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Company
Subarugear.com
Subarugear.com is a website that sells Subaru-themed clothing and accessories. They’re sponsoring the podcast and offering a discount code.
Brand
SUBI and you
“SUBI and you” is the name/branding used for the podcast and the sponsor deal. It’s how they identify the promotion for listeners.
Company
Melee Design Firm
Melee Design Firm is a company that makes Subaru accessories. They mention it because it offers parts you can add to your Subaru’s engine bay.
Term
engine bay caps
Engine bay caps are small covers you put in the area under the hood. They’re usually added to make the engine compartment look nicer (and sometimes to cover things up).
Car
2005 Forester XT
A 2005 Subaru Forester XT is a Forester SUV with extra power from a turbo. The host is saying it started out stock, then was changed a lot later.
Car
Focus ST
The Ford Focus ST is a sportier version of the Focus. In the episode, they mention it was tuned and that commuting made it feel like too much.
Term
racing clutch
A “racing clutch” typically refers to a performance clutch setup (often a more aggressive friction material and different pressure plate) meant to handle higher torque and provide sharper engagement. Compared with a stock clutch, it can feel heavier or grabby, which can make stop-and-go commuting more tiring.
Car
2019 ascent
The 2019 Subaru Ascent is a bigger Subaru SUV with three rows of seats. The host is saying she liked it a lot, even though it’s the kind of car people usually buy for family life.
Term
skids
Skids are protective plates under the car. They help protect the bottom of the vehicle when you drive on rough roads or trails.
Term
blown head gaskets
A “head gasket” is the sealing layer between the engine block and the cylinder head that keeps combustion pressure and coolant/oil from mixing. When the head gasket is “blown,” it can cause overheating, coolant loss, and rough running—often expensive to repair, which is why the car is described as a cheap beater.
Term
beater
A “beater” is a slang term for an inexpensive, older car that you don’t mind using roughly or risking damage to. In enthusiast circles, it often means a vehicle you can thrash for projects or off-road use without worrying about resale value.
Term
ORV
“ORV” typically means Off-Road Vehicle, referring to a vehicle used on unpaved or rough terrain. In this segment, it’s used in the context of thrashing the Forester and ripping the bumper off while going off-road.
Term
big tires
“Big tires” means the car has been fitted with larger tires than it originally came with. That can make the car sit higher and handle differently, and it can also be harder on parts if the car wasn’t meant for that size.
Car
2001 Subaru Outback
The Subaru Outback is a car that’s part wagon, part SUV—made to handle rough weather and roads. This is a 2001 model year, from the early Outback generation.
Term
T bone
A “T-bone” crash happens when one car hits the side of another car, like the two vehicles make a “T” shape. Side impacts can be more dangerous because there’s less protection for the people inside.
Term
$500 chip box
A “chip box” is a device you add to the car’s electronics to change engine settings. People use it to try to get more power or better throttle response, especially on older cars.
Topic
Raleigh Cross with Northwest Raleigh Association
They’re talking about a local racing event (“Raleigh Cross”). It’s the kind of event where people bring their cars to compete, which explains why they’re excited about the car and mods.
Term
coilovers
Coilovers are a type of suspension that lets you adjust how high or low the car sits. They’re popular for improving handling, and they’re often used on rally or track builds.
Term
triple A
AAA is a roadside assistance service. If your car breaks down, they can help with towing or getting you back on the road.
Topic
roadside assistance logistics
They talk about what happens when a car won’t start—like how far roadside help will go and how they arranged the tow. It’s the kind of real-life hassle car owners run into.
Concept
autocross car
An autocross car is a car prepared for autocross, which is a timed driving event on a closed course with cones. The goal is quick handling and good traction through tight turns.
Term
rare purple color
“Rare purple color” is a reference to a specific factory paint color choice, which can affect collectability and buyer appeal for enthusiast Subarus. Color rarity is often a big part of why a particular car feels like a “dream” to its owner.
Term
hatch one
“Hatch” refers to a hatchback body style, where the rear door opens upward and the cargo area is integrated with the passenger compartment. Hatchbacks are often valued for practicality and packaging, especially in performance trims.
Term
lifted
A “lift” means the car sits higher than stock. It’s usually done with suspension parts so you get more clearance, but it can also change how the car feels and may require alignment afterward.
Brand
King Springs
King Springs makes aftermarket suspension parts, especially springs that can raise a car’s ride height. In this case, they’re used to lift the Outback so it sits higher.
Term
Onyx
“Onyx” is a name people use for a darker, blacked-out style trim. The speaker says people assume their car is that version because they customized it to look that way.
Term
vinyl for my pillars
Vinyl wrapping is applying a thin film to surfaces for color change or protection. “Pillars” are the vertical trim pieces around the windows (like the A-, B-, and C-pillars), and wrapping them is a common way to create a consistent blacked-out theme.
Term
black on black
“Black on black” just means everything is done in dark/black tones together. Here, it describes the vinyl they wanted so the pillars matched the blacked-out look.
Term
wrap the chrome
“Wrapping the chrome” means putting a vinyl film over shiny chrome trim so it looks darker or matches the rest of the car. It’s mostly for style, and it has to be applied carefully to last.
Concept
snowmageddon
“Snowmageddon” is just a nickname for a huge snowstorm. The speaker is using it to say their purchase happened around that time.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means power goes to all four wheels. That usually helps the car get traction on snow and ice, but you still need winter tires and careful driving.
Term
BlizzX
BlizzX is a type of winter tire. Winter tires are made to grip better when it’s cold and snowy, so you can brake and turn more safely than with regular tires.
Term
turbo
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power. It pushes extra air into the engine, so the car can feel stronger, especially when you’re driving uphill or accelerating.
Term
444 gearing
“Gearing” is how the car’s drivetrain multiplies engine speed. A “4.44” style ratio usually makes the car feel quicker off the line, but it can mean the engine spins faster when you’re cruising.
Concept
Subaru's were being raised
When someone says the cars were “raised,” they usually mean lifted. A lift kit raises the suspension so there’s more clearance underneath for rough roads and obstacles.
Concept
Legos
They’re comparing Subarus to Legos because parts are often easy to swap and upgrade. If you find the right parts from another Subaru build, you can usually make them fit and keep the project moving.
Term
CVTs
A CVT is a type of automatic transmission that can change “gears” smoothly rather than jumping between set steps. The speaker is saying their car had serious CVT problems and needed it replaced twice.
Concept
overlanding
Overlanding means taking long trips where you’re prepared to camp and handle rough roads. The speaker is saying they want a bigger vehicle because it can carry more gear for that kind of travel.
Part
King spring overload springs
King overload springs are extra springs added to the suspension to help the vehicle stay level when you’re carrying a lot of stuff. They’re often used for trips where the car is loaded up for camping or rough roads.
Term
spacer
A spacer is basically a thick insert you add to make something sit a little farther away. Here, it’s used to give the rear more clearance so the tires and the rear-mounted setup don’t hit obstacles.
Term
tire swing
A tire swing is a spare tire mount at the back that swings out like a door. It’s used on off-road rigs so you can reach the spare easily without removing it.
Term
rear diff skid plate
A rear diff skid plate is a tough shield under the back of the car. It helps protect the rear differential from getting smashed by rocks when you’re driving off-road.
Topic
Overland Expo
Overland Expo is a show/event for people who travel and camp with off-road vehicles. The speaker mentions it as the moment they upgraded their camping setup.
Term
rooftop tent
A rooftop tent is a tent that sits on top of your vehicle. Instead of sleeping on the ground, you unfold it from the roof for a more protected camping setup.
Term
on board air
On-board air means the car has its own air compressor system. It lets you add air to tires or run air accessories without needing a separate pump.
Brand
ARB air compressor
ARB makes off-road gear, including air compressors. Here, it’s the compressor that powers the car’s built-in air system.
Term
facelift
A facelift is a refresh of a car partway through its generation. It can change details that affect whether aftermarket parts bolt on correctly.
Term
hidden winch mount
A hidden winch mount is a bracket that lets you install a winch but keeps it out of sight. That helps protect it and keeps the front end from looking cluttered.
Company
ADF
ADF is the shop the host went to for help making a custom bracket. They did fabrication because the normal parts weren’t made for that exact car setup.
Term
scanner tool
A scanner tool is a device that plugs into the car to read error codes and data from the computer. It helps a shop diagnose problems and verify things are working correctly.
Term
swap my engine
An engine swap is when you take the old engine out and put a different one in. People do it to fix a broken engine or to change how the car runs.
Term
change out my transmission
This means replacing the car’s transmission (the part that sends power to the wheels). People usually do it when it starts failing or shifting poorly.
Term
engine modification
Engine modification means changing the engine to make it run differently—often for more power or better response. Sometimes you have to update other parts too so everything works together.
Term
original clutch
The clutch is what lets you smoothly connect and disconnect the engine from the transmission. If it’s still the original clutch after a lot of miles, that usually means it hasn’t worn out yet.
Term
ramps
Ramps are like sturdy inclines you drive onto to get the car higher off the ground. They help you work underneath, but it can be harder than using a proper lift.
Term
jacked up
“Jacked up” means the car was lifted off the ground with a tool so you can work on it. In this story, it’s part of why the engine work was so improvised at home.
Term
type RA block
A “Type RA block” is a specific Subaru engine block used as the base for a stronger build. It’s the kind of part people choose when they’re upgrading an engine for more power or durability.
Term
pistons
Pistons are the parts inside the engine cylinders that move with each combustion cycle. When people rebuild or modify an engine, they may replace pistons to better handle extra power.
Term
stack of tires
They’re describing a pile of tires in the living room, like part of the car project. It’s not a technical term—just a memorable detail from the story.
Term
rod knock
Rod knock is a scary knocking sound from inside the engine. It usually means something inside the engine is worn or loose, and it can lead to expensive damage.
Car
Subaru WRX
The Subaru WRX is a popular Subaru that comes with a turbo and all-wheel drive. People like it because it’s a great base for modifications and upgrades.
Car
Subaru FXT
“FXT” here means the turbo Forester from Subaru. It’s an all-wheel-drive SUV that some people modify for more power, but that can put extra stress on the engine.
Term
shearing off
Shearing off means a part snaps or breaks under stress, like it gets “cut” by the forces acting on it. If it keeps happening, something about the setup or load is probably wrong.
Term
pulley system
A pulley system in an engine context typically refers to the belt-driven components that route power from the crankshaft to accessories. If a part in that system repeatedly fails (as implied here), it can cause cascading issues and may require repeated engine work.
Term
snow tires
Snow tires are special tires made for winter weather. They work better when it’s cold and snowy, which is why the hosts are talking about having the right tires before the snow hits.
Term
wiring
Car wiring is the set of wires and connectors that carry electricity and signals to different parts of the car. When someone helps with wiring, they’re making sure the electrical connections are done correctly so the system works.
Term
bolt sheared off
If a bolt “sheared off,” it means it broke and snapped instead of coming loose. This can happen when the bolt is stuck or rusted, so the force needed to move it is too much for the bolt.
Term
tensioner system
A tensioner system is the part that keeps a belt or chain tight. If it fails or loses tension, the belt/chain can slip, which can cause timing or drivability problems.
Term
AC discharge hose
That hose is part of your car’s air conditioner. It carries the refrigerant under pressure—if it cracks, it can leak and spray, which can look like smoke and needs fixing quickly.
Concept
do not drive that car
This is basically a warning to stop driving the car when something serious is going wrong. If you see smoke or a major leak, driving can make the problem worse or create new damage.
Term
ditch lights
Ditch lights are extra headlights you add low on the front of the car. They help light up the road edges and shoulders, especially on dark or unlit roads.
Term
switch panel
A switch panel is a place inside the cabin where you mount buttons/switches to control add-on accessories. Instead of using random wiring or separate switches, everything is organized in one spot.
Term
firewall
The firewall is a wall of the car that separates the engine area from the inside of the cabin. For wiring, people usually pass cables through the firewall so they’re protected and don’t get in the way.
Term
viscous coupling
A viscous coupling is an AWD part that helps the car send power to the wheels when they start spinning at different speeds. If it fails, you can get odd sounds and the AWD system may not work the way it should.
Term
drive shaft
A drive shaft is the part that sends power from the transmission to the wheels. If you’re working on drivetrain parts, you often have to remove the drive shaft to get access.
Term
AWD
AWD stands for all-wheel drive, meaning the car can send power to more than one set of wheels. That helps with grip when roads are wet, snowy, or uneven.
Car
Toyota Tacoma
The Toyota Tacoma is a popular mid-size pickup truck. People like it because it’s good for rough roads and there are lots of upgrades available if you want it to go off-road.
Term
park
Here, “park” means a public outdoor area where people go to see sights. They’re describing stops at different parks during their trip.
Place
Yellowstone
Yellowstone is a famous national park in the U.S. People go there to see unique nature and wildlife. In this episode, they’re visiting it and doing some short hikes near the waterfalls.
Place
grand prism basins
“Grand prism basins” is a named spot inside Yellowstone. It’s one of the specific places people go to see geothermal features.
Term
Buffalo
In this context, “buffalo” means bison—big animals native to North America. The speaker is excited because they finally got to see them in person.
Term
Midland radio
A Midland radio is a walkie-talkie style device for talking to other people. Here, it’s connected directly to the car so they can communicate more easily while traveling.
Term
hardwired
Hardwired means the radio is connected directly to the car’s electrical system. That way it can run reliably without relying on a loose plug or battery.
Term
50 watt radios
“50 watt” refers to the radio’s transmit power. Higher wattage generally improves range and signal clarity, which matters when you’re in mountains or away from cell coverage.
Term
Perseides Meteor Stour
The Perseids are a yearly meteor shower—basically lots of shooting stars in the night sky. They happened around the same time every year, so people plan trips to watch them.
Place
Alvord desert
Alvord Desert is a remote, open area in Oregon with very dark skies. It’s a good place to watch the stars and meteors.
Term
114 degree weather
That’s extremely hot—hot enough to make outdoor time miserable and potentially risky. They’re saying the heat was so intense they wouldn’t do it again.
Term
snorkel
A snorkel is a raised tube for the engine’s air intake. It helps the engine breathe when you’re driving through water or dusty trails by keeping the intake higher.
Term
lift kit
A lift kit is a set of parts that raises a car or SUV higher off the ground. That can help with clearance when driving on rough roads.
