S&YE196 - Tahoe Treks

[00:00:10] Hello, this is Cameron and you can find me on Instagram at Tahoe Treks and you're listening to episode 196 of the Subie & You podcast. Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of the Subie & You podcast. Thank you for tuning in. If you are here for the first time, thank you for showing up. If you've been here since the beginning, thank you for sticking around.

[00:00:37] As you just heard, we have Cameron on who goes by Tahoe Treks and this is another person that I've actually met in person that I have on the podcast. So that's just adding to my list of people that I've met in person that were guests on the podcast. And I know it's up over 60 somewhere now. I haven't counted up lately, but we're getting up there, which is really cool.

[00:01:02] I think that's nice that I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of the people, a lot of the guests in person since I record remotely. So yesterday on Sunday, I ended up changing out my brake pads and my rotors on my Crosstrek. But I'll talk about that more when we get to the Subie Scoop next Monday. Because it was quite an adventure and it's my first time ever doing a brake change.

[00:01:30] And as you know, with anything that you do yourself, there's that satisfaction of having done it yourself. So there was that, of course. But, you know, it wasn't easy work. And we did a little something that was, you know, we didn't think about. And so I'll talk about that later. So that's what I did on Sunday. On Saturday, I actually hung out with my best friend for most of the day. And that was a lot of fun because we didn't used to hang out too often before.

[00:02:00] But now we've been hanging out a lot more often and I really like it. So we had a really good day. So it was a good weekend. Long, busy weekend. But that's always good. And now a word from our sponsor. The Subie and You podcast is brought to you by Eccentric Designs. For those of you who don't know, Eccentric 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, taillights, and side taillights.

[00:02:30] I also offer fun decal designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers. To find designs for your Subie, head on over to eccentricdesigns.com. There's always more projects in the works. So be sure to follow at eccentric.designs on Instagram. As a reminder, if you were a previous guest on the podcast, Jen with Eccentric Designs now has episode-specific Subie & You podcast decals.

[00:02:56] So whatever episode you were on, you can go to her website and specify your episode. And you can get a Subie & You podcast that says episode whichever. And there are multiple colors available. So be sure to go check out the website. Go get yourself a customized episode-specific decal. And help support Jen and help support the podcast. Thank you. This episode is also brought to you by Subaru Gear.

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[00:04:21] And now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, we can get into this episode with Cameron and hear about his cross trek and exploring up there in the Tahoe area and some of the people that he likes to get out with. So we'll go ahead and get into this episode right now.

[00:04:53] Hey, Cameron, welcome to the podcast. It's nice to see you. And you are among the guests that I've had on the podcast that I've actually met in person, which is really cool. So it's up over 60 guests now that I've met in person, which is, I think that's pretty cool, especially since I do it remotely. I know. When I met you up in Tahoe, I was like so excited.

[00:05:19] Yeah, it was nice to meet a bunch of different people out there and go out and see a little bit of the ski resort. But for me, it was really cool to meet all of you and then see all the snow since we don't get snow like that here at all, ever. Not like that. That was some crazy snow, but it was fun. Yeah, I think that was like the coldest time I've ever been in in Tahoe, for one.

[00:05:47] Unfortunately, I don't live there anymore, but going up to the snow is still always a blast. Yeah, yeah, it was definitely a lot of fun. So I've got to ask you the all-important question that Sierra SLT Trek came up with, and that is whether you prefer waffles or pancakes. I'm going to have to go with waffles. All right, all right. I guess I'll accept that answer. Just pancakes are like sponges to me.

[00:06:16] I know, they're good. They're good. Yeah, I know. It was really cool to go out there because we were celebrating my 50th birthday in Sierra's 20th birthday. And, you know, we all got a chance to get together and stuff and then went out to go see you and hung out for a while and just really enjoyed that. It was a fun trip. I'm glad I was able to do it. That was the trip? Like you guys went out to Moon Rocks and Wind Camping? Yep, yeah.

[00:06:41] And then after that, we went to the, I can't remember the name of it, but we went to the bagel place that Sierra was working at. Ajo Bagels? Yeah, yeah. And then we went out to go found our way to you and then had some people spinning out from the snow and ice, and it was a good time. Oh, that was something. The key of making it up the summit in a two-wheel drive. Yeah.

[00:07:10] And then, of all places, getting stuck in the parking lot. Yeah, that was funny. That was an interesting day. It was. It was. It was fun. So getting to your Crosstrek, is this your first Subaru? It actually is not. I have had two STIs, and then... Nice. I ended up having my Honda Civic that I got into a car accident with. Yeah.

[00:07:39] And then from there, I went to getting a Crosstrek. Okay. So you're kind of into the speed for a while there, huh? Yeah. I... So living in Ohio, it's against a lot of used chains. Oh. So you had to learn how to drive without stands on during the winter times. And I just got a 2010 STI hatchback. Oh, man.

[00:08:09] And I had it for maybe three, four weeks. And someone rear-ended me in a Honda Accord. Oh, man. In the snow. And it took out my car. It totaled it out. So... It's because they didn't know how to drive without chains. It's an interesting process to, like, try and learn that, especially out there, because the roads freeze.

[00:08:35] And then you have a level one, which is, like, you can drive in the snow. A level two is, like, being cautious. And a level three, you can't be on the roads. Yeah. And it just turned into a level three. Oh. And the kid was driving, like, probably 50 miles an hour in the snow. Yeah. And just plowed into the back of my car. That sucks. Yeah, those are the... STI hatches are so nice.

