Nightmare start - but one of our best road trips CA-CO

[fxr]

This had been long in the planning, as Mrs fxr has been working seven days a week since mid-April at her own business. In that time we re-furbished our '84 Westy with a home-brew paint job (Interlux Brightside and Upol Raptor), some de-rusting, new window seals, new windshield, tinted widows, Chinese heater (tested, so left Mr Buddy behind) plus loads of other odds and sods.

Looks great from 12" away.

We had a well-thought out plan that went to shreds on the first night. Frightening shreds. The Chinese heater which worked so well as sea level didn't seem to like being at over 8,000ft at an isolated BLM campsite near Lee Vining, just over the Yosemite Tioga Pass. It worked just about OK for about 20 mins after we arrived, but the temperature dropped like a stone outside, and all of a sudden it stopped and would NOT re-start. I reckoned this might just be down to altitude, and I would need to add more air to the mix. Could I remember the password to alter the settings? Nope - and no cell service. We drove down the track and with great relief got cell service about half a mile away. Quickly posted to the facebook group for the password (but chose the wrong Afterburner group by mistake and got knuckles rapped) and got a reply within a minute. Back to the campsite - and although I spent more than five hours (really, from 19:00 to 24:00) trying to get the damn thing to start, no joy.

It became very cold indeed - ~5°F outside. 20°F inside. At one point we suddenly heard water running - oh shit a burst pipe inside? Too cold to do anything about it until daylight. By the morning there was thick ice on the inside of the windows. Come daybreak, I wanted to start the engine to warm the van up, but it was stuck in gear. I could move the gear lever but 1st gear it was, as we always leave it in gear when parked. So I sat shivering for 30 minutes and I got cramp in my left foot holding the clutch down - but YEE-HAH eventually the engine warmed up the underside enough for the tranny to respond to lever instructions. I moved the van around 180° to get the sun to point at the windshield to help the engine defrost enough to drive somewhere a bit warmer.

We drove on and stopped at a campsite just outside Big Pine on hwy 395. We thought we might have to abandon this trip altogether if we couldn't get heat. A quick inspection soon revealed that the bloody fuel filter had split and was letting air into the fuel line. Back to Bishop to get some more fuel line and I threw away that filter. The water that we heard? The 1" ball valve we use as the water tank drain valve had frozen solid and split. Also replaced. So now we were golden, and on we went to Death Valley. Found a 'generator free zone' campsite. Happiness.

More soon...
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[dobryan]

Whew. Only can get better from there.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

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[Igeo]

Yikes! Been there with frozen plumbing in my old Alaskan.
You going through saline valley?
_________________
1987 Westfalia 2.1 WBX Manual

[tjet]

Good recovery.

I want to get a heater like that. If you can do a post trip review of it, that would be awesome.

[Steve M.]

Glad you got it sorted out. Planning on Death Valley in Feb.-Mar. hopefully.
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[space]

[mikemtnbike]

Good recovery fxr.

Your paint looks awesome. Did you spray or roll? I love my interlux paint job, but it's a little more obvious it was a roll-and-tip job.
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[fxr]

Paint job was roll and tip for the Brightside. Had the doors and slider off so they were done horizontally. Three thin coats altogether - the only prep was some sanding down, Ospho on rust and some filling with good epoxy filler. Cut-down beer cans work well as filler supports under holes around the windows. The whole interior came out for rust-checking (not too bad) and loads of rockwool insulation and Killmat sound deadening went in, with Reflectix retaining the insulation under the side trim covers.

I'll review the heater properly in the heater thread later.

More on the trip once I've had my morning mugs of tea.
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[mikemtnbike]

Killer, I'd totally do the interlux again, it looks uniquely great to me and was perfect for both my budget and my workspace. Look forward to the rest of your report.
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[E1]

Someday we really should get a heater. Just not that one.

Death Valley's it. This will be our first winter in the last seven we're not there. You're already making me miss it. If you bought a copy of Death Valley Impressions, we're 91 cents closer to retirement.
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[r39o]

Now I know why I keep a Jetboil in the van!

I know Mrs r39o would surely have some comments (mildly stated) about what happened!

I do not see a thread by Mrs fxr. I am sure she has plenty to write about!

My gear box tends not to want to shift after a cool evening down here in Wonderland, I can well imagine it would not wish to budge in sub freezing temperatures. It is the lubricant Rancho supplied with the rebuild that is the influencer in this case.

While I too hate generators, maybe dragging just a tiny one along may be a good idea? Space is the big concern.

Or replacing the under seat hot water heater for a real gas one may be the wiser thing. I keep a pair of Golf Cart batteries under the seat mainly for this upgrade.

Well you both survived that part of your adventure which surely has generated lots of yarn (sp?) fodder for many future tales.

Keep posting!

