Yeah, I grew up mostly in North Thompsonville. Of course I never really knew it since it's a section of town😃 but on Facebook I'm from Woodstock NY and live in Woodstock CT. Nobody ever catches that. Ha ha. Those photos from yesterday I tagged as Canada. You never know just where I'm really at. Good times.

 

I also got Interstate from Costco in 2018. Will keep an eye on it. Good that I have dual-battery setup now. Second batt is in rear deck so am researching if safe to use existing (50 amp fused) wiring to jump start, but it's easy to move second batt to use jumper cables.
Re keys, this is adventure-proof. Only jewelry I wear

 

great idea on the key! I already have that hole drilled into the wrECHO key to put it on the key ring since the plastic disintegrated just like what happened to the key to my 90 back in the day. I would have hung myself though, I used my keys to start and warm it up .

That adventure proof idea would have been useful on a canoe trip in North Maine Woods one time. We were about two miles into an 8 mile canoe trip on the Mooseluek River and I suddenly realized my keys were missing! I mean we were 40 miles into logging country and no keys! I can't hot wire a 2002 Tacoma. Turned out that the keys fell out of my pocket and slid down the waders I was wearing and were in my sock part of the waders. Close call. We had a ride set up to meet us at a take out part of the river and bring us back to where we parked. It was a great trip and we acted like the key incident never happened 😂

 

Beautiful country, no question!
I keep my keys hooked to my belt on a hook I got from, of all places, Zippo. Just a clip on a leather loop that has a snap to hold it closed. I put a small carabiner onto my keyring, so it goes on and off the belt loop easily, but can't come loose by it's self. I also keep a spare key in my wallet, and my wife has a set of keys she brings wherever we go. I lock the keys in, I can get in again. The key-necklace is a great idea, too, though. I like it. Plus, it makes women ask if it's the key to your heart

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

 

Key to your hart, lol!

speaking if keys I think we have 4 to this. I found one under the center console when installing the floor matting. If I ever did a trip like that river trip again I would come up with a way to hide a key on the frame or something. Like you do, my wife and I usually carry a set of keys each on any other trips. Since my nephew wasn't of driving age I didn't think of that idea. Looking back I should have taken the opportunity to teach him how to drive manual! He did learn how to change a tire real fast though. This was the first trip of many up there that I had to use my second spare tire which also is the spare on the 4runner now.

 

Nothing else to do these days so another mall crawling adventure. My wife and son aren't into the great outdoors during winter months 😉 I want to take an Ice fishing trip with the 4runner. Maybe soon.




Picking up lunch on the way home from the \"Awsome" mall

the good old days......



and even though it's 16 degrees out there wich is 15 degrees warmer than last night I had to wash the salt off again. The car wash turned to be better than my pressure washer. I couldn't get it going yesterday. Seems there was still water in the sprayer. I thought it was empty and left it in the garage.

 

Man I remember when the Holyoke mall was a destination. Actually went there on a date when i was 17😆

 

it was a cool place in the 80s! I remember a taco place in the food court, 3 tacos and a soda for $1.78. Also this was the place 3 friends and I went on my first driving trip when I got my license two days earlier. We went the same route there as we did with the 4runner Saturday but coming home we were so lost. My friend in the back seat was like "I know the way back" ha ha fun trip.

 

it seems my output shaft seal on the transfer case is leaking again. I have another one I picked up last time I noticed it was leaking but decided I would change both transmission and transfer case gear oil first. This seemed to develop after our four wheeling trip with them deep puddles. I didn't think I went as high as the breathers for the transmission and transfer case but who knows. I've never changed the transmission gear oil yet so seemed like a good time. It looked clean and new when we got it though. But not today. Plus an engine oil change and filter while I was at it.

 

Another desalting, only two days of driving in the salt this time but the wrECHO was covered so two for one 😁

this is something I found on Facebook market place and looks like an option for a summer rain cover with some modifications. We picked it up not knowing if it folded up then took off the canvas and it easily came apart.


I got to see a cool old Yota too!

 

We got a little bit of snow wheeling in. Down another dirt state road leading to a little trail. I'm not sure how dare the trail goes but when we turned around I found that a locked front end can assist in turning in reverse. It just swung us around. Pretty cool. Kinda like parking assist.

This is the state road.

 

I got that ice fishing trip in today and yesterday a trip two towns over to get the bait. The local place wasn't open.

 

Today we took another trip out to Stores CT to get some pizza at Blaze Pizza then stopped at Mansfield Hollow reservoir.



Then after that another desalting.

 

I took the 4runner on another ice fishing trip today It was a warm one out there, It got all the way up to 34. It was so warm that the snow was coming down already melted. It was like this clear wet version of it. I think people call it..... "rain" ? 😂

 

Going on 3 months officially as a daily now and somewhere around 5400 miles since the engine rebuild. with them Ice fishing trips I've put about 300 miles on in the last week's worth of driving. Today I gave the 4runner a good bath from the salt and washed the entire truck instead of just consitraiting on the frame. a lot of crud came out of the back windows on the cap. I am planning on storing the cap in the garage this year during the summer. speaking of caps. I've started to clean up the canvas cap that I picked up recently. I can't wait to try it out for fitment.

 

I had this idea to get some photos at one of our abandoned schools here in town when on my way to the hardware store today. I went to this school when we first moved to "North Thompsonville " for first grade. It closed in 1979 I think. It's kinda fun because it doesn't get plowed. I think I drove through the field on my way out.

 

Looks like a fun drive. Time to spin the tires!
Pat☺

 

haha, that was the plan! In 4 wheel drive the 4runner is a little weird to kick the rear end out like other 4 wheel drive vehicles I've driven. That and the front diff locker makes it want to just shift left but no surprise it's fairly good just in 2 wheel drive. The tires and weight of the top work well together.

Some photos from out and about this weekend.

another desalting today, something I've had good results with is using a pump sprayer and a salt nutrulizer.

 

I'm glad they don't use salt here. They use crushed lava rock. No de-salting needed, although a bit hard on front and side paint. Not to mention windshields.

May I ask, did you coat your underside somehow? I remember not so long ago, the big deal was "Zeibart" rust protection. I always though Rhino Lining, like for pick-up beds, would work well, but I dunno. I do know a lot of people "oil" the bottom once in a while.
What's your feelings on the best kind of undercoating? Just being nosey.

Funny how our home towns change over the years, too, isn't it? Good memories and bad, they're all still there, no matter how things change.

Have fun!
Pat☺

 

I'm up to 5 cans now , Fluid Film. When we got the 4runner it was covered in the stuff underneath, probably done by a professional. It's a popular thing around here. Because of that application I've never had an issue removing bolts even smaller ones. Rhino liner would be great as long as everything is clean but since this still had a lot on the under side of the floor and frame I only removed it when needed for repairs. The only place I have found it on the shelf us a local hardware store and not automotive stores. Uve got another can im gunna inject intp the frame. Any spots that weren't as covered in Fluid Film I've painted with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator. It will need it again. Some spots were still a little oily though.