Westy Magic 2012 (Camping - Pic Heavy)

[Westfabulous]

If there is one thing that I have learned about VW camper owners, of all varieties, it is that we live vicariously through the adventures and expeditions of our fellow nature lovers and explorers. To that end, Mrs Westfab and I have just returned from another few days of Westy magic, and wanted to share. It almost didn't happen this year, but we managed to pull this trip off on very short notice. With work schedules; my bus undergoing a year long refresh; caring for a very sick mom; and with the issues that we were having with Mrs Westfab's bus, we were almost completely out of the game. But alas, we managed to put together what were undoubtedly our 4 most special days of 2012. Unfortunately, we weren't able to spread our wings very far this time around, and we went back to one of our old haunts....Golden Ears Provincial Park, which is about 2 hours from home. If not for the restricted schedule, we talked about a trip to Manning Park, but that will have to wait until 2013. So, without any further adieu, a few pictures to share:

We took Mrs Westfab's bus this year as mine continues to undergo a refresh. Apart from splitting this engine open (which was not done), there really was very little that I didn't replace, fix, or restore. She runs so sweetly now. Even the AC blows cold on this unit:

Packed and ready to go. Some of our VW water-cooled fleet pictured here as well:

The open road:

The bus captain (Mrs Westfab):

The cargo:

Our camp site:

The view from our bedroom window:

Some amazing scenery in our British Columbia rainforest:

Very Lord of the Ringsy:

For a couple of days we had the whole camp site nearly to ourselves. There were no humans within eye or ear shot, as can be seen here. The little green speck is Mrs Westfab's bus, and there are no other campers anywhere:

Some of the usual visitors:

Some Westy living:

The best camping investment ever:

I got this toy (metal detector) for my birthday, and was hoping to find some real treasures. Well, I did find a genuine Ginsu knife 2001, a rope, and a hammer, but those were spotted while using the metal detector. The new toy found shell casings, bottle caps and other junk:

We went on the usual VW hunt, and found one other Westy on the other side of the park:

It's hard to put a price on these moments. It was a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing:

Previous Westy Magic trips:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=472557&highlight=magic

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481000&highlight=magic
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"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

[SGKent]

Awesome photos - we use a set of these and they work great

re:

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[busdaddy]

That looks like North beach, where's the pic of the giant Banana slugs that are all over there this time of year?

Looks like a grreat time! Little chilly in the mornings?
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[AB westy nut]

Awesome and awe inspiring! Have to get yourself a plug-n-chug though. Best drink holder for these things by far.

By the way, Manning park is beautiful too and you're pretty much in Calgary by that point so you might as well come for a visit next year.
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[Desertbusman]

Absolutely outstanding Fabulous Westy Guy & Gal. How inspiring for the rest of us. Thanks for the great pictures. Food smells good all the way down here.
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[Klaussinator]

WOW, awesome pics !!!
Happy couple, beautiful bus, and a gorgeous location - life is good.

And yeah, I gotta agree with SGKent, I was gonna say something about the cupholder too, ha ha!

-Klauss
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[71whitewesty]

Yeah! Great shots and super sweet set up! I however have a no pooping in the bus rule
Looks like 4 days of bliss to me. I'm itching to get a bit more camping in myself. Thanks for posting.

[greenbus pilot]

cup holder? More like a cup killer.
LOVE the pics! Of course, a fellow greenbus pilot gets my attention.
Love the squirrel pic!
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[grandpa pete]

Great photos ! Thanks for sharing. Here I am waiting for it to cool down enough to go camping ( 89 degrees today) and you are at the end of your season ...I am always looking at camp site photos for new ideas...What is the fabric bag for that hangs on the cabinet drawer handle?....Why would anyone eat off green plates? It reminds me of DR.Seuss's" green eggs and ham" ..... and how does that blue bird travel in the bus? In all the photos of all three trips I don't see a bird cage . Looking foreward to Civil War Re-Enactment in October
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[Stuartzickefoose]

fantastic! glad yall got a chance to get away for a bit love these pictures!
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[curtis4085]

Wow! Great pictures Dan. Sure sounded like a great time. Mrs. Westfabulous bus looks so at home in the woods. Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing the adventure.

Very sorry to hear about your guys sick mom. Sending my prayers.
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[secretsubmariner]

Dan! I've been wondering about you over the past few days! Glad to see you have been absent with great purpose!

[Poptopcamper]

I agree with cooking outside of the bus. That bacon splatters everywhere. My 34 year old Coleman stove is still going strong. Great pix. I need to head north in to that foreign country!
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[heretodayvanagontomorrow]

looks like you had an amazing trip-we certainly live in a beautiful part of the world! what inspiring photos, can't wait for next summer already. thanks for sharing

[Desertbusman]

[Westfabulous]

Thanks for all the kind words guys and gals. Mrs Westfab is particularly proud, as we used her bus this year, and it was a big success. In response to a few comments:


busdaddy:

We actually stayed in the Gold Creek camp site. The banana slugs were not out quite yet, and the mornings were just pleasant, as were the evenings. We never felt cold once during this trip, but you could tell that we were on the verge of a change.

71whitewesty:

We try not to poop in the bus, although we did in Tofino. Peeing for sure. This is such a clean toilet; whether open or closed it has zero smell. We use two ounces of the Dometic 100% biodegradeable toilet treatment, and you cannot smell a thing.....ever....even when a log falls in the forest.

grandpa pete:

The green plates belong to Mrs Westfab, and she has gone crazy trying to buy the most color and motif matching accessories that she can find. As long as the food on the plates is tasty, I am a happy camper.

The fabric bag is an iphone holder that I sewed for the Mrs after she made me some real nice cushions, pillows, and curtains. It was my first crack at sewing, and it turned out pretty nice.

Curtis4085:

Thanks for the kind comments re: my mom. It has been a long and terrible year for her, and although she has responded well to the chemo, we are very concerned about her current status, as she seems to be getting very sick all over again. We pray that she gets though this.

DBM:

Thank-you. Yes, we both managed to pick up a Westy yellow bucket over the years, and if you look behind my right foot in this picture, you will see Mrs Westfab's yellow lid propped up vertically. It served as a catch all bin when we came in for the evening....camera's, books, cigars, keys, etc.

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"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

[obieoberstar]

i really like the above photo. when i sleep 'downstairs' it is amazing to look forward. the bus just seems so much bigger than it is. sometimes the best trips are the ones that are unplanned.

[Westfabulous]

[curtis4085]

Made a little magic with our Westy this weekend.

A visit to Golden Gate Park in Colorado. The Little Green Dude was pushed to the limit going up 18% grades. Should have listened to google instead of the ranger for directions. Anyways, We had a blast. Hiking, relaxing, and relaxing....

smores

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Special Thanks to:
Headflow Masters - Vista, CA
www.headflowmasters.com

[Klaussinator]

Wow, great pics -- looks like a fun trip!
I gotta say, that's one big bottle of hand sanitizer in the first pic, ha ha.

-Klauss
_________________
I have taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money!
____________________________________________
the Klaussinator - `73 hardtop Bay custom-built camper