Date:         Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:51:46 -0600
Reply-To:     Paul Connelly <vanagonhummingbird@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Paul Connelly <vanagonhummingbird@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Trip Report (Long!) LVC
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Hi All,

Just wanted to drop a line to the List by way of a report on my Fall Road
Trip.

The van had about 186,000 on it when I started the trip with the original
WBX, no leaks and still turning over very sweetly! I have had the van for
about 7 years and done most of my camp trips and 4x4 fun trips here in CO
and nearby UT. I live at 9,100'amsl and every direction that we go in is
up!!! So very used to patient driving at low speeds in lower gears and
watching the rear-view mirrors for Semis and everything else really! I try
to avoid Interstates or major highways where possible because of this. The
van isn't used as a daily driver and is very much a "toy" for me to get
into the CO back-country with and to get away from the tourists (I work in
Tourism).

The plan was just to head west and to "fill in" a part of the country that
I hadn't yet seen - California and Oregon Between San Francisco and
Portland, with perhaps some wine country, coast, mountains and high desert
to explore. I have loaded some of the photos on
Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150336319327741.343887.712882740&type=1&l=6bca682f47>that
follow the text if you wish (I've set the viewing to public/all).

I left Frisco CO on 10/5 and traveled to the State Line and camped at
Rabbit Valley (a place I use often as a stop off) by way of Leadville,
Independence Pass and Aspen to take in the Fall colors which were at their
peak at this elevation back then. The next day I traveled to a camp spot
just off of Hwy 50 west of Salina, UT, stopping briefly to take in Capitol
Reef and the San Rafael Swell along the way. The headwinds and hills were
horrendous (as they almost always are on this stretch of I-70) and it made
this tough going and the fuel consumption was the worst of the trip at
14.85mpg.

The next 2 days were spent heading west on Hwy 50 to Carson
City, discovering that there are a lot (an awful lot) of passes and not
very much else on this stretch of road "the loneliest road in America".
Stopping off at a camp spot somewhere between Eureka and Austin NV on the
way. Late that afternoon we took the last of the big hills for the day up
to Tahoe and did a quick tour of the East and South banks of the lake and
not finding too much national forest camping available and also there being
snow on the ground I headed further west on 50 and down to lower elevation
to find a camp spot for the night.

Next day I headed back up to the lake and explored the west shore-line
(gorgeous) and Lake Tahoe City, then to Squaw Valley, Truckee and the
Donner Pass. Camp that night was just off of I-80 near Crystal Lakes.
Columbus Day saw us heading into Sacramento and picking up a new Flojet
pump which was on its last legs (the second time I have had to replace
it!), and some groceries and heading south towards Napa and some wine
tastings... didn't quite make it that far! As I headed south I started to
notice in 3rd gear at mid to high revs the clutch started to slip. Of
course I knew what it was but not quite willing to admit it yet I kept
going for a bit - just to see if it was some aberration. By the time I got
to Winters on Hwy 126 south west of Sacramento and west of UC @ Davis I had
to admit that it had to be addressed.

So contacting the list from my phone I had several immediate suggestions
that Stephans Auto Haus <http://www.stephansautohaus.com/> in Sacramento
was the best place around. I called and they said they would get me in
first thing in the morning (it was 4:30pm on a Public Holiday), and said
that I could camp out front for the night if I could make it in. This I
did, and true to their word at 8am they grabbed my keys and took a test
drive and got her onto the lift. After much reading and a pleasant walk and
lunch with fellow waitee, Scott I was finally given back the keys at 10 til
6 - awesome job by the shop and I couldn't have asked for better service -
I would highly recommend them.

That night I found a little camp spot off of Hwy 126 just on the Napa side
of the hills about 17 miles from Napa itself. The next 3 days were spent
touring the Napa, Sonoma, Russian River and Alexander Valleys as well as
Chalk Hill. Camping in Calistoga at the Fairgrounds (terrible - noisy and
waaay too bright), and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (deserted and nice, but
pricey for what it was). I found Napa to be a great experience, but a
tourist trap and a place for the super rich to indulge their egos in
the viticulture industry (but the wines were superb). Sonoma was, for the
most part, the sleepier, more rural, laid back style, Russian River was a
bunch of Resorts..., Chalk Hill was a nice drive, but was very much more of
a "production" area, and the Alexander Valley was very much more of what I
expected from wine country (having lived in France), large concerns that
were about the real production of, and in general the industry of wine
making. The visitor areas and tastings were there to find but it was a very
much more business like atmosphere (and none the worse for it).