[00:09:02] They are the preferred one that I would always choose, because I've had a 2010 hatchback, and then I had a 2014 widebody. They were, hands down, probably my favorite cars. Yeah. I... Before I bought my Crosstrek, I didn't really know a whole lot about Subaru. But I always remember seeing the STI hatches, and those were always, like, really, really nice. But, yeah. They're definitely cool.

[00:09:30] So, going from the two STIs to the Civic, what made you decide to get a Crosstrek? Because it's quite a bit slower. So, probably, it would have been 2018. I was with someone for five years. It was, like, the person that I was with when I lived in Tahoe.

[00:09:53] So, we had a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek, and that thing made it multiple trips around the... Like, to Oregon, all over California, Arizona, Nevada. Like, the thing never failed. It never left us stranded. And then, living in Tahoe, when we first moved up there, I had the Civic.

[00:10:19] And then, I wasn't accounting for all the snow that we would have. So, I ended up selling my Civic to my best friend and getting the 2019 Crosstrek Premium. Nice. Nice. So, I guess it was brand new, and you bought it? No, it actually had about... It was, like, 37 or 40,000 miles that I got from a body shop.

[00:10:47] Because it was in a small accident that only damaged the headlight, the quarter pan... No. The headlight, the fender, and the bumper. And insurance just totaled it. And so, I bought it with the money from my Civic and what I already had saved up, and I just paid it outright for it. Nice. Yeah, that sounds kind of crazy to total it for that. But, hey, it worked out for you. Kind of.

[00:11:18] When I have to have major stuff done, parts can't be warrantied. Yeah. I found out. Okay. But that's the only downfall of it. Yeah. Yeah, good point. Good point. Do you have... Is the name Tahoe Treks, or is that just the name of your account? That is just the name of my account. Okay. Do you have a name for your Crosstrek? So, currently, her name is Delilah.

[00:11:47] But it's about to get switched over to Frankenstein, because this car has so many different parts from different companies. And it just, like, it will not die. I've gone through three engines, now about to be on my third transmission. And this thing just still runs, like... That's good. ...to a point.

[00:12:14] It's become a money pit, but it is going to be so reliable still. Like, I think during the year of 23, I drove back and forth between California and Ohio a couple times with a leak in the cam casing and the timing cover. And it never failed me. It never left me stranded. It never died on me. That's impressive. It's something.

[00:12:43] So do you know how many miles you put on it that year, going back and forth that much? Through 2023, I would honestly say I put about 60, maybe 70,000 miles on my car. In one year? Yeah. Oh my gosh. That's a lot. I think the only things that I've really had to replace a majority of the time that were maintenance-wise would probably be CV axles.

[00:13:13] Yeah, there's some stuff that I probably should replace at some point, but I don't really know what I'm looking at or looking for. So might have to get somebody to help me out with that at some point. I am going to do my—I got to change out my brakes pretty soon. I'm going to try to do it this weekend. And I've got the rotors, and I went and picked up the brake pads yesterday.

[00:13:35] So hopefully I can do that on Sunday and get it done with because they need to be changed out because they're squealing and scraping even when I'm just driving. So that's probably not good. That is one thing that I got done right before SubiFest. I got whole new brakes and rotors from my car because they were definitely down to just like almost no life.

[00:14:03] Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's where mine are, just about. But I've also—I'm at 122,000 miles, so they've lasted a while. So these OEM replacements should last quite a bit more, which would be good. Or keep my car going for quite a bit more. On to more adventures. Oh yeah, definitely. I was looking through your posts, and you went out to go see the Northern Lights.

[00:14:33] So I'm sure that's one of those things just like with many other experiences or locations and stuff where it's like you, you know, photos just don't do it justice. You have to be there. So what was that experience like, and who were you with? So the first time that the Northern Lights were visible for us, I happened to be on a trail that isn't too far from my house.

[00:15:02] I didn't even know about, like, there being an event happening. And so I was just off-roading and everything. But the spot that I was at, there's hardly any light pollution out there. Nice. And I just happened to be coming back off the trail, and I was heading towards the pavement area.

[00:15:28] And there's like this reddish hue in the background of the hills. And so I was like kind of curious about it. And so I just ended up taking my phone out so I could try and zoom in and see it. And my finger accidentally hit the capture button. And it pulled a long exposure on my phone, and that brought up everything.

[00:15:55] So that was the first event that happened. And then the second time, I was with Tech Treks. And we were driving around Lake Berryessa. And these people at the campground, like, they were saying that we missed the event and everything. And we were out there until like 1 or 2 in the morning.

[00:16:23] And he was just taking long exposure pictures, I think. And it ended up capturing the Northern Lights above us. The photos do look pretty amazing, but man, that's got to be incredible to see in person. Yeah. And then the third time that we had it, it was 2, 3, 4, 5. There was like 4 or 5 of us that drove up to South Lake Tahoe.

[00:16:53] And so we went up and we were at Camp Richardson. So we went out to the marina, and we were out on the docks. And you could see it pretty well off the docks. Clear skies, like, super dark. And even with all the lights off, like, without using a camera, you could see the Northern Lights, which was pretty perfect.

[00:17:23] Yeah. That's definitely something I want to go see at some point. Yeah, I think it was like a rare event for us to even have it, too. Because normally you can't see that. But one of the... It was funny. So one of the nights that we went, we were actually out on the same trail that I saw the first set of Northern Lights. And we were watching a meteor shower. Ooh, nice.