Term
front bumper
The front bumper is the part at the front of the vehicle that can take hits. Off-road, it can also be the first thing to scrape when you go over rocks or uneven ground.
Term
skid plates
Skid plates are protective plates under the vehicle. They help prevent damage when you drive over rocks or rough terrain.
Company
Peninsular Subaru
Peninsular Subaru is the Subaru dealership the host dealt with. They helped out with service and financial support when the host needed a replacement vehicle.
Company
Primitive
Primitive is a company the host says helped them out with a discount and parts. It sounds like they sell aftermarket gear for the kind of car setup the host is building.
Term
oil pan
The oil pan is where the engine oil sits at the bottom of the engine. If something under the car is mounted near it, like a skid plate, it can get damaged during service.
Brand
Permanent
Permanent is a company the speaker trusts for their car setup. They offered help by having the car driven to their shop so they could fix it.
Brand
rally tech
Rally Tech is referenced as a brand whose name comes up in the Subaru/off-road community. The speaker groups it with other companies they hear about, suggesting it’s known for aftermarket parts or build support.
Term
rally car
A rally car is a special kind of race car made for rally events. Instead of a track, it’s meant for rough, changing road surfaces and lots of bumps.
Term
Pave B and W
“Pave B and W” sounds like a name Derek’s car/build goes by. The point they’re making is that it doesn’t look flashy, but it’s still set up to be useful and capable.
Term
sleeper car
A sleeper car looks normal or boring, but it can still be surprisingly fast or capable. It’s the opposite of a flashy “look at me” car.
LIVE
Hi, I'm Melissa, and you can find me on Instagram at ShanaFelchJourney, and I also run Subi Adventure
Club, which you can find on Instagram and Facebook, and you are listening to episode
232 of the Subi and You podcast.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Subi and You podcast.
As you just heard, I had Melissa on this episode.
I actually met her a year ago at Overland Expo in Oregon, so this has been a long time
coming, and then we ended up connecting up again this year at Overland Expo in Oregon.
So I was really cool to see her again, actually talk to her a little bit more, and she will
be on the bonus episode that I'll be putting out on Friday, July 10th.
So listen for that.
Of course, I'll post in my stories to say that the bonus episode is coming out, but
I was pulling...
So I did video interviews for that bonus episode, which I will eventually put on YouTube, but
I pulled all the audio from those videos to create the bonus episode, because I recorded
with a bunch of people from Basecamp, and then I also put in some stuff in there from
Rian and Gelsamino, where she was playing games with the campers.
So be on the lookout for that, or listen for that.
So thank you again for tuning in to the Subin New Podcast.
Thank you for sticking around to my OGs that have been listening from the very beginning.
I really, really appreciate that.
And welcome to all the new listeners, because I've gotten some messages recently, and I
think some of the campers may have just started listening to the podcast.
Campers from Overland Expo, PNW.
So thank you all so much for tuning in.
And before we get on with anything else, I want to say I hope that everybody had a really
great 4th of July weekend.
I ended up spending some time with family on Saturday and Sunday, so it turned out to
be a really nice weekend.
But thanks again for tuning in to the Subin New Podcast.
Speaking of tuning in, be sure to tune in to the Dirt Subis podcast with my buddy, Ben.
He has a lot of great episodes as well, and he's had some of the same guests I've had
on, but his episodes run a little bit different.
He gets a little more technical, which is really nice because it gets into modifications
and more things about the different types of engines and stuff like that.
So he does his a little bit differently, but good podcast, so be sure to give that a listen
and give it a follow everywhere that you listen to podcasts.
You can also check out the Wave podcast with Patrick and Dave.
They run another good show over there.
They are both Subaru technicians, so they have a lot of really good information as well on
their show, and it gets pretty technical.
But yeah, both really good episodes, and then of course, the Subin New Podcast.
So tune in to all of them.
Listen to all of them.
I know people go on road trips, so those are like really great opportunities to listen
to some episodes.
But now we will hear from one of our sponsors, the person that was my very first episode,
Jin.
Here we go.
The Subin New Podcast is brought to you by Ascentric Designs.
For those of you who don't know, Ascentric Designs is a small, community-driven business
that offers custom fit vinyl overlays for most Subaru models.
This includes various designs for the rear reflectors, tail lights, and side tail lights.
I also offer fun, detailed designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers.
To find designs for your Subi, head on over to AscentricDesigns.com.
There's always more projects in the works, so be sure to follow at Ascentric.designs
on Instagram.
Thank you so much, Ascentric Designs, for sponsoring the Subin New Podcast.
Be sure to go check her out on Instagram, check out her website, and check out her Etsy page.
She has a lot of great decals for your Subaru.
Also if you are new to this community and you're looking for a good way to personalize your
Subaru, adding decals is a really good, cost-effective way to do that, especially if you're not sure
what modifications you might want to do at some point.
You can start with decals.
That's how I started out.
I know that's how a lot of other people started out.
If you want to personalize your Subaru and make it look different, make it stand out,
decals are the way to go.
Since Melissa, who was on this episode, was out at Overland P&W with me and with a bunch
of other people, I just want to give a huge shout out real quick to Subaru of America,
also to Rune Management and G7.
All three of those organizations were responsible for putting together, for designing and laying
out and putting together, building, constructing the layout that we saw at the Subaru booth
at Overland Expo and then also for Subaru Base Camp where everybody was camping.
Everybody was camping and where all that stuff was happening.
Thank you all so much.
Y'all did an amazing job, again, leveled up this year and we look forward to more events
from everybody.
I mentioned that you can personalize your Subaru with decals, but you can personalize
your wardrobe from Subarugear.com.
They have a lot of really great merchandise.
They have clothing, they also have bags and coolers, they have coffee mugs, refillable
water bottles, stuff for your pets, kids, motorsport stuff, so many different
options there.
Be sure to go to Subarugear.com.
Check out everything that they have on the site.
Fill up your cart, use the code SUBI and you 2026 at checkout to get 20% off either one
item or your entire purchase.
If your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you'll also get free shipping, which is really,
really great.
So go check it out, see what they have to offer and personalize your wardrobe.
Thank you so much Subarugear for sponsoring the SUBI and you podcast.
Really, really appreciate it and thank you for bringing this offer to the listeners.
One last shout out and sponsor that I'm going to mention before we get into this conversation
with Melissa is Melee Design Firm.
When I was out at Overland Expo P&W, I was able to meet up with Mitch, who is the owner.
Saw him again.
I met him for the first time last year and it was cool meeting up with him again and
hanging out and just talking for a while.
But Melee Design Firm has some really, really great options for your Subaru.
One of them especially is engine bay caps.
It's a really great way to personalize your engine bay and enhance the look and also they
just look cool.
It's billeted aluminum caps that you can get and so I encourage you to go check it out.
You can use the code SUBI and you at checkout to get 10% off just about anything site-wide.
So go check out MeleeDesignFirm.com and also if you want to hear his episode, he was episode
40 and it was a really great one.
So go check that out.
Go check out MeleeDesignFirm.com and save 10%.
And now we will get into this episode with Melissa and hear all about her Subaru journey.
So let's do this.
Welcome Melissa.
Thanks for having me.
You're welcome.
Apparently, this is not even our doing.
Lauren was kind of like forcing us into this.
She was like, you got to get her on.
And I mean, I guess it's good because we have been chatting for a little bit, you know,
since last year.
So it's been a while.
Yeah.
She was messaging me yesterday too and I was like, what are you doing?
Yeah.
But it was cool to see you again because like when I went, when I got to the event, I was
talking to Joe about people to interview and he was like, you should go interview Melissa
and I was like, who is she?
Cause I couldn't really remember.
And then I went over there and I was like, oh yeah, I've met her before.
That was cool.
Yeah.
Apparently everybody's thrown me under the buck here.
Yeah.
You're going to do this and you're going to like it.
You're going to eat your food and you're going to like it.
We will survive.
Yeah.
Well, speaking of food, they had some amazing food at the event.
I mean, that was so good.
Yeah.
Chef Chad was amazing.
Yeah.
And it was cool that he came over there too.
And cause like he, cause like when we were in Arizona, it was his team that was there
the whole time because it was the camping was like a little more off site is like a
mile away.
And so because we were at the event, Chad White actually came over there for a little
while and hung out and talked to people.
And I saw that people had some pictures with them.
So that was cool too.
Yeah.
We took some cause one of our friends, his name's Patrick, but he looks like Chad.
So last year, everybody kept calling him Chad and they were offering him stuff.
And then finally he was like, who's Chad?
And so Chad White actually knows and we call Patrick not Chad.
So I'm friends with Chad now and not Chad.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah.
He's, yeah, he seems like a good guy and he makes amazing food.
And so does his team.
Yes.
Yes.
We were definitely treated very well in the food department there.
Yeah.
We were definitely blessed for breakfast and dinner.
That was some good stuff.
Yeah.
I had a friend I ran into, um, Saturday and he's like, Hey, let's super
who know that I'll like cater you guys next year.
And I was like, well, Chad White and his team are doing our meals and he's like,
nevermind.
You guys got Chad.
I'm, yeah, I'm out.
Okay.
You're, you're taking care of.
Yeah.
Well, speaking of food, I have this other important question and that's whether
you prefer waffles or pancakes.
Oh man.
So I have never been a huge breakfast person, but if I got to have one waffle,
but there's one condition.
They have to be crispy.
Yeah.
I don't like soggy food.
So crispy overcooked waffles are where it's at.
Yeah.
I totally get that.
I'm the same way with French fries.
Like I don't like soggy French fries and I don't like, they don't have to be like
super crispy, but they have to have some crunch to them.
You know, some like little bit of firmness on the outside.
And yeah, I get that.
Yeah.
My husband glass, cause when I order it at a restaurant, I'm like waffles,
but can you overcook them?
And you're like, why do you do that?
Because they're good.
Yeah.
And nobody likes mushy food.
Yeah.
And I don't usually eat breakfast either, but when you're being, when, when an
amazing breakfast is being prepared for you, I'm not skipping that.
Oh yeah.
No, like this weekend at the expo, I definitely did not skip breakfast.
Yeah.
And on Friday and Saturday, I didn't even have lunch because I'm like, I'm
going to eat breakfast.
I know it's going to hold me over.
And then I'll just have some like little snacks because I know we're going to
have an amazing dinner.
It was only on Sunday that I ate lunch because they were only preparing
breakfast since, you know, they're closing things down, but yeah, so good.
Like I would take a break like that every day.
Oh yeah.
Me too.
Somebody else was going to make that for me every day.
I'm down.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we're obviously here to talk about your Subaru that you're actually
sitting in to record this and also your Subaru journey, but that's not the only
Subaru you've had.
So can you kind of like run us through the Subarus that you have had and then
the ones that you currently have aside from that one?
Uh, yeah.
So we've had a lot of Subarus.
Um, it kind of escalated quickly.
Uh, it started with my husband getting a 2005 Forester XT, um, bone stock.
Uh, and I was like, why do you want a Subaru?
This is crazy.
I'm like, who drives Subarus?
And we own three Fords at the time.
He had a, uh, tuned out, uh, focus, uh, ST, um, but he was commuting across
I five traffic and rush hour and with the racing clutch, he's like, this is killing
me.
So, and he's about to retire from the Navy.
Um, and he's getting work for the Washington state ferries and he's going
to be on call.
So we didn't want to like, you know, he didn't want to drive that manual.
So he got an automatic.
He got the O five FXT, which quickly was modified heavily.
Um, then I test.
Yeah.
I test drove the, uh, 2019 ascent when it came out.
Um, the soccer mom car, uh, grocery getter.
And I fell in love.
And my husband's like, nope, you owe too much on your Ford fusion.
And I was like, but I want this clock.
So COVID hit and I wasn't allowed to work for two years because I'm extremely high
risk.
And so all that money I was getting from unemployment, I paid off the fusion and
I went and got me the, and I quickly lifted that one, um, and put skids on it.
And then let's see, we had a 99 Subaru Forester total shit box.
Like it was my gambler car.
I had ripped the bumper off my ascent twice and my husband's like, you're
ruining your $42,000 vehicle.
I was like, get me a shit box.
Ripped it off as in like going off road and ripping it off.
Oh, wow.
Yes.
Which by the way, the front or back?
The front.
Okay.
Both times the front, um, which by the way, it will fit in the back of your
ascent perfectly grill and all, just in case anybody needs that info.
It'll fit right in case you're ripping your bumper off like me.
It'll fit.
So, um, uh, he got me the 99 from a friend actually.
He had it sitting.
He was going to, um, drive it.
Mike McAllister was going to fix it up.
He bought it with blown head gaskets and stuff.
So it was my $500 beater.
Um, like,
Gaskage didn't work.
Lights would go off if you hit a bomb bus, the dominer didn't work, but I was
going to like thrash it and just, you know, take into who you are the ORV
park bias and use it for the gambler 500 events.
Uh, funny thing is that I never hit it.
Like, like I never ran into things as much as I tried.
I, I never did anything to it.
And I went, I tried, um, I think it's because it was so much smaller than the
ascent and just fit through things better.
And we also, um, lifted it pretty high and put some really big tires on, um,
that were not made for that, for that car.
Uh, so we had that one.
Our kid's first car was actually, we bought him a 2001 Suss, the Subaru, um,
outback, so the legacy sedan.
Um, he drove it four times with his permit and some guy on a, in a Honda on
his cell phone, uh, T bone them.
Oh my gosh.
Um, so, uh, it drove.
Yeah.
Um, him and my husband, Sean and our youngest Owen were fine.
Um, and our car, the suss drove off the Honda didn't, it looked like a can opener
peeled it away.
Um, yeah.
Well, and that's one of the reasons we have the two brews, but, uh, insurance,
we'd only had it for six months.
Like I said, our kid drove it four times and insurance offered us double what we
paid for it.
So we took the money.
And we told them that.
So that's actually what we used to buy the, uh, the $500 chip box, Forester with,
and then added all the mods using that money.
So, uh, and then he got a 2001 Forester, um, which he drove until last year when
he started buying the O5 FX T office.
Um, my husband and I both raced Raleigh Cross with Northwest, uh, Raleigh
Association.
It's the local cross.
Yeah.
Raleigh.
That's cool.
And so I used to teach auto shop at the trade school here in Bermerton and one
of my students had a O4 and Preza 2.5 RS.
And every day I would ask him, Hey, Donny, you want to, uh, sell me your car?
Come on.
And he's like, no, no, no.
