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Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on....
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joetiger Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:04 am    Post subject: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

My goal for this van was to have it ready to travel by Syncro Solstice, then fix any nagging things in the two weeks between that event and our annual summer road trip. As I mentioned in my Syncro thread, I was really nervous about taking a really long trip in a basically untested van. I did a large majority if the work on this one, so if it broke I had nobody to blame but myself.

15 days and 4200 miles later, we had completed the journey. Yellowstone-Glacier-Kootenay-Jasper-Banff-Waterton-Yellowstone-Teton. As my little girls grow older, I feel like time is tight and I felt extremely grateful to get everybody on board once again.

Our original plan was to go west to Flaming Gorge then north to Glacier, but the weather was such that stand up paddle boarding would have been impossible (high winds, 50 degrees) so we ditched the paddling gear and made a last-minute decision to head north instead.

Anytime we travel north from Denver, we stop at Cracker Barrel in Loveland for breakfast. It's a way to let the fam know I'm not in a hurry. I was surprised to see this behemoth in the parking lot.

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They had their Instagram handle on the side of the vehicle, so I took these photos and tagged them while we were eating. When we came out, we met the owners, an extremely friendly couple from Luxembourg who were traveling around the world. Each of them spoke six or so languages and they were delighted that my elder daughter is fluent in French and my wife and younger daughter are fluent in Spanish. (I'm the ugly American in the group that only speaks Southern.) Great way to start the trip though, talking with such an interesting couple.

Unfortunately, we left for Cody, WY and ran smack-dab into the leading edge of a cold front. We were bludgeoned by headwinds, crosswinds, rain, sleet, and a bit of snow all the way across Wyoming and arrived to 40 degrees and drizzle in Cody. What an awful day of driving. One thing I didn't get to before the trip was installing an oversized sway bar from T3, and I regretted it.

We stayed in a hotel (so I could get my wits about me after a day of hell driving) and had surprisingly good and authentic Mexican food at Zapata's downtown. My Latina wife gave her stamp of approval. Smile

I also think it's important to note high top or Westy top, we would have been battered by the wind. There were trucks and even SUV's struggling to stay on the road all day.

The next morning, we had our free continental breakfast at this place.

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The gift shop had everything, including a cow skull painted like an American flag that I badly wanted to buy and mount to the front bumper. Sadly I was overruled by the family.

We saw this Westy at a grocery store soon after. The owner was not interested in talking.

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However, this one was.

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Steve and his son had traveled all the way from Nashville in their Westy they'd rebuilt over the winter. They had also gotten their butts kicked by wind the day before. I love their license plate: VRY SLO

Yellowstone in late spring.

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The good thing about fresh snowfall is the ease with which you can find bears foraging. We saw six black bears on the road from Cody into the park.

Yellowstone was, of course, packed with people. We usually stay in Canyon Village but I've always wanted to stay in Norris and luckily we got a spot.

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There were bear tracks all over the camp ground. According to the park rangers, the local bear's name is Beth.

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(I should have put a dollar down to show the size. It was big.)

It was a cold night, but not nearly as cold as I remember our Westy being on similar nights in years past.

The next day we drove around the park and checked out a few features and did some short hikes. We stopped here for lunch, a little turnout by Norris.

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Yellowstone...We're eating lunch and frantic people in rented mini vans kept stopping and asking, "what are you looking at? Is there something there? Or is it just bison? Oh, it's just bison." Then they'd load up and go screaming off.

We did see a small herd of elk run off a black bear right in front of the van and, I am not kidding, another Vanagon directly across from us. You'd believe me if my wife had hit the record button on her phone. Crying or Very sad

Glacier up next.
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"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:20 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Nice trip!!
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:20 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:23 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Another thing I wanted to mention: In Wyoming, it was early evening when we passed through Thermopolis. I saw a Bronge Beige Metallic Westy parked in town, and an older gentleman next to the van. He didn't wave or even notice us, but we waved and drove by.

After we'd passed through, my wife said, "Do you think he was having trouble?"

"It didn't look like it, but I probably should have stopped."

On we drove, and the thought of passing a stranded Vanagon haunted me all the way to Jasper. My wife and I discussed it further and she said she couldn't really tell if he was having trouble or was just parked there.

The first rule of this game is to always stop and see if help is needed. If you don't, your Vanagon will break down. It's nature's law.

