Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 19:07:11 -0500
Reply-To: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Subject: Re: RoadHaus - Escaping Air Sound?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Volks,
Thank you one and all that responded to the "Escaping Air Sound?" post.
Many useful suggestions were received.
But many "Wonderfully Less Than Useful" suggestions where also received.
I thought it might be entertaining to share a summary of those.
Names have been removed to protect the ....... well lets just say the
more "Creative" of our community :)
Summary
- - -
angry coons and skunks can emit a very nasty hissing sound when a couple
males meet up on the prowl. from the way you described the sound i
would poll all the critters to see who was hissing in the quiet time.
- - -
I've personally never seen another case of Vanagon Paranoia as bad as
yours. You're just sitting there in readiness for the next "fatality" to
show itself to you. Florida is a great place to sell Vanagons / Westy /
Synchro and you should consider that while the RoadHaus is still running
and you're local to the only comparable Syncro market to CA.
- - -
Its my understanding you are traveling with a former "wet westy" of the
canine variety....I know my dog is capable of "spontaneous releases".
: )
- - -
Larry if you are in florida, gators also make a loud hissing noise in
the night.
- - -
Well, Larry, the first thing that comes to mind is... get out of
Florida. In fact, anyplace east of the Mississippi... leave!
Mostly it is a function of being afraid.
Your experience reminds me of the time I camped in an alley in Venice,
California (I was visiting friends but sleeping nights in my Westy).
Rough neighborhood. It had me worried. I was parked up tight against a
retainer wall, so cars could get by, and only able to get in and out of
my Westy via the passenger or slider door. At night I would put up all
the curtains, lock the doors and try to sleep.
The first night something woke me up in the wee hours. I lay there
trying to think of what it was that made me wake up. It seemed like
someone had gently shook my bus, sort of like maybe trying the door
handle to see if it was unlocked? Or, maybe a small southern California
earth quake? Something. I started to doze off and it happened again! A
gentle shake of my Volkswagen! I quietly got up and peeked out from
behind the curtains up and then down the alley. Nobody!
It took a while but I finally got back to sleep.
The next night it happened again. Exactly the same as before but this
time I was wide awake almost immediately. Somebody was trying my door!
Some homeless person? I lay there in a panic and stayed very quiet. In
a minute or so they shook my bus gently again! I peeked out and again
there was no one even though the alley was well lit by a sodium vapor
street light! Damn weird and spooky!
The third night I finally figured it out. Once again, in the wee hours,
my Westy shook. Again after a minute or so it shook again. Turned out
it was a big tom cat! It would leap from the retainer wall onto the
roof of my bus; the first shake. After checking up and down the alley
he would leap down to the ground, the second shake!
Your experience may differ!
- - -
Maybe a sea lion with gas? Mermaid? Roadguy? Bullet the road dog?
- - -
It's Bad Clam Gas, Larry. ;-)
Or, having restored Great Engine Power, you're actually on Mars --- and
the landing bags released their last gas <gasp >
- - -
On Memorial Day weekend a couple years ago I heard a similar sound. I
was camping down inside Big Hole, which is next to Big Hole Butte in
Central Oregon (leave it be, the puns are too obvious). Around midnight
I heard what I thought sounded like a single cylinder steam engine,
maybe a quarter mile away. There were 3 or 4 loud puffs about 1 or 2
seconds apart. Then it was quiet for about 3 or 4 minutes, and it
happened again. The whole time it lasted about 20 minutes.
At the time I thought it might be elk. But I didn't know if there were
elk in that part of Oregon. Mostly, I've heard of elk down on the rivers
along the west slope of the coastal range.
But when you choose to camp in some place like Big Hole you have to
expect some weird noises.
- - -
A giant Nutria fart?
- - -
Swamp gas?
- - -
the only people for me are,
the mad ones, mad to live.
~Jack Kerouac, "On the Road"
Larry Chase
Email: RoadGuy@RoadHaus.com
Web: WWW.RoadHaus.com
Cell: 408.202.1217
What: North American Road Trip
How: RoadHaus - 1990 White VW Westfalia Syncro
Today: Florida