Date:         Mon, 5 Nov 2001 12:45:36 -0800
Reply-To:     gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Trilogy of the trip to libby montana "conclusion"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

So here I am coasting into Joe’s Auto Kare in Port
Orford.   I was going nowhere unless I charged the
battery for a run further down the coast or get a new
alternator.   With my options somewhat limited, I
wonder if there was some way I could hide those darn
California plates on the vanagon.   In Oregon the
states unofficial motto is “don’t californicate
Oregon”.   I approached Joe and inquired if he might
be able to install a new alternator?   He was positive
about the job but unsure of getting parts.   After
doing some checking he quickly determined a bad rear
alternator bearing.   Port Orford is a two gas station
town.   Bigger then some and even a parts store across
the street from Joe’s.   But the bosch replacements
from across the street was too rich for Joe’s and was
no more available than the Napa rebuild that would be
30 minutes south and 24 hours later after overnight
shipping.   Looks like we were spending the night in
Port Orford.   It goes without explanation that the
cat would take this news better than the other
passenger.
THIS WAS AN UNPLANNED STOP.   If you have to be stuck
anywhere, Port Orford is not such a bad place.   When
your wife sends you out to find the motel in town go
for the high ground.   I swear to god that the only
reason I went for the low ground was that the high
ground was uphill and I did not think we would want to
carry all our stuff, the cat and of course the cat box
up that hill despite that fact that it had a great
vista of the Oregon coast.  This time of the year is a
slow time at Port Orford.   It was raining so in
between outburst we went shopping and looked over the
selection of diners.   The pizza place at Joe’s side
of town is a good choice if you are not in a hurry “we
weren’t”.   The diner downtown makes a good breakfast
and Fish place looked good but was too far to go in
the rainstorm when walking.
    By noon the next day Joe had returned from “Gold
Beach” with the part.   I was not really troubled by
my alternator having to be shipped by way of “Gold
Beach”.   I was grateful that Joe had driven to get
the part.   By 2pm the new alternator was either
charging at 15 volts or not at all.   It appeared that
some dash related problem was not limiting the charge.
  I left Joe to the problem as I could see my looking
over his shoulder was not making his job any easier.
By now we had walked the town enough times that we
began to recognize and be recognized by some of the
locals and the local’s pets.   Port Orford is a great
dog town.   The beach is a dog friendly beach.   After
returning to our motel we learned that our van was
ready and we were sadly leaving Port Orford by 4 pm.
Joe’s work was good and the van worked better than
before as now the previous unworking battery light
worked as well as the alternator.   His price was
considerably less than what I would have paid in
California and his quality of work proved itself as we
drove all night and into the morning with lights
blazing to get home.
    Thank you Oregon and thank you Joe a truly honest
mechanic who I would recommend to any vanagon owner.
  Gary


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