Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 22:46:20 +0100
Reply-To: Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Subject: Re: Canyon de Chelly and syncro???
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my '91 Syncro Westy is NOT good in loose sand, at least not good in loose
dry sand, at least not fully loaded and with 185 tires.
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Funny you mention this!
Me and my wife drove in about 8 years ago but not with our 2WD Vanagon
(which we gladly left out at the gate)... but with our mountain bikes!!
It was quite an adventure. One that I CANNOT recommend to anybody else...
ever! (It basically sucked).
The ride in was rather pleasant for the first 10-15 minutes or so, until the
winds started up, and the sand got really deep and really dry. We had water
soaked bandanas and t-shirts wrapped around our faces, with only our
sunglasses exposed. Ended up pushing the bikes in the sand, which was just
as difficult as riding... just slightly faster. Seems like it took hours.
The canyon, of course, was dreamlike... and worth every bit of agrivation...
we did look at it as an adventure, and were in good spirits during our
canyon stay.
The journey back however, was just as bizzarre... and then I had the
brilliant idea to let most all of the air out of the bike tires! It
actually worked somewhat, and we rode the bikes on these super soft tires...
VERY slowly, and pushing VERY hard on each pedal stroke just to keep up
enough momentum that the bikes did not tip over.
Afterwards we celebrated our triumph over nature by getting a hotel room (as
opposed to sleeping in the Vanagon, like usual) and treated the bikes to a
long hot shower, in the hotel rooms bathtub!! (and yes, we also spent a good
amount of time under the hot water ourselves!)
Needless to say, we found sand in everything, everywhere, for the remainder
of our vacation.
But if you could get your synchro to NOT SINK IN to the sand, by letting the
air out of the tires a bit... the drive in and out would definately be
do-able. The "clearance" issues, as far as I can remember would only be due
to deep sand, and not due to any rocks or trees or anything that you really
need "clearance" for.
Just thought I would share this with you all.
RSF
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<º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{ <º)))>{
Robert S. Fish
Salzburg, Austria
1987 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2.1 GL Weekender
1987 Golf Cabriolet
1991 Golf