[00:17:51] So there was a meteor shower going on, and we ended up seeing the Northern Lights off in the distance. Oh, man, that's nice. It was like you have two things happening all in one night, perfect location. And you could see it all. It was funny, because I was actually taking a picture of, like, off towards the hills. You couldn't even see any, like, red hue or anything from the lights.

[00:18:20] And when I took the picture, it was in the background. Oh. And so then I was, like, thinking to myself, like, either my phone's, like, just acting weird, or there's actually, like, you can see the Northern Lights. And so I started taking more pictures of it. And sure enough, like, a little bit later into the evening, it was more visible.

[00:18:45] So getting back to your Crosstrek, when you first bought it, were you planning on doing mods already? Like, is that something that you were thinking about ahead of time? Or was it something that, like, once you got it and had it for a while, then it started to, like, seep into your head of, like, what you could do to it? So when I bought my car, I had plans for it. But it was actually because of Colby.

[00:19:15] Oh, yeah, that guy. With his Crosstrek, well, his Crosstrek he did have. He was out of Camp Richardson at one of the restaurants I used to be there. And I happened to be doing security during the summertime out of Camp Richardson. So I was driving my car around, and I happened to see his first-gen Crosstrek.

[00:19:40] And it was the same color as the person that I was dating at the time. Like, it was the same color as hers, same generation. And I was like, that would be really cool to do to this car. And so when we found my Crosstrek, it already had a two-inch spacer lift on it and then a little bit bigger tires. That's nice. It's a good start.

[00:20:08] Yeah, I didn't realize how capable those cars are. I think a lot of people don't until, like, they get it out in some kind of situation. And they're like, oh, this is actually pretty nice. Yeah, so when, right after I got it, I actually, when, it was when I met everyone, actually.

[00:20:28] So Sierra and Anthony and Carrie and the Softroad Nation NorCal group, we all met up and went to a spot called Genoa Peak. Like, this one spot to get up there. It was like, there was snow on the ground. It was, like, kind of muddy. And one of the guys from Softroad Nation, his name's Danny.

[00:20:56] He, or Dan, he had his little green Impreza wagon. He was, like, making it around the corner, but he was sliding out. And so I was kind of iffy about it because I didn't know the capability of the Crosstrek. And Anthony, Judy the Suvi, was, like, being an encouraging bully and telling me to go for it.

[00:21:22] And so when I did it, I turned traction control off, and he just said, gun it around the corner. And so I did it, and the back end swung towards the wall. I barely missed hitting the wall that was right next to us. I just full sent it up. Yeah, it's dangerous hanging around some of those people. Oh, I've done a couple trips with Anthony, and he's taken me through some really sketchy places.

[00:21:53] Yeah, I don't doubt that. Yeah, the same trail that we were on for the Northern Lights, when it rains out here, it will flood on that trail. And there's two spots that are creek crossings. And he went through one spot first, and it was funny because he goes through it, and then he's like, okay, you're fine. He waited on the edge line to see if I got stuck in it or I, like, stalled out. Then he was going to pull me out.

[00:22:20] And as I'm going through there, I had my dash cam running, and you can just see a little piece of a car part floating across the water as the water is, like, exceeding over my hood. Yeah, we were somewhere. Oh, it was when we were out for Subiefest, California. We were out on some trails, and somebody had a stock forester. I don't remember what year or what generation it was, but everybody was going through this, like, really big mud puddle.

[00:22:50] And he had gone through, and then something was floating in the puddle after he went through this, like, something from underneath his car. And he was like, oh, well, I guess I don't need that. Yeah, this trail has been not so friendly to, like, a lot of people that go on it. Like, I've almost, like, killed my engine on it. Christopher that was on here a couple weeks ago. Oh, yeah. Overland, NA. Yeah, so we did a trip up to Downeyville.

[00:23:19] It was me, him, and one of our friends. His name's Tony. We did a trip out there, and we ended it at La Trobe. And there was this one spot that he did some big Jeep things, and now he has a snorkel on his car. Because he definitely sent it, like, his car turned into a submarine for a minute. But it was such a blast.

[00:23:47] Like, it's always fun trying to off-road with him. Like, he's up for anything. Yeah, that car is pretty amazing. I mean, what he's done with it and the places that he takes it. And it looks nice. I mean, taking that car and doing what he did with it, it's pretty cool. He goes on a good amount of adventures, too, with it. Yeah, it looks like it. So when you had it, or when you bought yours, you said it had a 2-inch spacer lift. What was the first mod that you actually put on it?

[00:24:14] I think it would have been, if not the tires, I think it would have been the Rally Armor mud flaps. I now have them on the rear after learning a hard lesson. When, right before Sierra told me not to have the front ones on if I'm running the size tires that she is. Oh, yeah. Because I was on my way back from Ohio and I almost ripped out my entire wheel well.

[00:24:43] Like, the plastic inside it. Yeah, I've seen that happen. All I heard was just this, like, flapping sound. And I got out of my car and I looked at it and I was just like, this is cool. Those puddles can do some damage. Yeah. I wasn't too happy about it. Yeah. I was just like, more money into this car. Yeah, definitely. So with all of the mods that you do have, what would you say is your favorite mod?

[00:25:11] And which mod has been most useful? That's a tough one, actually. Like, recently, going to Oregon and my car trying to kill itself, the winch that I have came in handy. And the pull capacity was pretty great to get my car off of the 101 into the shoulder as much as possible.

