S&YE204 - MtnSubi Returns

[00:00:10] Hey everyone, this is Keri Lando. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook as MountainSubi and you're listening to Subie & You podcast number 204. Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of the Subie & You podcast. I have Keri back on the podcast for a full episode as a follow-up to her first appearance, which was on episode 104.

[00:00:35] So a hundred episodes ago is when she first appeared on the podcast as a guest. So she reached out to me and asked if I could have her on the podcast again for episode 204. And we will go into the significance of why she chose episode 204 when we get into the conversation. But first, a word from our sponsor.

[00:00:59] The Subie & 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. I also offer fun decal designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers.

[00:01:21] 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. Thank you so much, Eccentric Designs, for sponsoring the Subie & You podcast. Always appreciate your support. Go check out her website, check out her Instagram page, and see what she has to offer for your Subaru.

[00:01:43] It was great having Carrie on the podcast again, especially for her own episode. Again, 100 episodes later. She's been on the podcast several other times, especially during the Rebel Rally, when they were able to allow her and her partner to hop on the mic and talk about the Rebel Rally, mid-Rebel Rally. So that was always cool, and it's always great having her back on.

[00:02:10] Of course, she hopped on the mic for a little bit at Overland Expo in Flagstaff, so it was great to see her in person again and also get her on the mic. So again, just great having her on. She's such a great person. She's very enthusiastic. She does a lot of really great things with her Subaru and is out there showing people what is capable.

[00:02:35] So again, it was just great having her on, and I look forward to sharing this conversation with you. I am recording this early because I'm going to be going out of town the weekend of Wicked Big Meat. I'm not going to be at Wicked Big Meat, unfortunately, but I'm recording this early, so I don't know what's going on with Wicked Big Meat just yet. But for everybody that was in attendance, that was able to make it out there, I hope you all had a really, really great time.

[00:03:03] And I look forward to seeing everybody's posts and stories and everything to see what happened. So let the SubiFest season begin. Or I guess it already has. But yeah, now we're officially in SubiFest season. And speaking of SubiFest, if you haven't had a chance to do so, go back and look at some of the past SubiScoops, because I had three guests from SubiEvents on the podcast. I had Khan, Brick, and Adam.

[00:03:31] So Khan is the general manager. Brick is involved with community relations and also sponsorships. And then Adam is the voice or the emcee of SubiEvents. So go give those a listen. It's the perfect time to go check them out. Also, if you were at Wicked Big Meat, you may have seen the area for Subaru gear. If you didn't get a chance to pick up some merch at the Subaru gear area, you can always order it online.

[00:04:00] So go check out subarugear.com and browse the entire site. They have some new items that they've put up. Of course, they have Subaru Motorsports USA with rally season going on right now. But go check out subarugear.com and use the code SUBENU25 at checkout to save 20% off your purchase.

[00:04:23] If the total of your purchase is over $50 after the 20% discount, then you automatically get free shipping. So go fill up your cart and take advantage of free shipping. Thank you so much, Subaru Gear, for sponsoring the SUBENU podcast and bringing this great offer to our listeners.

[00:04:45] One of the things that Carrie and I talk about during this episode is Overland Expo PNW, which is coming up near the end of June. So I will be out there at the expo. Carrie will be there. Milton will be there. And there's going to be quite a few other people there. There's going to be people that I will get to see again, which is really, really great. And there's going to be people that I will get to meet for the first time, which I am really, really excited about.

[00:05:13] So if you've been on the fence about going to Overland Expo PNW, I'm going to be out there and I would love to see you. So come by the Subaru booth, say hello, hop on the mic, and let's record a little content. So go check it out. Before we get into this conversation with Carrie, I want to give a shout out to SUBEMods for being a sponsor of the SUBENU podcast. They were also in attendance at Wicked Big Meat this past weekend.

[00:05:40] So hopefully you had a chance to stop by and say hello. But if you didn't, they will be in attendance at the remaining SUBENFest event locations as well as Boxer Fest. So whichever event you're able to make it out to, be sure to stop by the SUBEMods booth, say hello, and check out their setup. And tell them you heard about them on the SUBENU podcast. Also, don't forget to create an account at SUBEMods.com to start earning points today towards purchases,

[00:06:09] because that's a really great way to save some money on some purchases from SUBEMods.com. Lastly, I've had some discussions with Nick at SUBEMods to potentially have them back on the podcast. And having them back on the podcast, we would talk about topics such as how to start a business in this industry, business tips in this industry, marketing strategies in this industry, etc.

[00:06:34] If there are additional topics you're interested in hearing about, you can send us a message and let us know. We can also take a look at who SUBEMods is, what they do, and how they are engaging with the enthusiasts out here in this community and in this industry. So thank you so much, SUBEMods, for sponsoring the SUBENU podcast. And now we will get into this conversation with Carrie, a.k.a. Mountain SUBIE,

[00:07:03] and hear about what's been going on over the past two and a half years and some of the other things she has going on. So thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you so much, Carrie, for taking the time to record with me. And let's go ahead and get into this conversation and hear all about it. Here we go.

[00:07:33] Welcome back to the podcast. Oh, thank you. You're welcome. I always love being on the podcast. Yeah, you've been on here quite a few times. Some little updates here and there. Yeah. And I always love doing it. And I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to come on here and speak. Of course. And as I'm sitting here in my closet, you're sitting on your patio outside and it looks really nice. And so. Yeah, it's a beautiful day here on the PMW.

