Date:         Wed, 14 Sep 1994 18:15:40 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <ui775@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
Subject:      "back from vacation"



This is my first week back at work after 3 weeks vacation, I'm trying
to maintain that holiday relaxation state-of-mind for more than a
couple of days. 
It's interesting to review the mail for the last 3 weeks, how some
subjects keep surfacing, (hey Joel, can you plot the occurances of
some particular threads, 12 V outlets in dash, tires, etc. and then
predict their next appearance?).
I am very interested in the winterization/cat heater dialogue that has
gone on. I have an Olympian cat heater (model # forgotten) that I
haven't used in earnest yet. I made up a bracket that attaches to a
short length of steel tube that fits inside the forward table stand.
This allows the heater to be "shining" (remember its all radiative heat),
on the back seat and yet sort of out of the way.
Once, when I was camping at at ski hill in my old '72, a late model
Vanagon Westy parked beside us.There were four occupants (2 adults and 2
kids), and the used the attached tent to store excess baggage and ski gear.
They also had an insulated blanket, silver on one side like a space blanket,
that attached to the pop-top making it a double wall tent. Its the
sort of thing you could easily make yourself, with attachment to the
pop-top being the only tricky part, (can't remember how they did it).

Their are alot of Vanagons here in Victoria with awning things on
them. Gee, I don't know, but I kinda lump them in with Tilley
hats and knobby white knees... :)

I like a tarp. Yesiree, there's nothing like a well hung tarp to
swell the chest of seasoned camper. Besides, you can use them for
other things: catching people jumping from burning buildings, making
a tepee sauna, locating your van in dense bush, groundsheet.

Alistair