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Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back.
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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 4:43 pm    Post subject: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Greetings V-Dubbers! Very Happy

Just last week my wife and I took our first road trip with our beloved Betty Beetle from Sacramento, CA to Bend, OR and back. I'd like to share our experience and many photos with you.

Back in March I was riding my bicycle and was struck by a car which destroyed my leg. I've only been barely walking since the beginning of July and only graduated from the walker to a cane about 2 weeks ago. As such I divided the driving in short daily legs of about 200-225 miles each. My wife does not currently drive but will sometime soon. Additionally the little car is having some electrical issues due to improper wiring and poor grounds so only one headlight works on low-beam and the dash light dimmer dims the left front parking light so driving during the day only is a priority. Embarassed

We obtained some vintage Samsonite hard luggage recently and used it to full effect upon our roof rack. Here is a shot of us packing up the bug in the parking lot at our shitty apartment. Laughing

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It was fun using the new roof rack and custom leather straps to hold everything down. I realized strap number 3 could go fore-aft and set it up that way. Cool

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We set off and had a few stops planned here in Sacramento. First we went to the cannabis store to pick up some medicine and found when we went to leave that there was no juice in the battery! We recently had some work done at Kombi Haus where a new carburetor was installed and apparently one of the wires going to the alternator had come loose. We got a jump from another customer and headed to O-Reilly's for some slip-on connectors. With the motor still running I re-attached a blade connector and hooked it up as I did bring my wire stripper/crimper. I also managed to leave the rest of the connectors on the sidewalk. OOPS! Rolling Eyes Embarassed

We stopped in Chico, CA where a friend of ours moved and joined them at the community natural pool for swimming. After lunch in downtown Chico we took some photos at a rest stop just North of there.

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I love the look of the suitcases on the rack. We received many comments from folks at the pool about the bug and luggage.

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That completes Leg 1 of our trip. Stay tuned for Leg 2.

Regards,
Lev
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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 5:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

2nd Leg of the road trip continues…

After leaving the rest stop North of Chico we traveled the I-5 interstate towards our stop for the night. Along the way we found the Mount Shasta Vista Point near Castella, CA where we stopped for some fantastic photos of the mountain just before sunset. The sun was already behind the mountains nearer to us so we were draped in cool shadow after a long, hot day. Very Happy

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I walked really far away to catch this shot of my lovely wife alongside our beautiful bug. Its a bit fuzzy even though I used a tripod because pushing the shutter button shakes the camera slightly which is magnified by the long telephoto lens. Shocked

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The mountain looks so majestic from here with the fading light of the sun on the face. Surprised

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Betty performed great all day. By this point the battery was fully charged and the new carb means the engine starts right up, even warm. Cool

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As the light faded and we had to turn on the headlights we discovered another electrical issue: When going over bumps the left low beam would flicker and go out completely. Switching to high beams works fine with no flicker. Glad we planned not to drive at night! Exclamation

Once we arrived in Weed, CA and settled in our hotel I took a night shot with flash of Betty with the hotel sign behind. We chose this hotel actually because of a photo on Google Maps that showed a vintage 60s era neon sign but it had been replaced just this last March.

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Then we have medicine, get all cleaned up and eat ice cream. Very Happy

Stay tuned for the 3rd Leg.

Regards,
Lev
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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 6:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

3rd Leg begins Monday morning in Weed, CA.

We slept well and get rolling just before check out time. I sauntered over to the Hi-Lo Cafe for breakfast and got some Weed souvenirs including a rainbow topped sealed lid jar and 70s era T-shirt. This place also has a hotel but it wasn’t on Google Maps and they DO have a cool vintage neon sign from the 60s. Confused

I took the opportunity to shoot Betty with her luggage rack filled from above on the balcony of the hotel.

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I realized we could also put my wife’s newer 60s era train case in front of our 50s era suitcases and route the fore-aft strap through each suitcase’s handle for additional security.