[00:25:40] But on trails, I was actually able to test out my R160 locker. It handled a lot better than I could have thought of. Oh, that's good. That's always nice. I didn't have any issues sliding or, like, digging into the ground or anything. Just easily crawled. Is that both your favorite and most useful?

[00:26:09] I would say my favorite then would probably be the locker. Okay. Yeah. That's good. Useful-wise, like, the winch got me out of really, like, difficult situations in the past week. Yeah. Yeah. Those can definitely come in handy. And whether for yourself or helping somebody else. But I don't have a need for one here. I don't have enough sketchy spots to get out to.

[00:26:35] But, you know, I've had people ask if I would ever cut my bumper, the rear bumper, the front bumper. And out here, I don't really need to. So, I will probably keep my car mostly intact for, you know, the time that I have it. But I like the way it looks. And I'd like to do more, but I just don't have a need to do more. Yeah. I, unfortunately, wasn't lucky enough for my bumper. I blew out one of my tires on the freeway.

[00:27:05] Oh, yikes. And Chris had to actually come save me and brought his full-size spare, which was the same size tire that I had online. Oh, that's good. And so I had that for a couple days. And when I went and got new tires, I actually sized up on it. And I was on my way back to go drop his tire off. And I turned slightly driver's side. And my tire caught my front bumper and almost ripped it off on the freeway. Oh, man.

[00:27:34] It broke the clips and everything on it. So, I had to cut it. But at the same time, it was better for me because of having a better approach angle. Yeah. That definitely helps. Because especially in the front, the approach angle on the cross-treks is not that great. There's too much bumper out there. Yeah.

[00:27:56] So, when I cut it, it was actually a lot easier to do some of the obstacles on the trail that I go out to without having to catch the corner of my bumper on anything. Or if it's like a steep spot where I have to go back out and my bumper's not dragging. So, it just makes it a lot easier. Yeah. That's definitely good.

[00:28:24] So, like with all of your mods that you have, have you installed most of them yourself? Or like with the help of friends? I've done the roof rack, the lighting switch panel, my interior headliner rack, the front bumper, my winch. Like a majority of it other than probably my suspension.

[00:28:53] I have not done by myself. Yeah. Yeah. That's the suspension. I mean, it can be done, but I don't know. I don't know enough about it to talk intelligently about it. So, I'll leave that one alone. Yeah.

[00:29:36] Not as probably not, don't have to deal with the frustration of trying to get it installed and everything. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The most difficult thing that I was installing probably would be my off-road bumper because of the weight and trying to get that up and position right and then bolt on. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:57] I recently plasti-dipped my front grill and it should be relatively easy, but it was so hard getting the grill out because it's got, I think, six screws, two on the top, four on the bottom. And then there's, it clips into the plastic on the top and the bottom. And I was able to get the bottoms out relatively easy. And once I figured out that, you know, I pushed the tab so that you can pull it out through the plastic.

[00:30:26] But the top ones, they did not want to come out. I actually had to get a chisel and a hammer and basically like angle the chisel at the little tab that you're supposed to push down and basically just like chisel it through the hole, you know, the hole that it snapped through in the plastic. And it was just like getting very, very frustrating and it took forever to get it out. But once I got it out, you know, of course that was easy.

[00:30:52] And then getting it back in was a lot easier, but I was like not happy for a while. It was just like getting so frustrating. So what you're saying is when I want to do that, just bring my car to you. Yeah. Yeah. Let me go through that pain again. No, it's, it'd be easier to do it now. But man, because like it was, I watched this guy's video and he just like popped his out. He just kind of pulled on it hard and it popped out, but it wasn't working for me. But I got it done. That's the important part.

[00:31:22] It's like one of those things when people make it look easy and then you think you can do it as easy as they did. And it's never the, never the case. Yeah. Yeah. That was, that was rough. But so when you were living out in Tahoe and going through all that snow, you've gotten, have you gotten stuck? I surprisingly have not gotten stuck. Oh, that's good. I got stuck up in Ice House.

[00:31:51] There was a group of us that went up to Ice House and I got stuck out there, but in Tahoe itself, living out there, I never got stuck once up in that snow. Nice. So you're back in Ohio now, right? No, I live towards Sacramento. Oh, okay. Where are some of your favorite spots out there to like go explore? There's a lot of places out here.

[00:32:17] One would be going out to Half Moon Bay or going up into the Santa Cruz Mountains are two really fun places to go explore and adventure. Or if you go towards Tahoe, there's multiple places out in Desolation that you can go camp and adventure.

[00:32:42] Or you have trails that you can go off-roading or not take a Subaru through it. But if you know people that have lifted Tacomas and Jeeps and everything, they go on the Rubicon. Or if you go northward, you can go to, there's a place called Shelter Cove in the Lost Coast. That is a really good place to explore.

[00:33:09] I'm envious of all of the really cool places that people have to explore out there. Well, a lot of people, they think that Southern California is the place to be. But I honestly feel like Northern California, you have the trees, you have the mountains and everything that's up here. Plus, like you have Nevada, Northern Nevada to the Oregon border.

[00:33:37] Like just in those general areas are pretty nice to go. When you were driving back and forth to Ohio for a while, was that the furthest distance you've driven in your cross trek? Or have you driven any further than that? I have driven from California to Ohio. And then from Ohio, I've driven to New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee. In the cross trek? Yeah.

