"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
Blackdawg
Dr. Frankenstein
Great photos Tom! Lots of good stuff. I am so ready for freaking summer already. Done with this snow..
Also, interesting choice with the swaybar. Be that won't last long though
while yes it will be great on the road, it'll make any time you hit a bump a not fun experience. Least not compared to what you're used to now.
I say do Long travel for more all around stability works great!
Also, interesting choice with the swaybar. Be that won't last long though
while yes it will be great on the road, it'll make any time you hit a bump a not fun experience. Least not compared to what you're used to now. I say do Long travel for more all around stability
works great!
07BlackSpecV
Adventurer
Whoa, congrats man. I also would just like to say that after seeing all your trip reports together...living in Ohio sucks so bad. Keep living it up!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Hey thanks!
Not quite perfect, but getting in the neighborhood. There's a few things I'd change if I could do it all over again, but for the most part the whole thing would be extremely similar. I'm always refining though.
Best of luck in your search and thanks for reading!
Thanks man!
Haha it's taking forever if I'm being honest. I've got lots of stuff on my plate right now and I'm just trying to get my truck back. Hopefully not too much longer.
Thanks Josh! I'm sure he's gonna be an awesome adventure partner.
Haha I saw another, bright red one, a few months later. Guy driving it kept offering me sandwiches.....
Great photos Tom! Lots of good stuff. I am so ready for freaking summer already. Done with this snow..
Also, interesting choice with the swaybar. Be that won't last long though
I say do Long travel for more all around stability
You and me both, brother. I just want warm weather and my freakin' truck back.
We'll see how it goes with the sway bar. I'm about $100 into it, so it's no great loss if I decide against it. But there's several guys in Xterras and Frontiers with similar setups that like it, so hopefully it'll suit my needs well. If not, oh well. I can probably sell the end links and bushings to recoup some of the losses.
Haha your constant efforts to make me spend more money.....
Thanks!
Lights aren't wired in yet, but they'll be wired to a switch. I do a lot of driving in town, so I don't want to blind anyone parallel parking.
Thanks man!
Thanks EJ! Excited to meet him.
Haha thanks man! We're excited.
Haha I'm gonna do my best. Some special runs in store for the summer if everything goes well. Just have to get Lola back on the road, and that's got me feeling a bit down right now. It's taken entirely too long.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Ahh, Polebridge. In all honesty, Polebridge is one of the coolest places I've ever been in Montana. This town, located a short drive from the northwest entrance to Glacier National Park, is completely off the grid, being run entirely from generators. Getting there entails a potholed dirt road that makes you feel like you're driving clean off the map. Only a few miles from the Canadian border and a closed border crossing post, Polebridge is home to a few scattered houses, a bar, and a mercantile store. The Polebridge Mercantile Store, known as "The Merc," has beens tanding on that spot for over 100 years. Not only do they provide snacks and general tourist bric-a-brac, but the Merc is home to one of the most delicious bakeries in northwestern Montana. If you ever go there, take my advice and get some of the pastries.
The scenery there is truly stunning. The town sits in a bowl between the continental divide and the Whitefish Mountains.
We picked up some sandwiches and pastries from the Merc, and sat down to watch the sun go down.
Next to the Merc is a beach volleyball court, complete with sand. Kids were running left and right and the sound of laughter was everywhere. From next to the volleyball net came the sounds of live music at the Northern Lights Saloon, who were serving some killer dinner judging by the menu.
The fuel tank outside is littered with stickers from other travelers.
Truly, Polebridge is a little slice of heaven on earth. The pace is slow, the mood is merry, and the views are unbeatable. If you're ever up by Glacier, GO.
After our dinner we went back to Seeley.
The next day of our trip, my dad and I flew his plane out to the Schafer Meadows Ranger Station in the middle of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This airfield is one of a handful in the Bob, and is only accessible by plane, horse, or foot. It's a really astonishing place. The flight in is awesome.
The smoke from nearby fires was limiting visibility and making everything "moody."
Here's the approach to the airfield, ********** dab in the middle of nowhere.
Final approach requires you to skim the treetops and drop in quickly just after the treeline, as the field is in a bowl.
Watching landings here is a pretty cool experience.
Every year, there is a fly-in to maintain the airstrip. My parents have been attending for many years, and much of their handiwork is evident in the nearby campground.
The scenery there is truly stunning. The town sits in a bowl between the continental divide and the Whitefish Mountains.
We picked up some sandwiches and pastries from the Merc, and sat down to watch the sun go down.
Next to the Merc is a beach volleyball court, complete with sand. Kids were running left and right and the sound of laughter was everywhere. From next to the volleyball net came the sounds of live music at the Northern Lights Saloon, who were serving some killer dinner judging by the menu.
The fuel tank outside is littered with stickers from other travelers.
Truly, Polebridge is a little slice of heaven on earth. The pace is slow, the mood is merry, and the views are unbeatable. If you're ever up by Glacier, GO.
After our dinner we went back to Seeley.
The next day of our trip, my dad and I flew his plane out to the Schafer Meadows Ranger Station in the middle of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This airfield is one of a handful in the Bob, and is only accessible by plane, horse, or foot. It's a really astonishing place. The flight in is awesome.