[00:08:00] I've got a nice little breeze and no rain on the deck. So, yeah, it's a great day. Yeah. Good spot to do that. So, I was looking too, and it's been almost two and a half years since your full episode, which was episode 104. So, now 100 episodes later, you're back on. Yeah.

[00:08:26] So, why don't you let us know what the significance is of episode 204 and why you asked for that one? So, the significance of that number. Let's see. Back in 2021, that is the number that was assigned to me for the Rebel Rally when I first competed. And I've been running that number ever since as a competitor with the Rebel Rally.

[00:08:51] And also, as my competitor number for the Northwest Rally Association, Rally Cross events. Very nice. Yeah, that's just been a number that I've had since, you know, since the big change back in 2021. Yeah. And back when you did your first full episode, which was episode 104, I wasn't doing this yet, but do you prefer waffles or pancakes?

[00:09:18] Oh, the big question, the big debate. Yes. Thank you, Sierra. Yep. Yep. Yep. There's no debate here with me. Waffles all the way. I'm a waffles girl. Okay. Even better with blueberries. Yeah. So, I like the crispy pockets to hold all of the butter and the syrup. And for some reason, pancakes and me just haven't always set well. Fine.

[00:09:49] Fine. But you can always start new debates, too. There's like, let's see, there's Hawaiian versus pineapple pizza. Mm-hmm. Bagels versus muffins. Yeah. Let's see, Tapatio versus Cholula. Yeah, I know. There's the whole, does pineapple belong on pizza debate? Uh-huh. Yes. 100%. Yeah, I'm a pineapple girl. Oh, yeah. I like that pineapple. Me too. It's so good. Yeah.

[00:10:18] Especially if it's like grilled pineapple on pizza, even better. Yeah. So good. And it's even better the next day. I don't know what it is about Hawaiian pizza, but it's so good the next day when it's cold. Yeah. Yeah. We've got that really good, you know, Canadian bacon on there. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, now you're making me hungry at the dinner time.

[00:10:42] So when did you start getting involved in the Northwest Rally Association and how did that come about and how many events have you done? Let's see. I first started, I think it was two years ago, was my first Rally Cross event. It was the first motorsports event that I had participated in that was for speed.

[00:11:09] The Rebel Rally is a competition for precise navigation and driving, and it's not a competition for speed. But the Rally Cross Association, that one's a short course, usually around a minute. And you race, there's one person that you race against, you know, and whoever has the best time in your class is the winner. So I first started participating in that a couple years ago.

[00:11:39] I joined in kind of mid-season a few years ago. And I think, let's see, I think I started out in Mountain Soupy. And of course, that's not a Rally Cross car for speed. It's a big, boaty, lifted, non-turbo, not fast car. But it was a lot of fun, and it gave me the opportunity to, you know, kind of push my comfort level, push my boundaries.

[00:12:09] The community is just amazing. Very supportive. And, you know, come as you are, come as who you are, and just have a good time. Of course, there's rules to abide by, but we all just have a great time. There's so many different kind of vehicles there. Anything you can kind of think of, they've had some of the most crazy kind of vehicles out there. Of course, there's a lot of Subarus. Oh, yeah. That's good.

[00:12:39] Yeah, that all-wheel drive, I'm sure, is very helpful in that. Yeah, it is. It is. So, I want to also kind of just, like, put out a little disclaimer here that, like, I'm not going to ask the typical questions that I do with my guests, only because you've been on here before. So, if anybody wants to go back and hear, like, you know, how you got interested in Subaru and what car you drive and all that kind of stuff, you can go back and listen to episode 104. But now, this is kind of like more of a catch-up episode.

[00:13:10] Yeah, sounds good. Yeah. So, what has been going on with Mountain Subi for the past two and a half years since you've had her? I know, we know you've participated in the Rebel Rally, but what have been, like, some of the significant things that have gone on with Mountain Subi as far as, like, upgrades or repairs or anything like that over the past couple of years? There's been quite a few changes over the past couple of years.

[00:13:39] Yeah, there's been quite a few changes over the past couple of years between, you know, stepping up into coilover suspension with RaceWorks, coilovers. That has really upped the off-road capabilities. Gosh, there's been so many different things. I did transmission re-gear.

[00:14:03] So, I don't have the fourth-gen Outback transmission in my car anymore. It's the CBT. We swapped in, I think it was the second vehicle that we know about that purposely swapped in a different-gen CBT, and it improved the gear ratios. So, it helps overcome some of the modifications that I've done with a car. Okay.

[00:14:29] So, I went from 3.9 gear ratio to 4.11 gears. That was one of the big things. And does that help a lot with the Rebel Rally and what you're doing out there? Or more of the fun aspect of what you do? Not specifically. It's more of the fun aspect. Okay.

[00:14:50] With the Rebel Rally, you can take a stock vehicle right off the showroom floor or right out of your driveway and do just fine on the Rebel. So, none of the things that I have done to my car are necessary besides, you know, skid plates and strong tires. Those two things are definitely a good idea to do.

[00:15:16] So, but yeah, there's been so much going on in my car. Just recently, I upgraded my lower control arms to 6th Gen Outback lower control arms. They have a better joint, and I was able to press in a TSS VAB spherical bearing, and that kind of takes care of all of the wear and tear on that rubber bushing.

