This week we sit down with Karina Scherer, one of our RUX Storytellers, to hear all about her badass Tacoma on 35's! She gives us a slice of what life's like off-roading it in the Colorado mountains and shares some sage advice on how to get into adventure travel!
Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you? What do you do? Where do you live? What makes you happiest?
Hi, my name is Karina! Born and bred in Colorado! I grew up on the west side of Denver with my Mom and two older brothers. I spent most of my childhood getting into trouble outdoors with my brothers, which definitely made an impact on who I am as an adult. To this day I am still happiest when outdoors, going snowboarding, hiking, or camping with my husband and my family.
Describe your vehicle: make, model, etc.
We own both a 2012 Toyota Tacoma and a 2019 Toyota Tacoma, which is the one we use for most of our adventures.
Describe your favourite feature of your vehicle.
Hmm, Good question. My favorite feature or mod would have to be the 35-inch tires. They've made such a difference from when the truck was stock height, both in appearance and functionality. We're currently waiting on a rear bumper and that is going to be pretty awesome!
Best location/adventure you've ever had with your vehicle?
I think my favorite adventure I've been on with the truck was a trip to Ouray, CO. We went camping up there for the 4th of July last year with my brother, my cousin, and a few friends. The drive up there was an adventure in itself. We drove through the craziest rainstorm I have ever been in. Once we made it through, we drove through a massive fog patch on Monarch Pass. You couldn't see more than 6 feet in front of yourself, and there was a train of cars limping down the pass with their hazards on. We finally made it to Ouray at 1am, and we went on the million-dollar highway in the dark without knowing it until the next day. We spent the weekend hitting trails and hanging out.
Most epic stuck/breakdown/wrong turn?
Oh man, I think it would be when my brother actually got stuck, We headed out for a trail early in the morning and the trail was covered in snow. We weren’t planning to do the whole trail so we just hung out on a camp pull-off for a while. When we were ready to leave, my brother decided to go a little further and got stuck. We all thought, no big deal, we have most of our recovery gear and we can get him out no problem. Only we later found out he was stuck on a tree stump that we couldn’t previously see because it was covered in snow. We were trying just about everything, I was getting pretty anxious at this point because we had been there for a while and his truck had not moved and looked like it was just getting more stuck. Not to mention it was freezing outside. We were finally able to winch him out with the help of another stranger with a more powerful winch and a snatch block to pull him backwards, rather than forwards. It was fun after we knew we were safe and on our way home haha!
Any advice to someone thinking of getting into a custom adventure vehicle?
I think my best advice for someone trying to build an adventure vehicle would be to take your time with your build and do a lot of research before you buy anything.
You'll be hearing more from Karina and her wicked adventures through our Storyteller program! Thanks for sitting down and chatting with us!