[00:34:07] Wow. That's where all those miles came from. How many miles do you have now? The chassis is at, I want to say, 109, almost to 110. Okay. I put a large amount of miles on my car. Yeah. So why are you on a third engine?

[00:34:27] So right before Subifest, I swapped out the original engine for a new one because I had over 100,000 miles on it. I know Subarus can be temperamental. So I got the second engine. And when we were on our way back from Subifest, I unfortunately let someone work on my car without knowing that they weren't licensed as a mechanic and registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repairs.

[00:34:57] And they did not connect my cooling fan. My engine overheated on the way back. And so it was a very long, like, 10-hour drive that should have taken about five, maybe six. But Milton gave me some good advice on the way back to just, like, stop every hour, hour and a half, spray the radiator, and let it sit for a little bit and then start driving and stuff.

[00:35:26] Keep the engine cool as much as I could. And in the mess of all of it, it was 110 degrees out. Oh, gosh. And this was right before going over the grapevine coming out of L.A. So it was all uphill and then downhill and back uphill.

[00:35:44] And so I was watching my attempts and magically made it from L.A. all the way back up towards, like, Tahoe area without completely killing that car. Yeah, that was good advice to stop and let it cool off some. Because that could have been catastrophic had you not. Yeah, it was pretty bad.

[00:36:10] And then after that, trying to find another engine, all the ones that I kept finding either weren't good, like, they had carbon buildup or they couldn't pass, like, a leak down test or couldn't hold compression.

[00:36:32] And so this last engine that I finally bought before I was about to say screw it and go with Subaru to find, like, a $8,000 engine, I found one that came from Portland, Oregon. It had no issues, no leaks, all the seals were good on it. I got so lucky. And so overall, like, engine-wise, I've gone through three and I've bought five.

[00:37:00] It was a lot. Yeah, that's pretty crazy. So with all the places that you've driven to already, do you have a bucket list spot that you'd like to get out to and travel and explore? One place that I have thought about going to or going back to would be Moab. I was there in 2023, was the last time I went out to Moab.

[00:37:28] And I wanted to go this summer, but with everything that was going on with Subaru, there was no way that I was making it out there. I would have to say either that or going back across the country. There's a lot of places that are along the East Coast and North Carolina. And I would want to say North Carolina and probably South Carolina.

[00:37:55] There's trails that I've seen people going on that I want to try. It's nice out there, too. I've been to North Carolina, but I've only been to Charlotte and a couple of other places. But not along the coast, but it's still nice. I want to be able to drive on the beach. Yeah, that'd be fun. There's some beaches out here we can drive on that I've been on a couple of times. It's so weird driving on sand, the way you feel the car moving around on it.

[00:38:25] But it feels kind of cool. Yeah, I don't know. There is one spot. It was during Jeep week in Daytona, Florida. And my goal was to come back out during Jeep week while they're all out there, like driving their Jeeps in Daytona, Florida on the beach. Just take my Crosstrek out there. And I never did. And that was like one thing I did regret not doing.

[00:38:53] Because at the time, Jeep owners put little rubber ducks in their windshields. And that's when people give them ducks. So when I was living in Ohio, I had a total time living out there. I probably had about four or five rubber ducks given to me. I was a Jeep. And it was really funny because Ohio, the small town that I was by, seeing my car was very noticeable because you don't see them.

[00:39:21] Like you don't see a built Subaru or anything. And so Jeep owners would put ducks on my mirrors or my pod lights on my hood. And I'd just come out randomly and I would see one. And so my goal was to go down to Daytona, Florida during Jeep week with those ducks in my windshield. And start driving around and be like, I'm one of you guys. Might be a little different story down there. Yeah.

[00:39:49] Some of them are not so friendly when it comes to them driving on the Jeep because they take it like really slow. And you'll see other vehicles out there that are kind of going faster than them and they get mad. What would you say has surprised you the most about your Crosstrek? When it's running, the reliability. Every day, like something new with this car. And it's definitely a new experience.

[00:40:17] Like driving across the country, it's never failed me. Even with the engine having steel broken or anything like that. The off-roading capability of this car, I never expected to be able to off-road so well. And as much as I do with it, it has definitely taken some hits, sliding off rocks and still just keeps on going.

[00:40:43] Yeah, they're pretty impressive as far as the rigidity of them and reliability. And just, like you said, being able to take a beating and take a hit and they still go. I mean, it might take a little bit of money to get them back running again. But they're just, and they're hard cars to think about not having anymore. Because not only is, you know, you get, you really like what you have, but then you get attached to it.

[00:41:12] And it's like, this is my car and I don't want anything else. I'm going to do what I can to keep it going. At this point, for what has been invested into this car, I don't think I'm ever going to get rid of it. Yeah, same with mine. I mean, like I said earlier, I'm at 122,000 miles. Got to change the brakes. The clutch is going to go out at some point.

[00:41:35] And probably should check some suspension and steering and other stuff that's under there that I don't really know about that I'm sure might be close to failing. But yeah, I'll figure it all out and get it done. But yeah, I want to keep it for as long as I can. I actually did not think of building a Seabroo.

[00:41:59] I didn't really see built Seabroo's until I saw Colby's Crosstruck before I got mine. I didn't even know that that was a thing for them. And then after I saw Colby's and other people like driving up here, I started noticing them more then. Yeah. Yeah. But it was definitely not until I saw his lifted than actually going off-roading with him too. Yeah, that car is pretty impressive. I was going to follow him.

