Date:         Sat, 28 Oct 2017 13:44:23 -0400
Reply-To:     John Thiessen <john.thiessen@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Thiessen <john.thiessen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Trip Report - a big loop
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

I recently completed an 11,320 km (7,034 mile) trip from Toronto to
Calgary to Bend, Oregon to Las Vegas and back to Toronto in my 83
Westfalia.

A picture of the approximate route is here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ODvaP4B6VC2XAtdJ3

There was about 19,000 km (11,900 miles) on the rebuilt engine at the
start of the trip (stock air-cooled with California emissions) and
about 12,400 km (7,700 miles) on the stock manual transmission
rebuild.

My overall average mileage for this journey was 11.59 L/100 km (8.63
km/L,  20.29 mpg - US,  24.37 mpg - UK) with an average speed of about
83 kph (52 mph). My best mileage was 8.98 L/100km (26.19 mpg) while
crossing New Mexico with a 40 to 50 km (25 to 30 mph) tailwind the
whole time. My worst mileage (that did not include extensive city
driving) was 12.67 L/100 km (18.56 mpg) with a headwind in Oklahoma.

Regular fuel used the whole trip. (On a previous 6,500 km / 4,050 mile
trip this summer to view the eclipse I tried premium gas for about a
third of the trip and found no change in mileage)

A pleasant surprise regarding mileage is that, while elevation changes
had a BIG impact on power, it had only a minimal impact on mileage.
Highest elevation was about 2500 meters (8200 feet) near Crater Lake,
Oregon and again near Mono Lake, California, while the lowest
elevation was -60 meters (-200 feet) in Death Valley. As I have an
Innovate 3844 Air/ Fuel Ratio Gauge installed, I could see that the
mixture stayed within a narrow band irrespective of elevation. (I
wonder how well the Federal air-cooled, without an O2 sensor, maintain
the right mixture at elevation?)

My travelling weight was 2120 kg (4675 lbs) spread across 1060 kg
(2340 lbs) on the front, and 1050 kg (2315 lbs) on the rear.

Breakdowns and mechanical problems were minimal on this trip. During
an oil change in Winnipeg, the mechanic noticed some wear on the RR
tire on the inner edge. That tire blew at Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
(during a sleet/ rain storm when the temperature was only 6C (43 F) of
course). The spare turned out to be too underinflated to use, however
after a brief wait, CAA got me back on the road with the use of their
compressor. A new tire and alignment in Cranbrook revealed that the
rear alignment could not be brought into spec. The suspension was “too
worn out” according to that mechanic. When I reviewed this during a
phone call with the mechanic that typically services my van, he
suggested I check the rear wheel bearings. And sure enough, the RR had
a lot of play in it, while the LR had only some minor play. I got both
bearings replaced in Bend, Oregon and there has been no wear since. (I
will be getting a rear alignment redone shortly).  While in Bend, they
also replaced a torn CV boot, replaced both leaking rear wheel
cylinders, and repacked the RF wheel bearing due to some minor play.

The most useful sources for stealth camping were: freecampsites.net,
the iOverlander app, and campendium.com.  My favourite source for
finding Vanagon repair shops was the app VanAlert.