know Unless you're really planning to utilize 37s or forty two s like you know be realistic with with what you actually need and then yeah and go that way.
Speaker: Did that car, the GX, did it come with 31s from the factory? man, that's difference. Yeah, you don't need to re-gear for that. I mean, you could if you were really nitpicky. Yeah.
Speaker: um But with the V8, dude, you don't got to worry about it. You got all the power yeah probably still real close within the parameters for whatever the stock gears are. ah What are your what are your future plans for that car? are you going to kind of leave it how it is? Do you have any like extra camping stuff you want to do to it?
Speaker: Yeah. um So i know for sure skin plates are probably one of the next modifications I'm going to go for just for that peace of mind on the trails. um I've been going back and forth like I love how it looks stock, honestly, like even without the lift. But I think it would still be nice to get a lift in there, especially like if I do want to load it up to go camping. Like right now, the suspension is super soft and I could see it okay you know sagging and possibly rubbing with the tires. So um yeah those are the the two i'm thinking are up next a two two and a half inch lift and it's good plates okay yeah and i think i'm gonna get roasted for this too but i think um you know body lifts if you're just trying to get a little more clearance for the tires
Speaker: and you just want a little more you know be a little bit higher up off the road for approach and departure angle body lifts are just fine you know yeah i mean i don't know how much you've looked into it but it just physically spaces the body up off the frame okay um which yeah that's not like the most ideal way to lift you know four by four but It doesn't matter. You know, if you just need, if you just need a little bit more clearance, totally fine.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, but you know, like I said, I'm going to get shredded to bits for saying that by somebody that probably doesn't even, you probably somebody that drives a Sentra is going to hate on you.
Speaker: It's always the Maxima and Sentra drivers that are like your build sucks. Yeah.
Speaker: um oh gosh i forgot oh the the skid plates on the gx um is there anything i know those are independent suspension in the front i think um so they don't have a solid axle in the front to protect everything but what all is exposed on that car that you would want to put a skid plate in front of that's a good question um I guess like I don't really know enough about cars to know exactly what would be exposed. Just like coming from the Subaru where I was like, I just want full coverage, protect everything. i just kind of had the same mentality with the GX. Just like whatever is exposed, just cover it.
Speaker: I don't want to risk anything. Oh, dude. Yeah, that's that's the way to be. i feel like I took a lot of the same mentality um from like my Subaru wheeling.
Speaker: I brought a lot of that over to like the four by four stuff where. In the four by four community, nobody really gives a fudge about wheel and tire weight, but I, you know, that you have to focus on that with Subarus. You got to make sure you're not running like an 80 pound setup.
Speaker: So I've kind of kept that same mentality, ah but it's served me well so far yeah with your, with your driving habits off road.
Speaker: You know, I think line choice is such an important part of um driving with a Subaru on the trails like if if you're not willing to kind of like analyze the trail as you're driving it and pick the most advantageous um you know route up the trail like you're just you're gonna break stuff and yeah and have all kinds of problems um how is your just mentality driving off the pavement changed when you when you go out into the forest and you're driving in the GX
Speaker: i I would say I definitely feel more invincible. I feel like I don't have to worry as much about the line because I know I'm going to make it. um The main thing is like my my bumper is a little wonky, like some of the clips are kind of broken.
Speaker: ah so I do have to be careful. Like if I were to smack that pretty hard, it could just pop off. i So that's my main concern right now is just like the approach angle I'm taking and how I could possibly like hit my bumper on something.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I really like not having to um charge up things at full, full speed, dude. Yeah. It's so much more enjoyable because it's like, oh, there's a boulder. I'm going to have to hit that at like 15 miles an hour to somehow get over it. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: um What what kind of stuff did you if anything did you break on the Subaru off road like did you ever break axles or end links or um tie rod ends ball joints anything like that.
Speaker: Um, I was told recently that I bent my control arms in the back. oh Oh, that's pretty normal. That's, that's pretty normal. Those get clapped yeah pretty easily. Yeah. So, um, i mean, but I didn't full on break it. Um, I did have to replace my front axles already cause those were clicking really bad at one point.
