It’s official. It is with great sadness that I announce my Subaru of 12 years will be going into retirement. I knew I would need to replace it soon but I wasn’t quite ready yet. Unfortunately, the head gasket decided for me. The thought of losing my nerd wagon broke my heart a little. I know I shouldn’t care so much about a possession but this was my second home for over a decade. I’ve had this vehicle longer than I’ve known my spouse, lived in my home, had my pets, and worked at my job. It has safely taken me all over the western United States, to 17 National Parks, and countless State Parks, in every type of weather imaginable. It has been on road, off road, in ice, snow, water – you name it. I’ve relied on it for over 60 trips and it’s served as the “Subaru Inn” for over 150 nights. I’ve logged 185,000 miles in it. It has been my kitchen, dining room, office, bedroom, but never a bathroom (thank god it never came to that!)
 

I was looking back through some of my photos from trips in the Subaru and below are just a few of the many places it has taken me. I'm absolutely stunned at how much I was able to see over the years. If Subaru ever needed an endorsement - here's one!
 

I remember the very first trip I took it on. It was a photography workshop in Utah. I decided that I would visit Death Valley on my way back, which ended up being my first of many trips to this park. I got a pretty good shot while I was there. This was shot with slide film but I had it scanned in for web viewing.
 

Sunrise at Mesquite Dunes

The next year, it took me back to Death Valley for the super bloom of 2005. I even took a photo of it because it was such a hot ride. Later that same year, it took me up the coast from California to Washington, and I got a lot of pictures along the way. This shot actually made it to the cover of the Sacramento Bee. My first published photo. Yay!
 

Super bloom in Death Valley - March 2005               Crescent Beach, Olympic Peninsula - August 2005
 

The following year, I made a 3 week journey to visit 8 national parks and participate in a photography workshop. That trip was awesome. I saw so much I had never seen before and the Subaru never let me down. Later that year, I traveled to the Eastern Sierras, to Bodie State Historic Park. By the time I took this trip, I had the “Subaru Inn” process down. I could set up or break down my lodging accommodations in under 10 minutes. Even though I started sleeping in the car to save money, over the years, having the ability to sleep so close to sunrise shooting locations became a way of life.
 

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone - May 2006     Juvenile Bighorn sheep, Arches NP - May 2006

Bryce Canyon NP - May 2006           The Wave - May 2006                    Antelope Slot Canyons - May 2006

Virgin River, Zion National Park - May 2006              Cathedral Gorge State Park - May 2006

Bodie SHP - October 2006                Light painting in Bodie SHP - October 2006

In 2007, I took a trip to Africa so most of my driving trips were shorter, but I made it to the Redwoods NP, Oregon coast, Yosemite NP, Reno Balloon races, San Francisco, and the Eastern Sierra. By this time, the Subaru was starting to rack up the miles.
 

Cape Blanco Lighthouse - January 2007                  Roosevelt Elk, Redwoods NP - January 2007

Peacock, San Francisco Zoo - March 2007              Dogwood bloom, Yosemite NP - April 2007

Reno Balloon Races - September 2007                     Bishop Creek - October 2007

In 2008, I made several more road trips to the California coast, Death Valley NP, Alabama Hills, and Lake Powell.
 

Great Blue Heron, Pescadero - January 2008           The Racetrack, Death Valley - March 2008 

Duck Arch, Alabama Hills - March 2008                   Darwin Falls, Death Valley - March 2008                

Lake Powell - May 2008
 

In 2009, I was working on a lengthy and stressful project, and I was busy getting married, so I didn’t travel as much, but I did manage to make it to Yosemite for some fall color. I bet the Subaru was thinking – finally – a break!
 

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite - October 2009

In 2010, I was hitting it hard again. There were lots of day and weekend trips while prepping to hike Half Dome in Yosemite. I was back at the Redwoods, Oregon, Tahoe, and the Eastern Sierra. All in all, a great year to be cruising in the nerd wagon.
 

