Date:         Sat, 8 May 2004 09:17:04 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: test - Thoughts on Larry, the list, and everything!  42
Comments: To: KARL WOLZ <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Lighten up, Stan.  Methinks you're just jealous.  Nothing wrong with that,
but you don't need to be so vocal about it.
-------------------------- Clip ----------------------------
Karl: I ran my Westy over 300,000 miles in about 9 years. I installed two
engines. I fought head winds, tail gating 18 wheelers and camped in desolate
spots with no facilities.
I crawled up hills at 30 miles an hour and tripped through mountains that
drove my fuel mileage down in the 10 mpg range.
I always  traveled and camped alone. (90% of the time)
It was for the most part a very lonley life.
My pictures from my travels look like Larry's ............... no people in
the pictures.
I could never be jealous of his way of lonley boring travel.
I can just feel the lonliness when I see all those pictures on his site of
big Rocks at Western States parks.
I kept waiting for some humerous antedotes about VW travel experiences and
people that he met; Please repost these if he ever posted any.
It's now your turn to convince me that living on the road in a Westy is any
where close to the quality of life that almost every American demands.
I could never have kept my Westy on the road if I hadn't dedicated many
hours to the care, preventive maintenance and molycodled treatment it
required.
My level of "Dumb about VWs" was right up there with Larry when I first got
my Westy.
I blew a new VW Canadian rebuilt engine running against a headwind within 30
days of buying the Westy.
I spent double the price I paid for the Westy within 90 days on parts and
repairs.
I thought that I could drive the Westy like I've driven every other car I've
ever owned.
On my first engine rebuild I paid a good 50% more for the required parts
because I hadn't found the right vendors.
Given that I've had lots of VW experience both travel wise and pure
mechanics, I sure haven't got a jealous bone in my body.
I have no desire to make Westy trips that require more than the 500 miles of
driving that I can accomplish in one very hard day of driving in a Westy.

Stan Wilder