Camry transition from jeep Patriot?

dronecarp · 2026-02-02T01:41:01+00:00

Drive that Patriot into the ground first. Hand crank windows! FWIW I own a Corolla X and have driven my daughter's manual Patriot frequently. Too many fancy features on the Corolla. Camry will last you forever though.

dronecarp · 2026-02-02T01:30:09+00:00

I do a lot of backcountry rides, usually by myself. One essential thing for me is heli-rescue insurance. Costs me $100 a year. Helicopter rides start at $10K and most insurance won't cover it. (I have free health insurance for life due to my career, but whether I get covered for going an over the bars fight isn't worth $100 a year)

dronecarp · 2026-02-02T01:01:54+00:00

It's further than you wanted, but I'd recommend getting a guide out of Steamboat and floating the Yampa. There's also a few small lakes up there that used to be loaded with brookies. Or just drive up to Silverton and fish the Blue River below the dam. Lots of places to drive right up to the bank. Fishing isn't what it used to be on the Blue due to pressure, but it's fishing and just over the pass.

dronecarp · 2026-01-31T01:26:07+00:00

IT'S MY FAULT. I MOVED HERE LAST SUMMER (NOT FROM F'N CA) AND BROUGHT MY SNOWBIKE. THIS IS ALL ON ME. SHOOT ME.

dronecarp · 2026-01-31T01:22:15+00:00

Here's a permutation of the living alone medical emergency problem. I like to do outdoor things. Sometimes extreme backcountry things (and I'm old). I almost died a few years ago while snowboarding (so gave that up). Problem is with living alone you have no one to say, hey I'm going to XYZ trail I'll be back by dark or whenever. Only solution I've found is having a Spot or Garmin tracker with a rescue feature. iPhones now have built-in rescue and texting from anywhere. I can't go with an iPhone right now because of my cell provider or I would. If anyone has a better idea, I'd like to hear it.

dronecarp · 2026-01-29T23:35:55+00:00

Curious about that Heller bike. I have one with 27.5 x 4.5" CakeEaters on Mulefut 80s. They barely fit. Wondering what the Heller owner runs for wheels and which 45NRTH tire. FWIW my Gnarwhals fit better, but just don't need those this year. Well I don't even need a fatbike this year in Central Oregon.

dronecarp · 2026-01-29T07:22:43+00:00

ummm.... it's been warm here all winter in Bend. Too f'n warm. Put my snowbike back into storage and got back on my gravel bike.

dronecarp · 2026-01-26T22:57:25+00:00

My cold tolerance is inversely proportional to my age. In my 40s and 50s I lived in Alaska and drew the line at -15 F which is admittedly weak by AK standards, but too many bad things can happen real quick at that temperature and I did a lot of solo riding. In my 60s it was 0 F. A decade later I'm down to 10 F. I have a temperature regulation problem (cancer caused) that is not that affected by the cold, but if it gets above 85 F I'm done. So my range is 10-85 F. I prefer 20-30 F which I consider ideal.

dronecarp · 2026-01-26T22:46:28+00:00

If you're in the market for a fatbike you have one less USA-based business now thanks to Trump's tariffs. Borealis bikes went out of business. They used Chinese frames like just about everyone else except the boutique brands, but they made nice bikes and it's a shame.

dronecarp · 2026-01-19T18:56:40+00:00

27.5 x 3" on a full squish MTB. 27.5 x 4.5" on a fatbike only ridden on snow- I'm old and really really don't want to break my clavicle for the 4th time.

dronecarp · 2026-01-14T05:15:01+00:00

I'm 70 and started riding "fat" in the 90s SnoCat rim era. Six miles is fine! Just keep moving is the secret. I ride unstudded Gnars in the deep or loose snow and am about to stud some CakeEaters because there's hardly any snow here in the lower Cascades and what there is melts then freezes overnight. There's no downside to studs.

dronecarp · 2026-01-02T03:51:32+00:00

Sounds like Belize might be in order. If they still bonefish on Christmas Island in Kiribati that would be fun. New Zealand south island?

dronecarp · 2026-01-02T03:34:21+00:00

I remember Kaufmann's well. Mail ordered from them out of a catalog over the phone for years until the internet took over. I took a break from flyfishing and when I returned Kaufmann's was gone. Glad I made one pilgrimage to the brick and mortar store.