[00:42:28] Like when I moved back here, we went to this place called Twin Peaks. I was going to try and follow him on one certain spot that's a rock slab at the top of Twin Peaks. And my car, as soon as I started moving up on it, I started to slide. Oh, that's weird. And I couldn't get the traction on it. And Colby made it look so easy with his locker. He just crawled up it.

[00:42:58] Yeah. And then he was like, you can try it. I was like, no way. I'm not going to make that. If I could, I would switch over to a Gen 1. When I first saw the second Gen, I was kind of disappointed because I really liked the taillights of the first Gen. But the first Gen will always have my love. But I really do like mine. And the third Gen is growing on me too because my daughter has one. And so I see it a lot. And I really like it. I like them. I just don't like the front end.

[00:43:28] I don't like how they look. Like I said, they're growing on me. When I first saw them, I wasn't disappointed or sad. But, you know, they come out with something new. And it's just so different. But at least it still looks like a Crosstrek. It doesn't look like something else completely different. Because I hate it when that happens. But, yeah, I still like them.

[00:43:51] But speaking of, like, other people's cars, if you could drive someone else's Subaru for a day, whose would it be and why? Ooh. That would definitely be my friend Sam and her WRX. Sam Asaurus WRX? Yes. Oh, yeah. Her car is so fun to be in when it's being rallied. Oh, nice. Yeah.

[00:44:21] But the amount of power, like, just on takeoff in her car is insanely fast. Or it feels really fast. It's such a smooth ride and everything, too. It's definitely one of my favorite cars to be in. Because it's hers. And we have a friend named Eli that rallies. And his is probably the scariest.

[00:44:49] Like, it is stupid fast. And we were at the Prairie City track for the rally event that was out there. And so after the day was over, we were on the dirt track that, like, goes to the back of Prairie City. And I didn't know how fast his car could go. And he, I think, topped out before this little hill.

[00:45:19] I think he was at, like, 93 to 96 miles an hour on a straightaway. Wow. And slowed down drastically. They come over this hill and then picked up speed again. But it would be, like, a toss-up between both of their cars. They're fun. Especially when you're rallying them. Yeah. That's something I haven't done yet, but I would like to do at some point. Just definitely come out here during the summer times. Yeah. Yeah, that would be cool.

[00:45:47] How would you say that your cross-trek best matches your personality? Adventurous. Fun. Oh, no. It'd be fun to have a point until it breaks. Yeah, yeah. But very, very fun and adventurous up in the mountains. I know, what would be the perfect word for it? Like, I know I shouldn't do something because something could break.

[00:46:15] But I still do it anyways. Yeah, I know whenever I was out there, again, before SubiFest, California, I was out on the trails with Anthony and Neal Skis and who else was out there? It was Milton and Kerry and there was a bunch of us. And people were having problems and Anthony blew out a tire, his sidewall. He didn't have a spare. Nobody else had a tire for him.

[00:46:45] So he had, like, I think he, like, busted one of his skid plates and some other stuff. And he was, like, worth it. Oh, was this up at Big Bear? I think so. Out on the trails out there? I think so, yeah. He was telling me about something like that because I was asking him if he's been out there. He's like, whatever you do, do not go speeding down the ruts. They'll take out your suspensions. Oh, yeah, that happened too. Yeah, forgot about that.

[00:47:15] He was telling me about that. He was like, do not go over 40. And that's, like, pushing it, going into these ruts. And I'm like, well, how bad are they? And he was like, just think of your suspension collapsing. Yeah, that was a crazy day, but it was fun. When he told me that, I was like, I wish I was there to see that. I was with Milton. We weren't in the ruts, but we were on this dirt trail.

[00:47:45] And it wasn't, like, completely smooth, but it also wasn't too bad. But we were doing, like, 60 miles an hour until he slowed down some for a jump. So we kind of jumped it a little bit. But that was interesting. That was fun. I see his videos, and I feel like his car is invincible. Yeah, he's done so much to it. He's broken it so many times. And it's crazy, too, that he just fixes it there on the trail and then keeps going.

[00:48:15] I would probably, like, tell someone, like, hey, come in with a trailer so we can tow mine out. They're, like, I've seen the videos from when you guys were out at Moon Rocks and everything, too. And he's, like, beating through that. And I'm just, like, I wish my car could do that. Yeah, the first night we got there, he busted his lower control arm.

[00:48:37] And then Saturday, he went out to the nearest Subaru dealership and ended up buying, I think he bought, like, one from an STI or something. And just replaced it and then was ready to go. Like, that's just, like, I wouldn't even, if something happened and my car, like, collapsed or something, I would have no idea what was going on. There's stuff going on with it right now, and I don't know what's going on. But it still goes. It still drives.

[00:49:03] I'd say he is one of the people that I do call when there's something going on with my car. Like, I'll just help my phone to call Milton, and it'll just go through, and I'm just like, hey, so I have a question. Without a doubt, he always, like, tells me exactly what I need to do. Or Dallin, guy from Rally Tech, like, I'll ask him questions, too. And between both of them, they've been a huge help in building my cross track. It's nice having people like that that can help you out.

[00:49:34] I don't, we don't really have people like that out here because it's just, I guess there's not enough places to break them and people fixing them like that.

[00:50:12] Yeah. I think it was a 2014 Forrester or a 2014 Outback. And I would ask Subaru if they could get the dimensions on it, and they'd tell me that they can. Oh, if they told me if I bought one from, like, AutoZone or something and then brought the axle over to them, they can get complete measurements on it.

