Date:         Tue, 18 Jun 96 16:34:48 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Pilgrim's Progress ... Part 3: Hippies meet the Hillbillies

got a postcard from the Wayward Wagens of Richard Palmer and crew:

<picture on the front: Ma and Pa Kettle with their eighteen young'uns,
lazing around a wooden shack ... built onto the back of some old truck.
by a lake. with green trees.  but you can tell it's faked ... the
overalls are CLEAN!!!> :)

<caption on the back: "Campin out. The Hill folks ain't goin to let their
city slicking cousins outdo them on vacation. Ma fixed the kids some mod
clothes and bilt a camper. No store boughten vittle for them nuther.">
geez ... who writes this crap?? :)

and now, words from the Pilgrim(s):
"Hi Uncle Joel,
we wuz in Arkansas & thought you'd like this card as it is a pretty good
representation of us. Anyway, many thanks for the food & hospitality. We
are headed on to New Mexico, after crystal digging in Hot Springs. Thanks
again for everything, & I'll hopefully have e-mail again later. Now we're
off to the UFO museum ... "
<signed by scribble and scrawl: Richard, CC, Nicole, Jennifer, Neil, and
Danielle *>   the * is a drawing of a flower. :)

UFO museum?? hell, they ARE the UFO. :)

ok, that was the postcard. also got this strange looking letter in the same
batch of mail at the postbox. guess what? it's from the same happy crew ...
cept they ain't so happy no more. :(

more words from the Pilgrimites:
"Dear Uncle Joel
(I hope you don't mind being called that). Just thought we'd send you a road
update. It seems once again we have an engine in pieces in the driveway of
a friendly fellow busser. He's in NEATO, but not on the list. Anyway, it
seems my engine spun the #3 bearing & was about to throw a rod outside
Albuquerque. This being my 5K mile engine that was supposedly a new case and
all. I must say that some sketchy work was done on it. Not only was the case
not new, it was .040 over, meaning it was already bored out TWICE! Anyway,
the problem was that when the person sealed the case halves, the sealant
slopped into the oil galleys, so they were completely blocked. Therefore,
it was running really hot, & the NM desert didn't help.

So we got towed in last night, and this morning got hooked up with another
super fellow who helped us tear it down in his driveway & drove us to a
machine shop, where tomorrow we will lay down $300 for a completely new
crankshaft and all the rest of the stuff. Just can't trust anyubody these
days. Like I said, this is not the  first sketchy stuff on the engine.

On to more positive stuff. We had a nice time in Hot Springs, Ark. We dug
up some spiffy crystals (quartz) and met some good folks there. From there
we headed west, through Texas & Oklahoma. We also went to Roswell, NM, to
the UFO museum, which was rather interesting. We're now in the KOA in
Albuquerque, and tomorrow we're brunching with Tom Brouillette of NEATO
(Roamin Holiday)/list fame.

With luck, we'll be back on the road tomorrow. As bad of a thing as this
engine business is, it couldn't have happened at a better place. The fellow
helping us drives a '63 double-door panel & is restoring a '51 barndoor.

Oh, well, off to bed, as it is quite a day ahead tomorrow. Feel free to post
an update to the list, if you think people are interested. If you need to
get in touch with me, I talk to my parents frequently. You can reach them
at wpalmer@catawba.edu.

Thanks again for all your hospitality & all,
Richard, CC, :) Neil, o Jennifer, Nicole, ? & Danielle *"
<where :) is a smiley face; o is a peace sign; ? is i-dont-what-what-it-is;
and * is a flower again>

Thus were the words of the Pilgrims recorded, and thus spake the Oracle. :)
... and the Road goes ever onward ...

uncle Bubba. :)