Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:14:22 -0700
Reply-To: Gerald Masar <azsun99@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Gerald Masar <azsun99@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Mi Vanagon El Condor pasa
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Well, it started out to be a trip to Zion NP, and it was, but the highlight of the
trip for me was not there, but at Navajo Bridge over Marble Canyon on the Colorado
River, where I got to see the California Condors, wild and up close. The nearby
Vermillion Cliffs are one of the release sites for these magnificent birds with 6'
wingspans, but they have taken a liking to the bridge (actually, for those who have
never been there, two bridges, side by side, old and new, drive on one, walk on the
other) during March and April. So says the woman from The Peregrine Fund, who was
monitoring them. Anyway, it was my lunch stop, and as I got out of the van, there they
were, soaring not more than 20' overhead.
Now, back to Zion. The nights were cold, the days cool, but I missed all of the
storms. A little of the road, up near the tunnel was covered with ice and snow, as
were some of the trails, depending on which side of the canyon you were climbing on. I
was on the trail to Hidden Canyon, where you ascend 800' in less than a mile, and
portions of the trail were completely ice covered, with a lon-n-n-g drop-off on one
side. But, I made it and the view was great, as was exploring the hanging canyon at
the end of the trail. On the way down, 600' above the parking lot I saw the only other
Westy I saw in the park, but never saw it again. Day-trippers, I guess.
The campground was nearly full each night, lots of tent campers, despite the
near-freezing nighttime temperatures. No other Vanagons and few RV's.
I am glad I was there this week. Next week, Zion Canyon closes for the season to
access by private vehicle. Shuttle bus or bicycle only (or walk). The other campground
opens and hordes of visitors descend. If you have never been to Zion, it is certainly
worth a visit. It has the highest (2,000' to 3,000') sandstone cliffs in the world. I
watched for a few minutes, several groups of climbers scaling the vertical cliff
faces. Some start the night before and spend the night on the face.
The trip was 710 miles and I averaged 21+MPG.
The only problem with my Westy ('90 with 142K miles) was on the long drive north from
Flagstaff across the Navajo Reservation. All of a sudden and only momentarily, it
started to lose power. At first, because the wind was blowing pretty hard, I thought
it was my imagination (denial in a Vanagon!). But it did happen, so I pulled over and
stopped and put it at 2000rpm and it started to die and then recovered. I shut down
for a few seconds and re-started and never had any more problems the whole trip. It
has had new Temp I and II and OXY sensors in the last year. New plugs, rotor and cap,
and alternator just before the trip. It has had the AFM retrofit harness for years,
and besides, it was not the jerking miss usually associated with the Vanagon syndrome.
Any ideas? AFM itself???
Jerry
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