Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 01:19:57 EST
Reply-To: Pete952@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Pete Moore <Pete952@AOL.COM>
Subject: Vanagons in snow
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I have no detailed experiments or major experiences with busses, vanagons,
westies or SYNCROS in the snow but I do have a story that might be of interest
to some.
In 1973 or thereabouts I bought a new 73 bus - red body - white top. Within
a year I learned the value of John Muir as my new work vehicle would not turn
over in the parking lot after work one day. Yep "crawl under front of the
right rear wheel and look for two cylindrical shaped things" - yeah, I knew
what a starter and solenoid were but he was right - the 12V hot wire had
vibrated off - YAHOO! But I digress.
My snow story. I had a young ski family at the time and the bus made many
successful trips from the SF East Bay Area to the Sierras and OR over the
years. One spring, 75 or 76 not sure, I decided it was time to do the Utah ski
thing. Spring break I packed up my 2 boys (8 and 12) and a high school student
friend and we headed off to Park City one evening. I drove all night and we
had Bk in Park City at 8AM - a little icy but a fun ski day - ended up on a
hill with a bunch of young folks (pretty good skiers) who all had the same
parkas - US Ski Team. Kinda fun.
I slept well in SLC that night.
Next AM we were off to our 2nd day of the adventure (Vanagon content
finally). I just now went to Mapquest to verify my memory of distances, etc. which
wasn't bad after 30+/- years but here's the gig. We turned onto UT 210 south
of SLC - sign says 8 miles to Alta - it's raining like crazy and the sign says
CHAINS REQUIRED - BS - "I don't need no stinkin' badges" or chains for that
matter when it's raining.
Up Cottonwood Canyon we go - raining like mad - bout 3 miles up the rain
gets footprints - ah - no problem. Another mile and it's snowing pretty hard.
It's almost whiteout conditions when I catch up to a bus (Greyhound type). I
hang out behind it and then see it start to slide out to the right with the
unfenced canyon below - I'm going for it so I pass - as I start the teenager
yells "Every one in the back". The bus dug in and, to make a long story short, I
blasted by Snowbird and plowed into the more or less empty Alta parking lot
and breathed very deeply. I opened the door and it pushed snow - this is the
absolute truth. This was not the stuff that Sierra concrete is made of. A
great ski day! Oh, BTW, the teenager had lived in Breckenridge, CO for many
years.
A few years later after a blown engine thanks to that 5 year old who grew up
a little, that bus went to someone who wanted to fix it up - I have no idea.
MOL 5 yrs ago, 2nd family, we acquired an '80 Westy in Durango, CO in the
winter. The Westy blew the doors off my unloaded F150 4X4 coming home over
Carson Pass in light, but sticking, snow - uh, no chains. It's a project car but
has served us well with a rebuilt engine and a few other basics. Discovered
some new unmarked campsites in the central Sierras, Southern OR and looking for
more on the 2nd Baja trip this spring.
I think my point should be obvious but if you get into traction problems and
don't have 4 80# bags of rock salt but do have a passenger, yell!
Pete
Murphys, CA
80 Westy
Couple of 4Runners
F150
