What Did You Do With Your Kizashi Today?

[golftango]

Nice. So many beautiful drives in SoCal. Angeles Crest, Rim of the World,etc. Not to mention PCH once you pass Malibu.

Wow, you know Rim of the World! It's actually on the mountain I'm from (at least in CA) and I graduated from Rim of the World High School. A local tip: If you are on the Rim early in the morning shortly after sunrise, you are often above the clouds. The photo below is what it looks like.



We lived up there from the late 90's to the early 2000's until a wild fire took out our house in 2003. I know all too well the experience that many Californians are going through right now. This photo is actually of our house. If you look closely at the stones above the fireplace, one is shaped like an arrowhead facing downward. I've seen this photo many times on the internet of the "Old Fire" but I recently verified with family photos that it's actually of our house.



The photo below is a famous one of the fire and actually from our lane. That house belonged to the family of one of my classmates who lived several houses over. That's her mom's Miata. It didn't survive and was just a metal skeleton with a puddle of melted aluminum under where the engine used to be when we were allowed to return.



I love that mountain and have many fond memories of offroading in the Suzuki Sidekick or driving through the snow in my Subaru Impreza. I haven't been up there recently, but it's an awesome drive as you know so I'll have to do it in the Kizashi soon.

As for the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), yes, it's nice north of Malibu but in my opinion, the best segment is north of San Francisco. Once you cross over on the Golden Gate Bridge heading north, it gets really nice. I've been all over this state and most of it in the family VW camper.

Wow, small world! Born in Pasadena, grew up in Riverside until my family moved to Running Springs in 79. We spent a year there before moving back to Riverside. Then in 83 we moved back to RS until 89. When I went to Charles Hoffman Elementary, he was still the principal. Then I went to MPH middle school and spent 1/2 of my freshman year at ROTWHS before moving to CT.

I was there for the huge landslide that took out the lower section of 330 and two major forest fires. We never lost any property and I’m sorry you had to experience that. It’s a very scary experience, especially how fast they move. Seeing the flames jump from the tops of pine trees to the next, crossing roads etc. nature is damn scary.

Every time I travel back to CA, I head up to the mountains for a visit. The mountain communities have gone through some changes, but it always feels like home.

From when I was there in Jan.





We lived in a couple of properties, but this was the one we spent the most time in. Looks like it’s solely a rental property now.

[KuroNekko]

Wow, small world! Born in Pasadena, grew up in Riverside until my family moved to Running Springs in 79. We spent a year there before moving back to Riverside. Then in 83 we moved back to RS until 89. When I went to Charles Hoffman Elementary, he was still the principal. Then I went to MPH middle school and spent 1/2 of my freshman year at ROTWHS before moving to CT.

I was there for the huge landslide that took out the lower section of 330 and two major forest fires. We never lost any property and I’m sorry you had to experience that. It’s a very scary experience, especially how fast they move. Seeing the flames jump from the tops of pine trees to the next, crossing roads etc. nature is damn scary.

Every time I travel back to CA, I head up to the mountains for a visit. The mountain communities have gone through some changes, but it always feels like home.

Wow! I had no idea you used to live up there too! I figured you have visited before to know the Rim, but you actually lived in Running Springs! I'm very familiar with RS given my girlfriend during high school and college was from there. After the Old Fire took out our house in Cedar Glen, we rented a place in Running Springs for a summer. I'm not sure if you recall Cedar Glen, but that fire took out much of it, especially down Hook Creek Road.

You aren't kidding about the massive forest fires up there. Not sure if you've seen these but these are from the fire back then as it crossed Hwy 18.



It also got pretty close to taking out Rim of the World High School too.



That fire felt massive given it was started by an arsonist down towards the bottom of the mountain and climbed to about 5,500 ft, taking out Cedar Glen and other parts like Sky Forest. However, the current one is the biggest ever in California history. With the dryness and the winds, this state is like a powder keg.

I definitely understand the nostalgia for the mountain. I love going back there too. I learned to drive up there so the mountain roads, snow, fog, etc. feels like home.

[golftango]

Sorry to derail a Kizashi thread on CA talk, but it's pretty rare to meet anyone that lived in the same mountain communities of Southern California. I mean, Running Springs has only a 4K population and Cedar Glen even smaller, 552!

I'm sure most are familiar with Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead as those are the more populated and well known regions. So if anyone is in SoCal, or visits, I highly recommend a drive up there. 6-11K elevations, curvy roads and tremendous views of San Bernardino, Riverside, etc. If there's a Santa Ana blowing, you can even see Catalina Island from there.

KuroNekko, one thing that I was shocked at was the amount of visitors (ahem, flatlanders!) that were there for the snow. Cars lined up and down the sides 18/330 and every side street just to play around in the snow. I don't ever recall that kind of traffic before. Maybe to the ski resorts, but to just stop and flock to a field of snow, never! As I made my way down 330, the traffic was bumper to bumper from Running Springs to the foothills!

[KuroNekko]

KuroNekko, one thing that I was shocked at was the amount of visitors (ahem, flatlanders!) that were there for the snow. Cars lined up and down the sides 18/330 and every side street just to play around in the snow. I don't ever recall that kind of traffic before. Maybe to the ski resorts, but to just stop and flock to a field of snow, never! As I made my way down 330, the traffic was bumper to bumper from Running Springs to the foothills!