[00:15:47] So, it provides a little bit better articulation and control, and it kind of widens my stance a little bit using the 6th Gen Outback arms. It's always nice having a wide stance. It looks so good. Yeah, yeah. And it helps the axle as well, so it's not so, you know, upset with me.

[00:16:14] I did just recently get an engine tune by PRE Tuning out of Oregon. That actually made a huge difference. And I was not expecting how much of a difference that was going to make, but they were able to go in there and tune the engine and everything so that it's a much smoother acceleration, better control.

[00:16:43] It's not choking on itself as much. And out of the three kind of vehicles that are in our wheelhouse here between the Crosstrek, the Impreza, and my car, I actually make the most horsepower, which is pretty cool. Very nice. I'm also the heaviest, so it kind of makes up for that. Yeah. Yeah, you've done a lot of stuff to it. But, you know, all good improvements, of course. Yep.

[00:17:11] Yes, definitely all good improvements. I'm absolutely loving the torque locker. Oh, yeah. That makes such a big difference. That combined with one of the biggest things that happened this winter was my center clutch packs wore out completely, so they were no longer engaging.

[00:17:38] Probably because I do so much off-roading, and it's an older car. But my center clutch packs wore out, and I was no longer sending power to the rear tires, the rear wheels. Oh. That could be problematic. Yeah, it was quite problematic. I found myself getting stuck in the weirdest places where I'd never thought it was possible to get stuck. Yeah. And that was because I was literally only front-wheel drive. Wow.

[00:18:06] I was trying to drag the back end around. So I did get those replaced, and it made a massive difference as well. That's good. The car is so much happier. So all of those things combined has made the car so capable. It's so much fun to go off-roading and push in the limits and able to get up obstacles that I couldn't get up before between the power and the transmission limitations

[00:18:36] and the clutch packs going out. You went through Hell's Hot Tub recently, which was really, really cool. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. It went through, it looked like, pretty easily, but was it pretty scary going down in there at that steep angle? Oh, gosh, yeah. When we got to the trailhead, I was really nervous. So probably some things that people don't really know.

[00:19:02] But, yeah, I still get nervous going to trails and tough things because I've seen some really yucky things happen, at least on social media, to vehicles on that trail and other trails. But, yeah, I was really nervous. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it, if I was going to get pulled out. It was during the middle of Easter Jeep Safari. So there were Jeeps and Broncos and Toyotas just everywhere.

[00:19:32] What is this Subaru doing here? What the heck? Yeah, ha-ha. These guys aren't going to get very far. Look what I did. But, yeah, we were able to make it through the full Hell's Revenge, all of Thins and Things, even some of the tough sections of Thins and Things. And I made it, like, maybe three-quarters of a mile

[00:20:01] to the top of Top of the World Trail. And I just ran out of front clearance and couldn't get up there. Yeah, clearance has always been an issue with Subarus, even when you cut bumpers and stuff. But they can still go so many places and do so many things that people don't realize. But, I mean, if anybody follows you and Milton, you can see you doing some pretty awesome stuff and going to some cool places.

[00:20:30] Yeah, it's a lot of fun. We love being able to take folks out to trails and these little obstacles that, you know, look really, really intimidating. And then showing them how their vehicle works and that they can actually get through these kinds of obstacles and how the all-wheel drive system, you know, will take them through there. It's a lot of fun. Yeah. So, and now you have the Impreza,

[00:21:00] which you've had for, it seems like, a little while. How has that build come along? And, like, what was the main purpose of that build? Oh, gosh. I think initially the main purpose of the build was to get Milton a replacement driver door. Because it's a silver car and he needed a new door. And it turned into, let's get a door to all kinds of stuff. Yeah.

[00:21:28] Ultimately, it was a wrecked vehicle. It was a wrecked Impreza that we, you know, straightened out the frame, did some welding on some things, built the engine up and put everything back together. And we wanted to run it as the Rallycross vehicle so that we would have a vehicle to share that was on our daily vehicle. Because sometimes what happens during Rallycross

[00:21:57] is when you're really hard on your car, sometimes things break. And it's no fun to have that Rallycross broken car as your, also as your daily and to try and get it back home from the event. So we were really enjoying doing Rallycross. So we decided we'd, you know, pitch in together and find a cheap wrecked car and, you know, put in some elbow grease and revive it from the dead.

[00:22:26] And now it's just, it's an absolute blast. That car is so much fun to drive. We've got the rear seats removed. So it's as light as possible. And it also has RaceWorks coilovers on from, I think it was ultimately from my car when I upgraded to a longer set.

[00:22:55] And it's been tuned as well. And just a ton of, ton of fun to drive around in. Yeah, I bet. I'm sure it's, I'm sure it's fun to get behind the wheel of that and just go, go have some fun. Yeah, you're going to be finding out here pretty soon, Raph. Oh yeah? All right. Okay. Yeah, well, we're going to have to get you behind the wheel when you come out here. I can do that. I can do that. Heck yeah. Yeah. I think we'll have to all take turns,

[00:23:23] me and my kids and my son-in-law. I think that would be fun. Yeah. Yep. Do you have any other mods coming up for Mountain Subie? Are you like good for now? Or are you just like constantly thinking of ways to improve and add stuff to her? Well, we're always, we're always thinking of things, ways to improve, you know, certain limitations.

