| Author |
Message |
exoticdvm
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2008
Posts: 78
Location: Miami, FL
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:06 pm Post subject: Miami to Alaska Road Trip www.marcandeliana.com |
 |
|
Hi Bay Window Bus fans!
Eliana and I have begun our summer adventure from Miami, Florida to Alaska in our 1978 Westy, named Valentina! Thought some of you might be interested in following us on our journey. We are keeping a daily travel blog complete with photos and stories. We have thus far travelled 800 miles and plan on driving somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 miles when the trip is completed. There are bound to be some amazing stories, photos, joy, frustration, sadness, and a whole gamut of emotions and excitement. A definite life experience that will enrich us far beyond staying in one place. Follow us online at our website, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost":
http://www.marcandeliana.com
See ya on the road!
Marc (exoticdvm) & Eliana (vwbuschick)
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
http://www.marcandeliana.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
sofakingcool
Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007
Posts: 405
Location: Lexington, SC
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I hate to sound like a child here... I do. But wow, lucky bastard.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VWBUSchick
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2008
Posts: 38
Location: Miami, FL
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VWBUSchick
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2008
Posts: 38
Location: Miami, FL
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here are some of the pics from our visits to some great locations along the way in FLORIDA:
1. This is the smallest post office in the United States, it is located in Ochopee, Florida.
2. Next stop was Marco Island
3. One of our favorite places so far was Corkscrew Sanctuary, a must see!
4. We spent our first night in the bus at Koreshan State Park, where we also ate a delicious breakfast and started having engine problems
5. We had to visit Robert's Quality Auto Body in Fort Myers to get Valentina a check up
6. Next stop was the beautiful state park-Myakka
7. Manatee springs was super nice, except for all the ticks we got on us..yuck!
8.Here you can see our gadgets
------
Hope you all can enjoy the pictures, keep track of our journey and maybe even host us if you are in our travel path, contact us if you can help. ;o)
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
https://www.facebook.com/birdingbybus/
http://www.marcandeliana.com
http://web.mac.com/eliana4 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
barrysmith
Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2006
Posts: 258
Location: wilburton oklahoma
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
good luck and you have singlehandedly smashed the "girls and bay windows thread" rock on  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dead 1
Samba Member
Joined: October 31, 2005
Posts: 1374
Location: Burning shores of Lake Michigan
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It appears you two have a good thing going. Keep it real, make your own reality 
_________________
"I reject your reality and replace it with my own"
"The American Dream - true enough because you gotta be asleep to believe it"
________________________________________
71, 1776 cc. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dreadnotmusic
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2003
Posts: 880
Location: Guam, USA
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I don't mean to be disrespectful in any way, but good grief Marc! You are one lucky guy.
_________________
66 Riviera |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
exoticdvm
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2008
Posts: 78
Location: Miami, FL
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the comments gentlemen! More pics to come, perhaps a few select poses will make it to the Girls and Bay Window Buses thread! Now stop drooling!
Regards from the road!
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
http://www.marcandeliana.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bursch
Samba Member
Joined: October 28, 2006
Posts: 448
Location: Netherlands
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Great stuff! Keep it up!
Baywindows roam the world!
_________________
1978 T2b ASI Riviera Plan I // Camper Special with MegaSquirt & EDIS // 091 with 5.14 R/P and Peloquins LSD
Powered by Just Kampers, German Supply, Busted Bus & Aircooled Technology
2008: Amsterdam - Beijing - Olympics -- 17.500km
2010: Amsterdam - Cape Town - FIFA World Cup -- 26.000km
2014: New York - Rio de Janeiro - FIFA World Cup -- 28.000km
***********************
Camper Special Club Member |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Patrick199
Samba Member
Joined: June 29, 2006
Posts: 550
Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I hate to sound like a child here... I do. But wow, lucky bastard. |
| Quote: |
| I don't mean to be disrespectful in any way, but good grief Marc! You are one lucky guy. |
I hope you're not tired of hearing what a lucky dog you are, but that is one fine looking bus you have there. The gadgets make it extra sexy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VWBUSchick
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2008
Posts: 38
Location: Miami, FL
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hi Everyone,
We are still on the road, have had a few engine problems but nothing major..I hope.
We have taking Valentina through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and now Iowa!!
