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Date:         Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:47:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Cross-country trip report
Comments: cc: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@worldnet.att.net>,
          Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>,
          joel walker <uncajoel@bellsouth.net>,
          John Rodgers <inua@charter.net>,
          Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CACHTzae1XWBY2SqbnzaDFD-487jBxKfxvGm7uTeo3F1v3sPw-Q@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Greetings once again, Vanagaroons (not to be confused with vinegaroons)

Well, I am nearly home, just the 185 mile milk-run from Las Vegas to Goldfield to remaining.

This has been a really great road trip, with the space shuttle launch as my primary motivator, but finding that meeting several of our list members was really what I'll remember the most. Thanks again to John Rodgers, Unca Joel, and Jim Felder in Alabama (I miss the Brrmp! Brrmp! Brrmmp-brrmp-brrmp! of Alabama's "Intersection approaching, Will Robinson" road bumps already). And while travelling through Arizona, no trip would be complete without a stop at Karl Wolz's abode, who kindly offered me a place to stay (and sprung for a bean burro!).

The following may be of interest to anyone familiar with I-17,AKA the Black Canyon freeway, connecting Phoenix with Flagstaff, AZ. I consider this road to be my nemesis, having driven it from the first time I had a driver's license, with any number of different vehicles, I've destroyed two engines on this road (part of this was any teenager's necessary 'learning curve').

I entered the I-17/Northern Avenue interchange at 6:30 pm, with a full tank of fuel, and headed out of town. I was able to leave Hector in fourth gear up the first major pull until approaching the sign for "Bumble Bee exit, one mile", at which point I went ahead and downshifted to third, and was able to pull the hill all the way to the Sunset Point rest area, keeping my road speed at forty mph, EGT's at 1200 plus or minus about 25 degrees, manifold pressure I kept at just a hair under nine psi (the wastegate opens at around 9.5 psi). The cooling temperature was up, but not alarmingly so, and after Sunset Point was able to cruise normally (55 - 58 mph), bringing it up to 70 mph for crossing the Verde River bridge, then keeping my speed up for the next set of hills. I was in third gear a total of four times, none of the rest of the hills any more challenging than the first one, and I arrived in Flagstaff in an astounding (for a former splitty owner) two hours and twenty-two minutes!

After such a successful run up the hill, of course I went directly to the Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff, where I celebrated with a pint of IPA and a salmon BLT sandwich - - yum!

Then I headed back down the Lake Mary road to the Marshall Lake campground, easy to find even in the dark.

The next morning, after hanging around Flagstaff for a few hours, I had an uneventful trip out to Kingman, AZ, then up US 93 to a spot I camp at fairly often, just off the Temple Bar road (m.p. 19 on US93, up the Temple Bar road about 1.3 miles and then a couple of hundred yards up the power line access road. Very quiet there, you can see the planes with their landing lights on, approaching the Las Vegas airport. Nearly hit a sidewinder on the way up the dirt portion, but backed up, got out to ascertain that he was what I thought he was, which alarmed the snake, who side-wound his way to under the nearest bush, where he buzzed away in a most alarming fashion!

Once I get home I will add up the final figures regarding total trip mileage, fuel mileage, and the like.

Signing off,

Gary


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