On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
There are issues with the form; I’ll work on them next week, but I’ve got more consuming and time-sensitive things owning me.
Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!
Well, my one present to myself happened today – I bought a new vehicle. Now I’ve been driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant I bought new, and I’ve put less than 100,000 miles on her! I had planned to drive her into 2021, and then see how the world looked. Unplanned-for tragedy then life insurance/inheritance, and my perspective is changed. While I swore I’d never buy a new vehicle off the lot ever again, I wanted something brand spanking new, with full warranties, modern tech, perfected design, etc. I planned to wait for 6 months or more, but there are tax and price considerations, plus my desire to have a safer vehicle through the winter was weighing heavily. Also: carpe diem.
When I lived in Colorado, I owned a 30 year-old 4×4 Nissan hardbody pickup with camper shell. I miss it every day, old and dirty and clunky and no-frills though it was. I used to fish, hunt mushrooms, camp, and hike whenever I could – I’ve got the explorer bug, and as I learned how to use a 4×4 in challenging terrain, I had some wonderful adventures which often included me sleeping in the back so as to be more comfortable (futon), safe from wildlife, save time on the setup/takedown for a campsite, and to allow me to be high up on the mountain so I could be moving at first light and not waste a moment. I was concerned about fire, so I always used a stove and never made a campfire. Without that comfort, a tent feels very flimsy; automotive steel, less so. But once you’re used to quick use of camping stoves, you get by.
Flash forward to now, and since I had the opportunity, I bought a 4×4 suv – a Toyota 4runner, off-road model so I can explore some serious mountain and forest roads when I have the opportunity as well as have a safe, new vehicle which has good interior room for moving boxes and furniture, not to mention a hitch and tow ball so I can rent a trailer if needed.
I’m planning on doing some exploring as far and as much as I can, when I can, starting in 2018. So, for example, I’m planning an early February ice fishing trip, and then plan some trout, mushroom, and ginseng adventures from Spring through Fall. I expect to have some camping expeditions and a road trip or two, but no firm ideas yet. With two homes and a set of cats in each, I can’t go away for long, though I hope to have an Autumn getaway to New England (Lake Winnepasaukee, hello!) for the leaves, fried clams, lobster rolls, and fresh local cheeses.
As I confided to my mom’s financial adviser, I’m not the most religious person, but when I’m out there wandering around in nature, I feel closer to God; I feel my place in things. Waking up in your snuggly bed in a truck, opening the back window to reveal a view that people would pay millions for, that’s a simple pleasure that few get to enjoy, but is available to any of us with the right vehicle. I’ve learned that part of the magic of these experiences for me is exploration, usually by myself – just wandering, looking, and seeing. And then reflection, lots of reflection. As I explore this amazing planet and see nature in its infinite variations, I get thrilled like a 5 year old boy all over again.
I especially love observing goofy, silly, intriguing animal behavior, be they eagles diving hundreds of feet in the sky (mating!), a praying mantis hunting at night and decapitating then consuming a roach, or noticing a strange cluster of bees and then realizing that it’s a swarm – a queen and hive on the move, looking for a new home. There are just so many amazing living things, interacting and behaving in so many fascinating, thrilling ways. I’ve seen roadrunners, crocodiles, rare lizards and salamnders, even what I would call intelligent behavior in a simple insect, a sphinx moth. And the amazing diversity of birds and bird behaviors is an endless joy.
All this is one of my major motivations for this feature – looking, seeing, sharing aspects of this world around us. I am thrilled by all the pictures, am partial to the nature stuff, but also love the views of cities, countries, sites around the world that most of us will never be lucky enough to visit. I prefer the natural world, but I do enjoy seeing people everywhere and gaining insight into them; that helps me gain more insight into me.
And now, a picture from valued commenter KarenH:
Thursday night we got snow in San Antonio. This is a rare event for us. The high here on Monday(12/4/17) was 87. I grabbed my camera and hurried to the park, but didn’t think to take the tripod (duh). The light from the streetlight was enough to get a hand held shot.
Wow, that’s a great picture! My cousin lives in San Antonio and sent me some pictures of that snow, but not as impressive as this one. On the other hand, she did send me two short videos of her cats watching and reacting to the snow from their protected outside porch, the first they’d seen. Cats are always good.
Have a great day, everyone. For much of the US – stay warm! See you tomorrow, we’ll finish off the week on a bang.
One again, to submit pictures: the form is broken so Send an Email
Major Major Major Major
I emailed you a few weeks ago about this BTW, the API key we use for the form just needs refreshed.
raven
Nice
Quinerly
??❤?
Schlemazel
looks like an imperial stormtrooper!
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
Really pretty picture of unfortunate weather. Thanks.
A Ghost to Not
Our 2006 4Runner has taken us to places where most people never go. Of course, it is heavily modified now. Budbuilt (in NC) makes badass skid plates for 4Runners, if you are so inclined.
debbie
I love and hate snow. I wish it would just restrict itself to photographs and leave us the heck alone.
rikyrah
The story about the car was beautiful, and the picture-wow!
MomSense
Good for you, Alain. Hope you have some fantastic adventures!
My dog isn’t liking the freezing temps. Fastest morning pee evah.
maurinsky
It is cold here in New England! These are the days where I am glad I don’t have a dog.
Gin & Tonic
@MomSense: We miss our dog often. Single-digit, windy mornings, not so much.
kindness
We had a 4-Runner for a bit as our mountain vehicle. Great car. We decided we misses having a truck though. Ended up trading it for a Ford F150 4×4. The Toyota was much more refined and more solid. But I love having a 6.5′ bed because now I can haul everything again. I thought about the 8′ ones for a moment but then my wife told me to forget about that. It’s all good.
Enjoy that vehicle. They are the awesome.
Alain the site fixer
@kindness: lol
Thanks to all for the well wishes. I’m going to have some fun, that’s for sure!
@A Ghost to Not: thanks for the tip.
A Ghost to Not
@Alain the site fixer: Modifying my 4Runner to survive the rocks out here has been fun, if expensive. In the east, more mud, less rocks. What tires did it come with?
Kelly
I have a 2001 4runner 4×4 I bought new. It’s been great. The only surprise was discovering that if the traction control is busy for about 20 minutes the brakes get hot and traction control shuts off. The traction control works by tapping the brakes on the wheel that is spinning, sending power to the other wheels. At the time I was in bumper deep snow so soon as it shut off I was stuck. I chained up the front wheels and extracted myself the old fashioned way. I now regard the traction control a warning system. When it stays engaged for more than a few minutes I look for a place to turn around. As my old man used to say 4 wheel drive lets you get stuck so much further from home! Enjoy!
kindness
When we switched over I would have gotten the Tundra instead of the Ford but I didn’t want the 5.7 l engine. I don’t haul big boats/campers so the 5.0 l Ford offered was better for us than the 4.6 l small engine the Tundra could have (I’ll take that extra 50 horses, just don’t want 100). I like the Ford and all but Toyota makes a more sturdy vehicle imho.
psychobroad
Good on ya with the car! We just (Tuesday) bought my husband a brand-new off the lot, bells & whistles & up to the minute technology white Toyota Tacoma 4WD. Hope you enjoy yours as much as Mr. Broad is enjoying his!
Aaron
Is it weird that I want to get a Tacoma just so I can call it the “Taco”?