Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:52:47 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Trip Report: Snowbird NW>desert SW>NW (long)
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Just returned from a winter get-a-way..an extended journey in my 84
low-topped Vanagon that's equipped with most of a Westie interior and an
inline Jetta gas motor. Specifically, a 2.0 liter (ABA) motor from a '93
Jetta, turning the wheels through a diesel 5sp transmission on 4 Nokian
Hakka 185-14 M+S tires.
From just before Christmas until yesterday, I logged a total of 6416 miles
with no real problems.
Heading south, the weather was stormy, leading me to choose mostly the
Interstates and main highways. Starting near Portland, Or. I logged about
1200 miles to the desert just east of San Diego, Ca..
Keeping a careful eye on the instruments, I drove in my 'Over the Road
Trucker-mode'....long hours at 5-10mph over the posted speed limits. This
was my first extended highway trip, after a recent preemptive bottom-end
motor swap, so I was pleased to find everything working quite well.
I encounterd the usual central California valley fog between Redding and
Bakersfield. I had some horrendous headwinds around Mt. Shasta and some
slick roads, but with new inexpensive (Monroe/NAPA) shocks and excellent
power from my "new" engine configuration, nothing too tough. I was a bit
surprised when I got out to gas-up near Mt. Shasta without realizing how
strong the headwind I'd been bucking (my new-found power) was. It blew me
sideways across the ice on the gas station apron, like a hockey skater or
something.
During our stay in California, I ran into Vanagonites Bernie from BC and
another lister from San Diego area. I did around 3500 miles of side trips
over my two months as a Snowbird; a bit of Medical Tourism to Mexico,
plenty of day trips for bike riding in the nearby mountains, etc. My only
Van mechanical issues were an anticipated exhaust repair and I swapped in
another voltage regulator, thinking I might improve my auxiliary battery
power supply (not much help there) I'd forgotten to pack my small
'van-specific' solar panel in my rush to escape before the X-mas storm hit,
so I was relying on my engine and the alternator to keep the aux battery
up...with un-satisfying results, Just not quite poor enough to go buy
another solar panel... During fabrication of my new improved exhaust
system, I'd also made some bad engineering choices and weakened the flex
coupling at the exhaust manifold, so I replaced that with one from
Techtonic's Tuning. I had that welded in in El Centro, Ca.
For my return journey north, the weather cooperated a bit. I wanted to
do a bike ride (big climbing) I'd heard about in Death Valley, so I headed
north up the Colorado to Las Vegas and through to Death Valley, arriving
quite late. I found a campsite in Furnace Cr. NP camp...next to a big
motorhome....Just as I was finally getting to sleep, the guy's heater
fired-off! Sounded like a jet. Huge big motorhomes try to shoe-horn into
normal-sized camping sites...they should probably stick to the RV Circuit
and stay in parks that are built to accommodate them better.
After an epic ride up to Dante's View (about 5000' + of elevation gain) I
headed up Hwy 95 to overnight in a motel in Fernley, Nv. The hot shower
felt great...one thing lacking in my Vanagon. Next day, with a really early
start, I found a road I'd never taken through the mountains near Susanville,
Ca. I came on north, with a great tailwind (had my trip-high tankful of
gas @ 25.xx + mpg between Alturas, Ca and Madras, Or.) The return trip I
logged 1550 miles and used about 75 gals of gas, making an average of
22.2mpg at about 65-70mph, most of the time. I found it difficult to
restrain my right foot on some of those straight road stretches in Nv...but
at almost $4 per gallon, driving at moderate speed makes sense to me..Diesel
fuel was at $5.76/gal at the station in Death Valley. I saw propane
advertised in Bend, Or for $2.30/gal....started me thinking again about
fuels vs cost per mile.
A few thoughts on this trip: California is pretty...but it is very full
of people. Weekends in California?..you might like to lie low because they
come out in droves!
Drivers in Nevada are a real pleasure. Unlike the ones elsewhere, they
seem to be able to drive 'smoothly' and anticipate.
I saw a very large Prevost motorhome 'stuck' under a Chevron filling
station in a city on hwy 395. He'd driven up to the pump, then realized his
behemoth was too tall after it scrunched itself under the pump canopy. He
was all stressed out, shouting at everyone, yelling about having to un-hook
his towed Lexus SUV to back his big rig out from under, threatening to sue,
pissed-off that he had to re-enter his credit card multiple times to get
enough fuel to satisfy his thirsty diesel (the pump shut off at $100...he
wanted $500 worth)
Poor guy! His wife was very supportive, though... I think he should
stick to the interstates and fuel at the truck stops. Even a major road
like US 395 was too small for that guy.
I'll post some pics of this journey soon. Sorry for the long post, but I
warned everyone in the subject...grin.
Don Hanson
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