Damien Watson is an unapologetic adventure seeker. He was a professional snowboarder for over 20 years because he wanted to experience life on the edge and the snowboard world gave him plenty of adventure.
He has traveled extensively because Damien needed to keep his spirit of adventure alive after he retired from professional snowboarding.
Jim Sutherland
Adventures come in unusual packages, including 1986 Dodge Aries station wagons in Damien’s case. Damien bought his Aries this past fall because it caught his eye after he bought a Pontiac Vibe for his latest road adventure.
Damien leans toward the forgotten side of automotive history so a 38-year-old station wagon from a Chrysler brand that helped save Mother Mopar from economic disaster fit the bill. Additionally, the little wagon only had 80,000 kms (50,000 miles) on it, an important factor since Damien intended to take it on a long road trip.
Damien’s latest adventure would take him from his Alberta Canada home to Austin, Texas followed by a westward drive to California and a coastal trip to British Columbia before he headed back to Alberta via the Rocky Mountains.
The entire trip covered about 12,000 kms (over 7000 miles) and Damien drove the route in only 12 days. Damien told MyStarCollectorCar he had “done other trips in jalopies before”, so he was aware of the risk involved in the process.
As mentioned, the Aires got his attention shortly before Damien wanted to head out on his long road trip so he had little time to consider whether the wagon could handle the journey. It was previously owned by a high school kid whose parents decided to sell it after he was done with it because they didn’t need the car any longer.
The parents wanted 900 dollars for the car, but Damien offered 400 for it because he felt it needed shocks and a muffler. They agreed to Damien’s price, and he became the latest owner of a 1986 Dodge Aries station wagon.
Damien immediately hit the road in his Aries and began his long journey from western Canada to Texas with his two large dogs, Erra and Mammoth. He kept the wagon around 10 mph below the posted speed limits because Damien wanted to avoid mechanical and legal complications along the way. He found other drivers were respectful of his slower pace on the road.
The station wagon also provided accommodation on the trip; a feature Damien called “car camping”. Damien squished in between his large furry roommates in the back of the wagon and was very comfortable at night.
His two misadventures occurred when he hit casing debris from a semi-truck’s tire blowout, along with a parking lot incident when a BMW hit Damien’s wagon. Neither incident cause damage to his wagon but the BMW had some damage, according to Damien.
Damien told MyStarCollectorCar he “does this type of thing for all the people that can’t”. He added a long trip in an old car “is an opportunity to realize the more you travel the more people are there to help you”.
Damien encourages others to enjoy their retro vehicles through his Cruise Cochrane website so they can experience the open road in their rides.
For the record, their trips are not as long as Damien’s recent marathon road adventure in his 1986 Dodge Aries station wagon.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
