Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

I just finished reading a short article in the online edition of the National Geographic Adventure Magazine titled The Vanishing Vacation: Why You Need a Break and it got me thinking of some of the people I see all around me on a daily basis.

I see people who almost never take time away from work. At the most, they may only take an extended weekend. I don’t get it. What is behind this obsession to work so much and not take some time away?

In the United States, unlike in most developed countries around the world, vacation time is not guaranteed in most jobs. If it is made available, it’s rather limited or there are pressures in workplace that make you believe that you can’t take the time away from work. This is not healthy.
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Most of you with a c-clip rear axle knows what happens if you ever break a rear axle shaft. If you don’t know, just remember that most likely you’ll be leaving your vehicle near the location you broke your rear axle.

Now there is a tool that may help you limp off the trail and to a more accessible location. Its called the Broken Axle Tool (very fitting name indeed) and it’s available on the web from Off Road Trail Tools for $109.95.

I’ve never physically laid eyes on the tool or read a review on its use, but if the idea works as well as it sounds, this would be a great addition to your recovery gear. Now if I only had a full floating rear axle in my Land Cruiser.

Since I’ve had my Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser, I’ve only had to deal with a few electrical issues, the Center Diff Lock, the Window Actuator Motor and the Fusible Links from the battery. The first prevented the transfer case to lock up in four wheel drive, the second prevented the window from rolling up, and the third prevented the engine from starting.

Now that I’m a year into the ownership of the Land Cruiser, I’m onto my fourth wiring issue. The engine will simply not start. It started last Thursday when I made a run over to the Cle Elum River near Salmon la Sac. I had one episode where it would not start for about two or three minutes and then it started up fine for the the rest of the trip. On Saturday, it happened again, this time in the grocery store parking lot. This time it would not start until after about ten minutes of trying. Finally, this morning (Monday) when getting ready to leave from work, the little tractor motor would only spin and would not fire up. Of course, this was accompanied by record rainfall in Western Washington. Perfect timing.
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Over on the Toyota Open Road Blog, there is an article titled Thoughts on Fuel Economy: How to Stretch a Gallon of Gasoline. The article discusses strategies on getting the most mileage out a gallon of gasoline.

Considering that the vehicles most of us tend to drive are not the most fuel efficient once we add the needed gear and accessories to enjoy our adventures, there are some useful tips that can help us extend the range between fill ups of fuel.

The number one method to increase your fuel mileage is by slowing down.

“Aerodynamic drag, a by-product of speed, costs fuel to overcome. The amount of drag your vehicle generates is not linear – it does not increase at the same rate as your vehicle’s speed does. Instead, drag is more or less proportional to the square of speed. It increases exponentially.”

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On Thursday, I made a run into in Salmon la Sac area just north of Roslyn, Washington off the Cle Elum River. My intentions for the trip was for a scouting trip for the upcoming Christmas tree run on 12.08.07. But of course with fresh snow on the ground, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some snow photographs. There is definitely a learning curve when shooting photos in the snow.

On the way home, I drove a few back roads instead of driving I-90 all the way home. There are a few addition photos of other areas also.

To see all of the photos I shot that day, visit Cle Elum River & Area 11.29.07.