Date:         Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:57:14 -0900
Reply-To:     Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject:      Re: 2 weeks enough to cross country - w/kids?
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

RE:  " Your gas costs will exceed exceed $700,"

Via what route would this be?  Assuming 3000 miles at a reasonably conservative 15mpg you will use 200 gallons, is gas really $3.50 per gallon down there?

Re:   "3000+ miles, about 96 hours behind the wheel, and if you don't get > about 9 hours a day, you won't make it out and back in time for work. "

3000 miles divided by 96hrs equals 31.25 average speed, even a vanagon can do better then that.  Since it is not stated exaclty where the starting and ending locations are, I choose to calculate from Seattle to Fall River, approx. 3,100 miles.  If you only drove 400 miles per day for eight days you would have six full days left over to cover getting to the west coast, out fitting the van, sight seeing, etc.

I would have the van inspected by a competent shop and any necessary repairs done.  Then when you are ready, fly there and drive it home.  We did the same 2 1/2 years ago when we picked up our Westy Syncro in Berkeley, CA and drove it more then 3500 miles home to Anchorage, AK.  One advantage that you will have on this trip is should you break down you will be alot closer to a decent supply of parts and/or people that can install them.  The Alaska Highway is lacking in both vanagon parts sources, and people knowledgeable in their repair.

As one other list member has pointed out, you need to consider food, lodging(unless camping in the van), airline tickets, etc.  We chose to look at our trip as a vacation and therefore did not worry about these, of course we were self sufficient in our Westy.  Had we shipped our van, the costs would have been higher then what you would pay, when shipping to Alaska the boat is only full coming up, so we pay more to cover its empty return trip to Seattle.

Mark in AK

----- Original Message -----
From: Anonymous Digest <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 1:55 pm
Subject: Re: 2 weeks enough to cross country - w/kids?

> >I am buying my friend's 87 Wolfburg (Weekender-no stove)
> Westfalia.  The
> >only problem is it is within 5 miles of the Pacific Ocean in
> Washington>state and I and within 5 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in
> Massachusetts.
> >My wife and I are trying to decide if 2 weeks is enough time to
> cross the
> >country with 2 kids under 11 - and still enjoy it.  I can't get
> away for
> >more than 2 weeks from the office.
>
> Hi John,
>
> Always happy to share an opinion, since opinions can't really be
> all wrong
> :-)
>
> >The other optins are shipping  -about $1300 or so or getting the van
> >witha friend and doing the drive in one weeks time (the most time
> he can
> >give me).
>
> Having driven across the country enough times to know, I would
> call it a
> drain on you physically, as well as emotionally. Its a beautiful
> country,but you won't get to enjoy it  other than watching it zoom
> by. By the time
> you get back home, you will have to go right back to work, and the
> 'jetlag' will be nothing to write home about :-) Eight hours a
> day, for 12
> days behind the wheel sounds very stressful.
>
> The trip, with children, will take all of that two weeks, unless
> you drive
> like a fiend, which eliminates the part about "enjoying it"
>
> Your gas costs will exceed exceed $700, so $1300 to have it shipped
> doesn't seem all that unreasonable, as other costs like food and a
> hotelnow and then will eat up that $500 pretty quick.
>
> If you ship it, you can take the two weeks off of work to travel
> aroundhome, and have fun, rather than banzi across the heartland
> and over the
> Rockies, and you won't have to be concerned about any reliability
> issuesin the middle of nowhere making you late to get back to work.
>
> 3000+ miles, about 96 hours behind the wheel, and if you don't get
> about 9
> hours a day, you won't make it out and back in time for work. I
> guess  you
> could half that if your wife drives an 8 hour shift as well,
> but.......
>> Simply one man's opinion.
>
> John
>