[00:50:34] So then I'd know, like, if I could buy an aftermarket, well, not an aftermarket, but, like, an older model Subaru and try and have spare backup axles for those years that would fit my car. Again, they figured out.

[00:51:19] And from there is just meeting a lot of other Subaru owners and becoming pretty good friends with them. Like, going between California to Ohio, I would post in some of the Subaru groups and people would meet up along the way, go grab lunch or anything like that. And then the friends that I've met have been really wonderful and great.

[00:51:45] I just, I couldn't ask for the better, better for people that I've met throughout the two, a little over two years of having my Subaru. Yeah, I would agree that it's a pretty amazing community. There's, you know, people there for you. There's, it's just, it's just a unique community. And it's, it's nice to be a part of it. It's great to meet a lot of people that are interested in the same thing and want to go do the same things. So definitely get that.

[00:52:14] But, uh, that's, that's about what it is. Like having the community around here, especially for like Lake Tahoe, like there's a lot of Subaru owners out there or like what I've seen from Oregon and everything too. There's a good amount of Subarus out there. And a lot of the people that I've met that own Subarus are really awesome people.

[00:52:41] They're friendly, outgoing, just positive. Except, except the lady today. I was driving and getting on the freeway and this lady got mad at me for some reason because I merged behind her and she was in a Forester. This lady, like, I don't even know what I did to her. Like I jumped onto the freeway and then got all the way over, but I'm waiting until she passed me. And I was probably waiting like a good three, four car lengths behind her.

[00:53:11] And then she started like spraying wiper flipping over her car like that was punishing me or something. And so I just like wiped it away and she got over and she slowed down. I started like going past her and she was flipping me off. And I'm like, okay. The heck? Yeah. I don't get people sometimes. I mean, that's what it is. It didn't stop me from doing what I was doing. Yeah, of course not. Do you think you'll always own a Subaru?

[00:53:36] At this point, probably because I'm definitely not going to get rid of that Crosstrek until it's fully like gone like toast. There's no coming back. Yeah. I know I definitely will have a Toyota as a secondary, but the Subaru is going to be here for a long time. It's hard to get away from them, I think. There's something about that all wheel drive systems. Oh yeah. Like it is outperformed.

[00:54:05] I've seen like the new Hondas or some of the RAV4s. It impressed me. Like that really bad winter up in Tahoe. I would watch Toyotas try and pull out other vehicles. And then I've hooked up Kinetic Row and pulled out Toyotas and Jeeps out of the snow. Yeah, I haven't had any experience in, well, I did drive.

[00:54:32] Anthony rented a Tacoma when we went to Moon Rocks because his car was busted. And a Tacoma was actually pretty fun driving through the snow. But that's the only other, you know, like either all wheel drive or four wheel drive vehicle that I've driven besides my own. So I don't like have the experience of driving too many others. But I've heard the same thing that like the all wheel drive from the Subarus is just superior to others.

[00:55:01] Yeah, I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it does handling in the snow. With the amount of snow that came down that year, the snow plows and everything, even them trying to keep up with it was almost impossible. And then on the road that I lived on, didn't get plowed too well or the snow plows just wouldn't come through at all.

[00:55:27] So I would hunch through like an entire snowpacking bankman to get out of my driveway and just casually coast along without an issue. And then when they had the summit that you guys went up going from Tahoe up to the ski resort. I have never slid on that going up with about like half a foot to a foot of snow on that ground. Yeah, it's good. It's impressive.

[00:55:57] They're definitely great cars. The one thing I do hate about it though is how X mode works when you're going down a grade. I've heard about that. And it starts to slide. It tries to automatic break itself. And I just, I cannot. The like, it's so, so much anxiety. Like I'm about to start sliding down an entire hill. Yeah, that would be scary.

[00:56:23] So this is the segment where we get to know a little bit more about you, but who is Cameron as in describe yourself? Adventurous, very fun, outgoing person. Where were you born? I was born in Folsom, California and grew up around here. Okay.

[00:56:45] The majority of the time I spent one year in Ohio and that was my junior year of high school and then moved back here. Okay, nice. What is a favorite memory from your childhood? Favorite memorable childhood moments? Growing up, I actually used to go out on the Rubicon out here a lot.

[00:57:11] But so one of my things was when I was a kid, just actually like holding the steering wheel, feeling like I was driving. I would always tell people like I've been rock crawling since I was like five. It's fun as a kid to do that. Yeah, especially when they're like you look at it now and you're like, there's no way I did that when I was five. What is it you do for a living?

[00:57:37] Normally, I'm working doing security or working at Sierra Tahoe. What would you say would be your dream job? Working fish and wildlife and being a game warden would be so fun. I've had other people say that too. It seems like that's a desirable profession. Being outdoor, like your job being outdoors, dealing with animals and just adventuring around.

[00:58:06] Like that would be a blast. Yeah. What is something that makes you want to get out of bed every day? This is going to sound so bad, but getting out of bed and just going to my fridge and grabbing cold Red Bull, cracking that open early in the morning. Hey, there's always something to get up for, you know? It's like it's a daily routine. What is something that makes you want to stay in bed?