Table Mountain - March 2010                                    Mariposa Lily, Berkeley - March 2010 

Cascade Creek, Yosemite - April 2010                      Redwoods National Park - April 2010 

Horesetail Falls - October 2010                                    Peter Iredale Shipwreck, Oregon - October 2010         

Redwoods National Park - October 2010                  Proxy Falls, Oregon - October 2010                             

Kokanee Salmon, Lake Tahoe - October 2010 
 

2011 was a year of firsts. I drove up to Point Arena to photograph Bowling Ball Beach for the first time – and contracted a delightful case of poison oak all over my face. That was fun. Then I drove up to Tahoe to photograph Bonsai Rock and some of the less accessible beaches. One of my favorite photos was taken on this trip. Then I drove out to the California coast to shoot beaches and butterflies. After that, I also traveled to some southern California parks that I had not been to yet, including Joshua Tree NP, Anza Borrego SP, and Red Rock Canyon SP. That trip was pretty awesome. In April, I thought I should drop in on my old friend Yosemite and when I drove through the entrance, I think I heard the Subaru say, Oh yeah – I know this place. Later that year, I travelled back to the Eastern Sierras to get my fall color fix.
 

Bowling Ball Beach, Point Arena - January 2011     Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe - February 2011

Hole in the Wall Beach - February 2011                   Monarch, Pismo Beach - February 2011

Fonts Point, Anza Borrego SP - March 2011               Joshua Tree National Park - March 2011                    

Hagen Canyon, Red Rock Cyn SP - March 2011     The Slot, Anza Borrego - March 201               

Conway Summit, Eastern Sierra - October 2011      Foot path, Yosemite National Park - April 2011           

Boardwalk, Mono Lake - October 2011
 

I didn’t travel too much in 2012 because I was saving up vacation time for a fall color trip. Finally, October arrived and I tore out of work for a 9 day trip down to Death Valley NP, Valley of Fire SP, Zion NP, Grand Canyon NP, and Yosemite NP. This trip was a roller coaster. I was supposed to go to Havasu Falls but it started raining pretty heavily and I knew that was going to make hiking in that area unsafe so I had to adjust the plan. I hiked the Narrows in Zion, which is my all-time favorite hike. Then I attempted to hike to the Subway in Zion but I couldn’t make it. I was so upset with myself for failing that one (but I will be back!). It rained a lot on this trip so I was grateful to have the Subaru serving as my waterproof tent.
 

Ashford Mill Ruins, Death Valley - October 2012      Ground squirrel, Valley of Fire State Park - October 2012

Zion NP - October 2012                     Grand Canyon NP sunset - October 2012
 

In 2013, I started off the year in Monterey and San Francisco. Then I spent some time photographing local spots before my next trip up the California coast to Redwoods NP. Later that year, I made my usual fall color journey over to the Eastern Sierra and into Yosemite. I finished the year off back where I started - on the coast, where I started getting more into night photography and light painting.
 

Waves, Garrapata State Park - January 2013          Redwoods National Park - April 2013

Aspens, June Lake - October 2013                            Light Orb, Davenport Beach - December 2013
 

2014 was a tough year. I didn't get out to shoot much until November, but I quickly started back on my schedule and committed to a monthly photo trip starting with another trip down to Death Valley via Highway 395 and the Eastern Sierra. The amazing thing about these road trips is that I always figured I just needed to go to get it out of my system, but I realized the more I went, the more I needed to go. Yeah - it's an addiction - but there are far worse addictions. The Subaru overheated once on this trip, on a deserted road in the white mountains. I obviously survived but I started getting nervous about taking it out to remote places.
 

Salt Pans, Death Valley - November 2014
 

I’ve kept up on the monthly photo trips since then and have been to Half Moon Bay, Point Arena, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP’s, Yosemite NP, Lassen NP, Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, and Big Sur. Quite a year!
 

Bean Hollow SB, Pescadero - January 2015              Lassen National Park - June 2015

Mono Lake sunrise - August 2015     Death Valley  -  December 2015     Lake Tahoe - October 2015  

Pfeifer Beach, Big Sur - January 2016
 

Shortly after a trip to Big Sur in January, the head gasket blew and I realized I had been on my last trip with my old friend. I knew this day was coming but I guess I thought I could put it off just a little longer. Not this time. So – I decided to donate the Subaru to charity. The charity will auction off the car to someone I’ll probably never know. I’m sure they could not imagine all the cool places the nerd wagon went to.
 

Again, I know it must sound crazy to be so attached to a car but I owe over a decade of travel, adventure, and safety to that vehicle. That car kicked ass.
 

The story doesn't end here though. When I donated the Subaru, I had to buy a new vehicle. I think I shall name her: Big Bertha. . . Stay tuned for more adventures, because you know I'm addicted, right?