Date:         Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:35:04 -0400
Reply-To:     Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Everybus - road repairs and a couple of big Thank Yous
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I made the run down to EveryBus this past weekend, had a great time (I
don't mind a bit of rain, as long as I get to see a rainbow over a filed o'
busses). Hagen Stone Park is a great destination, and (as usual for VW bus
events) the people were absolutely the best. I highly recommend this event
for anyone who is close enough to get there (or those like me, that are
*almost* too far away... and yes, I hear the Canadian contingent laughing
and calling me a wimp ;-).

I ran into one small mechanical problem, my coolant expansion tank started
to leak (at the seam) around Roanoke, VA. I replaced that tank five years
ago shortly after I bought the van (after the original started to leak) so
I was a bit surprised... it could be that my 20-year-old cap was allowing
too much pressure build up.

First big thank you goes to Mark Foster, who caravanned down from New
Jersey with me, and had enough JB weld on hand, to make a "150 mile fix" to
get me the rest of the way down to the event. Brought the leak down to a
slow drip, and I stopped every 25 miles to check the level and top it off
as needed.

Second big thank you goes to Mark Dearing, he's got a shop near Roanoke,
he's listed in the LiMBO guide, and he was a huge help. I never did find
his shop (navigating unknown roads in the dark is a challenge), but since
the roadside repair was holding, I pushed on to North Carolina,
occasionally glancing up from the temperature gauge to see which way the
road bent next.

Mark D arrived on Friday with a replacement expansion tank, complete with a
new level sensor and cap. This is the first time in five years (and three
attempts) that a part I needed on the road that "will come in tomorrow"
actually *did* come in on-time; the on-site delivery to the event was a
nice added bonus.

The road home was long (I drove straight through on Sunday), but
uneventful... unless you consider a smooth, cool-running bus an event.

Tim