I will post some pics soon, in the mean time you can check out http://www.marcandelina.com, maybe you can give us some engine tips!!
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
https://www.facebook.com/birdingbybus/
http://www.marcandeliana.com
http://web.mac.com/eliana4 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dreadnotmusic
Samba Member
Joined: March 04, 2003
Posts: 880
Location: Guam, USA
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I think she meant www.marcandeliana.com
_________________
66 Riviera |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52155
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Cool trip. VW Bays can't be beat for distance driving. It probably doesn't need to be said but just keep a close eye on your mechanicals while on the road. I am always willing to drive one wheel up on a curb so that I can take a quick look underneath if I suspect any trouble at all. Most problems I have had over the years have given me enough warning that I can get them fixed before they leave me stranded. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VWBUSchick
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2008
Posts: 38
Location: Miami, FL
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the correction! I am glad someone pays attention. ;o)
Question: How bad can tire pressure affect your gas mileage? We have gone from 20 MPG to ~15 MPG, I am not sure if this is being caused by the couple of engine problems we have been having or the tire pressure (we just checked and the tires are low)
Oh...and we also have a brake fluid leakage ARGGGG ... you would think that after spending ~$7000 in restorations (around half of that at the mechanics) things would be going smoothly. BTW, if you go to our site and look under Archives you can see pics of the restoration. ;o)
Well, like Marc said: "A day under a VW bus is better than a good day at work" ;o) So, we are STILL having lots of fun!!!
Hope to meet some of you in some of the shows we hope to attend in the near future.
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
https://www.facebook.com/birdingbybus/
http://www.marcandeliana.com
http://web.mac.com/eliana4 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TXhatchback
Samba Member
Joined: June 18, 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Tx
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I checked out your site and noticed the save the pit bulls stuff.. AWESOME! Our little pup appreciates it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VWBUSchick
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2008
Posts: 38
Location: Miami, FL
|
| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
| TXhatchback wrote: |
| I checked out your site and noticed the save the pit bulls stuff.. AWESOME! Our little pup appreciates it. |
I love pit bulls, I hate how people have this bad imagine of them without even having one. I have 2, and they are the sweetest dogs ever. They get along with my cats, sugar gliders and my 2 year old nephew.
If you go to the "canine in your bus" tread, I posted pics of Baloo there.
Did you read on the news about Michael Vick's dog that is now a therapy dog? That was a happy ending! ;o)
Have a good week!
_________________
1978 VW Westfalia
https://www.facebook.com/birdingbybus/
http://www.marcandeliana.com
http://web.mac.com/eliana4 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cardinal0128
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2007
Posts: 188
Location: Los Angeles, CA
|
| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Trip looks awesome so far guys, I hope the engine issues get straightened out soon. What did it end up being?
This reminds me of the trip my grandparents made in their Dakota Beige '78- from Bonita Springs, FL to Alaska and back, in the 1980's. The "We drove the Alaska Marine Highway" bumper sticker is still displayed on the rear window. Godspeed!
_________________
1978 Westy, stock
1967 Beetle (sold)
1993 Ford F-150 v8 5 sp
1965 Jeep CJ-5
2002 Jetta TDI |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
volks14wagen
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2007
Posts: 69
Location: Quadra island BC
|
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| keep living my dream I am so jelous! good for u guys have a good trip |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rubber Duck
Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2006
Posts: 806
Location: Pitt Meadows BC
|
| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| VWBUSchick wrote: |
| Did you read on the news about Michael Vick's dog that is now a therapy dog? That was a happy ending! ;o) |
Here are some other happy endings.
We got ours (Shrek) from this organisation and he's been nothing but an absolute mush pot since. 
Have a safe trip!
_________________
---------
Rubber Duck
1974 Westfalia |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Paslode235
Samba Member
Joined: March 29, 2004
Posts: 163
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
On the subject of your gas mileage make sure you check your valves. You said in one of your blogs you had popping when slowing down. This could be valves. Also check the timing see where that is at. It may have some how moved.
Steve
_________________
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Sir Winston Churchill
Mint Green 1965 Beetle - "Misty"
White 1974 Westy - "The Fig Rig"
Yellow 1972 Super Beetle - "Jasper" RIP
Black 2001 Jetta wagon - "Gadget"
Red 2004 Jetta TDI - "Lucy" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