Also: The lone gas station in Wheatland, WY has a guy that washes your windshield for you while you pump gas. Nicest people ever.
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'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:32 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

joetiger wrote:
"what are you looking at? Is there something there? Or is it just bison? Oh, it's just bison."


At least they didn't call them buffalo ...

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Great trip; following!
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:36 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

joetiger wrote:
My wife and I discussed it further and she said she couldn't really tell if he was having trouble or was just parked there.


Pssst, people park their cars in towns for ALL SORTS of reasons. No need to assume the worst - even if it was a Vanagon. Laughing
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:51 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

What we figured out on this trip is that we don't really do full, long-distance camping trips; instead we basically string together a bunch of weekend camping trips. We do one to three days camping in the van, then get a hotel room or cabin or resort or whatever to get showers, maybe do some laundry, and have a good beer and a nice meal. We're on vacation, for heaven's sake, and at this point I don't feel like we need to prove anything by sleeping in the van if we don't feel like it. And, it keeps everybody sane and keeps these trips viable.

So after a couple of nights in Yellowstone, we headed north to Kalispell and accidentally stayed in hotel attached to a mall and a casino. We ate at a loud, big place called The Montana Club. They had good burgers, the Rockies game was on, and the beer was cold.

We saw this van in town:

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(although it could be in a different town, I'm not sure!)

We also stopped by REI for a couple of things; it's funny how Mrs. joetiger always finds an REI on our route. One of the employees really liked the van, and while my wife and the girls shopped, we talked VW. He has a '73 beetle in Spokane that he's dying to get back on the road for his son to drive.

The pretty Glacier National Park sign at West Glacier was mobbed by new arrivals, so we took a picture at this ratty one on the road to one of my favorite places in the world, Polebridge Mercantile.

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Three years ago, we had a very close bear encounter on the Bowman Lake trail so naturally we wanted to go back, hike the trail again, and camp in the campground there.

The road to Bowman

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Gathering firewood (legal in this part of the park)

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Apart from the ranger station, a Sprinter, and a few day travelers, Bowman was totally empty. I've never stayed in a national park where we were the only campers there. It's a great feeling, and also a bit terrifying for tenderfoots such as ourselves to be in what we consider remote wilderness. The place was black as ink at night and the forest seemed to have eyes everywhere. I loved it.

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Whereas Yellowstone was cold and windy, the northwest corner of Glacier was unseasonably hot, humid, and still. The mosquitoes were in attack mode from the moment we arrived. We kept our fire going during the day when we were in camp to keep them away; bug spray didn't seem to make much difference.

Side note: Westfalias are prepared for pretty much everything right out of the factory. Homemade campers, not so much. I hadn't even thought about slider window screens. Luckily I had a slider door screen and the GW front door screens, but nothing for the hatch or slider windows.

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The vent fan was a godsend for cooling off the van in the evening. Oh--the slider door screen is too long (designed for a full door) and, because it touched the ground, allowed a few ants in. I'm glad I caught that when I did.

There were four or five deer who lived at our campsite with us. They didn't beg or seem to want anything, but they stayed close to us the whole time we were there. I'm guessing it could have been the "...really big male lion with a black tail" of which a ranger informed me. Maybe they thought they were safer near us? I'm not sure.

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Campin'. Linds tends the fire while Meg whittles. That kid loves to whittle. Full clothing coverage to ward off the 'skeeters.

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One morning we headed out to our infamous trail to see if we could get a bit further down than last time.

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All was well on the trail; we saw a lot of bear sign (marks, lots of tracks) but no actual bears. At one point in a thick underbrush area, something huffed, twice, LOUD, right next to me. My wife turned around and said, "did you hear that?"

I did, and I could smell it. Earthy, wet dog, gamey smell. I couldn't see anything in the brush, though, thick as it was. We continued to talk, sing and hike, and never caught sight of whatever it was.

Tired of the mosquito onslaught, we left after a couple of days. The Going-to-the-Sun road was still closed for snow removal at that point so we headed out through the west entrance and towards Canada. The fresh burn areas allow for some great mountain views.

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Glacier is a magical place.
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
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"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:57 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

SCM wrote:
joetiger wrote:
My wife and I discussed it further and she said she couldn't really tell if he was having trouble or was just parked there.


