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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?
Comments: To: apetermarsh@me.com
In-Reply-To:  <B3FBC0F6-2580-4884-9562-EC9B5577D897@me.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

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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