As some of you know on a whim I decided to surprise my girlfriend and take her to Colorado for New Years. After about five minutes of debate and looking for an adventure I opted to drive my wrx. Before leaving I told Sarah she could opt out and we could go somewhere else due to the nasty storm lingering in Nebraska and Colorado. However, she laughed and said we're going!! We left here on Saturday with heavy rains from Minnesota through Iowa and into Nebraska. At a rest area just outside Omaha, Nebraska Sarah and I observed a weather map showing the storm directly in our path. I asked her is she wanted to turn around and she again laughed and said no. (She had NO clue what she was getting herself into) Within 20 miles of our stop at the rest area I had my cruise set at 85 mph and all was well until I noticed cars on the east bound I-80 lanes were creeping along at 10-15mph. I instantly knew we hit the storm. I tapped my brakes and realized I was on glare ice. I was able to slow the car down to a manageable 10-20mph and slowly made our way to the next exit about 10 miles up the road. (do the math, 10 miles, 10mph...not fun) The heavy rain didn't stop, it only intensified. By the time we arrived at the next exit there was a solid two to three inches of glare ice everywhere. Yes, 2-3 inches thick! Within that first hour in the storm we already counted 20 plus cars in the ditch. Stopping at the next exit we found ourselves trapped. The roads off the highway were blocked by downed power lines and the town was completely without power. We had no choice but the either sit there or move on. Knowing we were driving a Subaru I decided to trudge on. The storm continued and turned to Snow by the time we arrived in York Nebraska (1/4 way in to the state). Now we were dealing with heavy snow and white out conditions on top of all the ice. The number of cars and semi trucks in the ditch started to mount. We gave up counting when we hit the 200 mark. There were smashed and turned over cars, rolled semi trucks, and people crawling out of the ditches with every blink of the eye. However, stopping to help was out of the question....because you couldn't stop the car....it was just that bad. We finally pulled off at some small town near Grand Island so we could take a break. I slept for 1 hour and woke up to the continued terror...more snow...more ice. Unfortunately at this point there was NO turning back. We decided to continue towards Colorado. The same story played itself over and over until we finally arrived in Gothenburg Nebraska where we stopped for gas. While pumping gas the announcement came on telling all drivers that the I-80 east of town was closed for over 100+ miles. WE JUST CAME FROM THERE!!!! Yikes! Once we hit Colorado it was sunny and roads were manageable. The rest of the driving experience was uneventful. I will actually pat myself on the back for some excellent driving and kick myself in the ass at the same time for trying something so dangerous. My car performed excellent and the combination of snow tires with Subaru's AWD saved our ass countless times. I have driven hundreds of miles through countless winter storms & blizzards in the mountains and I have never seen anything like this!!! The ICE picture we will see is from the way back. Attached our some pictures from our trip...too bad we were too pre-occupied to take pics during the storm.
I just got back from summit county on the 30th. We were driving the opposite way through those same conditions. It took us 8 hours to drive from dillion to denver on I-70. Not fun.
sounds pretty crazy. glad you're safe last time i was in grand island there was a huge tornado that kept us off the road
winter set-up. stock painted wheels and stock trunk. the grocery cart wing will go back on in the spring along with my summer wheels
why not make this an annual endurance event...? j/k. i've been thru some rough weather in my WRX......and I can tell you that, the car was the only thing that kept me safe......thru rain, snow, ice, sleet, winds.........you name it. A BIG thank you to the folks at SUBARU for making such a superb car. I felt safer than every other driver out there......although I did drive slower than everybody else. Last christmas/new years....drove to Tulsa, OK. I heard reports of a snow storm / ice storm coming our way in Southern MN and Northern Iowa. Stupid me.....went ahead with the trip..............there was a slick coat of ice and snow on the highway for a good 75 miles. All of this talk of snow storm brings me to another thing. I just watched "An Inconvenient Truth".........you know, the new movie with Al Gore talking about Global Warming. It really opened up my eyes........and I have a much deeper appreciation for the guy...........one day in the future, he will be remembered as like a Jimmy Carter type fellow..........who did many things for the good of mankind. Watch it if you haven't seen it. By the way, glad you're safe and sound.
hey actually your subaru can get 700hp on stock internals and turbo adn injectors.... hey if you believe anything Al Gore says you would believe what i just posted.... oh and ya better make sure your cats are back on the car... if not you are part of the problem he craps on about!!! this shirt shows the biggest INCONVENIENT truth for Al Gore!!!