Speaker: Um, but nothing to the point where like it was broken on the trail more so just like maybe kind of like worn out over time. Yeah, wear and tear. Yeah, absolutely. that's Preventative maintenance is kind of the the key.
Speaker: yeah with With those CV axles, do you know if the boots were torn Yeah, so it was actually a whole thing. i took it to a mechanic and they were like, oh, we can replace it with OEM or try to rebuild it And I don't know anything about axles, honestly. So I was like, well, rebuild it Not a big deal. Like it could break again because I go off-roading, like whatever.
Speaker: But not knowing that, like if I guess if the boot's already torn, like you can't rebuild it, like that doesn't work that way. And so i they rebuilt it, it kept clicking and I had to just replace it anyway.
Speaker: So. Oh, so they didn't they didn't do an actual rebuild. They did like a reboot. Maybe. i i don't know. Oh, you paid. you Those people charged you money.
Speaker: yeah I know. I was like, never again going there. That's the wackest thing. Okay. won't, we won't put them on blast, but gosh, dude. Yeah. Cause you, if you catch it in time, you can definitely reboot and get away with it. if they're already clicking, all the damage has been done, yeah you know, and looking really bad.
Speaker: Yeah. It's just, that's kind of the, I think that's like the biggest thing. I always rant about this cause everybody says, Oh, if you lift your Subaru, going It's going to destroy our axles. And I think that what's really happening is um the the boots never get inspected.
Speaker: People don't crawl under and look. But then if the boot tears, you get a bunch of water, dirt, sand, snow, like whatever goes right in there. And all the grease comes out, and that's what eats the – I don't know if you've ever seen what they look like inside. They look like some kind of weird alien contraption.
Speaker: come But it just chews them up, and then they start to click like crazy. okay And then they replace it with like a parts store axle, and the parts store axles are just like – They're the most satanic thing ever. like they I've had them take a dump on like stock Subarus. I don't know what it is, but then they're like, oh, it broke again. It's like, well, yeah, but you use like an $80 car quest axle, dude. You would have run into that problem if you're at stock heights anyway.
Speaker: um What about like... um with the Subaru and the GX, uh, with the understanding that, you know, the, the cars are going to see off-road or, uh, severe duty usage.
Speaker: Um, did you change like your maintenance schedule at all or anything? Like, um, did you shorten the intervals between oil changes or, um, do any preemptive, um, you know, fluid changes on anything in the car?
Speaker: Um, so I just did the regular recommended maintenance, like scheduled maintenance, um, for the Subaru. So whatever mileage it said to do certain checks and everything and inspections, I just made sure to keep that up. I don't, I don't think I did anything extra per se, but I definitely made sure to like, I'm an advocate for checking your oil regularly making sure like, you know, you have plenty and that it's not super dirty. So yeah I did that. Good. Good. Yeah.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. That's like, i always tell people, you know, that's the cheapest insurance you can have to not, you know, spinning bearings or, you know, getting rod knocked down the road is like, just check your oil, dude. Like it takes three minutes when you're pumping gas, just like leave the, let the pump do its thing, go check your oil and then go get your, what energy drink of choice and go home, dude. It's that easy.
Speaker: Yeah. I've, um, not always taken my own advice. My daily driver has rod knock right now. Oh no. and It's my, my own fault. I neglected it and it's got a lot of mileage on it. So got a short block sitting in the garage, but it's been sitting out there forever. It's sitting on an engine stand and I just haven't put it in because I'm just a real scoundrel and it just is what it is.
Speaker: The T case, did you, um the T case on the GX or the transfer case, did you, have you ever checked the fluid on it or anything? No, i haven't. um I did take my car into a Lexus dealer and I did like the 21 point inspection or whatever. And they, you know, looked it over. I'm not sure what all that includes, but it. They probably checked. Yeah. It passed inspection.
Speaker: So. Okay. Sick. and Sick. Yeah. Yeah. i um when I bought the Jeep, I was like, I mean, I knew the guy that I bought it from. I knew he'd use it as a wheeler and and he also treated differently.
Speaker: uh, negatively the same way that I do. And I was like, okay, i better like refresh this thing and dumped out the, uh, you know, cause transfer cases you have like, it's like a rear diff. You have like a upper and a lower, ah plug and you know, you pull the lower to drain it and, add fluid up on the top plug.
