Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 16:47:00 -0800 (PST)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@PO2.GI.COM>
Subject: V6anagon/ Route 66, Day 3, part B /L
V6anagon/Rte. 66, Day 3, Part B
Rolled out of Oklahoma City with the V6anagon acting just like a real car.
The fronts wheels still shimmy noticably at 63 mph at first, tho the
effect seems to dieout after a while. I regularly check for accelerated
tire wear, remembering my failure to get an alignment before I started,
but can't see anything obvious. If this keeps up, we'll make California
with no problem (fingers crossed).
Stop in Clinton, OK, at a gas station that advertises wheel alingments.
Fill up, and ask the an about such a service. He looks at me for a
second, and asks, "What time Monday did you want it done?" I get the
picture, today being Saturday. Ask about a front-wheel balance anyway,
and he suggests I go into the back where the mechanic is. Mechanic
has to be someplace by noon. I glance at my watch, which says...12:30.
Did I cross a Time Zone line and forget to change my watch? He sees my
watch, and says, "And yes, I'm late!".
Off into Texas, the V6anagon running like a watch. Do the Route 66 thing
for a while, since it seems to go thru several small towns not on the
Interstate. Stop in McLean, TX, and visit the Route 66 and Devil's
Rope Museum. Devil's Rope, it turn out, refers to barbed wire, and this is
the first and only museum dedicated to it that I have ever seen, or even
heard of. Did you know that, when the railroads were first building across
the country, they fenced off their rights-of-way with this stuff, and had
the Glidden Co. design a special, unique kind so that any farmers who
stole it for their own use, would be easier to catch and prosecute?
Now you do.
Cruise through Amarillo, and spend some time looking for the Cadillac
Ranch. Turns out it's west of town, on the south side of I-40. Out in the
middle of a farmer's field, are ten '50s - '70s Cadillacs, buried nose
down in the ground, with just the back 2/3 sticking out. No signs, ads,
"Come stop and see" exhortations... just these tail-fin specials sticking
out of the ground for no apparent reason. Field is fenced and gated, but
that's just to keep out the ones who didn't REALLY want to see it. There's
a well-worn path leading out to the cars. They've been graffitied and
spray-painted endlessly. Interesting sight-- Texas pop-art?
Pressed on into New Mexico-- no more surprises from the ignition. Gas
pedal is as stiff as ever, but getting used to that. I'm going to have to
be careful back home, driving my mustang the first few times after this.
Little Volvo heater in the back, puts out a lot of heat in a generic way,
but my toes get cold at night-- I didn't bother with the dryer-duct trick.
Poor baby.
Route 66 is mostly a frontage road of I-40 here. You can tell which side
(it keeps changing) by the surface-- the Mother Road is concrete, with
eons of red soil pounded/weathered into it, where the other side is
invariably newer-looking. I'll never make Gallup tonight at this rate, and
Sandy Eggo is 600 miles more after that. Pass Tucumcari Tonight, all 2,000
rooms of it, and boogie on as night falls. Finally stumble into Albuqureque
at about 11:00. Check over the V6anagon, see maybe a touch more wear on the
left front tire, get some ice cream sandwiches, fall into bed. I will pay
for today's dalliance tomorrow-- it's 800 miles to home, and one day left.
Damn it, this is not the way to do Route 66-- there are hundreds of
interesting places/people to see. Maybe when I'm rich and famous...
Steve Maher smaher@gi.com
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