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Trip Reports AND Quick Trips!
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4Gears4Tires
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:46 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Took my mother and my S.O. to Shenandoah NP for lunch and a hike so we could hang out together while my father's funeral was going on in Greece. Hard day for my mom, but I know she appreciated the outing. We hiked Stony Man Summit, the last time my mom hiked it she was 38 weeks pregnant with me! She kept a decent pace at 70! 800' of elevation change for the hike. She really enjoyed being in a Vanagon again and misses hers, a gray Wolfsburg edition. This time around it was her in the back seat taking a nap on the way back home.

Besides some highway hiccups the van ran great. Still chasing those down. 25mph (as is the speed limit in places on Skyline Drive) and going up and down hills is a really hard spot to be in for the Vanagon. 35-40mph is much more comfortable for the gearing.

Parked
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Halfway up, you can see the green creeping in from the valley floor. It still wasn't spring above 2,000 feet.
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Summit
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Heading back, what a wonderful road to drive.
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campism
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:28 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

4Gears4Tires wrote:
Heading back, what a wonderful road to drive.
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True. This is just below the crest of Thunder Ridge near Bedford, at the top of a 13 mile downhill stretch.
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Merian
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

erste wrote:
AND post Quick Trips in this thread?


What is a Quick Trip? If that means Day Trips w/o an overnight, then I'm not using the Vanagon for that anymore, since I bought a real nice Hybrid SUV with a 400 mile range between fill-ups...

Anyway, I'm thinking of going to Fort Rock, OR before things get too hot here.

And looking for the best camp sites nearby...
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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Merian wrote:
erste wrote:
AND post Quick Trips in this thread?


What is a Quick Trip? If that means Day Trips w/o an overnight, then I'm not using the Vanagon for that anymore, since I bought a real nice Hybrid SUV with a 400 mile range between fill-ups...

Anyway, I'm thinking of going to Fort Rock, OR before things get too hot here.

And looking for the best camp sites nearby...


The best sites near Fort Rock are at Hole in the Ground. There are a few more on iOverlander around there as well.
nate
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

campism wrote:
4Gears4Tires wrote:
Heading back, what a wonderful road to drive.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

True. This is just below the crest of Thunder Ridge near Bedford, at the top of a 13 mile downhill stretch.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Great photo
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erste
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Merian wrote:
erste wrote:
AND post Quick Trips in this thread?


What is a Quick Trip? If that means Day Trips w/o an overnight, then I'm not using the Vanagon for that anymore, since I bought a real nice Hybrid SUV with a 400 mile range between fill-ups...

cool.
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erste
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

4Gears4Tires wrote:
Took my mother and my S.O. to Shenandoah NP for lunch and a hike so we could hang out together while my father's funeral was going on in Greece. Hard day for my mom, but I know she appreciated the outing. We hiked Stony Man Summit, the last time my mom hiked it she was 38 weeks pregnant with me!

Really sorry to hear. That's a nice memory and a good trip to take considering the circumstances. thanks for sharing
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erste
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

There's been some really good trip reports in the past few weeks.

SSWesty's trip to the Redwoods and Oregon Coast (1200 miles)
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Blaicsinclair's first offroad trip report in a new vanagon: Running Springs
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markleford shared this video of their trip to the lost coast

Link


dabaron's trip to a sweet drive-in and Lehigh Gorge
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Merian
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PostPosted: Sat May 01, 2021 3:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

goldtooth wrote:
Merian wrote:
erste wrote:
AND post Quick Trips in this thread?


What is a Quick Trip? If that means Day Trips w/o an overnight, then I'm not using the Vanagon for that anymore, since I bought a real nice Hybrid SUV with a 400 mile range between fill-ups...

Anyway, I'm thinking of going to Fort Rock, OR before things get too hot here.

And looking for the best camp sites nearby...


The best sites near Fort Rock are at Hole in the Ground. There are a few more on iOverlander around there as well.
nate


Thx, I've camped at Hole in the Ground various times since 1970. I'll be luxo-glamping in a cabin this time, and will check out the iOverlander site too.
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PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 2:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Quick trip over the mountains to look for fish. When a friend says they'll loan you their extra fly gear, teach you the ropes, and has the same shoe size, you go. The only thing I caught was a tick trying to climb up my leg, but it was a good weekend on the Deschutes river. Time to start looking for my own waders and 5 weight fly rod.