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We gassed up the car and loaded up on snacks at the local grocery store. In the parking lot we had a long conversation with a local who has a split-window bus. It was actually down in Sacramento at Kombi Haus where I have work done.

Once outside town there was a great view of Mount Shasta from the North. We pulled to the side of highway 97 for a few photos.

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The mountain looks so grand and lonely.

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We present quite a wall to the wind, don’t we? Laughing

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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 6:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

3rd Leg continues...

A short while after our last photo shoot we found the Mount Shasta View Point and got some more great shots. Smile

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I just can't get enough of Mount Shasta. So beautiful. Shocked

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Our little Beetle was a hit at this place. Several folks stopped us to ask about her and chat about our trip. Very Happy

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A few hours later and we arrived at Crater Lake National Park, where the 4th leg begins. Cool
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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 6:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

4th Leg begins at Crater Lake.

We paid the fee and entered the park where we find twisty, windy roads filled with impatient tourists. I will never understand why folks want to hurry in the park. Evil or Very Mad It doesn’t speed up a vintage Beetle much though! Twisted Evil

Our first photo stop is at a place called Discovery Point. There were actually quite a number of other cars and visitors, but they were coming and going so some of my shots make it look empty.

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My wife, posing for a shot. Here you can see many other cars.

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Its a real trick to catch this area empty of other cars, but I managed.

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I truly enjoy this high-altitude air and flora. The sky was amazingly clear, too.

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Next stop is a pull-out near the Western-most edge of the lake. From here I was able to shoot Betty with that beautiful crystal clear blue water of the lake in the background. Shocked

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Here’s another with my elegant wife. Very Happy

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This place is so fantastic!

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After waiting a short while a large group of motorcyclists left which cleared the space for this amazing shot. Surprised

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Then I got a few of the front with lovely trees behind.

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From here we headed around the rim until we found a pull-out on the other side of the road so we could shoot back towards the West.

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After this we continued around the rim until we reached the North exit to the park and continued on up to Bend, Oregon where our friends live.

Stay tuned for the rest!

Lev
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velolev
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:02 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Arrival, stay and return.

Following the adventure at Crater Lake we continued until re-joining highway 97 on our way to Bend, Oregon. I’d only ever driven along coastal Oregon before so seeing the high-desert plateau in central Oregon was a treat. It is very similar to Eastern New Mexico where I lived in the late 90s.

Once we arrived in Bend and found our friends’ house we parked in the shade and unpacked. Our friends’ neighborhood is quaint and peaceful.

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Their neighbor’s place is cute too.

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Unfortunately the tree we parked under showered Betty with sap. Evil or Very Mad

We had a pleasant several days with our friends, their two cats and 7 month old puppy, then had to say our goodbyes and hit the road again. Crying or Very sad

We skipped past Crater Lake and headed straight for Weed. This time we stayed in the Hi-Lo Hotel and could actually see Mount Shasta from the room window. Shocked I totally failed to photograph the cool neon sign but I bet we come through here again sometime.

I did find a place in town the next morning where we could shoot Betty and the Mountain without other buildings, cars or people. Just the way I like it! Laughing

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Here I climbed down to the parking lot level which was several feet lower than the street Betty is on. It almost looks like she’s in the grass. Surprised

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After taking these photos we headed back to the I-5 and home. We stayed on the 5 the whole way and were just North of downtown Sacramento when we suddenly lost power. I managed to pull to the side but we were on a bridge over the train tracks right near the Amtrak station. I-5 is 5 lanes plus an exit only lane and the shoulder was barely big enough for Betty. Its also incredible how much the bridge bounced up and down with the traffic! Exclamation

Much to our chagrin we called our insurance company’s rescue service and got a flatbed tow back home. Crying or Very sad

Turns out Betty’s gas gauge was not reading properly (it was just below the 1/2 mark) as the tank was empty. Embarassed Embarassed Embarassed Rolling Eyes I got a gas can, added a gallon to her tank and she started right up!

Thanks for listening to my rambling story. Let me know what you think of my photography. I am open to constructive criticism or praise as you see fit.

