Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:34:20 -0700
Reply-To: neil <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Trip Report. Long!
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Hi all.
I'll try to keep this less than long winded.......... ;^)
After a quick fuss over getting fridge to light, and a quick look in
basement and subsequent install of "new" sink faucet, I was off to the
races.
Started out with a visit to FLAPS in Blaine WA after my speedo started
going nuts. Jumping way high, then pinned! And stuck! Wow! didn't now
I could go that fast! Anyhow, I bought some "Marvel Mystery Oil"
(there was no 3 in 1) and put some down speedo cable. This eventually
helped. After the brief visit, I camped out at Birch Bay. Not too many
people there, a nice setting, but a tree chipper started up. I had
visons of "Fargo" but continued to enjoy my Becks and camp fire.
The next day, after a ferry ride from Edmonds to Kingston, and brief
visit to Port Townsend, I boogied to Dosewallips state park. Was a
bit drizzly, but quiet. A nice fire, more Becks, some "Hootie and the
Blow Fish" and "Jaco" and rain didn't matter.
A longer drive came the following day. I made hay, going through
Aberdeen down to Nehalam. After crossing the dreaded bridge from WA to
Astoria OR. Thankfully it wasn't too windy!
Enjoyed 3 nights at Nehalem, though was surprised at how busy it got
on a non holiday, rainy weekend. Regardless, Thurs (April 19) was
great weather, but saddly things got rainy. Was glad to have 110 for
electric heater as I got soaked pretty good on a walk Saturday.
During my time scouting area from Nehalem, I visited "Beaver Bob" Wow.
Bob's shop is in Beaver OR, and has the most amazing collection of
Beetle, and older bus stuff. I went there looking for a speedo, but he
had no Vanagon stuff. He did, however, have a lot to say about certain
things. Regardless, was worth the visit. Just wish I'd brought my
camera! Of note, on way back to camp, I stopped in at Bay City looking
for the local library. What nice people in Bay City! Dropped into
local Art's Centre thinking it was library, and found a group of women
who were baking bread for a fund raiser. They had just started
sampling their wares when I appeared, and invited me in for a slice of
bread. Then I met a couple of helpful youths, one of whom directed me
to local library. As I say, nice people.
So from Nehalem, I trucked up through Elsie, Jewell, Mist, to Veronia
seeing some nice country, then tracked back, decided NOT to stay at
(Eddies??) campground as I didn't like the looks of it, and it was
raining, but crossed back to WA (damn that long bridge) and settled in
at Fort Canby (pretty sure of name) campground near Ilwaco. Really
nice camp grounds and it was sunny.
The weather stayed ok through juant up to Grayland and Westport and
after a couple stops to auto wreckers near Aberdeen, (BTW, there's an
85 with some stuff left on it at wrecker on South side of # 12 east of
Aberdeen, and I've been told that a place under business name of
"Gordons" west of Aberdeen in Hoquaim that might have Vanagon stuff)
and a night at Lake Sylvia (Quaint. Lake side!) I wailed throught the
intermittent rain up to Port Townsend, took the ferry to Whidbey
Island, (awesome island) stayed one night at Ft. Ebey, (another really
nice site) then trundled up through Sumas to home.
All in all a great 4000+ KM trip. And I managed to practice my
trombone withouth offending too many people, had no mechanical
problems other than a washer floating around fuse panel contacts (and
making wipers wierd out!!), a speedo that finally settled into a
steady 20 KM higher than normal readout, a yet to be determined
intermittent squeal from RF, (kinda like a tiny train wheel on the
track) and a vibration at 110-120 KM's (my speedo readout), the van
worked well. Brakes were ok, and engine worked like a hot damn and
weather was good until latter half of trip. And as I say, no one was
injured in the practising of trombone, although I may have confused
some wildlife with some of my tones. I could have been blasting out
mating calls and not known it !
Many thanks to those who helped me get all the work done. Of course
now there is more work to do, as I managed to score a bunch of parts
yesterday from a soon to be wrecked 81. Anyhow.....
Cheers,
Neil.
--
Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia.
http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
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