There is absolutely no corellation between combustion engine internals, horsepower and global warming........besides the fact that it is major contributor to the problem. For a guy who works on cars for a living.......it seems you should know more about that than anyone......that is what you really do, right? And yes, I do have my cats on.
nope I sit on the internet and make fun of you... ha ha ha and if that is the case then the hippies and others need to lighten up on the regulations regarding pollution from exhausts and stuff of all the SUV's etc etc and the ozone layer... just cause I OWN... operating word OWN a car business, doesnt mean I know everything about them, that is the point of hiring QUALIFIED technicians... unlike some people on here who claim to know everything but don't... besides I wouldnt be too much of a smartass to someone who you are trying to get work done super cheap through... cause he may not care if you do or not... ha ha ask most known members on here... I am the first one to say I dont know if I dont know... and I also like to stir people up.. so lighten up, eat some more grass and hug a tree.... (that was a joke) in case you MISSED IT!!!
I've made it in 12 hours from eden prairie to denver. in the summer, at night, alone. typically it takes me 13.5-14 hours with one sit down food stop. nebraska is one state that usually allows you to speed. colorado and nebraska speed limits are 75, so 90-100 is common.
It took me 12 hours from Iowa (2 hours south of here) to get to vail. So depending on where you want to go I'd say 10-12 hrs from here.
10 hours would be a feat unless you average 95-100, which would actually mean you're probably hitting 110-115mph 99% of the time to make up for the time spent on gas stops.
I don't work much on cars, and I don't claim to know too much either.....that is why I am here asking questions and looking for help. And I was not lowballing your services or the AP (yeah, I saw that thread). I was negociating your after-hours special. I can re-send you the PM you sent me to clarify, but it would not matter b/c there are others willing to help out a fellow Subaru owner for $. Obviously your business is not doing too well for ....ahem...an owner such as yourself to seek after-hours extra cash. Sorry dude, but I heard a lot of good things about you..........but maybe I am getting the wrong impression. Don't worry, no harm done here.
no probs man... I aint getting into a pissing match with you, and I was not talking about you as the person who thinks they know everything.. I said SOME people... and there was other people that offered less than you for the AP, actually yours wasnt too bad just $60 odd dollars less then asking..., but I aint gonna sit there and call everyone out online by name... you can get personal about my business if you want I dont care..(I have one - do YOU?) Just never ask me to help you... I aint interested... Many people are taking my offers, and ARENT NEGOTIATING.. which when prices are half the normal price it then becomes LOWBALLING!!! whatever... you may have heard good things.. thats nice cause I try to take care of those who I work with, those who are jerks or try to insult me I dont bother with... hence this is the last reply to your dribble... and the reason I (me) personally am making money after hours for my trip, is when you have a 2 yr old auto business (worst industry to be in to MAKE money) is I have INVESTED 1.5Million into starting it... so yeah I dont have extra cash floating around to piss away.... You know owning a house, a car, a BUSINESS, and various other toys, and having a wife and 3 KIDS, I have other priorities, like making sure my business is successful... and my kids are fed... add to that a mth trip to AUstralia for 5 people.. at roughly $2500 / ticket + accomodation and spending money while there... do the math einstein... hence I am scraping together what I can and HELPING fellow club members, maintain and fix their rides, while allowing them to hangout and be involved.... you dont want to pay half price for maintenance services (without negotiating as you put it) and then assume to tell me my business sucks... get a life mate... 3rd year is the break point, we are starting it and still going... what are you doing??? You can assume what you want about me.. that makes an ass-out of -U not ME... what it boils down too... I dont care for your money, its never about that for me,(its nice to get a little) but if someone 'NEGOTIATES' something that I have already QOUTED prices for at 1/2 retail, then presumes to try to criticise me for saying 'not likely' cause it aint worth my time then thats your perogitive... just so you know.. never meant no harm, or insult... yada yada.. but when someone wants to get nasty then I can bring it... and trust me, with the things you have posted on here in the last couple of months you aint gonna make too many happy friends too quickly.. yeah others will help you for cash.. most people would.. goes to show that I cant be doing too badly if I dont pander to your lame idea that I am desperately needing money... you can try to paint me in whatever light you want on here.. anyone who knows me will laugh at you and think you are an idiot... oh yeah then they will take your money anyways... NOT ME!!! enjoy your subaru, this club, this forum, and who knows maybe one day we will meet and laugh about this.... if not.. I wont lose any sleep over it!!
i'm just gonna add that wrxboy2003 has put SOO much free time into helping out tons of subaru enthusiasts that i would gladly pay 1/2 price for his services lol. probably just miscommuncations between you too. however, personally i wouldnt try to negogiate with nathan's pricing for us since its already insanely cheap. There are a few members on here that have a ton of resources and knowledge in the subaru/car industry and they will help you out a ton and either help you for free or give you a dang good deal...and you'll learn something along the way. just have to figure out for yourself who those people are.....or pm me and i'll give you a start on finding out who those guys are.
++111111 for wrxboy2003 and his great deals, great service and a great guy. Back to your regularly scheduled thread!!
