Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 20:06:19 -0700
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: natasha!kombi@adobe.mv.us.adobe.com
Subject: Back from Alaska
Well, me and my family took our annual trek in the '80 Westfalia, this
time to Alaska (from our home in central California). We DID run into
several of the Inuvik-folks. The Veedub faithfully ran without any
problems through six thousand miles of travels (travails?).
We left a week after the Inuvik-bound hoard. Stopping in Seattle, we visited
some really nice VWs. I had been given the number for a fellow with a
TriStar. What a vehicle! I WANT one! Of course he also had the world's
nicest '52 Beetle, the nicest '58 Kombi... He's got a double-door walk-
through panel he's currently restoring. We looked through his collection of
sales literature for info on my '86 Kombi Syncro. No listing for Canada
(where mine is from) but German literature lists them in non-syncro trim.
Still have not found anyone that has heard of such a model.
We drove up the Fraser Valley and over to Prince Rupert, hoping to catch the
ferry. No luck -- all full -- we drove the Stewart highway up to the Yukon.
There we drove to Tok, then Fairbanks, then Denali. Weather cleared at Denali
for us to see the mountain. Right purty, it was, too. We drove to Anchorage,
back to Tok. We seemed to be about four hours behind the Inuvik folks all
the way to Haines Junction, where we caught up with 3 bubble-faced Westfalias
and their drivers. One was the pair from Puerto Rico! Talked some, saw
the nice t-shirt, hot footed it down to Haines to catch the ferry south.
Got to the border 15 minutes late. They close the US at 11pm! We tried to
turn around, since they close Canada at 12, but there is a time change at the
border. We could not get into the US, nor back into Canada! We were stuck in
limbo until 7am, when they open the border. A one-hour dash to Haines got us
to the ferry at 8am, where we met Ron and the EV Inuvik entry. We shared the
ferry with Ron and his buddy Dan until they departed at Petersburg, while we
continued on to Bellinham, Washington. We drove home via Boise, stopping
to visit family. It is hot here in California, wish we were still in Alaska.
Interesting Buses we saw: In Haines Jct., Yukon, we saw a high-top '96
Mexican Water-cooled Loaf Panel. Talked with the owners. They were German,
and bought the van new in Mexico to tour North America. Somebody rear-ended
them in SLC, though, and they found out that you can't get parts outside of
Mexico which seemed odd to them. Interesting bus.
We saw several syncro-westies in the Seattle area, but never talked with the
owners. Two other westies boarded the ferry after Ron's departure, but we
did not connect with the drivers.
I like the storage bins on the EV Winnebago, but it was pretty sterile when
compared with my '80 westy. I'd take one, though. Ron and Dan played some
Magic (card game) with my son on the boat ride -- Thanks, guys! All around,
it was a great trip. The bus never quit, although gas mileage was awful (I
think something wrong with FI). The poor beast did not like returning to the
blast furnace that is Idaho/Oregon/Nevada/California this week, though.
malcolm
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