"Mabel" 1961 Ruby Red Preservation

[62ItalianRagtop]

Any news on this beauty ?
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LOOKING FOR 62 ENGINE WITH NUMBER FROM 6.904.xxx TO 6.915.xxx
http://tettodistraccio.blogspot.com/

[Raisedup58]

I’ve really been slacking on here.
As we all know, 2020 was a shit show. Luckily being in Idaho we were hit as hard with the mandates and lockdowns so we still got to have some events. I’ll just leave the 2020 post to a couple of my favorite pics.
It’s hard to beat spring in Idaho.

One of my favorite local events is Back-Woodz Vee-Dub Yaz in Lowman Idaho.
No cell service, just the Idaho backcountry with your Vw friends. The smoke was thick as usual but that’s just how it is in the west.

Ending it all on the side of the mountain.

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L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Raisedup58]

The start of 2021 was just like the rest. A road trip to Fire and Ice Festival in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho in February. We definitely get the looks rolling into town with this car, especially in the middle of winter.

The best part of owning this car, or any vintage car for that matter, is driving it.
It’s lived it’s whole life on the mountain backroads and that’s how I intend to keep it.

I’ve always wanted a Heilite, and early this spring I made it happen. Stumbled onto this very original trailer just north of us and couldn’t pass it up. Will look great behind the cars.

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L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Rome]

Thank you for posting the lovely "scenery" shots!

[Raisedup58]

This year we finally got back to normal with the road trips.
We started spring off with a 1,791 mile round trip to Winthrop, Washington for Sledvw’s shop party. This was a special one for me. Only weeks after my grandfathers death, this one was for my brother and I to get away in memory of him. I built a custom container for some of his ashes that will be permanently in the car. My grandfather was my idol growing up and the reason I’m so heavy into cars. Growing up road tripping in his vintage Chevy to car shows was the highlight of my youth. It felt good to still have him in the car with us.

We left on a Thursday morning with the intent of making it to Walla Walla, Washington about 500 miles away from home. An insane head wind made me instantly regret having the rack on the car, but I knew I was picking up some original paint wheels on the trip so I had no choice. It never fails you have about a 30+ mph head wind when going from east Idaho to Boise in a VW. 60 was still an easy cruising speed for the 40hp though.

We decided to cut north out of Boise to try to get out of the wind. Although it didn’t help with the wind problem, the views were 100x better than sticking on I-84.

About an hour after cutting north the clouds started setting in and it was time for the heater. Both of us couldn’t of been happier with the change of weather, we both love gloomy weather (runs in the family). With the rain and dense air the car was really loving life, that’s when we hit the densest fog I’ve ever driven a beetle in. By the time we started climbing out of Hells Canyon, we were creeping down the road. Of course, the pictures don’t do it justice. But we had to stop to take advantage of the photo opportunity.

Once we crosses into Washington the rain started letting up. Sticking to the backroads is really the way to do any road trip. The cool things that you find are completely worth the extra time.

I’ve been wanting to stop in Walla Walla on one of my trips for years.

I wasn’t disappointed, what a beautiful downtown area. But the real reason we stopped is because I found out the original building of Dawson motors was still standing. All I wanted was some pictures of my car where it was sold brand new all those years ago.
The infamous front windows of the dealership that the taxidermy add photo was taken in.

Gotta love that barndoor single in the background.

More of the trip to come…
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L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Bug-nut]

Wow. Your photos are amazing! I just stumbled onto your thread here, and read through the entire thing. Absolutely stunning photos! Thanks for taking the time and effort to share your adventures here with all of us!
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1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

1962 Austin-Healey Sprite

[Raisedup58]

The plan for Friday of the trip was to leave Walla Walla and head to Yakima to meet Patrick (Mr.ogpaint). Patrick was coming from the coast of Oregon and we were coming from Eastern Idaho, yet somehow we timed it to where we exited the freeway at the same time.

After a walk around Costco for some alcohol, the plan was to hit Leavenworth for lunch and a drink. Leavenworth is still one of my favorite places to visit. The Bavarian village right in the middle of the mountains is incredible.

We rolled into Winthrop that afternoon and settled in for a party. Nothing better than being surrounded by great friends and amazing VWs.

The next morning a few of us woke up and decided to drive up to the top of Washington Pass. You may remember this pass from earlier in this thread. It’s hard not to stop every half mile just to take it all in.

After seeing a small avalanche and taking in the views we had the pleasure of following Patrick and Corey down the pass in Patrick’s single cab.

By the time we got back, a few more people had shown up and the party was starting.