[00:58:33] I don't know if it's a rainy day or if it's just like really cold and my blanket is like nice and warm. I don't want to get out of bed. Yeah, I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Well, actually, I got out of bed and went and worked out. And then I came back and I was able to go back to bed before I had to go to work. And then I didn't want to get up. It was like, I want to just sleep here some more. I don't want to have to get up and work. But I guess I got to do something. That's another thing. If I'm pretty tired, I don't want to get out of bed.

[00:59:03] Yeah. And if it's to the point where I'm like that tired, I probably just won't. I'll just go back to sleep. Yeah. I wish I could at times, but unfortunately, I got to get up and work. But it's like waiting for the weekend so I can sleep in. Those are the fun times, though, too. During springtime, like the certain days, like you can just sleep in, not have to worry on the weekends. It's going to be nice outside. And you get up and it's like perfect outside.

[00:59:31] Like one of those things where you just get up and you're like, OK, this afternoon, I can go fishing now. Yeah. I mean, when it's nice outside, it's definitely a good reason to get up and get out and be like, I don't want to stay in bed. It feels nice, but let's get out and do something.

[00:59:46] My thing is like probably the weekends, I'll just do like some spontaneous trip where if I'm feeling up for it, I'll just load up clothes into a bag for an overnight bag and just put electric cooler in my car, my portable camping stuff and the camping equipment. And I'll probably just go up and camp for the night. There's a lot of places up here, like growing up here. We had a fire. I want to say it was like 2021.

[01:00:16] It was the Caldor fire. And so it was like the one that like started burning towards South Lake Tahoe. Yeah. And there's some trails on in the burn scar that I've known about since I grew up in the area that it takes you up to this camping spot that you have to actually go kind of off roading and traveling up to.

[01:00:45] And it sits right on top of a waterfall. And so when you're camping at night, that's all you hear is the water coming down the stream and everything. And it's so soothing. So nice. And the spot that you're at, it has this tree in the center that you can park around the tree and there's enough room for a good amount of cars to go up there.

[01:01:07] Or you could move like a little bit off the side of the little part where you would park and you could car camp it and fit probably want to say eight, maybe nine rigs up there. Sounds like a beautiful view and just like just a nice spot to be in. Yeah. The sound of the running water, man, that'd be nice.

[01:01:29] Definitely soothing, especially like if you've had just like a rough week and you just want to get out and go up into nature or something. That is probably one of the perfect spots to go to. Sounds like it. What would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything? Keep your head on a swivel. Probably that or always think or stay positive, I guess. That's all you can do.

[01:01:58] Sometimes things can go not the way you want them to or something can happen that you weren't expecting. And so it's always good to stay positive. That's what I've definitely been doing with everything that's been going on with the Subaru. I'll be mad when something happens and then I'm just like, I can't. It's out of my control. There's nothing I can do about it right now. Be positive. Don't bring everybody else down around me. Yeah.

[01:02:28] And everything will work out. True. Very true. Yep. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and record your episode. Well, thank you for having me. It's been... You're welcome. Like two years of waiting for the opportunity. Yeah. Yeah. It's just going through the list and trying to get through all the guests that I've had.

[01:02:55] And doing it every other week makes it go a little bit slower, too. But that was kind of the best decision that I needed to make for me because I was kind of... I just like... I look back now and I'm like, I don't know how I did it every week. That was rough looking back. But I didn't want to not do it anymore. So switching to every other week worked out. So...

[01:03:20] I mean, seeing the lineup you've had on this show, you have a lot of great people. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. It's been nice to be able to connect with a lot of different people, too. And, you know, be able to reach out to people and people reaching out to me. So I feel very blessed to have had a lot of really great people on here.

[01:03:42] And like I said, having been able to meet so many people in person, like that's one of the coolest parts to me is having been able to meet so many people in person. You know, because I'm out here in Houston. But because of traveling, I've been able to go out and meet people and hit trails and stuff and just have a good time. And so I'm trying to plan to do more of that when I can.

[01:04:09] But it's just hard to get out because everything cool is so far away. Why? We got to get a group to come out to you. And then we'll just go out to that little Texas Green Canyon. Yeah. Yeah, I definitely want to make it back out there. That would be fun. Well, thanks again. And I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. And, you know, and keep enjoying your cross trek as much as you can for as long as you can. Thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, you're welcome. And I'll talk to you later.

[01:04:39] Bye. Bye. Bye. Hello, everybody. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Sue B&U podcast. If you're not doing so already, go give Cameron a follow. His Instagram handle is tahoe.trex. That's where you will find him. And thank you, Cameron, for taking the time to come on to the podcast and be a guest. So looking forward to some more new episodes to put out. We're getting closer to 200 episodes, which, I mean, we're only four away.

[01:05:09] That sounds crazy to be at 200 episodes. But I really, really appreciate everybody continuing to listen because you are a huge, huge reason of why this podcast is still going because you're listening. So thank you so much for that. I really, really appreciate it. So hope you all have a great week and get out there and do Sue B things and just have some fun. So we'll talk to you later. Much Sue B love. Raph.

[01:05:38] The Sue B&U podcast is hosted by Raphael in a closet in Houston, produced by Raphael in a room next to the closet in Houston, and edited by Raphael on a computer in the room next to the closet in Houston, with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston. You can find the Sue B&U podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many more. To support the podcast, please head over to patreon.com slash Sue B&U podcast.

[01:06:06] Once you join, you will have access to the Discord channel and Discord chats with other patrons. If you'd like to get in contact with the show, you can find them on Instagram at Sue B&U podcast, online at SueB&Upodcast.com, or by email, SueB&Upodcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week.