From there it was a short drive north to Ukiah to restock, refuel and head
for the coast and Pacific Highway 1. The drive over the hills and down to
the coast through National Forest I hoped would yield some Forest Access
and some camp spots, but everything was posted as Private, Keep Out, No
Trespassing, etc etc - even the public lands. I don't know the reason, but
I suspect weed growing and potential wild fires from irresponsible campers
may be to blame. Either way it was disappointing. The last thing I want to
do in my van is to camp with a "herd" of others squashed in to a designated
campsite with the rest of humanity and all that that brings with it...
infants crying, kids running riot and drunks shouting. You are always
designated as an RV too, which almost makes things worse - I would much
rather be with the tents - the people tend to be nicer IMHO.

The Northern California coastline was not a disappointment though and it
was a beautiful drive. The morning fog hugging the coast added to the
ethereal feel and did not diminish the beauty. The Redwoods of the Humboldt
State Park were truly impressive, and the return to the coast on Hwy 101 no
less beautiful. Camp spots were at Caspar and on the north side of Humboldt
Lagoons State Park (Private Camp ground which was both reasonable and
quiet, if a bit run down - which I personally liked). More coastline
featured the next day as we traveled on into Oregon and took in a
particularly gorgeous panorama at Bandon. Camp that night was inland on a
back road (CR 48 Lower Smith River Road) which was a very pretty drive
along the river with amazing Fall foliage and little traffic. The road goes
over a pass and gives out towards Eugene. I found the coastline extremely
beautiful in both California and Oregon, but I couldn't help but feel a
little more relaxed and, its difficult to describe but perhaps more
welcomed in Oregon. There seemed something a bit more brash and abrasive
about the Northern California part of the trip. There wasn't really
anything specific (except for someone firing shotgun shells at us because
presumably they didn't want us to camp on some public lands by the coast),
but it was definitely "there".

Anyway, leaving the coast and heading inland towards Bend and the high
desert, we passed through Eugene and stopped off at the local FLAPS to try
to procure a replacement back-up light switch which had decided to give up
at the same time as the clutch, but I hadn't had an opportunity to get one
since. They referred me to a local small specialist VW/Bus garage called
the No Name garage <http://thenonamegarage.com/>. Miles found me a used one
for $5 and I installed it in the parking lot. They were extremely friendly
and very helpful and suggested a couple of other places around where I
could look for the bits and pieces that we are always in search of to keep
our vans on the road. A good bunch of guys if you are in need of help in
Eugene.

That night I headed for McKenzie Pass, but stopped just short and camped
back in the National Forest near the base of the Pass. The next morning,
taking the back road as usual, it was again a pretty drive with the Fall
colors still in full force. At the top of the Pass I was staggered to see a
huge wall of lava right at the edge of the forest and the road (I had done
no research for this trip). This was the Belnap Crater, and I hiked out
into the middle and marveled at the incongruity of it. Further along the
road we came to the Dee Wright "Observatory" with amazing views to Mount
Washington, Mount Hood, The Sisters and The Little Brother. I was not
expecting it at all and it was a wonderful surprise.

Dropping down from the Pass through the town of Sisters, and then on to
Bend to once more refuel and restock. Bend I had envisioned as a quiet
little town center with a growing suburban population. It seemed more of a
commercial hub serving all of the surrounding communities and was very much
more commercial than I had imagined. None the worse for it and I did like
the area and surrounds - just a little different to the pictures in my
mind! Heading South from Bend on Hwy 97 taking in the High Desert Museum
along the way, I had a ridiculous problem finding a water spigot to fill my
water tank (I had forgotten to fill it when I had refueled in Bend). I
stopped at at least 6 gas stations before finding one with a spigot!!!
Anyway, the first one I looked for was signposted 2 miles off the highway,
and getting to the gas station and finding an Island that said "Air &
Water" I thought that I was in luck, but nooo, just air! The attendant said
that there was another gas station at the other end of "Town" which
surprised me because we were in the middle of the woods and I had seen no
signs of a "Town". I went in search of this other station and quickly
became disorientated and suddenly started to feel very nauseous and really
quite weird. The surroundings were a cross between something out of
a Stephen King novel and the Stepford Wives! It was "Sun Valley Resort" and
it consisted of almost identical houses in "muted" tones equally spaced by
about 50 yards apart, set in what looked like a Pinyon Forest (I think)
itself with trees almost exactly spaced 20 feet apart, a covering of
needles over the ground the whole thing seemed colorless with diffused
light and truly surreal. It was compounded by the roads system which was
based on numbered roundabouts with signposts directing you from roundabout
# 7 to roundabout # 4 etc. I turned tail and ran!