I’ll end this post with a great pic of my brother and I by Chadley. This was the beginning of a great night, that ended in a horrible morning.
_________________
L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[67rustavenger]

Epic road trip pics. I'd like to take pics that nice, one of these day's.

I hope this quote is not a bad omen of what's to come in your next road trip post.

[Raisedup58]

[Raisedup58]

Waking up the next morning was let’s say, less than enjoyable. The night before got the best of me and I was not doing well. The view from the tent was nothing to be upset about though.

After dragging my feet for the better part of the morning, we decided to say our goodbyes and hit the road. Our plan was to make it to Missoula, Montana that night some 400 miles away. Right out of the gate we could tell we didn’t have our heads together from the night before, and ended up taking a wrong turn which turned into a 60 mile detour. After getting ourselves together and on the right track we decided to take a break in another area my car has a lot of history in. Grand Coulee, Washington was part of the original owners forest service jurisdiction, and I have many receipts from area businesses of the time. The Grand Coulee Damn was extremely impressive to sit and take in for a bit.

As we were climbing out of the Columbia river gorge to head across the flats to Spokane we noticed our friends at a gas station off the road. Unfortunately, one of them had broken past the point of making it home without a tow truck.

Once your out of the Columbia river area it turns into flat farm land as far as the eye can see. The worst part of it all is the wind, and I mean WIND.

If it wasn’t for my damn obsession with original paint wheels I wouldn’t of had that rack on the car with boxes of wheels on top. But the car charged through and we made it to Spokane in no time. After a stop at a long time family friends new house and Erik’s to get another wheel, we were on our way out of Washington.
A little while before Spokane we had noticed the clouds getting heavier, and by the time we got to the border of Idaho it was starting to sprinkle. We stopped at a pull off along lake Coeur d’Alene to crack the heat on and check the car, and obviously take in the sights.

By the time we were back in the car and climbing out of the lake area the rain had really set it. Not a problem, we love the weather and the car really seems to also.

We stopped for fuel and snacks in a little town that I have really fallen in love with over the years, Wallace, Idaho. One day I would love to call this area home and it’s hard to leave every time we visit. A stop under the interstate to get out of the rain and check the car before pressing on offered a really cool picture opportunity.

After checking the weather radar, it was quickly realized that we would not be camping that night. It seems that the storm from the first part of the trip had just pressed north and we were right back in it. By this time the sun was falling quick and we just wanted to make it to Missoula. We passed multiple wrecks on the way caused by hydroplaning, but our narrow little firestones were doing great. By the time we arrived in Missoula we were both fried from the drive and ended up getting a hotel for the night.

I’ll continue the trip tomorrow as long as everyone is enjoying this.
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L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[mukluk]

By all means, more more!

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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[bigdog1962]

Enjoying the story and pictures! Keep 'em coming.
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Oprn wrote: I'm getting to the age that any self propelled woman (no wheel chair or walker) looks HOT!! Oooo! look at that Babe! She made it from the dining room all the way to the TV room without help!! Hubba, hubba!!

[Raisedup58]

Monday was one of those days where you just want to get home, yet it feels like your going 10mph. We opted to take 93 instead of I-15 purely for the views. If you have ever taken 15 through Montana and Idaho it’s nothing to write home about. Luckily the rain had subsided and we were left with just cloudy skies..

Once we started climbing LoLo pass the weather started setting in again, only this time it was snow.

We decided to stop at lost trail ski area for a break and to take in the sights.

500 feet later we were back in Idaho on the home stretch.

I only took one picture after this because once we got past Salmon, Idaho we were back in the infuriating wind that we have been living with our whole lives.

After decompressing at home I checked the odometer and we ended up at 1,791 miles over the 5 days. Then it was time to start getting ready for a few smaller trips and VWs At The Springs.
_________________
L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Hakka]

I know forums do not get the traffic they once did but I am just another that really appreciates the time you take to post on here. The story of the car and your attention to the preservation and details make this one of my favorite cars around.

Does not hurt you run through my neck of the woods either. Fun to see local scenery online with VW content

[Raisedup58]

[Raisedup58]

Once spring really kicked in, so did work. So our trips were short and sweet but still a blast. Why drive your new cars when you can drive the old ones.
The wife talked me into going to our local wild flower festival at our ski resort. I’m glad she did, beautiful views, great music, and tasty beer. The car was a hit the whole event. We could see it from where we were sitting on the mountain and people were taking pics with it all night.

I mean how could people not take pics with this car with that view.

Our next decent trip with the car was for the July 4th weekend in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We have been doing this for years and now our friends are starting to come up and camp with us from Utah.

Our daughter absolutely loves anything to do with camping and riding in the bugs, so with that and floating the river she was in hog heaven the whole weekend.