Pssst, people park their cars in towns for ALL SORTS of reasons. No need to assume the worst - even if it was a Vanagon. Laughing


Ha! That's true, but you never know when a Vanagon is involved!
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Joe, I LOVE my homemade slider screens- scrap window screening, frame it in duct tape back-to-back with rare earth magnets between the two layers, all three sides that contact metal. Folds small, sticks like a rare earth magnet. Shoot, if you have any decal tape left, it'd probably work- I used some space-themed "custom" duct tape.

I haven't been to Glacier since 1992...need to figure out how to get back.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

mikemtnbike wrote:
Joe, I LOVE my homemade slider screens- scrap window screening, frame it in duct tape back-to-back with rare earth magnets between the two layers, all three sides that contact metal. Folds small, sticks like a rare earth magnet. Shoot, if you have any decal tape left, it'd probably work- I used some space-themed "custom" duct tape.

I haven't been to Glacier since 1992...need to figure out how to get back.


It's definitely near the top of my list, along with St. Helens and Canyonlands as far as the lower 48 go.

I need to figure out screens, thanks for the tip!
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'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
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"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

joetiger wrote:
And, it keeps everybody sane and keeps these trips viable.


Oh wow, coincidences abound on that post!

- We just returned from a long weekend in Whitefish. For me to drive the modern VW and stay indoors versus camping in the van was a real treat.

- The friends we met up there had just returned from Polebridge and I FINALLY got to sample the baked goods.

- Those same friends attempted to hike to Bowman Lake but changed their plans after seeing a grizzly bear right at the trail head.

- I'm 90% certain that we camped at the site adjacent to yours when we were in Glacier last year.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

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Dang, we just missed you, by about 15 years ...

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

On to Canada. We listened to Rush's Red Barchetta while crossing the border at Roosville, and tiny crossing with a terse, professional border agent. We made for Cranbrook to get a room and a shower.

Cranbrook seems like one of those necessary towns. You can have all of the cute hamlets and mountain villages you want, but you gotta have the town with a Wal Mart, Canadian Tire, and a million vape and pawn shops. It looked like most towns of its ilk; it was a good place to get cleaned up.

Not much to report from there except for my first trip ever to Canadian Tire after hearing so much about it here. Smile They had free wifi so we were able to download some podcasts while browsing. And, there was a Miata at the motel that looked like my van's little brother.

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We ate dinner at the Heidout downtown during a big rainstorm. They had a great Scottish Ale and excellent poutine and Jagerschnitzel.

On to Kootenay National Park. We stopped in Radium Hot Springs to do some laundry and get ice cream on the way. The girls, aware of my attempt to take a good photo, shot dirty looks as is their new favorite game.

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Redstreak campground in Kootenay was not at all what we imagined. It's very pretty, on the side of the mountain above Radium, but the sites were super bunched up together. It was peaceful and empty when we arrived. We decided to get all of our crap out, awning and hammocks too.

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Free firewood! Such a cool feature of Candian parks. The RMW tray is great for this.

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It was Friday afternoon. After five, relaxing with a cold local IPA, the onslaught began. Every last fifth wheel from Calgary rolled in and it got loud, crowded, and a bit obnoxious. (It felt like home.) The neighbors drank wine and yelled at their barking dogs until well into the night. Parents yelled at their kids riding bikes into oncoming traffic. Babies cried. It was crazy. We were definitely outsiders and felt like it. This seemed like a local's place and we were anything but.

The next morning we headed to the hot springs, which were very nice, clean, beautiful, and well-appointed. We met a few nice folks there; it seemed like the guests were from all over the world. And, we saw a van in the parking lot but couldn't pick out the owners at the hot spring. (We all need matching tattoos or something.)

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After that we drove up Highway 95 to Golden. Oddly enough, Golden, BC was eerily similar to Golden, CO. I swear you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if you didn't know. Luckily we love Golden, CO and really liked the town. Nice people, beautiful mountains.

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We sat on the patio at the Rockwater Grill and had a good steak sandwich and a couple of beers. I was surprised by the pictures on the walls of bands that had played there; apparently it was something of a metal bar.

We strolled around town a bit and started back down south. Luckily we happened upon The Largest Paddle in The World.

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Gratuitous Canada shot that I texted back to my Vancouver native neighbor in Denver:

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Back at the campsite, we made a small dinner, had a few drinks, and listened to the sounds of screaming children and barking dogs. Meg whittled.