Hahaha, the "flatlanders". They go up typically after the snow has fallen to ski, sled, and play in the snow. It can get aggravating as the traffic can get bad. I think 330 gets worse as many take that up and down to and from Big Bear. It's also not as intimidating as the Rim on Hwy 18 between Crestline and Lake Arrowhead with the cliffs. That segment is always the reality check for flatlanders who think they can drive a mountain road because they've driven on hills before. I've seen some freak out as the semi for Stater Bros comes down the opposing lane in a curve alongside a cliff. It's often the place where they admit they're glad I'm driving. Hwy 18 is also better for traffic as there are no ski resorts near Lake Arrowhead and is also much wider than 330 for the most part.

The flatlanders are pretty hilarious when it comes to the snow. I recall seeing them put the snow from the ground on top of their cars as if it snowed on them. I've seen some fully load their truck beds with snow and even build a snowman and then drive down the mountain back to LA, OC, Riverside, etc. It's funny because the snowmen never make it through the mountain curves and much of the snow blows off on the highway and freeways. I remember the mountain folk always making fun of flatlanders for playing with the dirty snow on the ground. Thankfully CHP and chain control keeps them in check with ascending the mountain but I've seen some idiots. I once recall seeing a Chevy Blazer 2WD slipping and sliding, going nowhere in the snow. It had its chains on the front wheels... for a RWD vehicle. Just about every year, I'd see a ditched Corvette in the snow too.

For that mountain, an AWD sedan is perfect. It's ideal because it would let you confidently climb the mountain on snow-covered roads, but then also have the handling to enjoy the curves and the efficiency to get good fuel economy on the freeways. It basically blends the ideal qualities. I had the Sidekick for high school and the Impreza for college. The Sidekick was excellent for the deeper snow and the offroad trails up there. I had so much fun in that thing. The Impreza was the perfect mountain-climbing freeway blaster. I'd often go back up the mountain from college on the weekends so it was really the ideal car. Regardless of the season, it got me up there without fail.

Having 4x4 or AWD was just a way of life up there. It was in fact only after I moved to the East Coast that I sought 2WD cars. It would seem odd coming from sunny So Cal to the East Coast where there's snow in the winters, but in an alpine environment, 4x4 or AWD can become a necessity instead of a desirable option. I just felt like I never needed AWD in the DC area when compared to the snow driving I was used to up in the mountains. Plus, in urban regions, there's always plowing. In a rural or alpine area, some streets don't get plowed reliably if at all.

All this talk of the mountains now has me itching to drive my Kizashi up there and visit. I'll definitely take my camera for that too. The talk of the snow also reminds me that I should get some snow cables for it too so I can get up there in the winter.

[golftango]

When I lived there, these were the vehicles that were commonplace:









The 4WD Kizashi and SX4 would be perfect mountain commuters!

[KuroNekko]

Haha, that's funny because the newer versions of those are what many mountain residents own. However, I did see older Subaru Loyales and Toyota pick-ups there too. I learned to drive up there in a Subaru Outback. While Subarus are more popular now, back in the late 90's and early 2000's very few in SoCal drove them other than the mountain folks.
Suzuki SUVs like the Samurai, Sidekick, Vitara as well as Jeep Wranglers, Cherokees, and Grand Cherokees were popular too. However, I always thought an AWD sedan or wagon was better for those who often drove up and down the mountain given they are much better in the curves and on the freeways. It's also why most up there don't use winter tires. They aren't good for cornering traction on dry pavement and wear out really fast on the SoCal freeways which are always free of snow. AWD or 4x4 on All Season tires while carrying/using chains was a much better option than snow tires for the SoCal mountains, IMO.

[golftango]

Came across a pic of me and my father's Jeep Wagoneer. This is our house on Whispering Pines Dr in RS, circa 1979.



Same house today:

[KuroNekko]

Great picture!
My girlfriend at the time lived on Valley View Drive close off of Hwy 18 in Running Springs.
Since the fire, Cedar Glen hasn't rebounded with much development. Most people moved to other places on the mountain or moved away completely. Not many rebuilt and I hear it's harder due to stricter zoning laws. This is especially the case around us given Hooks Creek ran next to our property.
Our family still owns the land so we go up once in a while to check on it. I'll probably do that soon.

The picture below is of my trusty 1995 Subaru Impreza LX coupe I had for most of my time on the mountain. It was nearly unstoppable, even in alpine snow. When things got a bit too deep for the tires alone, I put chains on.

Snow Spec.jpg (146.11 KiB) Viewed 9343 times

[golftango]

Ha! The corner of Valley View and Hilltop (18) was my old bus stop, in front of that store. IIRC it was an antique store back then.

If you crossed 18, there is Sunset Dr. Take that down to Lightfoot Way and that was where our main property was (in my aforementioned photo on 45469.) I detested walking up Sunset every morning to the bus stop! Especially in mid Feb.

Love that gen Subbie! How I use to long for a 2.5 RS! Still to this day one of my favorite vehicles.

[WESHOOT2]

my trusty 1995 Subaru Impreza LX coupe

Mine was the same color......

The Kizashi does a similar --albeit much faster-- 'dance' as my second-fav Subie, my '95. Like yours.