And the day after he graduated, he came back and he's like,
Miss, most of you really want to buy my car.
And I was like, yes.
And he goes, my first car, don't really want to sell it, but I know I need to move
on. I'll sell it to you as long as you race it because I never got to.
And I was like, that's awesome.
What a great opportunity.
Yeah.
And I've invited him out to a few of them and he hasn't been able to make it so far.
Um, but yeah, it's, you know, every time we change the oil, there's more metal in
it, so I'm not sure how much longer it'll run.
Uh, but it's been a great rally car.
Um, when I, when I got that one, we needed some of the, we needed like rally
suspension because it was like slammed on cheap eBay, like coilovers and stuff.
Oh yeah.
Um, so I got a hold of primitive because they sponsored me for my, my car that I
daily. And I was like, Hey, can you guys help us out?
Or is it like one sponsorship per person kind of thing?
And they're like, well, we have our old rally across car that blew, um, and it's
got all those parts.
So 2000 bucks, it's yours.
Oh, nice.
And I'm like, okay.
So I looked up, um, cause it didn't run obviously.
So I looked up a triple A and it was, I found out it was a 200 mile radius.
And then I Googled their address to our address and it was 199 miles.
Oh my gosh, you gotta be kidding me.
That's crazy.
So I signed up for triple A, waited the week waiting for you.
You drove out there, called them and was like, Hey, my car broke down.
I needed to back to Permanent.
And they turned it all the way back for us.
That's so funny.
Did you tip the driver at least?
We did.
And they're fast getting there.
I'm used to my buddy, um, Dan, uh, who I think you met this weekend at the expo.
I've, his car breaks down quite a bit after races and I all sit there with him
and like we wait hours and they're, they're like so fast.
I was kind of surprised though.
Yeah.
Um, that was nice.
So yeah, we got, that's a, um, Oh five 2.5 RS wagon.
So that's why the parts were able to go on our O four sedan.
Um, and then we were supposed to scrap the body, but that didn't happen.
Cause my husband's like, well, since we have it, we could rebuild it and be an
autocross car.
Yeah.
So we have that.
And then a year ago on mother's day weekend, I'm not sure how it happened.
My husband ended up with a 2011 FTI.
So I got a card from mother's day.
He got a car.
Hey, father's day is that much further away.
Come on, buddy.
Yeah.
So he got his, his dream one that he wanted.
It's that rare purple color.
It's the hatch one.
Um, so, uh, he's, he's quite happy with that car, but now he's talking about
modding it cause he can't leave anything alone.
Um, and then my, my daily is my 23 outback.
Um, it's lifted by King Springs from primitive and, uh, modded out, uh,
conservatively cause I have a warranty.
What trim level was that one?
Um, so it's a premium.
Everyone thinks it's an onyx because I blacked everything out when I got it.
Yeah.
So, um, my buddy Brad, uh, I had him make custom, uh, vinyl for my pillars with,
cause at the time you couldn't get black on black, uh, topography vinyl.
You couldn't buy it.
So he did my pillars in black on black.
And then I was like, how much to, uh, wrap the chrome and he's like, oh, about 400 bucks.
And I'm like, nah, I'll figure it out about an hour into it.
I was like, I know why they charge 400 bucks for this.
Yeah.
But I did it.
Yeah.
I want to go back a little bit.
So when did you get the very first Subaru again?
The O five.
So the O five we got in 2006, I want to say.
Okay.
So it was, yeah, it was right before what we call snowmageddon happened here.
Oh yeah.
I guess that was a good timing then, huh?
Yeah.
So like you went from, uh, who drives a Subaru to now having all these
Subaru's.
So did you, so having that O five.
So you went from like having that to, I mean, did you immediately start liking
Subaru after having that?
Or did it take a while for you to be like, oh, maybe I want some more
Subaru's?
Um, so snowmageddon hit like six months after we bought that car and nobody
was getting anywhere cause we had so much snow.
And I had just started a second job up the street at Safeway.
And so Sean, I don't drive in snow.
I hate driving.
I don't trust other people, which is the problem.
Um, the, the FXT, they gave us BlizzX with it.
And we were the only people out on the road, except for one day there was a Tesla,
which I thought was odd, but now I get it.
Uh, and so we, every day we were out driving around down like through town and
he was bringing me back and forth to work in like never, like he tried
and make it slip and everything and nothing like we just went.
Um, at one point, one of the nights that I worked, it was literally the manager
and me doing the whole store safely.
Cause we're the only two people that can make it.
I know you can make it to work.
You're not skipping out on me.
Yeah.
I was like, as long as he's driving, I'll be there.
Yeah.
That's so we have a lot of hails by us.
So, um, and they all get shut down because people like they get, um, they get
stuck on it and they slide off and actually like, we're the corner house
and our development.
So our whole like our friends and our neighbors in the development, we play a
game when it snows, because you have to go around the corner by our house and
up just to like the small little hill in front of our house.
But every year we ended up with cars in our yard.
And so the game is how many cars will be in Melissa's yard.
And I usually just go out after I watch them go up and slide down a few times.
I'll walk out the house and be like, Hey, you want to just park here?
And then they just park in my yard.
One time I had to tell Sean, like, Hey, when you get home, you got to park in
the yard because the driveway is full and he's like, why?
We don't own that many cars.
And I was like, we have other people's cars.
Yeah.
It's, uh, we don't get, we don't get any snow here in Houston like that.
So I don't, you know, I haven't experienced anything like that.
Yeah.
So I kind of fell in love with them, like just cause we could get around and
go everywhere.
And then the more research, um, I did, I was like, man, these cars are actually
really safe.
Um, and then when I got the ascent or a test drive, the ascent, it had the
turbo and, um, the 444 gearing, which was great for operating, uh, probably
not with super intended for the ascent.
Uh, um, but it works perfect.
Uh, and yeah, so just kind of escalated after that.
And then, you know, when we got into rally cross, we noticed like how many
Subaru's were being raised and we're like, and they're like Legos, you know, you
can just take parts from other Subaru's and they just go right on for the most part.
So.
Yeah.
I don't know much about like swapping parts and building Subaru's and stuff
like that.
Cause I'm still on my first one and I love it.
But, you know, having so many different people on here talking about
Subaru is being kind of like Legos and being able to just swap parts.
And that's, that's really cool.
I mean, it makes it, that makes it easy whenever you're trying to modify
something and you've got like parts from another one that you can pull off and
just, you know, swap.
So, uh, yeah, it's good stuff.
So how many do you currently have right now with all the ones you have had?
Uh, we have five currently.
Um, four run.
Do you still have the ascent?
No, no.
So I got the L back because the ascent went through two CVTs and 102,000 miles.
Oh, wow.
I, other than that, I had the 19, which was the first year, um, and they had a
lot of problems.
Okay.
Um, and you know, it was the first year with that engine and everything.
I love my ascent.
I wish I still had an ascent.
I missed the size, especially for overlanding and all the gear and everything.
Yeah.
Um,
I've acquired so much gear that when I keep it in the outback, I can't go
grocery shopping, which I mean, I'm driving a station wagon, so there shouldn't
be a problem.
Um, but yeah, I, I missed the ascent, but no, I have the lifted outback that I run.
Yeah.
And, uh, how many, like when you got that outback, did you buy that one new?
Um, so I bought it with 12,000 miles on it.
Okay.
Um, and I bought it the week before I had surgery on my foot.
So it sat for about six months because I wasn't allowed to drive.
Um, and I'm at 69,000 miles and I've had it for two years as of April.
Okay.
That's pretty good.
It's a lot of miles.
It's been in like six different states already.
Oh wow.
Yeah.
That's pretty good.
Yeah.
I, uh, I laugh when people have really low mileage on their cars that are older
than mine, cause I have 146,000 miles on a 21.
And I mean, a lot of my miles do come from like local mileage, just because I drive
around a lot, but like, so for example, today, after we record this, I'm going to
my cousin's house to change my oil.
I'm going to change my oil there, uh, with my son.
He's going to change the oil on his outback and that's like a little bit
over an hour away.
I don't know how many miles it is, but for a round trip, it's, you know, it's
pretty decent and we go up, we could've been up to his house a lot.
And then my daughter was going to school in Arkansas.
So I drove my car out there a few times.
I drove it to Colorado for my first off-roading trip and vacation.
And, you know, we drove all around there while we were there and we took kind
of the long way getting there and the long way getting back.
And then I've driven up to Madison, Wisconsin and back.
And then I've driven to, uh, Oklahoma city cause my old job that I was working at,
I, uh, had to do something in, um, I had to do something in Oklahoma, but
also had to do something north of Dallas the day before that.
So I had like back to back trips.
So I just drove, you know, I'm like, there's no reason to fly.
And then I've driven back and forth to Dallas to visit my girlfriend, like
countless times.
So, but, you know,
So your cars have seen a few places to you then?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I've been to Louisiana too, cause I had to drive out there for work.
And then, uh, what else have I been?
I think that's the, I mean, and, you know, like drove through, um, I think we drove
through a little bit of New Mexico on the way to Colorado, maybe, but yeah,
it's, it's been around a little bit.
Uh, unfortunately only about, I'd say like maybe 15% of my mileage is off-road
mileage because we just don't have a whole lot around here.
But, uh, you know, I am thankful to have like the Colorado trip was my favorite
just because we got to drive it up in the mountains and, you know, on trails,
up in the mountains, and that was a lot of fun.
So very thankful for that.
Just wish I could do that more.
Yeah.
We're kind of blessed to have mountains nearby for us.
So it's nice to get up and get away from everybody.
Yeah.
I mean, for us to get to any kind of mountains, it's at least like maybe 12
hours or something like that.
And, but that's a drive.
Yeah.
I mean, because if I had mountains like two hours away, I'd probably be there
every weekend, you know, I would drive the two hours to be in the mountains.
That would be totally worth it.
But, you know, I live where I live and I'm okay with that.
Yeah.
It's good to go visit other places.
You have to get out and visit.
Yeah.
I mean, like when we, when I went to Overland Expo, I rented a forester wilderness
from Gresham Subaru near Portland, and I got to drive that off road.
So at least I was driving a Subaru, even though it wasn't mine, but I still get
to experience driving off road when I go to these events.
That's good.
Yeah.
So, uh, like what, what all have you done to that outback?
Cause I know you said you've lifted it and, uh, but like what, uh, what are other
modifications have you done to it?
Um, so again, it's pretty conservative because I have the warranty on it.
Um, so I have the, the one and a quarter inch King spring overload springs on there.
Um, I added an additional three quarter inch spacer, uh, primitive racing spacer
in the rear, um, because I knew I wanted a tire swing on the back.
I'd borrowed my buddies for one of my ladies only trips and my rear
diff skid plate.
Thank you, primitives.
They've my rear diff because we're still waiting in the back.
Like, um, I have videos of it.
It's, it's screwed.
It's like, it's so scratched and vented.
Like, I know exactly which rock I hit that sucker on and where I was in, uh,
eastern Oregon.
Um, and so I was like, oh, I need an extra lift.
So when I get my, my own tire swing, I don't do that again.
Um, problem is, is that I don't have a tire swing.
Problem is, is I just got my own tire swing and it's a lot heavier than the one
I borrowed.
So I have, um, I, even though I have the additional list on the rear,
it looks like I have less of a lift on the rear.
Um, so I was actually talking with Patrick, uh, Anderson from ADS last night.
I was texting with him and I got to send him some measurements to see what
we can do about that.
Cause at the overwind expo, um, I went from this cheap $90 Walmart tent is leaking
water to, oh, I guess.
Roof top tent.
So now I have a rooftop tent coming, which is another, you know,
150 pounds.
So I was like, I need to fix this suspension a little bit to see what we
can't figure out.
Um, so I got the King Springs, the additional spacer.
I have the triple, uh, armor protection from primitive as well.
Um, uh, I have most everything else is not like suspension related.
It's things like, you know, ditch bikes and trail lights for safety.
When we're operating, um, I am on board air.
I have an ARB air compressor in my engine and nobody.
So my year's the 23.
It was the year of the facelift for the outbacks.
Okay.
So a lot of the mods that I'm finding, they stop at 22 and they
started again at 24 and they bypassed my year.
So I can't even find a hidden winch mount for my car because nobody
makes one to fit the 23 premium.
They make it for the 23 wilderness, but they're not the same.
And so when I got that air compressor, the only mount that was on the market
was for the 23 wilderness, which has more space in the engine bay than mine.
So, um, Patrick at ADF, he actually like, I drove up there and he custom, I did
his scanner tool thing and, um, made a custom, uh, bracket from my car.
Nice.
Um, and so I was really grateful that he did that.
Cause otherwise I had this, you know, air compressor, I couldn't use the
way I wanted it to use.
I bought it cause I was tired of carrying extra gear inside my car.
I just wanted it in the engine.
So it was always there and like not taking up space.
Um, and so he did that and now he'll sell them.
Like he doesn't have them listed on his website, but if anybody needs one, he
can make you one for any year.
And you know, y'all are very blessed to have people like that up in your
corner of the world.
And cause like, we don't have people like that down here.
You know, I'm in Houston and like, uh, like people that live near Milton and
Carrie, they're like, Oh, I'm going to, I need to swap my engine.
Oh, okay.
Just come over and we'll help you do it.
You know, or I need to change out my transmission and you know, there's just,
there's a lot of people up there that have a lot of resources that, where they
can help each other out.
And like, I just don't have that here.
If I, if I need to do some kind of, you know, engine modification, like I'm going
to have to change out my clutch cause the, with 146,000 miles, I'm still on the
original clutch.
And so I just don't have, I mean, I could probably do it at my cousin's house
where I'm going today, but he doesn't have a lift.
So we would have to just, you know, put it up on ramps.
And I mean, that would be a lot of work.
That would be like, you know, it's, there's not that, there's not much room
under there, even with that.
So I have to take it to a shop and I have to pay, you know, a crap ton of
money for all of that stuff.
So y'all are very blessed.
Yeah.
We don't have a lift.
We don't even have a garage here.
So like when my husband rebuilt the engine in his FXT, um, he did it out in the
driveway with the jacked up and the engine actually sat in my house for almost a year
as he rebuilt it.
Cause we just bought parts as we could afford them and pay cash for it.
And you know, we got to type RA block.
And all the four drawers and pistons and like it's heavily modified our, our 20
year old drives it now.
Um, but yeah, he literally did all that in our living room.
Yeah.
