Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2017 18:05:15 -0700
Reply-To: Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: What can go wrong..... (followup and short trip report)
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Well, as disturbing as this episode was I can say I safely made it back to
the
West coast without incident. My wife and I drove from Raleigh, NC to the
Wilmington, NC area and visited with family there.
I had previously had driven up to Maryland and on the way back had the
alternator light come on and shortly after the temp gauge light on and the
needle climbing to the top. Then had it towed to my rental and then to a
shop to have the belts replaced and coolant added.
I also had the propane fill valve, bleeder and shut-off valve
installed/replaced.
I had no trouble with the fridge. It worked admirably.
I also filled the AC system up with Freeze 12 including the oil and leak
stop.
So we visited with the nephew and niece for a few days and headed up to
Maryland to visit my cousin again. Then we drove the next day to Ocean
City where the end of highway 50 is and took pictures of the sign that says
that it is 3073 miles to Sacramento. As luck would have it the bridge was
raised so we had plenty of time to take pictures.
We drove back towards DC and did a short drive up to Delaware to say we've
been there.
After that we drove down towards Virginia and spent the night in a hotel
near
the northern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The next day we enjoyed
the drive in the beautiful greenery and plenty of wild flowers. We
finished the
drive below the Buena Vista entrance and headed towards Knoxville on I-81.
Our next stop was in Nashville and from there we needed to catch some of
Kentucky as the wife had not been there. So off we went. Had some stopped
traffic as the there was construction further north where the highway
splits to
Chicago or St. Louis. Ended the day just west of St. Louis and stopped to
see
the Arch and had a nice dinner at a nice restaurant.
The next day we headed south toward the Branson, MO area where more cousins
and relatives live and we were treated with great hospitality. Also did a
quick jaunt to Arkansas to say we've been there.
Side note: because of the issue and high miles the camper has I was driving
no greater than 60 mph this trip. I wanted to get as far west as I
could. I know
that sound excruciating to many but it was actually not bad and allowed me
to
see more scenery along the way.
So after several days visiting with family we headed north again to Nebraska
where some of the family ancestors lived and spent some time in a small
community outside of Omaha.
Next we, headed further north as we wanted to see Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse
and also, Devil's Tower. After a couple days we arrived and enjoyed the
sites. One sign at Rushmore caught my eye was the one that said "No
drones".
Crazy Horse was very moving. I hope I get to see it completed but I doubt
that will happen.
Next we went north again and eventually made it through to North Dakota and
did a quick jaunt to Minnesota. Yep, we've been there!
Next, we headed south west and into Yellowstone. Lot's of switchbacks to
get up the the top of the peak (10,900 feet) from the northeast entrance.
Then
on down into Yellowstone to see some bison and elk. Quite a drive. We
finished
the day at old faithful. We stayed in a hotel just outside the park and
went back
in the next day to some of the geyser pools. Very fascinating.
After that we headed out and noon to get some lunch in West Yellowstone.
The
drove all afternoon and into the evening to Boise to stay with another
family
member. We stayed there for a few days and drove the last day to our home
in California.
We logged about 5,000 plus miles with no issues. Just keep adding oil as
needed and coolant. Oh, and don't drive it too hard.
I feel very fortunate indeed. Thanks to all that gave advice on the
original
post. It may have gone completely differently. The camper now has
253,000 miles with the original engine and heads.
Steven
91 Westy