Thursday, February 17, 2011

How to become one with a new-ish Subaru

I bought my first car in January 2011, a 2003 Subaru Forester. Perhaps being a forestry student makes this a bit laughable, but her name is all the more fitting.

Babe the Blue Ox
Being in Canada I thought this folklore beast was common knowledge. Not true and I am quite ashamed. Vancouver-ites google both Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, if you're still not impressed watch the old Disney movie.


Having never broken in a car before I did what what first came to my mind. Become familiar with the car's minute details, nothing better than spinning donuts in the state fair midway. Next spend two days driving 1,800 miles from St. Paul to Vancouver. After passing both tests with flying colors, it was time to get a little dirty and see what a Subaru is made of; 100 miles of semi-maintained forest service roads.

This trip started as most all my camping trips do, google/map the heck out of everywhere interesting until something surfaces. This search resulted in the West Harrison FSR, a logging road used extensively by 4x4 clubs with tons of other roads with access into the unforgiving southern coast mountains.


I will simply put it, we were warned by some loggers not to leave our belongings (car) unattended. Thus the backpacking trip turned into car camping.

The area has been heavily logged for over 100 years and during the gold rush days the lake was used to transport miners/product from the gold fields further north.



Harrison Lake fire tower, the views today are blocked by second growth forests but there was a time when someone was stationed up here all summer.







Can you spot our campsite? Hint: lower left nob






View from 20 mile bay




Nno backroads trip is complete without some splashing around

Movement


I will not even guess what happened here, but I bet he wasn't lucky enough to be forewarned about leaving his belongs unattended. Truck stripped, riddled with bullets and left abandoned.


3 comments:

Vannessa said...

Harrison Lake has a pretty nice view, Kell. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how high would you say did your 2003 Subaru Forester fare on your off-road adventure? Boy, how lucky you were that you were warned, eh? Maybe the owner of that pickup truck didn’t meet such nice fellows when he got there. What’s bugging me though are the bullets. If you only intend to strip the car for parts, why shoot it?

Vannessa Gabbett

Erwin Calverley said...

Those are a couple of great views, although the picture of the red car is a little disturbing, and also the area showing the heavily logged woods. How did Babe the Blue Ox perform on the uphill climb? Did she do great? Going up the mountain on a car is a pretty new experience for me because we always go on foot.

Erwin Calverley

Maria Wegner said...

Babe the Blue Ox. That’s a nice name for your Subaru Forester, huh! So, like Paul Bunyan, this vehicle will be your all-around buddy. No matter what, he will always be with you in your every adventure/trip! :D

Maria Wegner