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Date:         Sun, 6 Aug 2000 23:06:52 -0500
Reply-To:     "Roy O." <keepsake@pangea.ca>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Roy O." <keepsake@pangea.ca>
Subject:      Trip Report -longish  (Pacific Northwest,
              U.S. and Vancouver Island, Canada)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

My family and I just finished a 7,700 kilometre trip in our '87 Westfalia through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Vancouver Island. As with most trips in the Westy it was not uneventful (mechanically speaking, that is).

Soon into the trip, after going over Washington Pass in the North Cascades in Washington state, I noticed oil on the ground after pulling out of a parking spot. Periodic dip stick checks indicated this was not a major leak but the back spray onto the hatch from the accumulation on the engine belly didn't look pretty. Driving lonely stretches of highway, especially between major centres, left me wondering if the van would let me down in the middle of nowhere. Upon returning home, my regular independent VW shop inspected the leak, declaring a main seal problem. Easy fix (for a princely sum). It's possible the pressure created by high altitude driving (around 6000 feet) may have caused the seal to leak.

The other problem that did stop the van in it's tracks was an accelerator cable that snapped while driving in Nanaimo, British Columbia. After coasting over to the shoulder, it wasn't more than five minutes after I crawled under the vehicle to investigate the problem, that another Westy pulled up. The driver generously offered the use of his phone and transportation to purchase parts or to the nearest repair shop. I used his telephone to arrange a tow truck and he drove me and my family to Bavarian Imports Auto Repairs Ltd. where the van was repaired within ninety minutes. The irony of the situation was that the campground in which we were staying, was adjacent to the repair shop. We had passed by Bavarian Imports Auto Repair many times enroute to the campground. As we passed by the first time, I commented to my wife that Bavarian Imports was on the list of listees' recommended repair shops!

After the accelerator cable problem, the Westy behaved itself for the rest of the trip. Although the North Cascades and the U.S. Rockies were a challenge for the van which is used to driving the flatlands of the Canadian prairies, the A/C was running constantly while driving through Montana (outside temps high nineties/low hundreds Fahrenheit), and driving speeds just under 115 kph, the van averaged 23 mpg overall.

Gas prices were all over the map! The highest being on Vancouver Island (76.9 cents per litre), the lowest being right here at home in Manitoba (57.9 cents per litre).

Highlights of the trip were the North Cascades (beautiful state campgrounds!), Mount St. Helens, Olympic National Park, and the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Recommended repair shops: Bavarian Imports Auto Repair Ltd, Nanaimo, British Columbia, and Dana Motors, Billings, Montana ( I had the oil leak checked here as a precaution).

Recommended camping: North Cascades and Olympic National Park campgrounds in Washington; Living Forest Campground, Nanaimo, British Columbia; Victoria KOA, just north of Victoria, British Columbia (to all you "snobs" out there, many KOAs are great and every once in a while, it's nice to have a shower, wash clothes and swim in a pool).

One word of warning concerning camping in Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island. Reserve your site far in advance. We didn't and were in for an unpleasant surprise when we got there. Every campsite in the national park has been reserved for the entire summer! The only alternative is a privately run campground near the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet. These campsites are DUMPS! -(overpriced, crowded, shoddy facilities).

What I learned on my summer vacation: 1. Include an accelerator cable in the pile of parts and tools carried in the van. 2. Remove the van bra before leaving home. Having a bra on the van while driving through the Montana heat wave bumped the engine temp needle above its usual position. After removing the bra, the engine temp needle returned to its usual position and remained there. 3. Be wary of pressure build-up in you porta-potty when driving at high altitudes. 'Nuff said. 4. There are so many Westies in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island that you can't spit without hitting one. Most of their drivers don't bother waving to other Westy drivers, otherwise they would probably develop some sort of repetitive strain injury.

It's nice to be home!

Roy O. '87 Westfalia GL (till death us do part)


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