Speaker: I drained it out. It looked like a strawberry milkshake. I was like, oh yeah, this thing's been in the water for sure. Oh Yeah. ah But it is what it is. and if i If it ever blows up, I'll just put another transfer case in it.
Speaker: um Okay, let me ask you this. favorite Favorite trails like in the Pacific Northwest, whether it's like Washington or Oregon, what's kind of your favorite region to go, whether it's strictly off-roading or camping?
Speaker: What are some kind of your like favorite places? That's challenging, um sorry to be honest. No, it's OK. Since i've I've really only been here a year since I moved back and I still feel like I have so much more to explore. So I really don't know that I can fully answer that. um I know that now I have the GX. I definitely want to go back to the Tillamook State Forest and yeah mess around there because I think there's some more moderate trails that my Outback couldn't handle that I really want to try again in my GX. So I think that would be fun.
Speaker: um The battleground area that I went to was really cool. So i can't say that I have a favorite, but I think I want to do more exploring in the Tiltumuk State Forest for sure.
Speaker: Absolutely. Yeah, if you go up near BG, like that whole area, you'll have to go up to like Bluff Mountain and all that stuff. It's kind of in the, you know how it is. Everything's separated by these big hills and peaks. And when you look at it on the map, you're like, oh, that was only like two miles away as a crow flies. But took me like an hour to get there. yeah ah Bluff Mountain's cool, especially if there's a little bit of snow. Okay. That whole that whole area is so sick. Yeah.
Speaker: Um, the, in the GX, I know you kind of talked about kind of what you carried in the Subaru for like recovery stuff and all that. yeah Um, do you carry an air compressor in the GX?
Speaker: I do. Yeah. Um, what have?
Speaker: It's nothing i impressive. ah um I probably need to upgrade, honestly, from the Outback to the GX because it's with a different tire size. I don't know that this compressor can handle my new tires without overheating. So we'll find out. is it like a little Viar compressor?
Speaker: That sounds about right. It's just one that you like put in the power outlet in your car around the dash and hook it up to the tires. Yeah. So nothing fancy. All you need is like a Vire 88P, man. those Those bad boys go straight to the straight to the battery. I think they're like 80 bucks.
Speaker: And I've seen people zip up like, I've seen them zip up 33s. I've used those fill 33s. Yeah, I probably need to upgrade. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, hopefully you might blow a fuse running it straight out of the, go into like the cigarette lighter thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Once you start doing 33s, it just has to stay on for so freaking long. Yeah. But you know, you just got to, do you just run whatever you got, you know, make it make it work.
Speaker: yeah yeah And then um what about did you change out any of the recovery gear in the GX at all? Or you still did you just bring all the same stuff over? I just brought all the same stuff over. I figure might as well since I have it.
Speaker: Yeah, and I think most recovery stuff is like overkill for Subarus. yeah So when you bring it over to the to the GX, it'll probably be just fine. Okay, okay so Favorite retro video game. What's up?
Speaker: um Okay. that's That's actually a really hard question. Let me switch gears. I have so many. remember you mentioning something about yeah the OG stuff.
Speaker: Yeah. So I grew up with Crash Bandicoot. Dude. Dude. Yeah, so like instead of Mario Kart, I grew up with Crash Team Racing. yes dude. Yeah, so I actually like occasionally still whip that out because I have a PS2 still. um So sometimes I'll play that.
Speaker: and ah did you ever play the Fire Emblem series like on Game Boy Advance? No, I did not. Okay, well, I grew up with that. And so I actually am emulating that game on my computer recently. Sick. Dude, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker: um It's funny you brought up Crash Team Racing because I was just in Alaska for a work trip. So I was stuck on, I think it was Anchorage to SeaTac. I've got like an Ambaric RG Cube, I think is what it is, like handheld emulator.
Speaker: Definitely played that game on the airplane because I'd never played it for the for Game Boy Advance, but I played it for... PS one dude like i'm ah I'm an old man like PS one was the jam when I was a kid yeah it's funny you say that you still have a PS two because I don't have any other PlayStation other than a PS two I've got like an OG PS two yeah just chilling like in the cabinet like I think the PS two is like revolutionary yeah yeah it is I actually only had a PS two for years and then like two years ago I finally got a PS five Oh, shoot.