I remember you said at the expo that you came home one day and there was an
engine in your living room.
On my custom table.
Yes.
I was like, what are you doing?
And he's like, I put a blanket down.
So that year for Christmas, I have pictures of him opening Christmas gifts
sitting on a stack of tires.
What is the living room?
Like I give up.
Yeah.
There's a woman that lives here in Houston.
She, her name's Larissa and her, uh, account is, um, Rod knock WRX and it's
ROD KNCK.
And then I think it's underscore WRX.
But anyway, yeah, it is, uh, yeah, ROD KNCK underscore WRX.
She has, I wrote it down.
Yeah.
She has plenty of reels on her Instagram account with parts throughout her entire
house.
I mean, they have like, they have an engine stand in their living room that
like permanently has an engine on it practically.
And then she has like all these shelves in her house and there's like turbos in
there because they have a lot that most of all their cars are pretty much like,
uh, tuners and they do a lot of their own work.
And they, I think they have like seven Subaru's that they own and they have like
two in the garage, four in the driveway.
And then the other three are like stored somewhere else.
But yeah, they got me beat.
Yeah.
When John had to pull the engine a second time on the FXT, um, because the
bull kept shearing off on the attentioner for the pulley system.
And that's how we ended up with the type R a block.
I was like, oh, you know, here we are.
Uh, but I walked back in the house and I saw it when I got home from work and I
was like, Oh no, I've seen this game before.
It's like, here we go again.
Yeah.
We have the cherry picker still in there.
Like, oh yeah.
Hey, gotta do what you gotta do.
Uh, yeah.
So, and he like, when we, um, got that chip box forester, um, it was going to snow
and he was like, Hey, I'm going to put the lift on.
And it was the only car at the time that had the snow tires on it because the
forester, the FXT was down so we couldn't run it.
And he's like, it'll be real fast.
And he like famous last words, um, didn't realize that because it was a 99 and
been sitting forever that everything was rusted.
So he couldn't get everything off.
And then I was like, Oh, if only we had a car with snow tires, we could be driving
right now.
Um, but it was leading up to Christmas and Patrick from ADF.
Um, like he couldn't, Sean couldn't figure out how to get a part on.
And he's like, you know, call me.
Here's my number.
And I was like, it's Christmas Eve.
I don't want to bug you on Christmas Eve.
And he's like, just call and he like walked you on through it.
And I'm like, that's great customer service.
Yeah.
But he's like, you didn't have to do that.
So we are really blessed to have people like Patrick and, um, affirmative who
were like, Hey, just bring it down.
Like we'll, we'll fix that for you.
And then, you know, just the people in the community, Milton, Carrie, um, uh,
Torsten, they all like, I just drove an hour to Olympia.
So that way he could do the wiring for my midland radio.
Cause I don't mess with electrical stuff and neither does Sean.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I leave that to other people.
Yeah.
I mean, even though we don't have, you know, people that can physically help us
like that, the community is so good about if you have questions.
Cause I know people that have been in one state and they're talking to somebody
else in another state where they're like, Hey, I've, you know, they had been
talking to somebody about doing something.
They're like, Oh yeah, this is what you do.
And then they get there.
And then I'm like, I still need a little help.
And be like, Oh yeah, just FaceTime me and I'll help you out.
And, uh, cause like my, uh, my son's out back.
He, I think whenever you said that the bolt sheared off of the tensioner system,
I think that may be what happened to my sons because his, uh, he was like, my
belt just came off and there was like little shards of metal, like all over
the place inside the engine compartment.
And, uh, but before that he was driving and he said, there's smoke coming from
underneath my engine or my hood.
And so he stopped, opened it up and it was like the, um, AC discharge hose had split
and it was like spraying.
Yeah.
And so I was like, Milton, can you call Luke and have him
fake?
Can you FaceTime him and see if you can see what's going on?
So he, uh, you know, he didn't know exactly what it was, but he, Luke was kind
of showing him what was going on and what Milton like, you know, assessed was do
not drive that car.
So we, uh, we had it towed and then me and Luke got a new discharge hose.
And then, oh, and then I talked to, um, Redneck with tech.
We called Jacob because we were like, Hey, this is what's going on.
And then he was leaving me voice messages of like, do this and do this.
And you don't need to take this off.
You just need to move it a little bit.
And so like with his help, we were able to get the discharge hose on and not have
to do a bunch of extra work.
So yeah, even though we don't have access physically to people that can help us
out, there's always somebody in the community.
So if you're listening to this and you ever have any issues, there are a lot of
people out there that will be willing to help you because people aren't going to
be like, no, screw you, just figure it out.
You know, people are so helpful.
And that's like one of the best things about this community, aside from all,
us all just loving our Subaru's and enjoying driving them.
You know, there's just such great support.
Yeah.
I know somebody's always willing to help when I got my ascent and I wanted to run
um, ditch lights and everything up to a switch panel inside the cabin.
Um, I couldn't figure out, uh, how to do it.
And so Subaru ambassador Robert, who lives, I think in like New York area.
He's helpful too.
Very.
Yes.
Like he literally was like, call me.
And so I called him and my friend, uh, Brandon, um, who's an electrician.
He was doing all of it and he walked, Robert walked him through how to get
through the firewall and the easiest way to get it in and everything.
Um, so yeah, even if they're not local, there's somebody in this community
that's willing to help.
Yeah.
And it was because of him and Paolo who goes by, um, man, I'm having a hard time
with these, uh, rally XT or rally Trek, uh, both of them, they helped me know
that it, the sound that I was hearing was my, um, viscous coupling that was blown
out.
And then so Paolo, like he was like, Oh, that's that happened to me too.
And so, and then Robert was the one that told me like, no, you don't need a
whole new transmission.
Like the shop is telling you this, you just need this.
This is what it takes.
It's easy to change out.
You just like take the drive shaft out the back of the transmission, slide the
old viscous coupling out, put the new one in, put everything back, put fluid in it
and you're good to go.
You don't need a whole new transmission.
And so like that really, and then he gave me a link to like an online Subaru store
that he buys parts from and he was like, tell them that I sent you.
And so I did.
I mean, it's just like, there's just so many great resources out there.
It's, it's, it's really cool.
Yeah.
I've, uh, we've owned a lot of cars.
Like when we swapped to Subaru, we had three Fords in our driveway.
We've owned multiple Chevy's, uh, a few Dodges that I don't like to talk about.
Um, uh, I've had an oldsmobile, um, several Hondas.
And I got to say the Subaru community, like it steps it up to a whole new level.
Yeah.
It's, uh, it's just, it's great.
And, and then we have Subaru of America putting together events like it overland
expo.
So you probably didn't get that with Ford Chevy Honda or Dodge.
No.
And, and Joe from SLA, he gives me a hard time.
I've been banned from saying the word Toyota around him.
Um, but he knows my dream car since high school would be a Toyota Tacoma.
And like I want to, but I'm also like, you know, I'm not going to get this
fame, like experiences and everything in the Toyota community that I get with my
Subaru.
Exactly.
Yeah.
And shout out to Joe, cause he's awesome.
He's, you know, he's not the only person that is, you know, doing this, but it's
kind of like, like overland being at overland expo is kind of like, you know,
his, his project and his baby, which all started with you, which we talked about.
Well, not, not just me, but yes, I was one of the original ones there and I
gathered some friends and then Troy had a friend there too.
Um, and we, you know, started in a small little spot that was only big
enough for a pop-up canopy.
And I mean, for those of us who were here the last two years, you've seen how
it's grown and they're already looking at bigger for next year, which blows my
mind, but it's so awesome to see and just kind of sit back and watch it all.
Yeah.
Thank you for going and doing that because, uh, you and the other people are the
ones that got this started.
Yeah.
It was, uh, it was hot.
I think that was the hottest year.
Yeah.
That year.
And I was still on crutches from my surgery.
Like I was semi-mobile, but, um, Dan, uh, I think it goes by WRX, uh, 698
or something like that on Instagram.
Um, he was there this weekend with the WRX with the livery on the side.
He was on the side.
Um, he came with me actually and he was fabulous that weekend and he walked
around and got me all the three swag and then like would go get my food for me.
I thought it was so bad.
Like, he was, he liked, did everything and even did a giveaway for a free shirt
and came back and gave it to me.
Like I didn't ask him to do that.
So he's, um, he's a good friend and he was a great help.
And I'm glad that he was able to make it out again this year because he couldn't
go last year.
So he could see how big it had grown since the first year we did it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it was, it's an amazing event.
So, uh, yeah.
So I know you live in Washington now, but have you always like reborn there?
Is that where you've always lived or have you lived?
Did you start off somewhere else?
So I was born in Gondale, California.
Um, but my family moved up here to Washington when I was five.
Um, so I've mostly been in Washington pretty much my whole life.
I'm 42 now.
Um, so I always joke that you can't take to California out of someone though
because I roll stop signs and my husband's like, you only live there for five years.
You weren't even driving then.
Oh, I was, but I don't know.
It worked.
It sounds good to me.
Um, so, uh, yeah, pretty much been in Washington.
My husband's retired Navy.
Uh, so despite him being in the Navy for 21 years, um, and we've been married for
all of his Navy career, um, uh, we never left Washington.
Okay.
So, um, we have two.
Yeah.
We have two boys and they both are, um, on the autism spectrum, um, higher
functioning, uh, with other special needs for the youngest one.
Um, and so the military has a program.
They call exceptional family member programs.
So they base you in categories off of severity for how many like specialists
you need and they were the highest level because autism at that time
automatically got you the highest level.
So they just kept us in Washington.
So sometimes like Sean had a commute, like I was saying when he had that Ford
ST, he had to commute through rush hour on I five.
He had like an hour and a half commute each way, um, which sucked, but it kept
us here.
So we didn't have to change doctor or specialist schools and all that kind of
stuff and my family's here for support, which is nice.
Um, the part of if we ever had to move was would be Island, uh, which is about
three hours from here.
Um, and that took some getting used to and the boys like I, we only had our oldest
at the time and then I had my youngest when we lived up there, but before he turned
to we were back over on this side of the water.
Um, so yeah, pretty much all in Washington.
So my husband's from Montana, but so we go there every year, but
Oh, nice.
We're, we're, we're here local.
Yeah.
I still, I still want to make it out to Montana at some point.
I've seen.
Oh, you should.
It's beautiful.
Yeah.
So that'll happen.
It's sky country.
Yeah.
So in your, in your current outback, is that the one you said that has been in
five different states?
Um, yeah.
So well, my assent went through a lot of states too.
Um, but yeah, the, the outbacks been five or six.
I just went through four states in five days, two weeks ago, um, on a road trip
that I went.
Yeah.
So talk about that.
Cause you were talking about it at Overland Expo.
You kind of mentioned it briefly, but I heard you talking to, talking to
other people about it.
So that's, that was, that was the all women's trip, right?
That you put together.
Oh, no, that was the different one.
Okay.
Um, so.
Well, yeah.
So talk about both those trips then, but talk about the one you did a few weeks
ago and then, and then you could talk about the other one.
Cause that one's really interesting.
Um, so the one I did a few weeks ago, uh, I got with, um, I kind of wanted
hit up national parks.
Um, and I know that super America partners with the national park, uh,
foundation and one of my buddies, Caleb, who I met last summer and we hit up a
few national parks, him and Lyndon, Sean and I, again, a very long distance.
We drove over a very short time cause that's what our schedules allowed.
Um, he had mentioned always wanting to go to Glacier national park.
My mother-in-law lives 15 minutes outside of that Glacier national park.
So I've been a whole bunch of times, but I was like, yeah, we can make
that happen in a weekend and he like a weekend.
Well, I was like, okay, well, we, we'll extend it a little longer.
So then I made the event and, um, there's, they ended up being 13 cars
counting mine and 16 people counting me.
Uh, so everybody's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then I made a group chat and I was like, Hey, you guys, we're not going
to be that far from Yellowstone for once we're at Glacier.
And they're like, well, what's not far?
And I go six and a half hours.
It's not far for me, but maybe for some other people.
So I'm thinking they're all going to be like, yeah, no, right.
And, but I was like, I also had already looked at the drive back.
So it was six and a half hours from Glacier to Yellowstone, but the drive
back home, because we take a different route.
It only added two hours on our trip home.
So I was like, but it only adds two hours.
So everybody instantly was like, I'm game.
And I'm kind of like flabbergasted because I was like, really, these people
are like, some of them strangers are like, yeah, I'll drive an extra six and a half
hours.
Oh, so there was, so there was people you didn't even know in this, in this event.
Oh wow.
I thought it was like all people that you knew.
No, no.
And we've gone on a few camping trips since then too.
And we have another one next week.
So, um, we formed bonds quickly around here.
So we, um, we're heading out to the trip.
And then Caleb, the one who originally was like, I want to do Glacier National
Park was like, you know, once we're at Yellowstone, we're not that far from the
Grand T-tons.
Well, we're all we're going to go.
We're going to end up halfway across the country on this trip at this point.
We only have five days.
Um, so we fit it in.
We did just over 2,300 miles, four states, three national parks in five days.
Um, our last day driving home, it was 16 hours for me in the car to get home on
that last day.
I know what that's like.
Yes.
Yes.
Uh, I actually may have gone above speed limit once I got to Eastern Washington.
I looked at the ferry schedule and I was like, if I go and I don't stop, I can
make that ferry and I can at least rest for about 40 minutes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
For the last half hour drive home.
And so I did.
I made it barely, but I made it.
Um, thank goodness the ferries were running behind.
Uh, so yeah, that was a fun trip.
We, we hit up Glacier.
Unfortunately, most of Glacier was closed, um, because of snow.
So the good part going to the sun road was closed.
So I felt bad that the ones who had never been didn't get to experience like what
I think is the best part.
Way to go Melissa.
Gosh.
I know cause I can control the weather.
Not my first run in with that.
I did a mud run years ago and it's now known as the no mud mud run because there
was no mud, which apparently was also my fault.
Um, but we did, if you ever go to Montana and you hit up Glacier National Park,
there's pole bridge, mercantile shop, which is just outside of the park, uh,
the West Hampton side.
Um, they make amazing fresh Huckleberry bear claws.
Um, so I actually called in cause I'd been bragging about them to everybody
that was going and then my coworkers, some of them knew about it too.
So I called them pre-ordered 32 bear claws.
Oh nice.
Well, that's good.
Yeah.
They were very grateful.