[00:23:52] I think the last thing was, was those lower control arms in the front. But I think it's a, it's about time for me to check out reservoir coilovers. Um, I'm, I'm pretty hard on my car. Um, and there's often time like on the rebel and on, you know, off doing off road things very quickly and pushing the car hard, um, for like 10 hours a day in the heat.

[00:24:22] Um, so that kind, that level of driving can be really hard for, um, standard coilovers. Um, so I'm going to try out, um, some reservoirs and see how those go with the extra, you know, capacity for cooling and, and fluid transfer. Okay. Do you see yourself, I mean, you've had, what year is, is Mountain Subie again? 2014. And you've had her since when? Did you buy her? Brand new. Brand new? Okay.

[00:24:52] That's what I thought. Yeah. Do you see yourself just hanging on to her and just continuing to drive her for as long as you can? Or are you worried about being there? I mean, she's 11 years old now and she's, it's not like she's just an 11 year old daily driver. She's an 11 year old. She's seen a thing or two. Yeah. She's been through a lot and she's had a lot of changes and stuff. Do you, do you worry at some point that she's just going to be like, I've had enough? Yeah, definitely do. Do you feel that way?

[00:25:22] And I think that a lot of the, the, the work that I've done recently has made it a lot less impactful to drive and to kind of push those limits. Like I'm, I'm not having to use momentum as much. It's really letting a car work through obstacles. Um, and becoming a better driver, like more intuitive driving.

[00:25:52] Um, and that seat time is really, um, giving me the skills to be more, um, um, accurate with driving. So I'm not so hard on her. So I'm not like accidentally bashing into something that, that breaks it. Um, so yeah, of course I, I do worry that at some point she'll be like, I, yeah, I'm done. I'm tapping out. Yeah. But I hope, I hope, uh, a long time from now.

[00:26:22] It doesn't come too soon. Yeah. Yep. So with everything that you've been through, cause you've tackled some pretty challenging terrain over the course of her life with you, but what would you say has been, so I've got a few questions. What is, what has been the most challenging? Definitely, um, this last trip to Moab, um, I saw some of the most challenging trails, um, I've been on yet.

[00:26:49] Um, and the one was top of the world. Um, that's a rated, I think six to seven, uh, trail. And it, it's a really rough, it was really, really rough when we went through there. It was definitely been shooed up. Um, there are boulders everywhere. Um, you really had to pick your line. Um, and it was just like endless,

[00:27:18] bouncy, bumpy, rocky uphill. Ugh. Yeah. And, you know, at some point I, I would probably want to go back just to try and tackle that one obstacle with a little bit more, um, time on my hand to, to try and get up and over it. I didn't stack any rocks. I didn't use any bridging. Um, we were, we were chasing, um, the, both the sunlight,

[00:27:47] the sun was going down and a storm was coming in. So, um, I didn't want to waste any time trying to get up if I didn't. Yeah. I wasn't going to make it. So, but yeah, that was definitely, exactly. And the car at risk too. Yeah. Um, but, uh, yeah, we pushed on in Milton's car. Um, silver bullet XP, we pushed on his car. His, his cross track has a better front clearance.

[00:28:16] Um, so I have this big U brace that goes and hangs down in the front that, um, even with my high clearance bumper, it's, it's still down there and it still limits, um, the approach. So what is, that was definitely the toughest. All right. And what has been the most scary thing you've done? Um, I think the most scary was going into the big, big dunes at, um,

[00:28:47] down in Glamis. Um, with training, um, we kind of get into some medium sized dunes, um, but with my power limitations compared to the four by fours that I'm usually out there with, um, you know, I've always had to be more conservative. Um, but there was one night where I was invited to go up with, um, the Barlow adventures instructors, um, after, you know, the day of training

[00:29:16] to go up into the big, big dunes. And that was definitely, um, yeah, some very intimidating, scary stuff. Cause you know, the sun was going down, it was getting dark and, and I just didn't have a lot of power and I knew how, um, how big they were. They're huge. Um, so that was definitely scary. Um, I haven't really been in any, any situations where I felt, um, um,

[00:29:45] scared just because of a, you know, a potential rollover or getting stuck in, you know, a situation quite yet. Like I, I've been fortunate enough, um, not to have any rollovers or not to have any like, you know, big bad rescues. Um, but there's definitely the, the terrain that I, I have to, you know, have some healthy respect for. Yeah.

[00:30:14] What has been the most fun? It's along the same lines. Um, but the sand dunes, I just love the sand dunes, man. It's so much fun. Uh, getting out there and, and carving some rainbows on the side of the dune is just like, it's so much fun because you don't expect, um, you know, a car to be out there doing those kinds of things. Like you expect a sand, you know,

[00:30:42] sand rail or dune buggy or whatever, even cheaps. Um, but it's a lot of fun to, to be able to go out there and, and conquer some of that stuff and just like, you know, let loose a little and just go have some fun and do some donuts and see the sand, you know, spraying up behind you. It's just, it's a lot of fun. Well, look what I can do in my Subaru. Yeah. Yep. What is, um, sorry. Go ahead. I was just remembering, um,

[00:31:12] one of the other scary things, I guess, that, that happened was, um, I was on my way back from, from Washington to California and I, I went down the Oregon coast, um, and I was solo returning and decided to camp by myself in the sand dunes. You know, they have camping there. Um, and that, it was really quiet and, you know, people would go by and you just