Speaker: Yeah. Dang, dude. That's what's up. Honestly, though, like I didn't play video games for probably like 15 years. I was just, you know, trying to like get through school and build a career and all that type of stuff. And then.
Speaker: ah Started playing Mario Kart. i was like, oh, yeah, I miss playing Mario Kart. This is sick. Then I got hooked. I was like, oh, this is tight. Yeah. um Okay, so you don't have to, maybe it's too personal, but ah so you're you're a school principal?
Speaker: I am, yeah. Dude, that that's sick. You're the second one I've interviewed. Derek keeps the the kids in line as well. yeah what a what How long have you been in that profession?
Speaker: I'm in my second year of being a principal, so still pretty new. Okay. Yeah. But it's my, i believe I completed my 10th year in education last year. Oh, right on.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, so I'm, were you a teacher previously or? Um, so I taught for seven years and then I was an assistant principal before moving into this role. Nice. That's what's What, uh, what did you teach?
Speaker: I taught various grades in elementary, like I taught first grade, third, fourth and fifth. Oh, right on. So you got to teach a lot of different stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I taught, um, I taught for a little bit.
Speaker: Okay. And, uh, I taught Korean kids. They're much easier to deal with. Yeah. have my Dude. I still get emails from them occasionally. They're like, Oh, teacher, we miss you. Blah, blah, blah. Here's a life update. And I'm like, how are you 16? Like what in the world? I remember when you,
Speaker: Yeah, like you would have fit in a lunchbox at the time and now you're like able to drive. Like this is makes me feel even older than I am. What's, um I mean, like I said, I've never taught in the U.S. So i don't I don't know how receptive kids are to education here. But what's kind of the like most rewarding part of that being in that profession?
Speaker: Yeah. Um, honestly, I think it's the relationships you build with students to make them feel like seen and valued because they don't always experience that at home. um And then I also think that ties into like their education because like you are their biggest cheerleader. You believe in them and like seeing them motivated by that belief in them is really rewarding.
Speaker: I love that so much. That's like, it's kind of the same way that I feel when I see somebody off road, like learning for the first i' like, oh, I've never aired down, dude. Like, this is crazy.
Speaker: But it's even even cooler when you're dealing with ah with children because it's like, I still remember, you know, I had a rough childhood and I still remember even just like kind words that people said to me as a kid just changed the trajectory of my life. And I still remember those people. They would never remember any of that stuff if I brought it up to them today. But it's it's a good feeling to to like encourage people. you know I had a kid, his well, it it was his English name. They they make up names because yeah they've got these names that most Americans would never be able to figure out. but Yeah.
Speaker: His name was Ryan. all the He definitely was not named Ryan. But Ryan was so scared of me the first day he saw me at school. He just was like, wanted nothing to do with me. Was super scared. Like, oh no, this like weird, you know, like white teacher. I don't like him. You know, I couldn't get him to say a word in class. Couldn't get him to do anything.
Speaker: And I was trying to think like, man, you know, some kids you kind of have to be like, you know, hey, you got to get in line and, and, you know, start behaving. But a lot of kids that you just have to figure out like a good angle on how to like encourage them, you know, and that that was him.
Speaker: And I figured out that he was always doodling and doodling like dinosaurs and he called them dinos. And I was, so I just started being like, okay, I want you to do like a special project instead of the one in the book. I want you to do this, but make it like with dinos.
Speaker: By the end of like the second semester that I had him, He would like get up and do these big presentations in English, mind you, which is like, you know, not their first language. That was like the most rewarding thing yeah ever seeing, seeing a kid that like would never have wanted to speak English getting up. Oh, and they actually like sent, cause you had to take videos to show to the parents, like, this is like what they're learning.
Speaker: Yeah. And you have to submit them through like the, uh you know the school software and the like head or you know like the branch manager she saw it and like sent it out to like the main it was like a private school sent it out and they like send it around like hey this is what a good presentation looks like and i was like yeah sick my boy ryan out here killing it he's probably gonna doctor a surgeon or pilot or something or maybe ah who knows, maybe an archaeologist.