I called them pre-ordered because they are a small shop.
Um, but yeah, I have a picture of me outside the mercantile shop with like three
big brown bags.
You gotta have these things.
Yeah.
You have to get them.
Uh, if you're going there, it's definitely a must.
The road's kind of long and gravel and sometimes it's rutted, but it's, you know,
it was pretty well paved over like graded.
Um, so it was smooth this trip, but Huckleberry bear claws from pole bridges,
where's that?
Um, so we did that and then we actually stopped at one of the falls there.
And as we pulled up, um, there's these guys in a round of pickup truck and they
were in camo.
They were skinning wild turkeys, which is illegal.
Like you can't poach in national parks and nor can you poach outside of national
parks and bring it into the national parks.
And one of the people with us, she's a park ranger and her eyes got so big.
So we're like, uh, we went into pictures of the waterfall and hanging out and then
I come back up and she's like laying on the ground because her tailgates up and
they're like trying to hide these turkeys on the side of the car, but they kind of
can't cause, you know, 13 of us rolled in and surrounded their car in this pull
out.
Um, and so she's laying down on the ground, acting like she's taking pictures of
our cars, but she's getting the license plate underneath the, uh, tailgate, you
know, like pictures of them and whatnot.
And then they actually offered to help her up into the bed of their truck to get a
better view of the cars to take a picture.
Oh, thank you.
Sir.
Yeah.
She got up and she was taking pictures of the inside the truck.
So like all that stuff.
And then we went and reported them and had a file report and turned over our like
pictures and dash cam footage and all that stuff.
So they're like, this is a huge job.
They're like, thank you for letting us know.
So we did our good deed.
Yeah.
Get those guys out of here.
Yeah.
So I joked with Joe.
I was like, so since we did such a good deed, I was like, was that mean you'll
help us support us, um, for future national park trips.
And he's like, yes.
So I actually have another one in the works that I don't want to talk about too
much, but it'll be within the next year and it's going to be pretty epic.
So I'll get back to you when I get more things finalized.
Yeah, that's super cool.
Yeah, it's, uh, it's great that Subaru supports the community so much and that
they do a lot of things for us, you know, uh, but yeah.
So with, with that trip that y'all were doing, was it just like driving through
these places or did y'all do like, cause you went to the waterfall, you said,
but we all like hiking and obviously you're camping overnight.
So like what were any of the activities, I guess that you were doing besides
just driving to these places.
Um, so I wanted to make sure that everybody and every car, cause some cars
had, uh, two people in it, saw at least one thing they wanted to see at each
park we went to.
So we were literally cramming a lot of stuff into a short amount of time.
So most days we were waking up at 34 in the morning to be gone by five
a.m. Um, so we didn't do really any like big hikes.
We did a short little trail hike when we're, um, by the waterfalls in Yellowstone.
Um, a lot of it was just, Hey, what did you want to go see?
Like what site?
Like, was it the, um, grand prism basins in Yellowstone or was it, you know,
one of the grand canyon of Yellowstone?
Me, I just wanted to see Buffalo.
I'd never seen Buffalo in real life.
And when I saw it, my eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and I was like,
Buffalo.
Yeah.
Christina, the park ranger, she's like, actually they're bison.
So the whole trip was buffalo, bison, buffalo.
They're bison.
Yeah.
I was like, I didn't say water buffalo.
They're buffalo.
Um, so like for me, it was really watching everybody have these experiences.
And that was what I was in it for.
Um, and to know that I was able to be a part of these memories and help them do
something that they may not get to do.
Yeah.
That's fun.
So we saw a lot of waterfalls.
We saw Buffalo.
Um, elk, uh, we saw Grizzly Bear our first day in Yellowstone.
That was pretty cool.
Um, we, four of us did go in Montana.
We did go off-roading.
We asked some locals that we found at pole bridge.
Actually they're on side by sides, um, where to go that we could make it.
Cause Montana, you know, there's a lot of rough areas and I'm like, okay, you
know, some of us aren't lifted very much or don't have proper protection.
So I'm like, what can we do?
And they sent us up this road.
Um, and we were literally all the way up on the top of this mountain ridge
overlooking the whole area.
Um, down on the national forest.
It was, it was pretty cool.
Um, and luckily I had gotten my Midland radio hardwired into my car before the
trip, uh, Torsten did it for me because we were all the way up there on top of
the mountains and the rest of our group, um, was already back at camp in the forest.
And it was a 46 minute drive down to them because I was Google mapping it, but
they were able to catch me on the radio and they're like, Melissa, you got
a copy and I was like, yeah, and I didn't know who was talking at first.
And they're like, uh, a storm's coming in and you're about to get screwed.
And I was like, what?
And I turned around and you just saw like gray and wind like coming right at us.
And like fog rolled in and I looked at everybody because they couldn't hear on
their little handhelds.
They weren't picking them up and they're like, what's going on?
And I was like, we're going to get screwed.
I may have used a different word, but yeah, we got to go.
And so they looked in the, like, yep.
So, um, luckily reception with those 50 watt radios was quite clear and we
were able to make it down before the storm.
Um, there was another lightning storm coming in and we were literally
up there with the, uh, one of those cell towers.
Let's get out of here.
And I was like, yeah, let's go.
Well, it's good that y'all made it out because it's not like it's a paved road.
You can just book it out of there.
You know, you gotta, you gotta take your time.
There was a parts that I was like, man, if these get wet, it's going to get
real fun, real fast going down.
So luckily, luckily we made it out before the rain kicked up.
Um, we, we kind of like didn't make out in the weather department on that trip.
My father-in-law actually called, uh, Sean and because again, they live out there.
And, um, he was like, you guys aren't coming to Montana this weekend.
Are you?
And he's like, I stayed behind.
Oh, and so they added more parks because I didn't want to sit in the car that
long, you guys, but Melissa's out there with the group.
And he goes, Oh, this is like the worst weather that we've had.
My gosh.
And I was like, yeah, we literally rolled into Montana with lightening all around us.
So I bet that was kind of cool looking though.
Yeah.
I got some cool videos and shots.
I still haven't gone through all my photos and pictures and stuff from that trip yet
because it's just been a whirlwind with that.
And then, um, the expo and a camping trip was in between those two.
And now I'm getting ready for another camping trip.
So one day I'll catch up and I start my new position at work on the 13th.
So, um, but yeah, eventually pictures and stuff will roll out from that trip.
But yeah, I think everybody got to do something they wanted to do at every
single park that we went to the, the T-tons really were, we, we went in, we saw,
um, Christina got us hooked on those little passport books that you get stamped.
And so we're like, we just need to get our passports.
So we went to the business center, um, got them stamped, saw the T-tons.
That was actually the most perfect weather we'd had all week.
Um, and then we left and went back through Yellowstone and exports more and
then went back to camp for the night.
Nice.
So, um, some of it was quick, but everybody got to do something and we got
to hit, you know, all the, the big, um, touristy spots.
So that's good.
And I saw Buffalo.
Yeah.
Bison.
Yeah.
When you say T-tons, it makes me think of my wheels because I have
right co wheels and the style that I have, they're called the T-tons.
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
But I like them.
I'd like to see the real T-tons sometime.
That would be cool.
Yeah.
It was beautiful.
Like, um, I think if it would have been the weather that we had in
Yellowstone, cause we had snow in Yellowstone.
Oh.
Um, and one night it got down to like 32 degrees.
Um, so if it would have been like that, T-tons would have been kind of a
bust because we wouldn't have been able to see them.
But the day that we skirted outside of Yellowstone to go there, it was beautiful.
So.
Yeah.
So is that the longest distance you've driven like all at once in your
outback?
No.
Oh, really?
In the outback, yes.
In the outback, yes.
Gotcha.
Okay.
Since I did longer.
So, um, yeah.
So tell us about this other trip that you did.
Cause that's, that was hearing about that one too, which is pretty cool.
Yeah.
So, uh, a few years ago when I had stolen my ascent, um, I wanted to do a women's
only event, um, with my super group, to be adventure club that I run with friends.
And, but I'm always one of those people where I'm like, I don't want to exclude
people.
So I hate doing like a ladies only cause I feel like I'm excluding and I
shouldn't be excluding.
And then I was like, you know what, I'm just going to do it.
I'm going to, I'm going to do this.
Um, so I got a hold of Kim who used to run, uh, help run the group with us.
Now she's got a Toyota and I was like, Hey, this is what I want to do.
I want to do a women's only event.
Um, you know, this is a man's world.
We like it, it isn't, but it's still seen as that.
And so I know as a female, we can often be intimidated and feel like, you know, I
can't do this.
I don't know how to do this.
And then you throw in the off-roading aspect and you're getting, well, what
if I break something and I'm out on a trail?
How do I fix it?
Um, a radio, what do you mean a radio?
Like there's all these extra things that go into it and it can be intimidating.
And not everybody's like me where I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to
figure it out and do these things.
So I wanted to empower women so that way they could see that they could do this too.
Like it's not just for men.
Um, so I made an event, uh, Kim and I did.
And, um, 10 women showed up, only three of us had ever met before.
Um, and all of them said the same thing that, you know, my husband at one
point had said, like, you're going to meet strangers and you're going to follow
them up into the woods for three days.
Um, and I was like, you know, it's funny when you're young, your parents tell
you, like, don't talk to strangers and you're meeting strangers on the woods.
We do that all the time in this community.
You know, it's like, you talk to somebody.
Yeah.
You talk to somebody online.
I mean, it could be like somebody you've been talking to for a year and, you
know, and you feel like you really know them.
It could be somebody you've been talking to for a week and you just like, you
just happened to find out, oh, they live in this spot and like, oh, I have to go
there for work.
Let's meet up.
And you've only been talking for a week or a few days and it's like, Hey,
how's it going?
And give each other a big hug and oh, it's so cool to see you.
And I met you online.
Yep.
Yep.
I was like, man, we didn't listen to what our parents said at all.
So yeah, 10 women, three dogs, counting my little puppy.
We loaded up and Kim actually found the spot.
It was this on top of a ridge around not just Peek-Boop area, kind of a secret
little hidden gem.
And we made our, we stopped at some waterfalls on the way up and then made our
way up the mountain and like the pictures are amazing because the sunset up there
was gorgeous.
The weather was gorgeous.
We had a giant cookout.
Like we had pre-planned like what food we were going to eat.
And so everybody brought something to contribute to the meal.
And we just like hung out and talked and told stories, then talked about
experiences not only with cars, but just in life.
And we really bonded and had, you know, such a good time.
And there was no judgment.
You know, we just like everybody, we had some new people that were pretty stock.
We had some, we actually had one in a Jeep.
And, you know, we just kind of bonded over the night and, you know, we went over,
hey, you know, if this happens, what would you do?
And like went over recovery stuff and all that kind of info.
And then on the way down the next morning, we're going to go to a different
area to go to a firework out.
And Keisha and her forester wilderness, she actually caught a stick in her
sidewall while we were driving over WECS that weren't level.
And it was flatter than flat.
Like there was no fixing it and there was no flat ground anywhere.
And she was on the rim and so we're like, well, this is what we're going to do.
And so we, um,
a real world experience there.
That's, you know, it sucks that that happened, but it's like a great
experience for everybody to figure it.
How do we figure this out?
How do we do this?
Yep.
And so we just kind of went over it and, um, you know, we delegated.
Okay.
Okay.
You can do this and then you do this and then like, you make sure this is here
and let's put rocks so the cars don't, it doesn't roll.
Cause again, we were like defending and it wasn't level.
Um, we had one person recording it so we could post it later.
So that way people, they could look back on it.
Yeah.
Um, and luckily, cause it was a wilderness, she had a full size tire because
it was a front tire and otherwise you can't put the spare on the donut on the
front, we would have had to rotate an extra tire.
Um, so we went over all that and then we got her going and we moved on to the
fire lookout and then we had lunch at the fire lookout and then we made our
way down and went our separate ways.
And we're like, that was a lot of fun.
Like that.
And some of those, like I said, most of us had never met before and we'd only
talk, some of us had only talked, um, just for that event.
Like we didn't know each other at all.
Um, and they came to other like cars and coffee, um, Sarah Beth and, uh, her
foul husband, they actually went to Montana right after that trip and she
brought me back a bear claw and showed up at cars and coffee with it, um,
which was amazing.
Uh, and so we kind of formed these things and I was like, we should do this every
year.
So then the following year, um, Keisha does the one who had the forester, she
does an annual trip with just one friend and hits like the hotsp-hot springs
and around, uh, Eastern Oregon.
Um, and so I was like, Hey, can we make this our wavy's event for the year?
So that was that one.
We hit like a whole bunch of hot springs.
Um, that one was a lot longer.
It was about eight days.
So not everybody can make it the whole time given the length of time.
Um, I was an educator at the time.
So I had all summer off.
So I'm like, I could go forever.
Uh, and so some people just met us along the way, but we did, uh, the
Perseides Meteor Stour, um, in Alvord desert.
We stayed up and watched that, um, for two nights.
Um, let me tell you three days in 114 degree weather went too much.
Never do that again ever.
Once was enough.
Yeah.
Um, so yeah, we did that.
I didn't, I had one planned for this year and then had to cancel because my
father-in-law passed away.
Yeah.
I don't know that I'm going to get to the, the weighty's trip this year, but
I have something in the works for next year.
So with that first trip, how many nights was it?
Or how many days?
Um, the first one, I think we did two nights.
I think we did two nights in three days.
So it was just like going to that one spot.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I was just the one main camp spot.
And then, um, and then we went to the lookout afterwards and like that we had
some waterfalls beforehand.
So it may have only been one night, but it was, it was a shorter one.
So it was basically just to build the compute community and empower.
And a lot of these women that I've met, I've hung out a lot with on other
trips and like we have these, you know, bonds now over that one trip and they're
going out and doing their own thing too.
And like getting more women and people to go out and do things as well.
Like, Hey, I did this.
You can do it too.
So it was pretty cool.
That's a great experience.
So, and then my friend Justin Nemo introduced me to Sean Conklin from
Subaru of America at big Northwest that year, um, and told him about that.
So Sean entered me into a, um, like a drawing they were doing or
a contest they were doing that I didn't know about.
And I got this email like, congratulations, you won a free national
park pass from this giveaway and I was like, what giveaway?
I didn't know about it.
Yeah.
And then that's how, um, the whole expo thing started because then Sean was like,
Hey, we want to do this, like expo thing.
