Crankshaft Culture

10/19/2026

Part two of our Baltic Sea Circle Rally is now live! We take a Volkswagen ID. Buzz from Sweden to Norway, learn about charging, and see incredible Nordic scenery. Link in comments.

10/07/2026

Our Alaska adventure takes to the water! After leaving Seward, we made our way through the tunnel to Whittier, and walked the town in the pouring rain before getting tickets for the ferry to Valdez.

High precipitation didn't damper our spirits as we traveled 5.5 hours on the Aurora transporter. We arrived in the dark and headed to our hotel for a good night's sleep before making the long trek home to Oregon.

We had an amazing adventure with Shane Bowman, wife Loren, daughter Maleah and son Trey, as well as parents Sue and Allen plus family friends Chris and Oliver.

Three Jeeps and a Subaru. Glaciers, massive views, lots of wildlife, and cool cabin living. Need to do it again! Huge thanks for wonderful memories and everlasting friendships. Cheers to many more miles together!

The next day we part ways and start our drive south. Stay tuned as the final part of our post-rally endeavor starts. We'll have logged nearly 9,000 miles in 25 days after getting home!

10/03/2026

Alaska is amazing. We took to the gravel and dirt once more via Palmer Creek Road and a nearby hiking trail. And after that, visited tiny historic Hope before grabbing an early dinner in Seward. We then hung out in our latest cabin, where its grounds were outfitted with a huge hot tub and sauna, and checked out a nearby creek where salmon just finished spawning. We lost power overnight but enjoyed getting ready the next morning via headlamps and battery-powered lights we had on hand.

Take the time to slow down, you'll never know what you're missing until you do so. 🌎

10/02/2026

When we were in Germany a couple of years ago, a fellow auto enthusiast asked us, "Why don't Americans like wagons?" Fair question. Here's what I said and my thoughts.

Why don't Americans like wagons? There are some very specific reasons why, and I doubt they'll return anytime soon.

10/01/2026

Some flicks from the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally!

We are so proud and our team for finishing and even supporting an amazing cause along the way!

This rally is a true testament to proving all of the new products from us and our Project Partners on this event.

Alcan tested, Alcan approved!!

1st Photo: Mercedes Lilienthal
2nd Photo: Shane Bowman

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations.

Huge thanks to our partners who are helping to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:






SUPPORTING SPONSORS:













VEHICLE SPONSOR:


VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
vhs

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

RALLY TEAM:

09/30/2026

Today I drove the all-new 2027 Volkswagen USA Atlas in Huntsville, AL. I'd love to tell you all about it, but you'll have to wait until the embargo lifts next week. I can tell you I think it looks good, has lots of room, has a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, avaialble AWD, and three rows of seating. Stay tuned!

09/30/2026

Our grand Alaskan adventure continues! We check out the small town of Talkeetna during the pouring rain and stay at a place in Palmer where helicopters took off right next to us. We then head down to an area near Hope, where we found the most rustic and neat cabins to overnight in. We also have dinner at the best eatery and prepare for more off roading the next day. All this before we drive back home to Oregon! Logging several thousand miles in just over three weeks. Love living life on the road.

09/28/2026

We're tackling Petersville Road outside of Talkeetna, Alaska, today. Endless pouring rain and massive potholes mixed with road construction and slow-moving traffic made our trek challenging. And, the rain continues ... but we went to Denali Brewery and stayed at some awesome cabins!

09/27/2026

We continue exploring Alaska after the Alcan 5000 Rally! Each day brings us different stunning views and remote surroundings. Today we take the track less traveled to Roosevelt Lake and are gifted clear views of Denali after multiple trips to this great state!

09/26/2026

Our Bilstein Shock Absorbers setup is proving to be a complete and well-engineered package that is rally proven and ready for more adventures!

In addition to the BILSTEIN B8 TerraSports, we added heavier-duty King Springs overload coils in the rear (installed by Primitive Racing) to allow for the extra weight of our spare tire carrier. This combo gives us the stance we want, along with improved ground clearance—necessary for road rally and beyond. We look forward to a cross-country trip with this setup soon. ❄️