Speaker: Good old Ryan doing the, doing the dino thing. He was such a cool kid, but I'm guessing you still have to do stuff like since you're in administration during the summer, but you get like a lot more, um, you know, time in the summer to get out and like do kind of whatever you want.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, so as a principal, like I think it works differently in different districts, but sometimes you get like a month off. Uh, for me it was, I had to work part time all summer, but I got to pick my schedule. So,
Speaker: yeah So I still made it so that I got plenty of time off to go do what I wanted to do. Right on. Yeah. that That way, instead of having just like one or two days off, you know, you can kind of stack them, I'm guessing.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. oh that's sick. um Next. I mean, I guess you're probably going to do stuff throughout the year, but have you have you planned anything so far? Got any like ideas of like, oh, this is where I want to go.
Speaker: Like off road or. Yeah. Or just whatever, dude. Yeah. ah So actually this upcoming weekend, I'm going with a small group to like the Sisters Bend area and we're going to I think it's called like the North Blowout Shelter or something off Saniem Pass.
Speaker: And I'm going with. unpaved um yeah and uh was Subaru and um Starscream Sherman oh yeah dude yeah and his girl so yeah we're gonna ge yeah yeah so we're gonna go and hit a trail and do some camping on Saturday so okay that'll be nice yeah dude Michelle is like one of my favorite people ever yeah she ah have you been out on trails with her before I think the time that I went to the Tillamook State Forest, she was at that one. Okay.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. Michelle is like one of my favorite people of all time in the, in the Subaru community. She, uh, we did like, I don't remember, maybe it was like section.
Speaker: i can never keep all the sections straight of the back road discovery routes. Um, but I, I was at this, uh, Subaru trail run the first time she'd ever been off road.
Speaker: So she was like this, she was like that brand new person that like didn't know what she was doing or anything. And, ah you know, i would be like, okay, here's, here's your line. Here's how going to want to do it. She would just hammer this stuff out. And I was like, dude, yes. And by the end of it, she was like, okay, cool. Like, this is so sick. I'm going to do this like forever.
Speaker: And now she's like the person, you know, on social media that all the other Subaru people are like, yo, this is tight. How do I do this? Or how did you do that? Or whatever. And she's just such a nice person. She is. I still have never met her husband, but I guess he doesn't really care for the off-roading thing. And she hasn't scammed him to come out on any of the any of the trips yet. But yeah, she's red And then of course, Derek and Brandon, dude, they're they're super rad.
Speaker: Yeah. Love those guys. Okay. Best workout tip. What's up?
Speaker: That's very general. Best workout tip. ah Give yourself plenty of time to recover and you're stronger than you think you are. Dude, there's nothing like almost like when the bar is on you and you don't have a spotter.
Speaker: And it's about to crush you in the chest. It's amazing how much weight you can press. Yeah. yeah
Speaker: I've definitely bailed on squats more than once when I know I've got the, got the pins out. No, I'm not going to die. Yeah. It's like, Oh yeah, I'll just bail. You know, even just that split second of like doubt or whatever, when I'm under the bar, like that split second of like, I could give up if I want.
Speaker: Oh dude. I immediately just like, bailed away like I just have to tell myself no this is light and yeah um but I'm the strongest human being on planet earth like by a long shot like not even remotely true but yeah I love that that's a I think that's a good point in life dude like yeah just in general like I love learning I love doing new stuff like I think we're so much more capable of
Speaker: like all types of stuff, you know i mean? Like, it doesn't matter, know, whether it's like learning a new instrument, everybody always says like, oh, once you hit the age of like 25, it's so hard to learn, you know, like you your brain, that's not true, dude. Like not even remotely true. There's no science that backs that up. And all it is, is we're just like busy, you know?
Speaker: yeah I think everybody says, well, yeah, look like kids learn new languages without ever taking a single lesson. Like they're literally being taught from a,
Speaker: native speaker 24 hours a day non-stop by their parents or whoever's around ah they definitely have uh language instructor man like get out of here like that's not a good excuse for you not learning how to go do something new to like have fun you know exactly yeah um okay so you've It sounds like you've been super successful and, you know, built a career that you enjoy.