We need to test it out and see if it's even going to be a thing.
Um, call some friends and let's make this happen.
And that's how the first expo happened.
Yeah.
That's so cool.
Yeah.
Thanks.
So unfortunately Justin now drives the Jeep too, but I'll forgive him.
Um, he was the first contact.
Uh, well, he had a lifted Tribeca.
Oh, that's interesting.
Yes.
It was pretty badass.
It had snorkel and everything.
And so him with the Tribeca and me with the ascent were kind of like the misfits
of the off-road community, the red-racking cars that didn't really fit in with everybody
else's.
Um, so I forgive them for having the Jeep and I'll just keep giving them a hard time
about it.
Yeah.
Uh, so on that, the first trip, how did you get in contact with the other women to do it?
Um, so I run Subi Adventure Club with a whole bunch of guys.
Um, I'm the only female moderator.
Actually we have, uh, one now and plus a spouse.
Um, but, uh, I made an event in our Facebook page and was like, Hey, uh, I want to do
this women's only event and who wants to come?
And then they just started, you know, putting attending and when it got closer, I'm like,
okay, if you're actually coming, let me know.
I'm going to make a group chat and then we made a group chat because like part of it
too was, uh, a safety thing.
So I didn't want them to have or be worried about all of our locations and stuff being
posted for, you know, hundreds of people to see knowing that it was only going to be women.
So we kept everything in a private chat.
Uh, once I knew who was coming.
Yeah.
So just for safety.
Um, and then we showed everything afterwards.
Yeah.
That's really cool.
That's, uh, I mean, that sounds like, you know, everybody had a really good time and
learned a lot.
And like you said, now there's some of them are going and doing their own things.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was good.
And it's, um, it's funny to look back on because I, I never led, um, any of our events.
I don't, um, like as far as being the lead car, um, I struggled with reading maps.
So it was kind of funny that, you know, all these people, like not even just the women's
only event, but other events, like people follow me up into the mountains.
They're depending on you.
I can't really read maps, but follow me.
Yeah.
Like I can't find my way out of what paperback.
So when people would always be like, Hey, I've been here before and I'm like, you want
to leave?
And people are always willing to leave.
And they're like, sure.
So I'm like, okay, go.
Um, and then so I've been working on that.
So now I can, I can read a map and I got my tools.
Um, so I can actually help, but I'm also like, I don't need to be the lead.
I'm not that type of person.
Like I'm happy sitting back and I, I do a lot of photography too.
Um, and it's really hard to take pictures of other people when you're the first car.
Uh, so, um, I always, if somebody wants to lead, I'm like, go for it.
But yeah, I've, I've, I've worked really hard on that and I can read a basic map now.
I'm finding my way out, but kind of funny to begin with.
Yeah.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with having somebody else lead if they know where they're
going. I mean, you know, share the responsibility.
Yeah.
So I'm the running joke is how many circles are we going to do most?
But I'm like, look, when you're in the woods, it all looks the same.
Yeah.
Uh, trees.
Oh, more trees.
So you, you live in Washington and you've been to other states and everything.
Like if you could live somewhere else, is there anywhere else that you, you know, if it,
because I know it's not easy to just pick up a move, but like if you could pick up a move
and it wasn't that big of a deal, is there anywhere else that you've been to or that
you know of, you would be like, I could live there?
Um, if it wasn't for the winters, I would say Montana.
Yeah.
Again, I don't like driving in the snow and they get a lot of snow out there.
But yeah, otherwise, if it wasn't for that, I'd say Montana.
Otherwise, I'm happy in Washington because I mean, you drive two hours, you're in the mountains,
you drive two hours, you're in the city, you drive two hours, the other way, you're at the ocean.
Yeah, it's not a bad, bad spot to be.
Yeah, definitely not.
So I like my little area that I'm in.
So as far as like going and exploring places, is there, is there any place that you know of
that you would be like a bucket list spot that you'd love to drive out to and explore?
Colorado.
I want to go to Colorado.
Again, not in the winter time.
Yeah.
Colorado is beautiful.
Yes.
I would love to do Colorado.
And then kind of like the Utah, Utah Moab kind of area just for exploring and stuff.
That's an answer for a lot of people is Moab.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I'm big on the trees and stuff.
So I think Colorado would probably, I would probably like it more.
Yeah.
Colorado's so far been my favorite state that I've been to just because there's like,
I've been to Colorado Springs.
I've been to Manitou Springs, which are pretty close to each other.
And then I've been through Denver.
And then, you know, Denver, you go like to the east, it's not, it's kind of flat-ish.
And then to the west is where you start seeing all the mountains.
Because like the drive from Denver all the way down to Colorado Springs,
like all along the way, you're just, you've got mountains to the west and it's like such a beautiful
view.
And then I've been to Golden Colorado, Black Hawk, and just like Aurora.
I've been to like the Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park.
And it's just a garden of the gods.
You know, there's just, there's so much out there.
And I know there's like Oregon's beautiful too.
That's probably like my number two.
But I think, and I think Colorado is my number one state just because that's the first state
that I went to where I saw like real mountains.
And I was just like blown away.
I mean, just like, how is, how does this exist?
You know?
And like to date, like mountains are my favorite thing I've ever seen on this planet.
They're just so amazing.
Yeah.
When we, have you ever been down to like Westley's culture though, why he's in Oregon?
No, no, we, yeah, we've only been, so we stayed in Sisters last year and we went like within like
an hour and a half of Sisters.
And so we've been to, and then we've, of course, we've been to Portland and then
been in Redmond, but that's really the only places that we've been.
So yeah, if you ever get to drive out that far, it's still a bit of drive from there.
Though why he's in the Westley's Gulch area at Thucker Creek, it's beautiful.
It's just giant like canyon lands of like rocks and pillars.
And it's, you know, when you're from Washington and this side of Oregon,
you're used to seeing like trees and green.
And then all of a sudden you're just like engulfed in these big old rock ridges and you just drive
down the canyon through them all and it's gorgeous.
Yeah, that's beautiful too.
Like the drive from, the drive going from Portland to Redmond and then Redmond to
Portland, you know, that whole drive is just, it's so beautiful.
Yes.
Yeah, we're definitely in a pretty nice area for all that stuff.
Yeah.
Very, very blessed.
Yeah.
So like, I know that you get out and do these trips and everything, but like, I guess from
maybe not like every single day, but day to day, but like if you were just to like go out and,
you know, local stuff, like who are some of the people that you hang out with and get out with?
Or does it vary?
It does kind of vary.
I was like, I was looking at that question when you sent it to me and I was talking to Sean and
he's like, you just grab whoever you're willing to go.
You're like, I'm going, but I don't want to go alone.
Really, if something happens and they're like, who's going?
You know, I have my buddy, Chris, if I want to go a little further to the other side of the water,
Carrie and Milton, Amanda, Lauren, she's out in Oregon, but she's made the drive a few times out
this way. Christina, Caleb's in Vancouver.
Yeah, basically it's whoever, whoever's game, whoever's down.
Yeah. Yeah. And it's good to have people like, I mean, that's good to have like a kind of
multitude of people that are willing to go and do stuff.
Yeah. And I have some friends that I know like, okay, if I'm doing this, their car's not really
set up for it. Like they don't have the skids and I don't want to be responsible for, you know,
that kind of damage. So like, I'll be like, okay, so they're off the list, but let me ask this person.
And I don't think I've ever had a day where like randomly on a whim been like, I want to go here
and haven't been able to find at least one person. So there's plenty of people who are ready to hop
in and go. It was funny because on the trip that I just did to the national parks, it was really
interesting to see who, I found out real fast who were the planners and who were the wing it people.
Because everyone was like, okay, so I need a schedule. And I was like,
yeah, we're going to hop in the car and we're going to drive to Montana. And they're like,
what are we going to do? And I was like, yep, we're going to hop in the car and we're going to get to Montana.
And they're like, but there's a schedule and I was like, that's it. Like that's the only thing I have pre-planned.
Yeah, that's a schedule. We're driving. Yeah, they're like, I was like, I have three stops that
we're making on the way for gas because after a while gas gets sparse. And we did throw an extra stop at
Wallace Idaho, which if you've never been, it's a pretty cool historic town where there's a massive
fire that burnt down most of the town a long, long time ago. There's a book about it, but I can't
recall what it's called, but it's a neat mining town. It's an old mining town. And there's all the
postages and signs right off the freeway that give you the history of it. So it was pretty cool.
But otherwise, I didn't have a plan and I realized real fast because we didn't even have a camping
spot for the first night in Montana. We were literally going to roll in and find a dispersed spot.
Luckily, Patrick found a, I mean, it was considered a campground, but we were in the middle of the
forest and there really wasn't. Like our camp coast, she walked out of our trailer like wreaking
a weed and there was nobody else in sight. She's like this 60-year-old lady. It was funny. I was
like, yep, we're in Montana. So luckily, we pre-booked a site and had that covered so that
put some people at ease because that was like the random like separate messages of like,
well, where are we staying? Where And the site that I had first found because of
all the storms that rolled in last minute, it was actually partway underwater. So that wouldn't work out.
Everybody's like, that's what you wanted to camp. And I'm like, look, man, I don't control the weather.
There you go again. Yeah, I mean, I got to learn how to do that. Yeah, yeah. Work around the weather.
Come on. Yeah, but yeah, I definitely learned that some people need a little more planning. But for
me, I'm really a wing it kind of person. Yeah. And let's see what happens. Sometimes that's fun.
Yeah. So I found some pretty epic spots on accident and like, you know, even just regular driving,
I've been finding my way around like different towns because I've been lost so many times. Like,
I'm like, oh, this road connects here. And it's because I just like drove, you know. Yeah.
That's fun sometimes to just drive around. Definitely a good group of people around here
that are always willing to put up with my shenanigans. Yeah. So I know that you are part of the
Subi crew, which is like a revised version of the ambassador program. But like, what does being part
of the Subi crew mean to you? And like, what is your role? And then what sort of activities
will you be participating in? Or will you be doing within the Subi crew program?
Yeah. So the Subi crew program is the old ambassador program just revamped. And I was a part of the
old one as well. The old one didn't have titles and roles. The new one does everybody got like,
you fill that a survey and then they assigned you like a role or a title or you were just an alumni
person. Or if you decided you didn't have time to put anything like actual time into it, you could
just be a member. So anybody can join the Subi crew, your local chapter, you can go online and
find it and then add it and you'll see all the events that pop up that your local chapter is doing.
I'm not sure if you can join multiple chapters, which would be nice, especially for our area,
because we have a north and a south area. Oh, yeah. And again, everybody's willing to thrive.
So like often when I do events on my side of the Puget Sound, like people come from the other side.
So it'd be nice if you can join, but I haven't checked with anybody to see if they can do multiple.
So I'm a part of the north sound, even though I live in the south sound. So I'm like, Gary and Milton.
And Amanda and Dan's with us too. And he's over here by me.
And my role is a connector. So basically I get to create events, which is something I already do
for Subi Adventure Club. It's what I love doing. I love bringing people together. So my goal is
just to keep creating events and getting people to come out to them and like be a part of the
community and see that, hey, you need help with this. Like, I may not know how to do it, but this
person does like, you know, and how those resources and the networking. And again,
like I said, my favorite part is just watching everybody like share in these moments. So I'm
going to keep doing that. And I have, like I said, I have a big trip planned for within the next year
that I'm working on that I'm actually hoping to collaborate with somebody out of state,
because we'll be heading out of state on a really long trip this time for this trip that I'm
or event that I'm planning. So this be the longest trip you've done?
Yes. Yes. As like a supergroup. Yes. Not the longest I've done personally. Okay. So
but yes, as a group and I'm going to limit it to 10 cars. Like I said, we have 13 on this last trip
and 13 drivers with various driving willingness or needs or skills was quite interesting
to keep them all together. So I think going even further across more states to get to just to get
to our location, I want to keep it about 10 cars. But the other group that I'm planning on collaborating
with, I'm hoping that they'll get 10 cars. So in the end, it'll be about 20 of us. But I only have
to get half of that. Yeah. So you've got two people kind of coordinating the two different groups.
Yeah. So that's good. That's good. As long as you can have that coordination where you're in charge
of one group, they're in charge of the other one, then that makes it easier. Yes. Yes. Because I
was like, I couldn't imagine trailing 20 cars. I mean, I'm sure we can make it happen. But and it
was nice because Tom V, he's got a 50 watt radio like me. And so on the Montana trip,
he has a rule of no more than two miles per hour over the speed limit. And I don't like to go over
10 over the speed limit, but I hover around five most of the time. And with 13 cars, you're kind
of spaced out. So he was back there. Sometimes he was back like five miles, but he could still hear me
because of his 50 watt midland. And because I had one too. So he just always, I always made sure he
knew where our next stop was. And we would just call out the exits and everything. So he knew the
stop before we start driving. But then I'd be like, Hey, Tom, we're, you know, passing exit 27 right
now. And he'd be like, Oh, I'm back at, you know, like 19. And then we kind of use the radios, not
as probably intended, but he actually, I stopped for gas at one point in Montana and he didn't.
And we were going to meet up at the next stop. And he was like, Hey, when you roll into Missoula,
there's a cop with a drone over the freeway, like looking for speeders. He's like, so slow down. And
he was outside of Missoula, like already through it. And I hadn't even entered Missoula and I could
hear him and sure as shit as I drive around in the Missoula, there's a drone like almost car height,
like fitting over the freeway. And I'm like, that doesn't seem legal. Like we are in Montana.
So the radios came in handy for that too. Cause I was definitely
warning going over. Yeah. So, so yeah, I don't think I'd want to like trail 20 cars across multiple
states. Yeah, that would be tough. It should be a good one. Yeah. So also in your Instagram profile,
it says you're a primitive racing ambassador. So I know that they've like sponsored you and
gave you some parts and their old cards stuff, but like, what does the ambassador mean?
Just that you're running their parts? Yeah, just that I'm running their parts. They don't really
have like an ambassador program. So they pretty much sponsored me. When I had the ascent, I tried
really hard. So I got, I found out about them because again, I had the super ascent wasn't,
isn't one that is usually modified. And it was the first year that they had them. So there wasn't a
lot of parts out. And at that time, when I wanted to lift it, they were the only company that made
a complete kit to lift the super ascent rally tech had one, but you had to buy extra stuff.
And I'm one of those people like, don't make me buy extra. I just want to know my total cost.