The smoke from nearby fires was limiting visibility and making everything "moody."
Here's the approach to the airfield, ********** dab in the middle of nowhere.
Final approach requires you to skim the treetops and drop in quickly just after the treeline, as the field is in a bowl.
Watching landings here is a pretty cool experience.
Every year, there is a fly-in to maintain the airstrip. My parents have been attending for many years, and much of their handiwork is evident in the nearby campground.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
We took a short walk to the nearby river. Lots of grouse running around on the ground.
We took a look around the manned ranger station. The gal from the forest service was very welcoming and offered us a tour.
As you can see, you're really far from anywhere here.
The old ranger station is super cool.
We filled out the guestbook and were on our way.
But not before we said hi to some local wildlife.
The flight back was great, but a little smoky.
On the way back, we investigated a fire that had started the night before. This thin column of smoke started out as 1/4 of an acre atop a thin line of foothills known as Rice Ridge.
Eventually, this little plume of smoke exploded into the 160,000 acre monster that would be known as the Rice Ridge Fire. This fire became the most dangerous in the state and displaced the majority of the town, including my parents, from their homes. The fire made several runs into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and many more toward the town. From July to October, the town was under siege and a thick layer of smoke. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the fire crews, the town was saved. The photos below are not mine, but are good representations of the fire.
The blaze came within two miles of my parents' house. This view from above shows the situation they faced. Their home is at the south end of the Seeley Lake Airport. The fire is approaching from the north end.
The fire even required the world's largest air tanker, a converted McDonnell Douglas DC-10 capable of carrying 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. This tanker was making several runs a day, while a cadre of smaller Canadair CL-215 "Scoopers" had shut down the lake with round-the-clock dipping and dumping on the fire for weeks. Here's the DC-10 in action on the Rice Ridge Fire.
That fire was an enormous source of stress and danger for my family throughout this summer. Luckily everything survived unscathed, again thanks to the efforts of the relentless fire crews. Without them, Seeley would have been wiped off the map.
Just as that was heating up, I had another trip planned to tackle the Morrison Jeep Trail in northern Wyoming. Little did we all know the drama that would turn out to be.
We took a look around the manned ranger station. The gal from the forest service was very welcoming and offered us a tour.
As you can see, you're really far from anywhere here.
The old ranger station is super cool.
We filled out the guestbook and were on our way.
But not before we said hi to some local wildlife.
The flight back was great, but a little smoky.
On the way back, we investigated a fire that had started the night before. This thin column of smoke started out as 1/4 of an acre atop a thin line of foothills known as Rice Ridge.
Eventually, this little plume of smoke exploded into the 160,000 acre monster that would be known as the Rice Ridge Fire. This fire became the most dangerous in the state and displaced the majority of the town, including my parents, from their homes. The fire made several runs into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and many more toward the town. From July to October, the town was under siege and a thick layer of smoke. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the fire crews, the town was saved. The photos below are not mine, but are good representations of the fire.
The blaze came within two miles of my parents' house. This view from above shows the situation they faced. Their home is at the south end of the Seeley Lake Airport. The fire is approaching from the north end.
The fire even required the world's largest air tanker, a converted McDonnell Douglas DC-10 capable of carrying 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. This tanker was making several runs a day, while a cadre of smaller Canadair CL-215 "Scoopers" had shut down the lake with round-the-clock dipping and dumping on the fire for weeks. Here's the DC-10 in action on the Rice Ridge Fire.
That fire was an enormous source of stress and danger for my family throughout this summer. Luckily everything survived unscathed, again thanks to the efforts of the relentless fire crews. Without them, Seeley would have been wiped off the map.
Just as that was heating up, I had another trip planned to tackle the Morrison Jeep Trail in northern Wyoming. Little did we all know the drama that would turn out to be.
njtacoma
Explorer
CONGRATS on the coming Baby!
I thought those pictures of the independence trail, and the background of the camp pictures looked familiar. My family and I have spent some time along their at a different camp, Clydehurst. I love visiting the boulder field along the river.
That is a beautiful area, I never did the independence trail, but heard stories from the counselors who would travel up on their days off.
I thought those pictures of the independence trail, and the background of the camp pictures looked familiar. My family and I have spent some time along their at a different camp, Clydehurst. I love visiting the boulder field along the river.
That is a beautiful area, I never did the independence trail, but heard stories from the counselors who would travel up on their days off.
justbecause
perpetually lost
I remember reading about a young man who survived a single engine plane crash and then learned to catch/eat grouse.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks!
We pass Clydehurst on the way in! Looks like a neat place. The other main camp there, Camp-on-the-Boulder, is closing down. I think 2017 was their last summer. Sad really.
Independence is stunning. It's my favorite trail I've ever done. I just love the Boulder River Valley. So much great stuff there.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Ha, probably very possible. They let you get stupidly close. They're not like pheasants, who will fly up at any provocation.
My dad carries a DeLorme InReach PLB and an emergency survival kit with food and water, just in case. Lot of wilderness out there.