Speaker: got any advice for people on, you know, cause I talked to people a little bit younger, a lot, got any advice on like, what should they do? Should they go find themselves at burning man five years in a row and do a bunch of drugs to find themselves? or how would you, how would you guide those people?
Speaker: Yeah. Um, I i feel like it's interesting for me because I feel like I've always prioritized like and addition to like working hard, working out hard, I've also prioritized playing hard. Like it's a balance for me. Like I,
Speaker: um I did not slave my life away by any means to get to this point career wise. Like I definitely busted ass, but I had fun along the way. Like it was not, it was not all just hard work, you know? So I am a big festival goer, not burning man, but, um I do go to quite a bit and that's how I have my fun. So I feel like it's gotta be a balance.
Speaker: Dude. I couldn't agree more. i think, um, There's a lot of people, as long as it doesn't sacrifice some part of your future, dude, have all the fun you can along the way, dude. And like, as long as you um are strategic about the way that you're going to do whatever it is you think you want to do, like do it, man. But at the same time, like I had no idea what I wanted to do.
Speaker: Like literally, even until like like my 30s, I had no clue. Like, what am I going to do with my life, man? But it didn't matter. You know, it was like I just always tried to do the absolute best at whatever it was. Like even if I had like had to like sweep floors for a living. Well, you better believe I'd sweep those floors better than anybody, you know, janitor of the year. cares?
Speaker: Anything that I missed or anything else you want to talk about specifically relating to like the cars or any other questions I should ask you? Not that I can think of. um I mean, I'm definitely bu to be selling my Subaru. Like if if I was in a better place in my life where like I had a big driveway or a big garage where i could have like two cars and like financially in a better spot, I would absolutely keep the Subaru.
Speaker: Yeah. um Yeah. So it is a like a bittersweet thing. Like I'm really happy to have the GX, but definitely bummed to buy. let the Subaru go So no hate to the Subaru community whatsoever, because I've already you know, I've already been given shit from people. I still love all the Subarus like I get stoked seeing like clapped out Subaru or something, you know, yeah still love it. i still always will. um And I still hope like primarily to keep my off road group to the Subaru group that I've created here. so
Speaker: Some of the best people. Yeah, exactly. Like 100%. Like I still, it doesn't matter if I'm in the Jeep or what I'm in. Like I prefer to go meet up with, with the OG homies from West, you know, Western Washington.
Speaker: That's who I like wheeling with the most. Even though everybody's in Subarus, even if I'm taking the Jeep out, like I'd prefer to be out with those people. Cause they're like, in the feelers, dude, like the nicest people, the most fun people.
Speaker: Um, I mean, I wheel with a lot of like old men out here, like, like the, do like literally it'll be like, you know old, uh, old dudes out here that own, own like farms and stuff or like farm service yeah companies or whatever.
Speaker: Like those are the dudes out here that i usually wheel with and I learn a lot from them, but it's like a different type of, uh, experience, you know, definitely. Yeah. Definitely love my Subaru homies. For sure.
Speaker: That's what's up. um Okay. ah One more time. Let's see. You're on Instagram. ah Ursula the GX. Yeah. Perfect. There's an underscore between ah after Ursula and after G. Yeah. No no underscore after GX though.
Speaker: um Are you on ah like YouTube or anything like that? I'm not, no. Just Instagram. yeah Dude, YouTube is is hard. I don't blame Yeah, i don't even want to venture out there. Yeah, yeah. and And always the comments on YouTube are so much more hate, like but just more haters, you know? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: On Instagram, I feel like there are haters, but usually... The algorithm does a good job of like putting people in front of you that actually like what you're doing. Yeah. um And then what about like are there any affiliate deals that you have like discount codes or anything like that that you want to shout out.
Speaker: No, unfortunately, not at this time. Self-funded baby. Let's freaking go. holds up Cool. Well, dang it. I appreciate you doing this. i This was ah cool for me to talk to somebody else that went to the dark side. I think it's an interesting perspective. We'll probably both get hate in the comments, but God gave me two middle fingers for a reason. you know Not that I'd ever use them, but...