Cheers! Very Happy

Lev
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dangersquirrel
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Great photos and story! Thanks for sharing!
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Shanghai Paddles
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 7:54 am    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Sounds like an amazing trip! Love the photos, and the rack full of suitcases is great. I was supposed to leave yesterday for my first big road trip in my 67, but I developed two bulged discs in my back last week and can't sit/drive right now. I was going to go from Minneapolis to Salt Lake City. I'm bummed about it, but it's nice to live vicariously through your post.

Thanks for sharing!
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velolev
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

dangersquirrel wrote:
Great photos and story! Thanks for sharing!


Thank you and you're welcome. Also, welcome to the Samba!

Shanghai Paddles wrote:
Sounds like an amazing trip! Love the photos, and the rack full of suitcases is great. I was supposed to leave yesterday for my first big road trip in my 67, but I developed two bulged discs in my back last week and can't sit/drive right now. I was going to go from Minneapolis to Salt Lake City. I'm bummed about it, but it's nice to live vicariously through your post.

Thanks for sharing!


Thanks!
Oh man I know how you feel. We had to postpone traveling due to my broken leg for several weeks as using the walker (and transporting it in the bug) was too much a burden. I hope your back heals soon and I'm glad you can get a feel for a road trip from my story.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 1:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Thank you for sharing! The photos are beautiful. Looks like an amazing trip.
velolev wrote:
...Its a bit fuzzy even though I used a tripod because pushing the shutter button shakes the camera slightly which is magnified by the long telephoto lens. Shocked

To avoid camera shake, you can use the auto-timer to release the shutter for you. Depending on the camera, you may be able to buy a remote shutter release accessory.

Regards,
Kris
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velolev
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

kpf wrote:
Thank you for sharing! The photos are beautiful. Looks like an amazing trip.

To avoid camera shake, you can use the auto-timer to release the shutter for you. Depending on the camera, you may be able to buy a remote shutter release accessory.

Regards,
Kris


Thanks to you too Kris. We had fun on the drive for sure. I am very fond of many of these shots too. If only WW had the bumper guards that I ordered in stock... Crying or Very sad

Also thank you for the auto-timer suggestion. I didn't realize these long shots were so fuzzy until I got home and downloaded them. This was the best of them. I figured out why and will use the 2-second delay next time.

Cheers!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 11:03 am    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

What an epic trip and pictures. Thank you so much for sharing your story. How many miles did you travel all together? What did you get for MPG?
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 5:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

begood56vw wrote:
What an epic trip and pictures. Thank you so much for sharing your story. How many miles did you travel all together? What did you get for MPG?


Thank you. We had the most epic time. With a little extra driving around Bend, Oregon our total for the trip was just over 1000 miles. Pushing Betty through the wind with the luggage up top and mountain climbing near 60-65 the whole time we still managed 27 mpg average. Since getting home my mundane city driving has me at about 30 mpg. Not great but not bad either.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

What an awesome trip! My wife has friends in Springfield, OR. She wants to take our bug next time we go up there. Do you have Instagram by chance?
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:41 am    Post subject: Re: Road Trip! Betty Beetle takes us to central Oregon and back. Reply with quote

Thank you for the trip report and fine photos! Betty with the enormous Mt. Shasta in background were impressive. I've been to/driven up a few 14,000' mountains in Colorado (Pike's Peak, Mt. Evans), but the effect of the height is somewhat lost because there are other high mountains close by. Shasta, similar to Japan's Mt. Fuji, rises from the low surrounding land to make its height appearance that much more majestic.

Back in 1983 I drove around the country in my 1980 VW Dasher Diesel. After visiting friends in Portland OR I started on my way back to NY. Looking at your route, I also visited Crater Lake, continued south on US 97, but then turned off at Klamath Falls to go on Rt 39 and 139 to visit Lava Beds Nat'l Monument. I was to the distant east side of Mt. Shasta and unfortunately don't remember if I saw it.

Have you driven Betty on other long trips since that one?
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