[00:31:42] don't know you're out in the middle of nowhere. Um, and then going and exploring, um, afterwards, like the next morning, going and exploring the sand dunes was, it was intimidating, kind of, kind of scary. Like if I get stuck someplace, it's just me. Yeah. I'm all by myself. Um, you made it though. I guess that would be, yeah, made it. It was, it was definitely one of those, those situations where I was like, oh gosh, I was,

[00:32:11] I don't know if I would, if I would do that again, but. Yeah. That's one of my questions. Was there something that you may not consider ever doing again that you've done? Um, it'd probably be top of the world. Yeah. Yeah. I was between that one and fins and things. There's a section of the trail fins and things that, um, the rock is, is like a,

[00:32:39] a skinny kind of mohawk, like a fin. Um, and they stand up on side on their side and, and you've got to go over these like really sharp kind of. Like rocks. And it's just endless. Um, it's not enjoyable. It wasn't enjoyable in that car. Probably the tires are small. Um, when you're in a, a Jeep on forties, it's probably a lot less. Yeah. Um, jarring and annoying,

[00:33:09] but yeah. And what is something that you've done that you would, you just really, really enjoyed that you would just do over and over and over again? I have really enjoyed going to the Colorado passes. Um, it's just an absolutely gorgeous, um, area where you're just looking at, you know, these passes, the green, there, um, wildflowers everywhere. There's views for days and people out on trails all the time. So,

[00:33:39] um, yeah, I'd probably do that, that over and over again. Yeah. And if you can't tell, I like the sand days. Yeah. That's what I was thinking too. That might be your answer. So, uh, so I know, you know, you've competed in the rebel rally the past few years. Are there, are there things that you're going to be doing differently this year for the competition? Or is it pretty much going into it the same? No, this year, um, this year is actually quite different. Um, the, the first year,

[00:34:09] um, I signed up and didn't have a teammate for a while. And we, we ended up training a little bit together. The second year, um, we didn't have an opportunity to, to really do a lot of training together. And then my teammate, um, wasn't able to participate, um, and had to, to bow out of the competition, uh, one week before it started. So it was kind of a scramble. Um,

[00:34:39] and I found a great teammate, a good friend of mine, um, who just jumped in at the last minute. Um, so we didn't get a chance to train together, did quite well together. Um, um, and then the year after that, um, um, we weren't expecting to compete until a couple months before, um, and then kind of jumped in and tried to make it all work. And, um, um, um,

[00:35:07] so it's been like this cycle of not training and not really preparing for things. Um, and this last year, um, my teammate, Andrea and I, um, while we talk just about every day, um, um, she lives in Las Vegas and, um, I'm up here in the PMW. Um, we didn't have a chance to, to train it all together. Um, we didn't actually formally team up at all until, um,

[00:35:36] like September and the rebel is in October. Um, so the first time we got in a car together was when she flew up here and we drove directly to the start line, uh, for the rebel. Wow. Um, but this year is different. Um, very fortunate to have the opportunity to do some training and, and, uh, practicing with her. Um, so I'm actually off to, uh, Ridgecrest, um,

[00:36:05] in Southern California this weekend. Very nice. And, uh, yeah, we'll, we'll get some, some training and some practice in and shake off those cobwebs and, and get our, our heads back in the game. So this is your fifth year to compete, huh? Yeah. Fifth year. And that's pretty good for me. And, uh, the 10th year anniversary for the rally itself. Oh, very nice. That's cool. Yeah. I can't wait to see what they have in store. Oh, I'm sure they'll do something big.

[00:36:36] Yep. Yeah. Uh, so how are you, how excited are you to have, or to see another Subaru join the rebel rally? And of course I'm talking about Kathleen, all Trek. It's Yagi. Yeah, I love it. Um, she reached out, uh, I think in the fall or winter. Um, and just, I'm super stoked to see another Subaru, uh, joining in and, and getting out there to go kick some booty.

[00:37:05] Have you been like mentoring her or just like helping her to prepare for it and everything that you've learned? sure. So, yeah. How's that been going? Always happy to answer questions. And, you know, she's been doing, she's really been putting in the work, um, to do training and practicing and, and prepare. She's, she's a very driven lady. Um, she's, uh, she knows what she needs to do and she's really been, you know,

[00:37:34] putting in that work and it's super, super awesome to see her, um, getting, getting off there. So, um, you can't wait to be out there. Um, that'll be exciting. Yeah, definitely. There's only been one other time, um, one other year that I've competed, um, where there's been another Subaru, um, on course. Okay. And that was my first year. Um, so it'll be great to, Oh no, no, I'm so sorry.

[00:38:02] last year there was a Subaru as well. Um, and it was a white Outback. Nice. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that'll be fun. And, and, you know, y'all are friends too. So that makes it even better. So yeah, it's going to be great. And I think she's got a great teammate, uh, Jordan as well. So I think they'll make a good team. Yeah. Yeah. And you might, might see more than one other super out there too. Oh, okay. All right.