I wanted it once. I don't want to start it and be like, oh, crap. Well, I guess I needed this,
you know, I just wanted everything. So I got their springs and then I was like, well, I need
protection from the rocks. I actually like, I was still an educator, so we didn't have much
money at the time. So I never bought the rear diff skid. Turns out that wasn't the issue my front
bumper was. I had the front two skid plates. And I was always hitting them up like, hey,
can I like get sponsored? And it wasn't just them, it was other companies. And everybody's like,
you know, you drive an ascent, there's not really a market for that. Like, you know, we like, because
I do like, oh, why don't you make this and you can use my car as the test one. And they're like,
yeah, not really a market for that. Like it's a grocery getter. There's not enough people doing it.
Yeah, like it wasn't going to be lucrative for them. And I was like, I get it, you're a business,
like that's what businesses are for. But it was also frustrating because, you know, everybody's
in their outbacks and cross tracks and they're doing all this stuff. And I'm like, nothing.
The first big Northwest that I went to with my ascent, I actually only entered last minute
because I found out everybody in my group who had entered got to go in before me and I was going
to be left by myself. So I entered for parking. Literally just entered the contest for parking.
They called my three, my name three times as me being a winner. And my friend was like,
Melissa, that's you. And I was like, wait, why? Why? How? I just did this for parking, but I was the
only ascent in the show. And so I won. But ironically, Rally Tech had the only other ascent in
the show area that wasn't in the parking. But they had grocery bags in the back of it. I was like,
I'm like, I'll continue with the stereotype Rally Tech. Thanks.
Yeah, grocery getter. Yeah. So then when my second CVT went out, I got the outback. The goal was to
run the ascent as long as I could and then get the outback XT because I wanted the turbo still.
And because it went out and I wasn't planning on it and we didn't have any money saved,
Peninsular Subaru did me a solid knowing the problems that I have. I have a good working
relationship with them and they help out our community. Oh, that's really good.
And sponsor us for events. They actually paid off the rest of my loan on my ascent and got
me into this outback. So I got the premium because it's what I could afford at the time.
And I hit up Primitive and I was like, hey, I have to rebuy all this stuff. And they're like,
hey, we'll sponsor you. And they give me a huge discount and sent me this.
So I had this kid in the lift on the first week I owned the car. I was stuck in bed because I
just had surgery and wasn't allowed out of bed for like three weeks. So I could see Sean and my
friend doing it in our driveway from the window. Yeah, that's cool. At least you can see the stuff
going on. Yeah. Yeah, so they did that. And then like when I wanted the spacer, the additional
spacer, they're like, hey, just bring it down. And so I brought it down and they slapped that on
for me. And then Subaru actually, when I brought my car in for an oil change, the little like
rivets in the oil pan or in the skid plate for the oil, they used a drill on it and they broke
them. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So they busted them. So there's only one left holding it in. I'm actually
surprised I didn't lose that little shield out on the trail somewhere. And they're the only people
that ever like serviced my car. So I knew it was done there. So Permanent is like, hey, just drive
it down like to us in Tigard, which is about two hours away. They're like, and we'll just fix it
for you. That's nice. So but yeah, Permanent has been great. They're a great company, great customer
service. They're willing to help it. And I've sent a lot of people their way and like your skids,
if you're going to get them, Permanent or ADF, you can't go wrong either way and they're both
they're good people. Yeah, they are. It's great having like good companies out there that will
support you. And just like good customer service, that's like one of the biggest things is
like companies knowing that people are going to be using their products and then taking care of them
because you know, having good customer service and taking care of people is like what's going to
bring them back, what's going to have them talk to their friends about them and recommend them,
you know, and like primitive and ADF or two companies that you hear, you know, and rally tech
too. I mean, these names going around all around the community. Yeah, no, they like I said, Patrick
was like, Hey, call me like on Christmas Eve. So you don't get that from most people. So you
definitely, they definitely take care of their customers and especially the local people that
they see and that are out there, you know, using their items and putting them to the test and then
sharing it. Yeah. So I know there's a lot of amazing builds out there and you were like,
all of them. But if you could drive like somebody else's Subaru for a day, who's would it be? And
it could be anything, you know, it doesn't have to be an off-road build. It could be a rally car or
whatever. Yeah, that was my thing. I was like, well, every car has its purpose. So like, what am I
doing for that day? Yeah, depending on what I'm doing. And I'm not like a super flashy person.
Like I talk to anybody and everybody, I'm like, every stranger is a, you know, a friend or,
you know, networking kind of thing. But like, I'm not a like, look at me, which is why I'm happy
to hide in the middle of the pack or step back and let other people take the lead of things.
So I don't like my cars being too flashy, which is kind of funny because my husband says my car
stands out. So if I had to pick a car just to like drive like for a day, I actually would probably
pick Derek on on Pave B and W because it doesn't stand out. And if I just wanted to like mosey
around town, it's set for that. Yeah. But it's not like, it's not so highly modified that you're
like, this is ridiculous to drive, you know, in town. But then if there's like a random forest
road and I want to be like, well, I wonder where that goes. Like it's got the capability to do it.
Like I've seen it. Yeah, it does. Yeah. So, you know, I'm like, and I've gone out with him and
done part of the Oregon BDR. And I'm like, he has the ability to be kind of like that sleeper car.
It's big enough, you know, you can fit all your crap in it, which like anybody who knows me knows
I overpack. But also like cool for every day, but also like, Hey, let's go up this mountain road.
Yeah. So I'd probably pick his. That's a good one to pick. Yeah, if I wanted to go thrash on
something, I'd probably pick like a gambler 500. Yeah. It's like, like I love me a good
shit box. I don't know what it is. Like Sean says I was scary when I had ours. We have a road that
like merges from two lanes into one and there's always traffic and everybody waits the last minute.
And he's like, they're going to hit you. And I'm like, let them hit me up at 500 bucks with a car.
You're so scary with this. Oh, it's funny. I mean, it really, it would depend on what my purpose
was for driving it. But yeah, I think Derek's is a good solid every day slash adventure rig,
because again, it's not too heavily modified that you're like, this is ridiculous. Yeah.
But also very capable. Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's a good pick. So like what sort of terrain
is your favorite and least favorite to drive through like mud, sand or snow?
So I think we've established snow is my least favorite. Yeah. I actually, well, black ice is,
I've been in a guardrail from black ice before. Ice scares me a little more than snow, but snow,
you know, around here it turns into ice. We have a like here in the Northwest, the PMW, we have a
thing where like it'll snow and then it'll start melting, but then temps will drop to freezing
overnight and then they'll snow again. So then you've got snow on top of ice and you do that fun
game for a few days before it all goes away. So that's a no go for me. I'd say my favorite
is probably through like mud and like, you know, off-roading kind of stuff. I'm like a kid. If
there's a puddle, I like the urge to drive through it's ridiculous. And sometimes I have to remind
myself like, you don't know what's in that one. You don't know how deep it is. There's been a few
where I've like not done it and then later came by and seen it like dried up and I'm like, oh,
good thing I didn't go through that because I wouldn't be back. Yeah. Yeah. There's a up here,
we have cheeseburger loop, which is north of Houston and some people are like, cheeseburger loop,
wasn't, you know, they, so the deal with cheeseburger loop is, and I haven't even done the whole loop
because it, I don't even know how long it would take, but it's pretty long. I think it would
probably take like five hours at least if you just drove it and didn't stop. But I mean, it's like
you want to drive through the fun parts and enjoy it, you know. But there's this little spot where
it's kind of like this, it's like this road, it's like a dirt road and, and then it ends in this
kind of like bowl area and it fills up with water and I was driving through it one time and, and I
couldn't see what was at the bottom, you know, and so I ended up coming around at one point and
then I stopped and got out and I was like, I'm not driving through there anymore because there was
a brick that I saw that had come out. Yeah. So I'm like, yeah, I'm just going to leave and go on,
down the trail. But yeah, that's, it is scary not knowing what's either how deep it is or
what might be in there. So yeah. But like just the hitting it and the splashing, I'm getting bored.
Yeah, it's fun. I always try to get my car as muddy as I can too. Yes. And then I'm sad when it
rains and washes away before I can show it off. That struggle is real. Like it looks really good
clean and it looks really good muddy. But in between not some of my neighbor up the street has a jeep
and he always rolls by me because I hate that your super is always dirtier than my jeep. And I'm
like, I can't help that yours just crawled the mall. Yeah. Too bad, buddy. Get out there and have some fun
with it. Yeah. But I've also done all of the Washington BDR. I've done section 23
times and I've done it both ways. We ran it as a group with Subbi Adventure Club. That's actually
what kicked off our group was section two. And I'm a sucker for rolling hills too. Like where you
can be somewhere and that kind of terrain and you can look for miles either direction and just see
nothing but rolling hills. Like I'm a sucker for that as well. So yeah, that's and sunsets and
sunrises will get me every time. Yeah, those are nice. Yeah. So how has owning your Subaru changed
your life and like what does it mean to own a Subaru and be part of this community?
It's changed it a lot. Like I said, we've owned just about every makeup car that you could have
and none of them by far touches the Subaru community. If I didn't, ironically, I've owned
other like actual four by four cars before and I never took them off roading. Never. Never left
pavement. Wow. And so I kind of look back and laugh at that and I'm like, you know, I had a
trailblazer and I never once put that thing in four by four. I had a lifted Bronco two with oversized
tires. Like even though the wheel wells were cut, like they still rubbed, like that's how big the
tires work. Other than like, you know, driving over dividers and parking lots, that thing never
did anything. I almost rolled it a few times, which is why Sean made me get rid of it. He's like,
you're going to hurt yourself or somebody else. And I'm like, I just need a roll cage, but he
didn't like that answer. But for some reason, when I got the Subaru, the Ascent ironically,
the one that wasn't made for all this, I was like, I want to go off roading.
So, and then it just kind of opened this door and like, I met all these people who took me in
and I was like, first, I'm a girl. Second of all, I'm driving in a tent. Like they're not just
going to look at me and like, whatever, when I go to these car meets and like, they're going to
check out Sean's FXT and just ignore me. But everybody's like, Oh, you want a thing? Like
that thing's got 444s and like, you know, they're pretty beefy. And I was like, wait, what?
Yeah, it surprises people like how much you can show up with a stock cross-track or outback with
a whole group of people who have modified cars and they're excited that you have a Subaru. You
know, that's what's that's the other cool thing about the community is they get excited for you,
even if you haven't done anything. Yeah, so it's great because, you know, I'm meeting all these
people and then networking and then becoming a part of the ambassador program. I actually,
when I got in, ironically, we didn't have a working Subaru in our driveway. My car was in
for needing a new CVT, my Ascent. So I guess you could count the loaner car. And then Sean's FXT was
down. And so he was driving our Ford Fusion that we still had at the time. It was the only running
that we own. And so when I got the email, I actually thought it was the dealership saying that my
transmission replacement was going to be covered under warranty. And it was like, oh,
congratulations on being an ambassador. I was like, oh, I don't have a working...
How ironic.
I was like, okay, cool. But they weren't even... I was one of the last people to get in. They
weren't taking anymore. So I don't know how I managed that. Or like, if somebody that I knew
got me in or what, or if it was the dealership, they did so much work with them. But I got in.
And I don't know of a single person who got in after me. That's not to say that there wasn't
like anywhere else, but locally there wasn't because I knew people who were trying. So that
opened a lot of doors too. And then like I said, Justin introduced me to Sean Conklin. And then
Sean introduced me to Joe and all these other... And John from SOA and all these other Subaru
people just kind of like kept opening doors. And the more I did, I'm really big on volunteer and
community outreach stuff. I used to run a nonprofit. So I've done some outside of the box
things with my Subaru's for good cause. And so doing these things with the dealerships and stuff,
I built these relationships. And like this isn't something I would have had with my Toyotas or
my Dodges or Fords and stuff. So it's definitely changed a lot for me. And I've met people that
honestly, I probably wouldn't have talked to before I had the Subaru. Like I would be like,
we have nothing in common. But now I'm like, hey, we hang out all the time, we talk, we celebrate
stuff. So it's definitely changed my life. I'm guessing it's safe to say you'll probably always
own a Subaru. Yes, I still would take a Toyota. Sorry, Joe. I still would take... Like I said,
I wanted it to coma since I was in high school. Sean tells me that by the time I put the canopy
on and everything, I should just get a forerunner. I'm not a fan of any of the new Toyotas though.
So it would have to be like OG old school kind of Toyota. But I would definitely still keep
Senfers. They're safe. They're reliable if you upkeep them and use them as intended. Sometimes,
you know, a little bit beyond. But I got that warranty. So I got to lock that line.
Yeah, for now. But I just casually mentioned that I used to do the non-profit that I ran.
And so I fit 262 pumpkins in my Subaru Ascent one year. Oh my gosh. Wow.
Yes. Sean fit, I think it was like... I mean, he could have fit more, but I think we'd put like
50 something, 54 in his Forester. And I was like, oh, is that all that's cute.
So I could have fit more, but I didn't have the lift at the time on the Ascent.
Oh yeah, that's good. Put some weight on it. And I had to drive... Well, yeah, I had to drive over an
hour from where the pumpkins were to back home. And they're like Sean and the people at the pumpkin
patch were like, oh, we should probably stop. You got enough. Yeah, I had a running bet online.
I was like, how many Subaru's or how many pumpkins can you fit in a Subaru? So we had this big thing
leading up to it. But it was during COVID. And so I ran, it was called Kitsap Accessible Family
Event. So it was for families with ongoing special needs or medical, educational and medical
stuff. And so I would network with local businesses and we host holiday parties and
locals in monthly, sensory friendly movies. So no judgment. Kids who couldn't go to your typical,
like meet Santa things because of the sensory overload. And so we had a private room and I'd
fundraise for this usually starting in July. And I would take friends and family to volunteer to
run it every year. But during COVID, we couldn't do our annual Halloween party. So one of the local
OT places was doing a drive through trunk retreat kind of thing. So everybody stay in their car and
we just went through. So I raised money and then got a local pumpkin, local-ish pumpkin batch
to give us a huge discount on pumpkins. So that's how we ended up doing that.
And then that year for Christmas, Sean and I dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus. I decked the car
out in lights and paint and reads and all that stuff. And we drove over 500 miles and delivered
toys and gifts to all the kids that would have attended our monthly event dressed up as Santa
and Mrs. Claus. I think my favorite moment actually, we stopped at a gas station to use the
restroom and I couldn't find Sean. And then I find him and he's staring at the beer aisle.
