Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 11:26:19 -0600
Reply-To: mac.chen@IX.NETCOM.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Scott Chen <mac.chen@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Trip Report-New England(long)
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I got back last week from a 1600 mile jaunt around New England. I left
on March 2 and got back on the 9th. My wife had business in Boston so I
drove up from DC with our three dogs and met her there and we went down
to Cape Cod and camped out in North Truro. The Westy ran flawlessly,
but was getting tossed around pretty bad during the high winds and rain
which passed through Connecticut while I was driving back. It was very
cold at the campground, we opted for a plug-in site and used our little
electric space heater, which worked great. The campground at North
Truro was nice, we were the only ones there at this time of year. The
hot showers were only a quarter and it seemed to stay on forever. I'm
used to rushing through the soaping and rinsing (I'm in the Coast Guard
and am used to "sea showers") and when I finished there was still
pleanty of time to relax under the luxuriant hot water. After three
days on the road, I needed it.
While in Boston, I stopped over at Boston Engines and was greeted by
Bob, who was a gracious host and showed me his operation and explained
his techniques. I am in no way hoping my engine goes south, but if it
does I will do business with him. He's a wonderful guy, has a great
family, and seems to have found a little bit of heaven in this life.
For you dog lovers who also like mountain biking, stop by the Fat Dog
bike shop in Westwood and check out the dogs who lounge around the
shop. The original fat dog died of cancer, but there are two more
pooches at the shop who will be glad to greet you. The owners are
terrific people, and like Bob, treated a stranger with kindness. The
shop is also very high end and if you're into mountain biking, bring a
hankie to wipe the drool off your chin
While I was in Boston, I had to stay in the van while my wife got to
stay in her paid-for hotel room as they wouldn't allow dogs at the
hotel. We got some take-out and were enjoying dinner in our van in the
hotel parking lot, all the curtains were closed for privacy, when the
knock on the door came and we got the full Maglight shining-in-the-eyes
treatment. The dogs were going ballistic. Someone in the hotel had
called the police to report that there were "kids drinking and smoking
pot in the parking lot". We calmed the dogs down and explained the
situation to the policeman, who thankfully didn't push the situation
and OK'd us. I didn't realize that VW vans still had that stigma.
I was followed by a Westy while driving through Chatham, he turned off
before I could stop and chat. It was dark blue with rectangular
lights. Mine is a white 84 with Vermont plates festooned with stickers
on the back. We stopped by Nickerson State Park and drove through to
check it out. You have to be self contained to camp there at this time
of year, the only other vehicle in the place was an EV camper which was
being unloaded as we passed by. We didn't stay there because we were
addicted to the showers at North Truro. I didn't get to participate in
the I-95 grand prix, though I was doing the turnpike on Monday the 9th.
Gas prices were certainly bizzare, ranging from 98 cents a gallon on
the turnpike to $1.32 in PA! All in all, a good shakedown and
hopefully a positive indication of a great Westy spring and summer.
Cheers!
Scott
'84 Westy
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