That Saturday we decided to take a small road trip to Wyoming to hit Melvin brewing and take our friend Aaron and his family to see the Tetons for the first time.

I can’t say how thankful I am for friends that love these cars and using them as much as my wife and I do. Even the short trips are amazing when your surrounded by special people.

Once we got home, it was time to start getting myself ready for VWs At The Springs

_________________
L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Pruneman99]

Great thread. Love the fantastic pictures of your VW roaming this beautiful country. I've done a few day trips and some back and forth between Socal and Arizona but never a mulit-day adventures. I need to plan..

Here is a thread I made documenting a day trip.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737776&highlight=

Not nearly as well documented as your thread.

[Raisedup58]

The July 24th weekend marks the biggest event of my year.

VWs At The Springs marked its 5th year, 8 years if you count our years as VWs At The Barn. Each year we get bigger, and the VWs drive from further and further. This year I definitely feel that we have this all down to a science and we can enjoy the party.
Ian and I show up Thursday morning to start setting up and finalizing things. We allow people to roll in early if they want to stay and extra night. As with every camping event, the KCW crew was the first to arrive, and start the party.

By the time we had everything set up, a nasty storm rolled in and dumped a serious amount of rain.

Once the lightning had moved away I checked on the river, and it had probably gone up 2-3 feet. This only means one thing, adults only float, with current and rapids much higher this makes for a good but dangerous time.
It was incredible hoping on the TuberUber to go to the top of the river and already seeing VWs lining the streets of Lava.
By the time the sun was going down all my good friends and a few stragglers had rolled in for the night.

We had multiple major road warriors this year, but the one who took the cake (be it only by 20 or so miles) was SledVW.

Jake made the trip from Winthrop, Washington to Lava in 1 sitting, that’s 700+ miles!

More on the rest of the weekend in a future post.
_________________
L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings

[Larmo63]

I love the Dymo label on the dash above the speedometer that you left there. It looks so period correct.

Also, I too am a huge fan of Firestone bias ply tires. My friends with the low and fat modern radials are missing something IMHO. They just look so right on our cars. They are tall and skinny, they fill out the wheel wells, and look like the car on the owners manual.

I wish some people in SoCal would do cool camping/adventuring trips in their bugs, I'd be up for it. My '62 ragtop is sorted and ready.

Thanks for the thread and sharing your adventures.
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Lawrence
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‘61 Mango Green Single Cab
'62 Pearl White Ragtop sedan
'66 Ruby Red Cabriolet
'86 Porsche 911 Carrera

[Raisedup58]

This years event happened to fall on July 24th. A holiday for our friends in Utah, but better known as my birthday. I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a birthday than with all of my friends far and wide.

The night life during this event is always a party, surprisingly we have never had anyone disrespectful during the event, everyone seems to know when it’s time to quiet it down. You can definitely stand on the hill and see the camps that are still keeping the party alive well into the morning though.

The biggest attraction for VWs At The Springs isn’t the cars it’s the river tubing. You can be dropped off at the top of the river in town and spend 45 minutes to an hour floating rapids to lazy river and get out right in the middle of the event. The locals love seeing how creative everyone gets to cart tubes to the top.

My dad created the “TuberUber” the year we moved to lava and it has really turned into a full time job. The man does it for free and says he just enjoys talking with everyone. But most of the people have caught on to the fact he likes Crown and he usually ends up with a year supply as a payment.

Saturday, Lava Hot Springs had a Pioneer Day parade and a group of cars decided to enter. I’m really glad they did, the town and locals have already been big supporters of the event and stuff like this always helps advertise for us.

Ian and I created this with the intent to bring air and watercooled together. To say we have achieved that would be an understatement. It’s amazing seeing groups that would normally never socialize become friends and purposely pick spots next to each other.
Lind brought out Sudfunk and it was obviously the queen of the show. The crowd gathered around never shrunk and it seemed lind was thoroughly enjoying showing off the bus to people who have never seen something so old.

The Glover family has attended every event since the beginning. They drive from Billings, Montana with mom, dad and multiple teen kids.

Patrick and Racheal road-tripped their 21 window all the way from the coast of Oregon just for the event.

Brian and family from Type E Motorsports stopped in for the event during an epic road trip in their bay window.

You can see the reactions this insane LS powered Baja gets every year.

All in all, this year went off without a hitch and we’re ready for the commotion all over again. I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures

_________________
L245 Original Paint Light Bronze 1958 Ragtop
L456 Original Paint Ruby Red 1961 Sedan
Orignal Paint Beetle Wheel Collector
Instagram: Raisedup58
VW's At The Springs
facebook.com/vwsatthesprings