spanky_pete Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Ok sit back and relax this is a bit long… Pics at the bottom... How far will someone go to feed an addiction? How about 850 miles, all the way from Washington to Rexburg, Idaho and back again. For what? An ’85 4x4 Hatch that I found through the board. The one that boobaru was trying to sell. Having struck out finding one that met my criteria closer to home I convinced my very pregnant wife to make the trip with me, after promising to let her visit family in Boise on way of course. So, we loaded up with tools and the parts the Hatch would need to make the trip home and away we went in my ’04 WRX. Not long after getting onto I-84 in Oregon our trip was blessed with a amazing speed trap to follow. A Viper GTS-R going 85+. (105 in one stretch.) We stuck with him for most of trip through Oregon before we had to make a Gas and Food stop. Too bad, it was so sweet listening to stomp on it when passing slow moving semis. J We made great time getting to Boise and decided to get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. The next day, half way to Rexburg, we drove into a monsoon. Visibility was none and the wind was so strong I had to pry tumbleweeds out of the hoodscoop when we finally got through it. After that it was dry and clear the rest of the way out there. Unfortunately, as soon as I got out of the car to look the Hatch over the storm caught up with us. There’s nothing quite like installing an alternator in a downpour to make a 5 minute job take an hour. Something I totally wasn’t prepared for was the fact that in Idaho the license plates are not issued to the car but the person registering it. Weird. It was too late that day to get a trip pass so we decided to make a go for it with no plates on the car. We were only going about 300 miles back to Boise, and hadn’t seen a cop our entire trip thus far. Wouldn’t you know it, ONE exit away from where we were headed I looked in the rear view expecting to see my wife in the WRX. Instead, there was the tell-tale headlights and pushbar of a Crown Vic. Cruiser. A second later, on went his lights. I thought for sure we were screwed. No title, my insurance card was with the wife and no plates. On top of that, he tells me I was doing 82. I guess the speedo is a bit off. lol As it turns out, the Trooper was totally cool about the whole thing. I gave him my license and explained that I didn’t know about the difference in how plates were handled until it was too late to do anything about it. Once he found out where we were headed he sent us on our way with a warning to watch our speed. He also said we should get a trip permit before we go too much further. Sweet We spent a few hours in Boise with family until we decide to try our luck and head back out on the road. This time I watched my speed a bit closer and prayed for no more cops. J Luck was with us and we made it to Baker City in Oregon to rest and prep for the last 500 miles of our trip. Monday morning we were on our way again. Still no plates or permit, this time driving in the daylight. :0 By the time we got to Pendleton I couldn’t stand the shaking from the steering wheel any longer. (Tyler had warned me it needed to have its tires balanced.) That and I was afraid it was going to start raining again, and the Hatch was running on bald tires. We hit a Walmart and picked up a set of 185/80/13 Douglas Xtrac All Seasons. ( I run a set on my Wagon, they’re cheap and work pretty well) Wouldn’t you know it, one of the rims was “just a little bent”. Or so the Tire Tech said as he beat it with a hammer to get the bead to seal. :\ With new tires and a bit of comic relief out of the way we headed out to make one final push for Washington. We didn’t see another cop until we hit Vancouver for gas. I pulled out of the station right in front of him, and despite following me for at least a mile he never pulled me over. Go Figure. We made it home without any further excitement. All in all, an excellent little adventure. But I did learn a few things along the way. Check licensing laws in the state you’re heading to BEFORE you leave. If the keys don’t work trying pulling them half out of the ignition. (No clue on that one) Broke down seats without any foam will beat your rump roast until it feels like you’ve been staying in a Federal Prison. The WalMart in Pendleton has a really hot redhead working in their Tire Lube Express. Eight month pregnant wives don’t like you pointing out the above info to them later. You can never drive too far to feed your addiction. BTW, thanks Tyler, if you’re ever out this way look me up. I’ll show you some good trails. Ok still with me? Here are the pics. http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/Downpour1.jpg http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/Downpour2.jpg http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/RestStop1.jpg http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/RestStop2.jpg http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/HatchLeft.jpg http://twistednipple.com/cars/IdahoTrip/HatchRight.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Cool story, well told. Don't feel alone in your addiction. I've sold soobs to people from far away. I've sent lifted Soobs to Texas, Idaho, Idaho, Utah and L.A. and back. I'm about to send my lifted 86 hatch to Colorado. Don't ask me to tell you about the 86 hatch I just bought, you'll hate me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMeatWagon Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 nice lookin hatch, well worth the trip. Sounds like a real adventure. cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 well i just about had the same trip but shorter , a 5hr trip took 13 hrs , truck problems , tornado's and no lights on the trailer , for a 88 single range xt4 turbo with a blown headgasket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAP Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 you're wife must be a gem. She probably had cabin fever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky_pete Posted August 26, 2004 Author Share Posted August 26, 2004 Let's just say I owe the wife big on this one. It was not a very comfortable trip for her. :-\ Even if she got to drive the WRX. Don't let the pics fool you, it's a Utah car and has some serious rust issues in the underbody. Still, I've put almost 1k miles on it now, not bad for a parts car. When(if) the weather clears up I've got a lift kit and a really clean little 2wd Hatch I'm going to part it all into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boobaru Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I'm glad that everything ended up going ok for you. That weekend i spent with my family in logan Utah, telling me how stupid I was to 1. drive the car up to Idaho for you and 2. trust you to leave the money in the mailbox. just goes to show, somebody who is willing to drive 1700 miles for an old subaru isn't only trustworthy, they're family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 man you shoulda said you were comin through and I coulda helped out a lil bit if you needed any like a couple wheels and such so you could not worry about the bent one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky_pete Posted August 27, 2004 Author Share Posted August 27, 2004 man you shoulda said you were comin through and I coulda helped out a lil bit if you needed any like a couple wheels and such so you could not worry about the bent oneI totally meant to do a "Hey I'm headed to Idaho" thread, but in the excitement to get on the road I spaced it out. Tyler, I'm soo glad the money was still there when you arrived, my wife was sure someone was going to take it. We really appreciate the amount of trust you put in us on this. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the sucker king Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 great story. any pics of the redhead? those wagon wheels, are they painted silver or are they chrome? i can't believe you drove that far w/out plates. when i was 21 i drove from CO to NY on a motorcycle w/out a motorcycle liscense! day 2 in NY i'm busted and held on outstandindg warrents. my son was in the womb at the time back in CO. that trip didn't end as good as yours. nice looking hatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky_pete Posted August 31, 2004 Author Share Posted August 31, 2004 They're painted, 3 silver, 1 black. I'll probably shoot them all black once I replace the bent one. I can't believe we made it either. Won't try it again anytime though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDirtyRue Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Broke down seats without any foam will beat your rump roast until it feels like you’ve been staying in a Federal Prison LMAO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 oh yeah I forgot to mention that the ignition switch problem you have I also have lol and if your not careful the key falls out while halfway through the course on rallyX LOL but I have a replacement I just need to get the rest of the stuff so I can install it and a few other things at the same time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky_pete Posted September 5, 2004 Author Share Posted September 5, 2004 oh yeah I forgot to mention that the ignition switch problem you have I also have lol and if your not careful the key falls out while halfway through the course on rallyX LOL but I have a replacement I just need to get the rest of the stuff so I can install it and a few other things at the same time I've gotten used to it now, I'll probably leave it as it is. On my '84 the ignition is so sloppy the keys fall out all the time. I lost them once on a logging road because it bounced out and fell out where the shifter boot had been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.