Turning off of the Highway at La Pine and heading towards National Forest
and signposts for Wickup Reservoir to find a camp spot for the night, I
came across a national forest access road for the North Deshutes River and
followed it South. There was a map at the start of the road showing a
series of campgrounds all along the river. I went down the road a few miles
and randomly picked a side road that headed towards the river and found
huge and secluded campsites set all along the river, well spaced and
completely deserted (no pun intended). I settled in and decided that I
would have a 2 night stay here and take a rest day after so many straight
days on the road. It was the right decision!!!

Getting onto the road again I followed it south to the reservoir and was
rewarded by a stunning view to the west over the water with the sun rising
behind us in the east, really beautiful. I continued through the maze of
Forest Service unsigned roads and eventually stumbled back onto the
highway. Continuing south the town of Klamath Falls had a nice ring to it
and sounded like it deserved a visit. How wrong I was! Very run down and
except for a really pretty lake to the north I couldn't really find any
reason that I might want to ever pull off the highway there again. This was
ostensibly the end of the exploration part of the trip, it was time to turn
East and start heading home.

Heading East on Hwy 140 (The Warner Highway) past the ski area and finding
camp a little further East, we were entering what I would refer to as
"badlands". There is a stark beauty to this terrain, but its perhaps
"a beauty that only a mother could love"! There were many passes again as
we crossed the ranges that we had crossed on Hwy 50 on the trek west, and
there was not too much to report except for a short stop at Denio Junction.
It was still a ways to I-80 and not sure what sort of fuel consumption I
was getting with all of the passes I stopped to refuel. At $4.50 a gallon I
decided to just top up with $20 worth of gas to make sure I made Winnemucca
without any drama. Anyway, the pumps would not accept a credit card, so you
have to go inside the Diner to prepay. As I was paying the attendant, a
table of diners was getting up to leave. The gentleman who came to the
counter to pay was well, but casually dressed in a polished pair of boots,
clean pressed jeans and a freshly pressed cotton plaid shirt... and a
nickel plated six gun in a holster on his belt on his hip. These guys were
most definitely not hunters and I just had to wonder what the gun was
intended for? Snakes? Not a pistol or a revolver, but a *nickel
plated*revolver. I guess if you are going to carry a revolver, it
might as well be
pretty! I'm used to more seeing a sign on the door of a restaurant saying
"No Firearms" which takes me back to Wyatt Earp and "Tombstone" posting
signs so that folks must leave their firearms in their vehicles. I guess
Nevada is still the Wild West!

The remainder of the journey was uneventful and taking I-80 East through
Nevada, Utah (stopping to camp just before Wendover north of the highway on
some FS Roads up in the hills above the microwave station there) and
Wyoming and picking up Hwy 789 to Baggs, WY and Craig, CO, then Hwy 40 to
Kremmling, CO and then Hwy 9 North back to snowy Frisco my trip was at an
end.

Approx 4,100 miles in about 18 days, 5 States and many varying vistas it
was a trip to remember. I averaged just short of 18mpg and varied from 14
to 20mpg (I did have a Yakima rack on with a Carefree of Colorado awning up
top - which I never used). Other than replacing the clutch in Sacramento
there was nothing of note from a Vanagon perspective that went wrong. There
were minor issues like the back up light and the water pump (interior)
going out, and a headlight switch that was finicky about switching to
"bright", but for a vehicle with now about 190,000 miles on it I don't
think I could make a word of complaint. I did notice that overall the
speedo reads ~5.5% high, so in fact the true mileage is actually only
180,000. She is in effect getting younger by the day!

Paul Connelly
Vanagon Westfalia Syncro
Hummingbird

PS One of the things I really wanted to try out on the trip was my newly
installed LED lighting and dimmer system, but that's for another post!