Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:25:57 -0700
Reply-To: Donna Skarloken <dskarloken@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Donna Skarloken <dskarloken@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Kens trip & can Westys climb mountains?
In-Reply-To: <B3FBC0F6-2580-4884-9562-EC9B5577D897@me.com>
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All good advice; just one additional thing - when in the truck lane try to
keep an eye out and move out of the way of the big trucks back into the
regular right lane and let them go by if you can - they're fighting gears
and climbing too especially if loaded. I realize you can't always get back
into the regular lane if it's full of cars too, but I have had success
doing this climbing Donner Pass on I-80 eastbound especially. (Westbound
out of Reno consists of steep grades too but only one or two truck lanes
that I can think of - that last one before Truckee westbound is a bear!).
I used to do this climb to Reno regularly in a diesel Vanagon so I was the
slowest one out there. On occasion there would be some poor soul in a big
truck that was slightly slower and I'd have to get out of the truck lane to
pass them. But I would keep an eye on the rear view mirror, see that a
truck was coming up on me, and get over and let them pass if at all
possible. I'd always get a thumbs-up or friendly honk for doing so; as I
said, remember they've got the same problem we do, especially when heavily
loaded.
My husband's last over-the-road truck, a Freightliner with the Cummins
turbodiesel in it, would fairly cruise up Donner westbound (and remember
westbound climbing Donner, for those of you who have been out here,
actually starts right east of Sacramento - the Sierra Nevadas are a long,
hard climb east, and a hard short climb west). My husband's last stop for
the day would be delivering coffee in Reno, so he was very lightly loaded
with a 53 foot trailer at that point. I was jealous - that Cummins
turbodiesel is one smooth, powerful motor. Here we are in our vans doing
all that work!
With my 87 2wd Vanagon and my parents' 89 Westfalia I would actually try to
stay out of the truck lane unless absolutely necessary - let everybody Reno
and Tahoe bound with their bigger motors pass - patience is a virtue -
learn to drive in the mountains. The worst would be right before Donner
summit - infamous Kingvale grade if I couldn't get a good run at it due to
traffic or whatever - I would get in the truck lane right before the
summit, but that was barely a minute or so before topping the grade.
Also I don't run the air conditioner running those types of grades anywhere
in the West but you all probably already know that.
Donna, 87 Syncro
>
> >
> > ----- Reply message -----
> > From: "Spencer Allen" <spencervw@AOL.COM>
> > Date: Tue, Oct 16, 2012 11:35
> > Subject: [VANAGON] Kens trip & can Westys climb mountains?
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >
> > After reading Ken Wilfords great trip report of his travels across the U
> S of A I started thinking about the trip to some of the same areas my
> family took in our then new 1985 GL. There were 4 adults and 3 kids with
> the van packed for 2 wekks of travel. We flew across the flat lands but
> when we hit the mountains of Colorado we were almost rolling backwards by
> the time we crested some of the steeper mountain roads. We were in the
> truck lanes and even they were honking at us to get out of the way. This
> was a manual trans so I was constantly stirring the stick to find the right
> gear. I want to go back to Colorado next year in my 85 auto trans Westy but
> am worried about a climbing those mountains in a 1.9 auto trans. Can you
> guys share your westys in the mountain driving experience. Thanks.
> > Spencer
>
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