[00:38:32] That would be nice. So we talked some at Overland Expo West, but what do you look forward to most with the remaining events, with the remaining events and which ones are you going to be attending? Ah, with Overland Expo. Um, well, this, this, um, coming month will be PNW and that one's going to be, um, gosh, packed full of really cool things. Um, there's,

[00:39:01] uh, of course you'll be there doing podcasts and interviews and, um, there's going to be a lot of folks from, you know, PNW and just kind of the West coast that's coming up. Um, they've got a lot of, a lot of cool things, uh, planned for in the booth. There's Saturday night, be a party, um, in the booth itself. And, uh, Saturday morning, um, if y'all come out, um, you get a chance to see some of the, the puppies.

[00:39:31] Um, there's a rescue, um, that will be coming out into the booth, um, and doing an adoption event, which is super cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was overland expo West was fun. It was very, there's a lot of people there, a lot of vendors. And, uh, I know PNW is not as big, but I think it's still pretty big. So it'll be fun to, to get there and see that. And, uh, since I went out and saw some of the vendors at overland expo West,

[00:40:00] I might spend a little bit more time at the Subaru booth this time. Not that I didn't spend a lot of time last time, but it'll just be fun. there's, there's, um, you know, they definitely, the vendors definitely kind of mix it up. Um, they, they seem to, um, not all come to the same ones. So you might see some new vendors. Yeah. at the PNW one. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Cause there's, there's, uh, vendors that I've had on the podcast and I'm curious,

[00:40:30] do you know if there's a list of vendors somewhere? Yes. You can go online to overland expo. And then at the top, you can select, um, which event, um, you're looking at, and then they'll have a list of vendors. Okay. Nice. Take a look at. Yeah. I'll have to check it out and see who's going to be there. So there's, it's, it's going to be fun. Cause I'm going to get to see people again that I've seen before that I've met before,

[00:40:57] but then there's going to be people that I'm going to get to meet for the first time, which is going to be really cool. So I'm excited. That's always a lot of fun. Yeah. Yeah. And then I'm going out to the one in Virginia in October. Are you going to that one as well? I won't be going to the Virginia one. Um, that's in the middle of the rebel. Oh, that's right. Um, but I will be at Mountain West. Um, so we'll be kind of making the trek from here to, uh, Colorado for Mountain West. I think it's the end. Is it in August?

[00:41:26] I believe so. Yeah. It'd be in August. Yeah. I've considered going to that one. I still, I think it's still open for me to go, but I haven't, I haven't decided yet. So I'm trying to like keep an eye on my PTO. So that makes it a little tougher. Yeah. Yeah. The, Mountain West is, is less mountainy than it sounds. Um, but, uh, I definitely like PNW one. So I think you got,

[00:41:56] I think you selected a good one. Good. Good. So are there any other sorts of events or activities that you have participated in or will be participating in or partner with Subaru that you can talk about? Yeah. Yeah. Um, we'll be, um, teaching some seminars inside the Subaru booth during, um, during the expo. Um, so off-roading your Subaru, um,

[00:42:25] a number of different ones where we're working on kind of mixing some things up with some new, um, new presentations for the PNW one. Um, so that, that'll be a lot of fun. Um, let's see, there is, I believe a special area for, uh, Subaru campers at over on expo. Um, so I think they're, they're working on finalizing all of that and, um, yeah,

[00:42:55] just trying to lead some, some, uh, trail time and, and, you know, continue, you know, helping, helping out where I can and supporting where I can and, um, just spreading, spreading the love that is Subaru. Yep. Absolutely. Is there any other activities or stories you would like to share that maybe people don't know about or maybe missed on social media or something? Oh gosh.

[00:43:25] Um, well, as if you couldn't tell already, I'm a lady. Yeah. There's that whole thing. Yeah. Uh, not bra, not a dude, not brother. Um, a member of the, uh, the growing, um, community of, of lady, um, super drivers out here. So, um, yeah,

[00:43:53] I've got grown kids and yeah, got going through a lot of life changes and, um, gosh, I, I don't, I don't know what else to say. Well, I've got some questions for you in regards to that. Yeah. Cause this is the get to know the person behind the account segment. So who is Carrie as in describe yourself? Well, I guess you kind of did there a little bit, but if you want to elaborate more, you can, if not, that's good too. Um, let's see.

[00:44:21] I worked as a project manager for public works agency for 20 some odd years. Um, so I have a lot of project management, um, grant writing, um, public engagement, um, you know, background professionally. Um, my kids, like I said, are grown there. I have a son and a daughter. They're 20 and 22. Um, they're both, uh,

[00:44:50] going to school full time and, and working and, you know, doing the things that kids that age do. Um, very fortunate to have them up here with me. Um, that's been, that's always nice. Yeah. It's been a great time. Um, you know, getting to know them as adults. Oh yeah. I know that's interesting, isn't it? Just mom. Yeah. Cause my daughter's 24 and my son's 18. So it's, uh, you know, you,

[00:45:18] there's times when you miss them being little kids, but the relationship with them being an adult, it's so much different. And I really like it. So it's, it's a really cool time and experience. We definitely have the opportunity to kind of grow our, our relationship, relationships and, you know, they, they see mom not as just, you know, a parent, but more as a person. And, um, you know, I got, you know, my own faults and strengths.