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I have to admit this was something of a low point. We were unhappy with the campground and really should have packed up and taken off that morning. Coupled with the fact that the place had cell and data coverage, we retreated to hammocks or the fire or to the van and spent the least joyous evening of the trip. It can't all be shits and giggles.

I was happy to pack up and get back on the road Sunday morning.
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'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
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"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Jeffrey Lee wrote:
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Dang, we just missed you, by about 15 years ...

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We missed ourselves by three years as well... Very Happy

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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

SCM wrote:
joetiger wrote:
And, it keeps everybody sane and keeps these trips viable.


Oh wow, coincidences abound on that post!

- We just returned from a long weekend in Whitefish. For me to drive the modern VW and stay indoors versus camping in the van was a real treat.

- The friends we met up there had just returned from Polebridge and I FINALLY got to sample the baked goods.

- Those same friends attempted to hike to Bowman Lake but changed their plans after seeing a grizzly bear right at the trail head.

- I'm 90% certain that we camped at the site adjacent to yours when we were in Glacier last year.


We need to plan better! I also got a meatball sandwich (in addition to pastries) at Polebridge and it was outstanding.

Bowman is just spooky. Fantastic, but spooky. It's one of those places where you know they're watching you but you can't see them.
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'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
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"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 6:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

great trip report, Joe. you're kindred spirit with so many of us here. congrats on the successful rebuild, bringing the kiddos along (and good on them for going!), and taking motel breaks when needed!
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Eric_Taylor
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 6:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

This is a great report. I love these. It's one of my favorite things about this forum. It's not busted coolant caps and squeaky control arm bushings it's about the fun things we get to do with these little vans.

Fun stuff. I can't wait to take my little girl (3 weeks old) on her first van trip!
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joetiger Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:23 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Thanks folks! Trip reports are my favorite part of the forum as well. They're the fruits of the long hours of labor that we put into these things. In the middle of winter with a broken, rusted transmission mount bolt staring me in the face, I try to think of these reports as a reminder of why I'm doing it.

Eric_Taylor wrote:

Fun stuff. I can't wait to take my little girl (3 weeks old) on her first van trip!


Right on, Eric, congratulations. Get them started early! Here's my one year-old in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park in my 2nd '85 GL. She turned sixteen on Saturday. Shocked

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Apologies in advance for the long narrative on this post.

We got up and moving early on Sunday, concerned that if we didn't beat the fifth wheels out of the campground, we'd be behind them all the way across the Kootenay Highway to Canada 1. Luckily we beat the rush and had a gorgeous drive over the mountains with a few bear, coyote, and fox sightings. There had been a British car show in Radium (that we missed, damnit) and we got to see some beautiful MG's, Triumphs, and Jags all heading back to Calgary.

We were hellbent on seeing and hiking Lake Louise, but missed the overflow lot on Canada 1 and couldn't find a parking place anywhere. It was extremely crowded there and very busy on a sunny Sunday. We decided to take the Icefields Parkway up to Jasper instead.

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It was a gorgeous, crystal-clear day, very different from our last trip here when it was cloudy and grey.

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It's impossible for me to provide any pictures that describe the place; you have to see it. It's like the Grand Tetons with glaciers flowing down them around every corner and it goes on for miles and miles.

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We arrived in Jasper in late afternoon, and after some bad luck with a hotel booking at the Crimson Lodge, we went down the street to the Sawridge and were able to book a room. My wife went in to the desk to check in while my daughters and I plotted our next move. Should we keep going north? We had the time and the resources, so why not?

My wife came out of the hotel and said, "room's all booked. And there's green stuff pouring out of the back of the van."

I jumped out and sure enough, I was losing coolant at an alarming rate. I grabbed a mexican blanket out of the back and soaked it all up then told the girls to grab their stuff and go in. I pulled around to the side of the hotel and found a perfect spot between the dumpsters and gigantic Dodge Ram and backed by a tall wood fence where nobody could see me work from their balconies.

Coolant was spraying out from the front (gas tank side) of the head. I was very concerned that my new plastic distribution flange had cracked, but after taking off the intake and disconnecting a jumble of wiring, I found that the hose coming off of the flange had ruptured.

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(I didn't get many pics because that's the last thing I was thinking about...)

