Date:         Mon, 4 Jun 2007 13:26:20 +0000
Reply-To:     Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Natural Bus Trip Report

Headed out for Natural Bus Friday around 2:00pm. First 45-50 miles all went well, then my '84 with a 2.1 started losing power on any grade, now matter how slight. Problem comes and goes all the way to Harrisonburg, where I stop for gas. Engine is sounding loud, almost tractor like. I let it cool for a while, then start it up and play with the timing for a bit-it was set at 5 ATDC. Don't have a timing light, just do it by ear, probably set it right around 0 or slightly before TDC, but engine now sounds "normal". Get back out on I-81 and it's now flying up grades at 65-70 mph and runs fine all the way to the campground. Find a spot next to some friends (Sharon & gary Simpson) and get set up. Very hot and humid, and skies start rumbling, but we never get any rain. Perfect sleeping weather, not too hot nor too cold, just right. Saturday my daughter and I play in the mini golf tournament with some non-VW folks (hey, we didn't know about the 2 stroke automatic score on "YOGI", I want a r
ematch!). I've played mini golf from Maine to Florida, and I've never seen anything as tough as the "YOGI" section on this course. The letters "YOGI" are spelled out on the hillside, and you have to hit the ball to the top of the letter and get it in the hole then it rolls down through a pipe and comes out and (hopefully) goes into the hole at the bottom of the letter. Nearly impossible. After the mini golf a dip in the pool sure felt good. Just hung around the campground Saturday afternoon talked to folks, looked at the stuff people brought to sell, but didn't buy anything. Skipped the dinner in th rec hall at 5:00 but went in for the door prizes at 6:00. First time I haven't won anything! Well, OK, my name was called, but the item was one that I had donated! Went to bed around 11:30, after watching "Blazing Saddles" on my daughter's DVD player. I still think it's the funniest movie ever made-my daughter (age 14) doesn't agree. At Everybus she only brought one movie along, Napoleo
n Dynamite-talk about an awful movie! Torture! Wake up sometime in the early am Sunday to hear that it is raining. Get up around 7:00am Sunday to off and on rain showers. I use the periods off no/light rain to start packing up. We head out around 10:45 and stop at the "Pink Cadillac" diner to have lunch before heading north on I-81( the Pink Cadillac is a great diner if you're ever traveling I-81 up/down I-81 at the Natural Bridge exit). Everything is fine for the first 35 miles or so, then the Vanagon starts losing power again. At one point I'm going up a long grade, right lane, pouring down rain at 35mph! Not good and damn sure not safe. Get off at the next exit and go into a Pilot truck stop and use the bathroom and look around the store for about 15 minutes. We head back out to the Vanagon and it fires right up-I didn't "do" anything, I'm out of ideas at this point. I can tell already by the way it starts and sounds that it is "OK" again. We get back on 81 and it once again has
 plenty of power-I'm going up the long grades in 4hgt gear maintaining 65mph with no trouble. It stays that way all the way until we get off at our exit at Winchester to head east on route 7 to Round Hill, and it loses power again. I pull over and let it sit again for about 20 minutes, but no go this time, it still struggles to get up any grade. We climb the mountain just west of home at 25mph in second gear-not fun. After unpacking a couple of hours later I take it out and it's fine. ARRRGGGGHHHH! I'm about to call East Coast Vanagon and schedule a Subaru transplant!!!

Thanks to everyone who worked hard to put together another great "Natural Bus". It's always on my "must go to" list!                                                     Jeff