[00:45:48] And, um, so it's, it's been really cool. That's good. What is the favorite memory from your childhood? Hmm. Favorite memory. I think back when I was little, little, um, my dad used to throw these, these, these really fun parties during the summer. Um, we lived in Barstow and believe it or not,

[00:46:17] I've been to Barstow. Yeah. It's, it's hot and dry and deserty, but, uh, my dad had, um, created this oasis, um, at this place we lived. And it was, it was a park. Um, there were these huge trees that provided so much shade. Um, flowers were everywhere. There was grass. It was just beautiful. Um, he also liked to, you know, share that space with,

[00:46:46] with his friends and let loose a little bit. But, um, he had built me a, uh, swing, a tree swing. And, um, I would swing on that thing until late at night. And this, I loved feeling that air in my hair and, you know, being able to pump up really high and just kind of be a fly on the wall to, you know,

[00:47:15] his socializing friends. Yeah. Um, so I think that's probably one of my favorite memories. That's nice. from back then. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Always, always had things going on outside, uh, during the summer. We, we were always, you know, driving to go camping and visit national parks and, um, go do, you know, things like whitewater rafting and, and, uh, hiking and,

[00:47:44] and stuff like that. So we were always very, um, very outdoorsy. And so that kind of makes sense. Yeah. With what you're doing now. Yeah. Yep. What is it that you do for a living? I did talk a little bit about that as a project manager. I'm a public works agency. And I'm hoping to grow, um, grow my, kind of, maybe it's more of transitioning or pivoting, um, um, my,

[00:48:14] my profession into the motor sports and automotive world. Um, and to, to do some more things that, um, I'm passionate about. Um, so training, um, um, you know, strengthening the community, addressing, you know, issues that, that the community deals with. Um, those are all kind of overlapping skills, but I would love to,

[00:48:41] to kind of pivot into this automotive world and, um, keep, keep working in, in the Subaru community and, and, uh, the rally community. So it's been, um, definitely a passion of mine. Um, and I want to keep doing it. So, so if there's, if you, if you could just snap your fingers and make it happen, what would your dream job be? Hmm. Sounds like you're kind of working towards something like that,

[00:49:11] but like, yeah, definitely working towards that. If there was like, just anything you wanted to do, just be your dream job, what would it be? Um, well, I would love to create, um, a program where, you know, folks in the all wheel drive community could, you know, gain, gain skills, um, for, you know, going off road, going camping,

[00:49:41] learning about their car, um, doing that for, you know, especially for women in the community to empower them to work on their own cars, to learn about how the car works. Um, those kinds of things I, I love doing. Um, and I love that it's, it has a purpose. It's not pushing paper. It's not, um, something that doesn't make a difference.

[00:50:08] I feel like those kinds of things that, that people have, you know, done for me in the past have made a big difference for me. And I would love to, um, you know, kind of pay that forward. Yeah. That's definitely something that I could see you really enjoying and being really good at. So, well, thank you. You're welcome. I would love for that opportunity to come along or to, uh, have someone, uh, you know,

[00:50:35] believe in that as being an important thing and, and help and grow that. Yep. Yeah. What is something that makes you want to get out of bed every day? Um, probably my chai. Yeah. Um, Hey, that's a good reason. Yes. Uh, definitely my kids, my kids, um, and, um, being able to get outdoors. Those are the things that I,

[00:51:05] I get out of bed for. Yeah. yeah. What's something that makes you want to stay in bed? Uh, gosh, um, having too much to do and not enough time. Yeah. Isn't that the case a lot? Yeah. Yeah. Um, I tend to, um, have a lot of ideas and a lot of things that I'm juggling. I,

[00:51:34] I juggle things pretty well. Um, but sometimes it gets, it gets a pretty overwhelming. Um, and yeah, sometimes I, I just gotta, you know, pull the covers over my head and try and take a nap and, um, you know, go at it when I'm, I'm feeling better. Yeah. Yeah. Try not to let those things get too overwhelming. That's good. Yeah. So I've had,

[00:52:02] I added two new questions to this whole thing. What is, yeah, I just thought of it like when I was coming up with your questions. What is something that really scares you? Something that really scares me is, it's usually things that are completely outside of my control. Um, I, I lost my mom when I was really young. Um, and that really scares me from my kids. Yeah. I,

[00:52:34] um, um, while I do push my comfort zone and my limits, I do it smartly. Um, and I do, I usually don't attempt anything unless I know it's going to be safe. Um, yeah, that's good. Cause I can kind of like predict how things would go. Right. Um, but things that scare me would be, you know, something I just don't have control over someone else's actions. Um, and, you know,

[00:53:04] it was really scary to think about leaving my kids behind suddenly. Yeah. So. That's understandable. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, there, there've been some folks that have, have asked like, Hey, when are you going to do stage rally? That's kind of like a natural progression from rally cross. Um, but, uh, that's definitely way outside my comfort zone at this point. Um, and I,

[00:53:33] I see that risk, um, being, being too great right now. Yeah. to try, to try that out. Yeah. I mean, Rianna and Jel-Semino has talked about it, but the reason she and her husband don't have kids is because they don't want to have kids because of the profession that they're in. They enjoy it so much, but they don't want to end up having kids and then like risk their lives and then leave their kids without a parent, you know, which makes sense, you know, but I mean,

[00:54:01] they're that passionate about it and they're having fun, but I totally get that. Yep. Yeah. It's definitely a, you know, different for every person. Um, of course, you know, there are hundreds of people that are out there, um, racing and stage rallying and that's amazing. Uh, but it's just not, not for me. Yeah. What is something that really excites you?