We used tupperware bins to keep bread fresh in the van. I grabbed one, dumped the food out of it, and slid it underneath to catch coolant while I removed the hose. It had ruptured right at a curve in an impossible spot to get a good seal with emergency silicone tape.

News to me: Silicone tape deteriorates and goes bad. Check your stash. This roll was in a zip-lock but was a few years old and had lost some of its elasticity. Even if I'd had a good spot to apply it on the hose, it might not have worked anyway.

I removed the hose and threw it in a grocery bag. It was now Sunday at 7 pm so nothing else was going to happen that night. Covered in grime and coolant, I threw on a long-sleeve shirt and pants and walked through the lobby of the resort with my hands in my pockets and up to the room where a warm shower awaited.

Having been through these sorts of things before, the family was not concerned at all, believing that I had everything in hand. (I, of course, was not so confident.)

We walked downtown for a Father's Day dinner at probably the best restaurant of the trip, Evil Dave's Grill.

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The cowboy sushi (seared beef wrapped up like sushi) was outstanding and the waitress was super friendly. I had four good local beers with dinner instead of two, being that it was Father's Day, we were 1500 miles from home, and we had no operational vehicle. Cheers!

The next morning I caught the hotel shuttle to NAPA and encountered a very surly Monday morning counter person:

"Year, make, and model?"

"It's all custom. I need to see your molded hoses to see if I can find something I can use to replace this."

"We wouldn't have anything like that. We're a small shop. Everything's overnighted from Edmonton."

"I understand that. But I know you have a whole rack of molded hoses back there."

"I can't help you."

"I can see the hoses from here. I'm a long way from Colorado. Please, I need you to work with me."

Just then the manager came out, took a look at my hose, and with unexpected excitement, said, "Mm Hmm, mm hmm, I see. Give me a minute here."

He disappeared to the back and after an awkward amount of time where I stood with the counter person, he came out with a long, bendy hose. "It's the right diameter and the bends are close, maybe it'll work for you."

"Yes! It's perfect. Thank you so, so much!"

$100 CDN later, I was in possession of a fresh roll of emergency tape, a can of intake cleaner, and this beautiful, perfect hose:

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While waiting for a cab to get me back to the resort, I spotted this nice van across the way:

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Back at the resort, I measured several times, almost cut, measured again, stepped back, took a breath, looked at everything again, and cut the hose to size. To my delight, it fit better than the last one. Back in business. I poured in all of my spare coolant then dumped the food container coolant back in as well, and we were good-to-go.

After breakfast, we headed up to Maligne Lake, hiked a bit, and rented a row boat to cruise around the lake, marvel at the peaks, and swat bugs. We also saw a couple of black bears swimming in one of the smaller lakes on the way up.

Beautiful place.

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Back in Jasper that afternoon, we were ready to get back on the road.

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The conversation about going further north that had been so abruptly interrupted was never re-started. I had developed a slight case of the willies and decided to point the van south.

As we pulled back out onto the Icefields Parkway, I looked at my wife and said, "we didn't stop for that guy in Thermopolis."
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'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
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riceye
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:14 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

Great save on the cooling hose! It was certainly your good fortune that you found a helpful NAPA manager. That franchise, belittled by some, seem to offer the best service and chance for success in a travel emergency. I can't wait to read your remaining trip updates but would be willing to bet you had no more cooling issues the rest of the tour.

joetiger wrote:
As we pulled back out onto the Icefields Parkway, I looked at my wife and said, "we didn't stop for that guy in Thermopolis."


Don't beat yourself up, Joe. The past is past. Next time you'll oblige another owner, I'm sure. You seem a sharing, caring person and likely have a surplus of karma points.

Thanks for your trip reports - they are an inspiration to others to look down the road of adventure with home in the rearview mirror!

And, thanks for your build threads, too.
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sanchius Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:36 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Report--Yellowstone, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper, and on.... Reply with quote

joetiger wrote:
...the family was not concerned at all, believing that I had everything in hand. (I, of course, was not so confident.)


So true...

joetiger wrote:
I measured several times, almost cut, measured again, stepped back, took a breath, looked at everything again, and cut the hose to size. To my delight, it fit better than the last one.


and their confidence that your experience and ingenuity would carry the day was spot on.

Great story and, as always, thanks for posting your inspring trip reports!
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