Safe travels.....
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[danfromsyr]

not to diminish or derail but it's fairly common knowledge that the heaters need to be 'adjusted' to work @ altitudes. and that they've been working at altitudes with good results for some for many trips.
the Mr Buddy may (likely) not have run any better.
ask SyncroJael on his use/experiences
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9189160#9189160

and E1, ok, cool, you should put link in your signiture line..
nice looking book. but DV is too far down my must travel list (till I'm retired anyways).
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Valley-National-Impressions-Farcountry/dp/1560372958

[fxr]

More places should have these:

We woke up in Death Valley with a huge sense of relief that we were really back on track to have a good road trip, with a working heater and a working van. Set off and filled up with gas here:

There was an "Alien Cathouse" (brothel) around the back, advertising free tours... <shudder>

We wanted to get to the Valley of Fire, but knew that as this was now Friday that the limited campsites might be full. This proved to be the case, so on we went to Stewart's Point, a BLM site right on the shore of Lake Mead. We found a great spot, and decided to stay for two nights along with having a shower and doing some laundry.

The shower tent and Zodi heater - 5 gallons heated up in just a few minutes:

The excellent USB-charged shower pump and shower head (with home-grown loofah!):

"Van Trash"

So onto Zion. This was Monday, but there were signs up everywhere saying FULL. However the nice man at the gate suggested we tried getting into a shared group site, and that proved to be possible. It turned out to be just as 'private' as any normal National Forest campsite. Had a stroll along one of the trails before heading onwards. Yes, there's a dog in that backpack:

This is his favourite spot in the van when on the move:

The shuttle buses were still operating in Zion and cars were not allowed to compete, so we couldn't travel further into the park other than take the road out to the East towards Bryce Canyon.
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[E1]

Great stuff, Jim! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Love the shots, too.



Dan, Thanks! Just awaiting our website completion, soon.
_________________
‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[fxr]

And on to Bryce Canyon. This would be just a flying visit as we'd been there before, but it would seem churlish to just pass it by.

Now came one of the better roads as far as scenery goes - UT hwy 12. Good fun to drive, too. Eventually we get to Capitol Reef NP just before dusk. The camping was just $7 for seniors, perfect. The campsite looked pretty empty when we arrived, but in the morning there were campers from Europe (UK, Germany and Switzerland), several motorbikes, some tents though it was bloody cold outside that night. We were nice and toasty though.

We now wanted to get to Canyonlands, which we'd given up on on a previous trip due to arriving there late and it was 30-odd miles into the park. We could have gone down and then up to it, but we decided to go the less scenic but quicker route up to I-70 then down past Moab to the Southern entrance.

Yup, more rocks (we saw a LOT of rocks this trip) but the BLM site just outside the park was great.

Next day - onto Mesa Verde. I'd read about this many years ago, and we both wanted to see it. It's a LONG drive up there once in the park, but full of fascinating history of the early human occupation.

Monument Valley was next on the list as a place to stay. We got there just before sunset, and Mrs fxr was not having a good time driving into the sun. But the rocks looked great.

This is a Navajo Nation reservation, so we chose one of their campsites. Nothing fancy, but a lovely welcome. $25 for the night (others were more expensive) and they offered tacos as well. Navajo tacos, more like a thick seasoned naan bread. Jonah our host accommodated our Vegan request with aplomb, double-checking their ingredients were OK. Soon Mrs Jonah turned up with the tacos - Mrs fxr was delighted not to cook that night after the rather tiresome drive. A suitable extra tip was given.
The loo was a composting toilet with its own little shed - the door was a half-height one facing away from all civilisation but with a great view of one of the 'monuments'. Rather impressed with that.
Anyway, our cry when things go better than expected is now " With Tacos!".
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[fxr]

We now had just three nights left on the road before getting home. We hoped our last night would be visiting a dear friend who had a cliff-top house in Aptos - Monterey Bay. From Monument Valley we went via the Grand Canyon - yet again just a fleeting visit, but hey, while you're nearby... Anyway, the obligatory selfie was taken:

We then attempted to find Telephone Cove, a BLM site very near the border between AZ and CA - well we did find A Telephone Cove - but apparently the same name applies both sides of the 'lake'. My Garmin Zumo thought it was just fine to direct me to drive over the water... So we stayed on the Eastern side, which was a National Park. Campsite was only $10 (seniors) so no biggie. We found a spot well away from the generators and had enough time before dark to have another shower (what, two in 10 days?!) which was, frankly, due. No pics of that one, but no loss, honest.

So from there the halfway point to Aptos looked like Lake Isabella - lots of free camping all around. We stayed in our favourite spot:

The next morning our friend in Aptos texted to say she didn't feel very well and might be contagious with 'something' - would we mind giving the visit a miss? OK, we can visit any time, she's only 80 miles from home. So where next then. Hmm - Alabama Hills was good the first time we went there, albeit very windy - but today and tomorrow - no wind. So we set off, and although it was a Saturday, out 'best spot' hidden in the rocks was the only one unoccupied.

And then home via Tioga pass again. As we were just at the top this happened:

I'm pleased I spotted that!

Back to normal life now, but at least I've the Afterburner to fit to the Chinese heater (it arrived while we were on the trip) and a Vespa to be given a new head gasket. Tinker, tinker.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[dobryan]

Fun. Thanks!
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[tjet]

Wow - where is this?

[thatbaldwinlife]

Looks like a great trip, thanks for taking the time to write it up. Love to get down to Alabama Hills sometime to explore.
nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[michaelasnider]

Looks like a great trip! I'm curious how you've attached the MaxxTrax to the roof of the van?