out for a day in the pacific northwest

[oldsoldier]

I am currently out visting in my brother in the beautiful pacific northwest state of washington. We went out to a local zoo yesterday, got to see some amazing animals, including a Beluga whale & quite possibly the worlds biggest walrus (3300 lbs). Today, my brother & his friend Jeremiah took me out 4-wheeling in their jeeps. First off, the PNW is arguably the most beautiful place I've ever been. I lived here for a few years a long time ago, and get to visit for a week every year to come & see my brother & his family.
So, I snapped a few pics, and learned an interesting trick; you can place a frozen food, such as a hot pocket (what we took for lunch), place it on top of the engine, and it heats it up nicely after about 1/2 hour. No fuss, no muss. simply put it there before your run, then grab it later. Best thing is, it stays where you put it, & gets hot, but never overcooks! I am gonna post a couple of pics as soon as I fix my internet connection.
Airing down the tires in the two rigs:

My brother negotiating between 2 trees:

Up to the bumpers in a puddle:

 

[Matt Weir]

That does look like good fun

 

[anthonyyy]

How people can be so proud of that kind of environmental vandalism as to post pictures is beyond me.

 

[BOD]

How people can be so proud of that kind of environmental vandalism as to post pictures is beyond me.

I don't think that they are responsible for the state of the forest but I admit the photos are not the best choice for a post on the beauty of the PNW.

I have the same dilemma in Borneo. Drive on a logger's track or walk 20k or fly 100 k.

Better than making your own track.

 

[oldsoldier]

no, true, the logging areas arent the best. The best pics of the mountains arent there...it was raining quite a bit, so taking my camera outside the jeep to snap pics wasnt the best idea.
Logging is an industry, same as factories. There are sections of land that are logged, then allowed to regrow. The whole world uses timber for building. The jeep trails are on logging roads, and within certain limits inside the forestry area. Most of the states wilderness are wild, with only a handful of mountains used for logging. MY pics were meant to show the jeeps in action; not the scenery. I have other pics of those, not posted yet.

 

[bushwacker bob]

We get a problem over here that if you take a 4x4 off road you are called an environmental vandal,but if you use them on the road you are called an environmental vandal. My 4x4 is a gas guzzler and theoretically contributes to global warming.It only does a couple of thousand miles a year,largely for the transportation of livestock and often down green lanes.
My other car has low emmissions but I drive 30 thousand miles a year further in it so I am saving the planet from my landrover.
I also dont fly anywhere as a single internal flight leaves a MUCH bigger carbon footprint than driving my landy ever will.
Nice photos Old Soldier,the area you are in looks like it was vandalised by logging long before you got there!

 

[BOD]

Don't get me started

Now that I am living in big city it's clear who the true vandals are.

No country boy in a 4x4 does as much damage as the average city consumer!

 

[AJB]

How many Jeeps does it take to open a can of worms? – Two!

Looks like fun

 

[oldsoldier]

good one AJB. And, a little research on the foresting industry in the PNW:
Weyerhauser buys the land from the WA forestry dept. They harvest it, replant it, then give it back to the state. Because of this relationship, they continually plant what they reap. And, the law requires them to plant 2 for every tree cut down. Given that these trees mature in about 40 years, thats a pretty fast turnover. Hardly devastating to the environment, or even the industry. WA has pretty tough laws on land abuse, and is one of the cleanest states I've been to. People there respect the environment, and you will find many multi-use areas that serve a variety of folks. They attempted to outlaw ORV travel about 5 years ago; it resulted in rogue trails being cut through virgin forest. Trails that werent regulated or maintianed by any clubs. The devastation was enough for them to revoke it within a year.
We all have different tastes of what we like to do. When it comes down to it, respecting the land, and using it correctly, beats poo pooing others and doing nothing. I belong to a 4X4 club where I live, and we do quite a bit of trail maintenance, as well as charity work for local organizations. So does my brother & his friend. I really dont want to get into any more. I enjoyed it, it was responsible, I had fun. I wanted to share it with others here.