[00:54:32] Hmm. Just in general. Yeah. It really excites me. Hmm. Could be anything. Uh, being able to let loose and be funny and silly and, um, going on a trip and, you know, having, you know, the car packed and everything going. And I'm like super stoked that we're getting out exploring and meeting up with people. And, um, yeah, those are things that, that excite me is,

[00:55:02] you know, meeting people and, and sharing a passion and, um, sharing the knowledge and, and goofy stories and that sort of thing. It's just, it's a lot of fun. Yeah. I think for a lot of us, it's, uh, I would say that for many of us getting a chance to meet somebody for the first time, knowing that you're going to meet somebody for the first time, it's really, really exciting. Yeah. It'd definitely be exciting. Also sometimes intimidating.

[00:55:32] Yeah. I, uh, you know, as with, I think a lot of people, um, definitely have, you know, the imposter syndrome is, you know, I'm just a mom. Um, who am I? Um, I'm just a mom that's been out here, you know, doing things in my mom car. Um, and, and oftentimes I, I forget that there's people that watch, you know,

[00:55:59] my stories and the things that I share on social, media. Um, sometimes it takes me back like, Oh gosh, wait, how'd you know about that? Oh, yeah. Oh, that's how, yeah. Yeah. Cause to me, I'm just living my everyday boring life. Um, I get that paying bills and, um, you know, doing dishes and all the, all the adulting things. Um, so sometimes it's,

[00:56:27] it's great to be able to let loose and, and not adult so much. Oh yeah. Yeah. What would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything? Don't let yourself hold you back. Yeah. That's huge. Don't let yourself hold you back. Um, go out and do it, learn about it, mess up, do it again,

[00:56:58] learn more. Just because you mess up doesn't mean you failed. That means, Hey, you have this opportunity to learn. Um, and you get to choose if you want to continue on and learn and do something better. Um, I fail all the time. I'm, I doubt myself all the time, but also I am fortunate enough to be around people that push my limits, like push my comfort zone, um, in a healthy way. And, um,

[00:57:28] yeah, don't, don't let yourself hold you, hold you back. Yeah. It's, I mean, especially if there's something that you're wanting to learn, but you're kind of intimidated or a little bit worried about not doing it good. Or like you try something for the first time and you don't do it really well. And you're like, Oh, I just suck. But one of the things that I used to tell, we all suck, man. Yeah. Well, I mean, one of the things that I used to tell my son when he was little is like, if he was trying something new and like,

[00:57:57] he tried it like one or two times and he didn't do a good job or something. I would say, remember when you first started doing this other thing and now you're really good at it. It's because you kept trying it over and over again. You kept doing it and then you got better and better and better. And now you're really good at it. So this other thing, you're going to get really good at it too. You just have to keep practicing and keep doing it. And so, you know, I would just,

[00:58:25] I would try to like put that mentality in his head of like, you're going to get better at it. You just have to keep practicing. You'll be good at this the way you were good at this other thing. Yeah. And, you know, I, I held myself back, um, from doing things that made me uncomfortable. Um, and after my first rebel, just the experience with the people, um, the competitors, the, the rally staff, people who supported,

[00:58:55] um, the rally. Um, you know, I, I made kind of made a pact with myself that I needed to do things. Um, I needed to become more comfortable doing things that made me uncomfortable. Um, because if I'm just saying no all the time to things that would make me uncomfortable, I'm not growing. Um, um, and I wanted to grow and I wanted to learn and, and, um, I wanted to keep moving forward and not be stagnant in life. Yep.

[00:59:25] It's very true. Yeah. Is there anything else you wanted to say before we hop off of here? Um, gosh, I'm not sure. Um, but yeah, I guess, I guess if anyone ever has questions and wants to reach out and just like, please do, um, don't, don't be afraid. Don't think that I don't have the time to, to talk to folks. I love it. Um,

[00:59:55] I love being able to share things and carry is very nice and help, help people out. So, yeah. Well, thanks for hopping on the mic again. And, uh, a hundred episodes later. Woo hoo. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, there is one thing. Um, you, if, if y'all watch the rebel this year, you might, uh, see something a little different. Um, um, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna let you know what the difference is,

[01:00:24] but you'll see it pretty, pretty quickly. There's two things. Difference with you and mountain. Mountain Subie or just in general. Okay. As the team. Yeah. Gotcha. So stay tuned for some announcements and, and, uh, not too distant future. All right. Sounds good. Well, thanks again. Yeah. Thank you for having me on, Raph. You're welcome. We'll talk to you later. And I'll see you at Overland Expo PNW.

[01:00:53] I'll see you in a few weeks. All right. All right. Bye. Take care. Bye. Bye. Hello again, everybody. Thanks. Thanks. You. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for supporting. Always appreciate it. So, uh, again,

[01:01:23] I will be at P or Overland Expo PNW in a few weeks. So if you're able to make it out there, I really look forward to seeing you either again or meeting you for the first time. And, uh, it's going to be a great event. So I'm going to have my kids there as well. So that's going to be fun too. We're mixing in our vacation with Overland Expo PNW. So thanks again. Hope you all have a great week and we will see you next Monday.

[01:01:53] Much Subi love. Raph. The Subi and You 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 Subi and You podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many more. To support the podcast,

[01:02:20] please head over to patreon.com slash subi and you podcast. 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 subi and you podcast online at subi and you podcast.com or by email subi and you podcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.