Date:         Sun, 19 Nov 95 20:12:32 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <ja@coe.wvu.edu>
Subject:      Re:  Winter is coming in...

> Any thoughts on these ideas?  Any other ideas?  Do wasserboxers have a
> meager heat problem?  Are other bunker-burners warm?
> 
I'm going in on this, you know for as much as Wasserboxer owners
will gloat, I got a story.  My sister was going to school at Wiliiam
and Mary in Williamsburg VA, and I left WV in the '86 to take her home
after Chrismas break in '90 or so.  While there it began to snow hard.
I had origionally taken Rt33, a southern route, but hearing reports the
south was supposed to get hit worse, I decide what the hell I got
chains and I'll go venerable US50 even though the mountains are terrible
for twisty roads on 50.  Well get about 2 hours in and tractor and
trailer jacknifed over both lanes and burms, tow truck not due for 3 
hours.  Figuring what the hell I backtrack shoot up to I68, all this is
in about 6+ inches of snow mind you.  By the time I get on 68 on the
mountains, we got 8-10 inches, going up one of the big ones, semis are
all slipping about 20 of them stacked up between 3 lanes and both berms.
I am the last vehicle able to weave through the mess before it gets
blocked solid.  I chug along and about 3 hours later get into Cumberland
MD, pull into a gas station and the dumbfounded attendant says he's only
there because he got trapped, his 2wd S10 can't make it out.  He tells me
the MD state police closed I68 2 hours earlier, behind me apparently.
i get my gas and go, chugging up out of Cumberland over the Eastern
continental divide and Keysers Ridge 3000+ft (tall out here) it is
so cold and snowing so hard that the darn Wasserboxer can not defrost
the windshield with all heat to the windshield, none to the rear heater,
and the radiator full cardboarded over.  Every 20 minutes or so I had
to stop get out break the ice off the wipers to go on.  No one else on
the road for hours.  Cool as hell, just me plowing through nearly 12
inches of virgin snow.  All I kept thinking as it was quite cold in the
Van was damn glad I don't have the '76.  Of course the next winter I
rolled the '86 on 2 inches of snow (with glare ice under it in my
defense, hey it was no Syncro).

John
ja@coe.wvu.edu