TheSamba.com :: View topic - Miami to Alaska Road Trip www.marcandeliana.com

Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:06 pm

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)

Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:23 pm

I hate to sound like a child here... I do. But wow, lucky bastard. :shock:

Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:54 pm

Bay Window Bus fans--

Feel free to leave comments on the blog, it is nice to know who is reading your blog and what you all think of our journey. ;o)

Also, maybe you guys can give us some tips on the mechanical problems we have had. I hope we make it!

>^..^<

Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:49 pm

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

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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)

Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:42 pm

good luck and you have singlehandedly smashed the "girls and bay windows thread" rock on :D

Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:24 pm

It appears you two have a good thing going. Keep it real, make your own reality :)

Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:56 pm

I don't mean to be disrespectful in any way, but good grief Marc! You are one lucky guy.

Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:01 pm

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! :shock:
Regards from the road!

Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:39 pm

Great stuff! Keep it up!

Baywindows roam the world!

Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:42 pm

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.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:16 pm

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!!

Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:24 pm

I think she meant www.marcandeliana.com

Sun Jun 22, 2008 1:19 pm

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.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:05 pm

dreadnotmusic wrote: I think she meant www.marcandeliana.com

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.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:53 pm

I checked out your site and noticed the save the pit bulls stuff.. AWESOME! Our little pup appreciates it.

Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:30 am

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!

Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:12 pm

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!

Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:24 pm

keep living my dream I am so jelous! good for u guys have a good trip

Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:54 pm

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. :lol:

Have a safe trip!

Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:31 pm

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