Santa. And I go, oh, no. And he's like, you're driving the sleigh. And I was like, no.
Oh, that's funny. I have a picture of him standing there. Just Santa. That was fun. Oh,
and we got pulled over at the end of the last night we did it because I didn't realize my lights
had switched to red, white and blue blinking. Oh my gosh. Oops. Because they like reset after
a certain amount of hours and we were well beyond that and I didn't notice and we were on our way
home and I got pulled over and the guy like the police officer walks up the window and sees us
and I was like, you can't give Santa a ticket. He's like, nope. And he goes, you know, I pulled
you over and I was like, nope. I wasn't speeding. And then he's like, you're lights. And I looked
up and I was like, oh, I'm so sorry. So I explained what we did. And he's like,
you guys, I'll just give you a warning. Go ahead and change them when you can pull off
somewhere else safely. And I was like, thank you, Santa. Appreciate it. You're on the nice list
still. Oh, that's nice. That's funny. So yeah, I've done some charity work with my Subaru
Super Adventure Club. One of the times we were doing the Gambler 500,
there was fires up in eastern Washington and they couldn't get water and supplies
as some of the firefighters. So we loaded up our vehicles with the waters and everything and we
drove out to them and delivered them. I was like, I got an ascent. So we used to do an annual clean
up on the 4th of July out at one beach. Because thousands of people go there and just fireworks
for as long as you can see, but nobody picks up afterwards. Of course not. So they always need
vehicles that can drive through the sand and pick up. So we would go clean it up. So we definitely
Yeah, we're definitely big on leave no trace, you know, we've been better than we found it and
give back. So I do the monthly trash pickups along Highway 3 by me with the Gambler 500 group as well.
Very nice. Everybody ever wants to do that out here in Bromerton.
Bob usually buys a beer for everybody afterward. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good when you can
give back and do things for other people always. Yeah, and like the Peninsula Subaru over here in
Bromerton, they've supplied us with our trash pickup thing, the little grabbers. Yeah, they give us
like, it was like 30 of them and then they bought us all safety vests and very nice. So they're really
big on community out here. Yeah, that's important. Well, we'll get to this last segment here. It's
to get to know you a little bit better, but who is Melissa as in describe yourself? I mean,
I know you've talked a lot about, you know, yourself and just things you do and stuff like that
throughout the episode, but maybe like a little brief segment.
Well, I mean, I'm a wife and I'm on the two kids and I pretty laid back as far as it goes.
Takes a lot to get me going, like, you know, to make me mad. So I assume best intentions and I'm
just somebody that wants to live life and have fun. I've been life-flighted before. I have a rare and
deadly blood disorder and I've needed medical intervention twice to save my life. So I'm kind
of just laid back and like, what's with life? Like you got one life. I don't want to live it at work.
I want to go have fun because tomorrow is not promised. Yeah, very, very good point.
So what is a favorite memory from your childhood?
Man, probably like being at the beach all the time when we lived in California. Yeah. Granted,
when we moved up here when I was five, almost six, the beach is my happy place. It calms me.
It grounds me like the mountains are too, but always the beach. So we would go to the beach
pretty much every day and then we would leave the beach and go to my grandma's house in LA that
had a swimming pool and then we'd swim and barbecue and like, I'm Sicilian and so like,
we have a big family and so we'd always just hang at my nana's house and like all the cousins and
aunts and uncles and everybody and that was our thing that we did. So yeah. And then as far as
like just my, you know, my parents and my siblings, I used to hate it as a kid, but we had to eat
dinner together. Like we always had to wait for my dad to get home. We always had to sit at the
dinner table and talk and like you couldn't leave until everybody was done and I hated that as a kid,
but now like in today's world where we're like hustling and bustling and everybody's being pulled
different ways and has to work, you know, usually both people in the household have to work. Yeah.
I miss that. Yeah. Yeah. It's, yeah, it's fun. I know it's there's things as kids where we're like,
oh, this sucks. And then as an adult, you're like, I appreciate that now.
Yeah. Yeah. So I think those would probably be my favorite childhood stuff.
Yeah. So you said that you're going to be starting like a new position or something soon. So what
is it you do for a living? So a year and a half ago, I stepped away from the education field. I
did that for 18 years. It's not what it is anymore. And so I moved over to work for the Washington
State Ferry system. And so it's, you know, part of WASH.Department of Transportation for Washington
State. I work at the terminal department right now. So I don't work on the boats. I land the boats,
I load the boats, I sell tickets depending on the day and all that stuff. So mainly working
traffic though. And it quickly made me realize, like, I knew people were bad drivers, but it took
it to a whole new level when you're dressed as a cone standing in between moving Rosa Garth.
But my new position, I'm actually moving to work on the boats, which is what Sean, my husband,
does and our oldest Vinnie, he works on the boats as well. Right now, I spend about 15 hours a week
commuting on top of my 40 hour work week. So by going on to the boats, I'm no longer doing that
commute because they all start on this side of the Puget Sound, whereas now I work on the other side.
And they pay more and you can advance in about 18 months, whereas at the terminal side, there's not
really advancement for about seven plus years. Wow. Yeah, that's a good move. Yeah, so I'm not
thrilled about being, I don't like being stuck. So I'm not thrilled about being stuck on a boat.
Because, you know, I'm like in one spot. But the lack of commute, getting 15 hours in my life back
and better pay is definitely appealing. So I'm just gonna have to suck it up. Yeah, no, I get it.
So do you have a dream job?
I don't know that I have a dream job. I would love to do something remote and be able to travel
like in a car. Yeah, so like nothing specific. Just that ability from that type of job or position.
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, I would love to. I tell Sean all the time, like when we get old and
we can actually retire, I want a van that we can build out. Not one of these like, you know,
$100,000 Mercedes Sprinter Vans. Like I want to build it out. And I just want to drive places.
And I want to like go to bed to Epic Sunsets and wake to sunrise is then like, you know,
go to the mountains of the ocean and then still have our house to come back to. So I can
have a job where I could be on the road and just explore and meet people and
network and that would be ideal. Yeah, no, totally. I get that. So what is something that makes you
want to get out of bed every day? Just my family. And you know, like I said, as somebody who's
almost died a few times to get up and enjoy life, to get up and enjoy life, to get out and do things.
You know, I know people who like work all the time. And I'm like, I don't want my gravestone to
say she was a hard worker. Like, I want to go enjoy life. A couple years ago, two years ago,
one of my coworkers, he had his retirement papers out on the desk. And he was all excited about
all these plans. And that weekend he had a heart attack and he died. And I should back up to work
and his papers were right there. And I'm like, no, I'm not, no, I can't do that. Don't wait for
retirement to live. Yeah, yeah, I get it. What is something that makes you want to stay in bed?
Sleep, glorious sleep, because I cram so many things into my day. Yeah, I have a hard problem
saying no to people. And I'm like, yeah, let's go do this and this and okay, let's do this.
But sometimes I forget that I need sleep, especially with my disorder. It's one of the
lack of sleep is one of my biggest triggers. And I forget sometimes. But then my body's like,
hey, you can do some more of that stuff. And I'm like, yeah, okay, sleep, sleep would be nice.
Yeah, this morning I was having trouble getting up because I was sleeping so well. And I'm like,
okay, I probably should get up so I can record this episode.
Yeah, I'll be honest, I went to bed at like 8 30 last night. I told Sean I was going to go upstairs
and watch TV. The TV never made it on. I was so tired. Yeah. And I'm a night person. I am not
a morning person. But I have realized that my age, there's, I say it like I'm really old, but
there's a difference between being awake at home till 2am and being out till 2am.
Yeah. Oh yeah. Very, very different. Yes. Yeah. What is something that really scares you?
I don't know. I think for me, it's with my medical stuff, probably knowing that like
I could have no notice and be gone kind of thing, you know, because it's not something that there's
no medication for it. No, like I could die from a nose bleed, like literally. So I think that's
probably the biggest thing like and what would become of my family. I know death is inevitable
for all of us, but you would, most people kind of, you know, not everybody obviously because
accidents happen. Like if you're sick, you know, you trail off kind of thing, whereas mine could be
like an instant. And I don't know. So. So live your life and have fun. Yep. Pretty much. Yeah.
Make my hematologist mad and get tattooed.
Besides all things Subaru, what is something that really excites you?
I love photography. I love nature and objects for photography. Kids are a whole different ball
game. I tried that and I was like, they don't sit still. Yeah, that's tough. I did one family
session for a friend and I was like, yep, no more stick to my trees and cars. Yeah. So I really
love getting out there and just like capturing life, not only for myself, but for other people.
Because, you know, we're, we're not promised tomorrow. And so to have those physical memories
to look back on is nice. And I've, like I said, I'm not some of this usually in front of the camera.
And I've tried to be better about taking pictures and stuff with me in them just because, you know,
when I'm gone, what do my kids have? What do my husband have? But yeah, I love getting out and
doing photography. Yeah, I know. I like objects to like outdoor stuff. I like industrial photography
too, like things that are, you know, I don't know, buildings. I wish we had more of that. Well,
we have Seattle, but I don't feel safe walking around by myself, like, you know, as a lady,
especially with the way that Seattle has been going. But yeah, no industrial photography is pretty cool.
Yeah. Yep. What would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything?
Pretty much just live life. Like don't take tomorrow for granted because it's not a guarantee.
Like enjoy it, do the thing. You know, even if you're scared, just do the thing. So and try to
assume best intentions with people. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, just do it. Yeah, I mean, it's scary. The
unknown is always scary, but sometimes that leap of faith will lead you to a whole new world.
Yeah, because you just, you never know what's going to happen if you try the thing that's been like
scaring you for a while, like just a new, like switching jobs or a new hobby or just whatever
it may be. And then it's like, because it's one of those things where you're going to do it just
like with anything else, you, even if it's something that you do that's not scary, you can look back
on anything and be like, Oh yeah, I know so much more about that. And I enjoy it so much more. And
it just much more knowledgeable about this thing. And as when I first started, you know, whether
you're scared about it or not. Yeah. So you never know. It might be something that's like
turns into like something you never would have even thought of. Yeah. Well, like with Raleigh Cross,
I never thought I'd be racing. I'm like, Oh, I can't do that. What if I hit something like that'd
be really bad for me? And I hopped in Jacob Malm's car. Actually, he had been bugging me for a few
years to go to Raleigh Cross. And I hopped in with him. And the whole like, 23 weeks
leading up, I was like, don't kill me, like I can't get hit. Yeah.
I won't stop bleeding. Like, and he's like, it'll be fine. It'll be fine. And I got in the car with
him. And he's like, right with me, my first lap, the first lap's always the slowest, because you're
like figuring it out, like the track out. And I was like, okay, and we're coming up to the I did
the parade lap, which is slow. And then we did the actual lap. And I knew we're coming up to a hairpin.
And I was like, he should be slowing. He I was like, he's not slowing. But I'm
also like, I can't scream because I can't scare him. So I'm like screaming in my head. And all
of a sudden, like we turn, he pulls that you bake, I'm returning. And then we're facing the way that
we just came from. And I'm like, that's not the direction. I call. And so like him and I both
have these keychains, I bought us these little lanyards and said, but did you die? And I was hooked.
So that's how we ended up with the rally car. And my first race, I was still so nervous. My
watch kept telling me I was working out. So now it's cycling. And I was literally just sitting
there, not even moving, like waiting for my turn. And I was like, Oh, my gosh. Yeah, do the thing,
like do it. Yeah. No, that's really cool. Yeah, and it worked out. Yes. I met another great group
of like community rally crosses amazing. Yeah, yeah, I would like to do it at some point, but
you should you should come out and hop in. Yeah, I know, I do. I want to know. Jacob said I need to
come out there and hop in with him at some point. So I'll have to try to make it happen.
Everybody either like grab a helmet, hop in that even if they've never met you before. So yeah,
oh, yeah. Yeah, Sean had a guy hop in with him on his very first race ever. And the guy was like,
how long you've been doing this? And Sean goes, this one. And the guy's like, wait, what?
He's like, hold on, buddy. And then he goes, I took off. That's funny.
Well, it was great chatting with you again. And getting you on for a full episode.
Yeah, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Like, set up following you and watching you and
everyone's, you know, button me here and there throughout the years. And I'm like, yeah, I was
like, you know, because I'm not a showy person. And I want to be like, pick me, pick me. Yeah,
apparently Lauren was over there. Thanks, Lauren. Yeah, so we made it happen. So it's cool. Yeah,
thank you. After all these years, you're welcome. Yeah. Yeah. And I hope to see you around some more.
Yeah, yeah. Make it out our way. Yeah, I know. I'd like to come back out. We'll take you up.
Yeah. Yep. Well, thanks again. I got to get going. I got to go change my oil and do some other stuff.
But I hope you have a good day. Thanks, you too. I'm going to a Mariners game.
Oh, nice. Nice. That'll be cool. All right. Have a good one. Yeah, have a good fourth too,
and a good weekend. Thanks. Same to you. Talk to you later. Okay. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much for
tuning in to another episode of the Subian New Podcast. If you're not doing so already, go give
Melissa a follow. Her Instagram account is shenifeltjourney. It's S-H-E-N-E-F-E-L-T journey.
So go give her a follow and show her some subi love. We will see you next Monday for a subi scoop
and some potential news. I don't know just yet. I hopefully will find out this week and we'll be
able to let you know next Monday on the subi scoop. But other than that, I hope you all have a
wonderful week. Get out there and drive your subarus and get together with somebody and hang out and
just have fun. So anyway, talk to you later. Much subi love. Raph.
About this episode
Shana “Melissa” Felch shares her Subaru journey, starting with her husband’s 2005 Forester XT and how commuting needs and life changes pushed the family deeper into Subarus. After she falls for the 2019 Ascent, the conversation expands into the cars she’s owned, what she’s running now, and how her Subaru Adventure Club connects people through events like Overland Expo. The episode also includes plenty of Overland Expo stories—especially the food with Chef Chad—and a few fun debates (waffles vs. pancakes, crispy vs. soggy).
Original notes
Melissa joins us today to talk about her Subaru Outback, and also the many other Subarus she has owned and currently owns. She also talks about rallycross and other Subie adventures!
Links from the show, links to sponsors and discount partners, and ways to support the podcast:
Melissa: Shenefelt Journey
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Rafael Ruiz
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