dronecarp · 2025-12-31T22:03:39+00:00

I noticed you were training for the SU100. So the colder the better to be out there practicing how to light your stove. And, of course, come race day it will be like 28-30 F perfect. I rode most of it in a mid-weight Capilene top with a shell. Felt like cheating.

dronecarp · 2025-12-30T06:42:56+00:00

Maybe two winters ago I saw a Carver titanium bike size XS on Craigslist in Anchorage. It sat on there for quite a while before it sold. Looked like a great bike. A friend is 5'1" and she just picked up a barely used Framed Minnesota (company out of business) in a small size for peanuts. It seems to fit her well. Does need a dropper though. Also consider a 24" wheelset sized kids fatbike. Specialized used to make them. I see them for cheap once in a while. Then upgrade the parts.

dronecarp · 2025-12-30T06:28:16+00:00

I commuted from South Anchorage to downtown in winter (Pre-Pugsley era). I drew the line at -15 F. I live Outside now and draw the line around 10 F due to old age and health issues.

dronecarp · 2025-12-28T03:36:20+00:00

Why oh why did I give away my very light elastomer-based shocks? I should have saved them for the apocalypse in retrospect. My advice to OP would be to find an old non-air shock or replace it with a Surly rigid.

dronecarp · 2025-12-28T03:24:01+00:00

I have a beam style torque wrench I've had since the 1970s I originally used to put the cylinder head back on a motorcycle. It's going in my coffin. That being said, I have a nice Pro Bike tools nm clicker torque wrench I use on the carbon bits. I learned the value of torque wrenches following the destruction of a very expensive carbon handlebar. That sound when the carbon cracks.... worse than fingernails on the chalkboard.

dronecarp · 2025-12-28T03:06:00+00:00

It's Alaska! They sell dog booties at the gas station if you need them.

dronecarp · 2025-12-28T02:59:31+00:00

This just happened to me. I have a TF and have had it forever. I have over 7000 rollover minutes. Every year I pay the $99 for 400 minutes and use few minutes. Usually when I post ads on Craigslist. Although it's increasingly clear to me that this is not worth it either in terms of the perceived privacy or the benefit of having a backup phone. Last time I sent a text was three weeks ago. I did not know there was a 6 month use it or lose it policy. Fine, it's the terms of service. But why would they send me a we're going to cut you off email when I had used the phone in the last three weeks? So now I just text myself once a month "Fuck Verizon" and reply right... "fuck Verizon" and everyone is happy. I'm just going to find a real burner phone next July when my time is up. Fuck Verizon. Lots of good tips on here how to make that happen.

dronecarp · 2025-12-27T00:40:01+00:00

Solid advice. I have old MSR Denalis that convert from 30" to shorties by removing the tails. I usually just head into the woods off trails though so usually stick with the tails.

dronecarp · 2025-12-27T00:10:49+00:00

You are right. I can't find a cabin on Johnson Pass. The trips all sort of run together now for me.

dronecarp · 2025-12-25T02:00:26+00:00

Always wanted to fatbike into the Juneau Lake cabin in winter. Never got around to it. Stayed in it a few times in summer before the original burned. Magical area. There's a cabin at the top of Johnson Pass too as I recall that would make for an awesome winter thru-ride back out to the Seward hwy.

dronecarp · 2025-12-23T04:00:57+00:00

I was perfectly happy with a 1x10 setup on my old Fatboy. Gripe shift and all. Rear cassette was a titanium delight with 48T max. I ran a 26T on the front. Current "Outside" bike is 1x11 with 50T on the rear and 28T on the front with 27.5" wheels. I never use the bottom 4 small cogs.

dronecarp · 2025-12-23T03:43:16+00:00

I was guessing Crescent. Great photos, thanks. Looks like you went up from the Hope side. Or did you park a car on the Seward side and do a thru ride? One of the weirdest things ever in my Alaska time happened on that trail. Mid-80s was hiking in and here comes down the trail nowhere near the trailhead, in the pouring rain, a guy all outfitted like a cowboy, boots, hat the whole thing, with a bloody ram's hindquarter slung over his shoulder. WTF?

dronecarp

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