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Thu May 22, 2025 8:25 pm

Our Westy took us on a month-long camping trip of about 3800 miles - Seattle to the Grand Canyon and back - with no issues (except a roofing nail in a tire...). Awesome trip!

Mon Jun 30, 2025 8:04 am

My 91 CRat decided to have some play in the Steering u-joint and a slight thump in the new power steering rack :cry:

Mon Jun 30, 2025 9:40 am

Drove over Nacimiento Fergusson road between Kirk Creek campsite Big Sur and King city, California.
Chris

Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:15 pm

Just a hop over to Whidbey Island and Deception Pass for a couple weekday nights to check out fly fishing spots for the upcoming pink salmon season.

Thu Jul 24, 2025 7:44 pm

Finally finished my Truck Fridge installation..

Stoked on the color match!!

Sat Jul 26, 2025 8:34 am

As soon as it hit 5pm this past Thursday, I grabbed the gf, a pizza, and drove 30 minutes west. We hung out next to a creek while I read and she studied. Once it got dark, we dropped the top and headed home. Penny is awesome!

Fri Aug 01, 2025 4:18 am

Summoned me from beyond the grave.

DMV ceased mailing annual renewal reminders years ago and I got dinged a couple of times when I went past the deadline due to inattention, so I began adding reminders in my phone. August is the month, even though the van has been gone for several months now.

Fri Aug 01, 2025 11:43 am

havenot001 wrote: Drove over Nacimiento Fergusson road between Kirk Creek campsite Big Sur and King city, California.
Chris

Those GW wheels look great on that van.

Sat Aug 09, 2025 7:52 pm

The Vanagon took us through two days of both easy driving, and slow as molasses construction traffic. And 90 degrees basically each day.
Never ran hot, actually was just at the left edge of the Red LED when cruising down the highway.
Then we’d hit a snarl of traffic, so the low speed fan went to work when needed.
Drove to a new to us State Park on Friday that has a small waterfall as its main water attraction.
About 45 minutes from the house. Waterfall Glen
Ate Lunch, then headed to a nearby Dairy Queen for dessert.

Saturday, today, was the big drive. Back over to the South West Corner of Michigan.
Still hot, but slightly cooler right at the Lake.
We HAD planned to visit Warren Dunes State Park, that became a visible fiasco that we avoided like the plague when we saw mile long traffic lines up in either direction to just drive into the Park.
Then you could easily see another 1/2 mile of double lane traffic inside the Park as we drove by in the very empty right lane of the 4 lane road that is Red Arrow highway at times.

So, Plan B. Grand Mere State Park, nothing like the heavily built up Park that Warren Dunes is. Instead, rustic, bare bones and at least a mile hike to the beach from the small parking lot from what we’d been told.

We got close, but our older Dog gave up on climbing steep sand Dunes that are part of the long trail to get down to Lake Michigan.
So, we followed his exhausted lead and headed back to the Vanagon, stopping to rest him under a pavilion, and getting him more water from the VW. Heat alone was a major factor for him, so we got cautious.
Once all of us were recovered, it was time to head home.
For once we took the DJKeev method and avoided the big interstate for as long as we could, before hopping onto 94, and then the Chicago Skyway as the toll road is known.
If the little 2 lane, sometimes 4 lane road had run parallel to 94 or 90 all the way home, we would have stayed on it. Probably only 10mph slower than what we drive on the main highway since I don’t push the Vanagon once in the big roads at all.

The trip was also a reminder that I need to rebuild the A/C system so it’s functioning again. Really could have used it over the past two days…. ](*,) ](*,)

Thu Aug 21, 2025 8:25 pm

Been running megasquirt for a while and finally decided to switch to wasted spark since I found the coil for a good price.

I am just waiting for some VAG spark plug connectors so I can make custom length wires to mount the coil in the stock location. If those dont work out, i have a plate drawn up in CAD to mount it in the same area as in the picture.

Fri Aug 22, 2025 2:22 pm

Idlewild regional Park, crazy busy on the weekend and completely empty during the week. Walking distance to downtown Idlewild Brewpub.

Sun Sep 07, 2025 12:13 pm

Wesley went to the V-dub Derby down in Louisville yesterday. Great event at St. Joseph children’s home put on by Louisville vintage VW club. Lots of cool old and new vw’s

Spent the night downtown Louisville sampling bourbon and food. Then took the slow road home to Naptown through Madison IN. If your ever near by definitely worthy of a stop. Really nice historical small river town.

Sun Sep 07, 2025 5:49 pm

She drove out of her home town for the first time in probably twenty years.

To our house!

Now time to replace a whole lot of things and get her actually roadworthy.