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Blakesinclair
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PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 8:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Kids had the day off from school, and no little league practice so we took advantage of the day and hit San Onofre. First time "fully loaded" with surfboards, camping box, wife, two kids and the dog.


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Was a little gloomy this morning so everyone was pretty happy hanging in the van.

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Eventually the sun came out.

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Boone is ready for me to install my ARB awning.

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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Thu May 06, 2021 6:45 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Our trip up to Leavenworth Washington.


Link

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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 2:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

My little two-day escape to the hills last week doesn't really warrant its own thread, so...

After a severely stressful few days at work (same as all the other days) I snagged a couple of days off and headed for the hills.

Found a great spot on Wed. night in Buffalo Creek Wilderness area. There wasn't another soul for miles.

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The next morning, I headed south to Crestone, a little spiritual commune-type hamlet in the Sangre de Cristos. However, I was either still stressed about work or just plain dumb, because I went to Westcliffe, clear on the other side of the mountains. It was all F150's, a saloon, and cowboy hats. This was not at all what I expected when I pulled in thinking it was Crestone. Smile

After gathering my thoughts and mapping a route around the mountains, the van fired up and started missing terribly--my ongoing problem had returned.

With no confidence in the van, nor my ability to diagnose it, I headed north to Buena Vista and John at Urabus with hat in hand and self-reliant pride demolished.

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New beige tire cover! It looks kinda Jeepy but the black one I had before had gotten toasted and cracked by the Colorado sun. This one seems much more durable.


John was sure it was a straight misfire, and he was right. After testing the wires, we found that I had yet another bad coil wire. He pulled a nearly-new one off of a removed Tiico, I threw it in, and was back on the road. Too late in the day to get far, I headed west up Cottonwood Pass.

And the misfire returned, worse than before. Might as well camp, figure it out, and hope I could make it to Denver Friday morning.

(I was scheduled to carry some friends up to the Leftover Salmon show for our triumphant return to Red Rocks so I had to get back and get the Syncro figured out.)

Great spot, nobody around, anywhere.

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Pulled the hatch, stuck my hand on the distributor cap, and got a familiar shock. ANOTHER BAD WIRE.

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I mixed and matched from my spares until I got it to run right. Crashed for the night, exhausted.

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The next morning I drove from Cottonwood pass straight to Denver, one of those super-serious drives where you don't even turn on the stereo.

I made to about a mile from my house before it started misfiring again. The #1 wire was shot this time.

I found a set of new wires locally and changed them all out. #1 from the bad set actually came apart in my hand. (No, I don't pull on the wires, I use an extraction tool on the boots.)

Fired it up, drove it all over town, and it ran perfectly. Just in time to head west again!

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Had a great show, got everybody home safe, and Pigpen is running like a top.

My constant misfire problems were an issue of pride. I had refused to believe that a brand-new set of Beru wires from ECS could possibly be the culprit, but as it turns out, it was a very bad batch. I mean, they only had about 4000 miles on them.

Live and learn.
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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 4:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Looks like great sites you found and glad you got the misfire figured out.
nate
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PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2021 6:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Live from the field!

After 6 months of surgery, physical therapy camping at Keowee Toxaway state park simple campground quiet small old tent sites. 3.5 mile hike in beautiful woods wonderful to be outside again.

Sunset short walk from campsite.

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Campsite right now.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:58 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

3 nights at Upper Cove Creek group campground near Brevard NC, one of my favorite places on earth. 4 great friends/families, hikes, waterfalls, swimming holes, bike rides I could have stayed forever.

Finally got a 12 volt fridge, game changer!

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:17 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Great to see you out and about, mikemtnbike!
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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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www.josephtrussell.com
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 12:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

mikemtnbike wrote:
4 great friends/families, hikes, waterfalls, swimming holes, bike rides I could have stayed forever.


sounds like a fantastic time. i'm having a hard time fitting all the play toys in the Vanagon, time to invest in some external carrying options
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thebigben
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:56 am    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Now that my van is actually not ejecting every type of fluid it holds (well, besides the famous gas-burp problem), I’ve been busy with so many various trips. Most of the trips deserve a more detailed write-up — but I made a fun trip to Big Sur last weekend.

I was intending to camp at Prewitt’s Ridge, but Namiciento Rd is closed due to fire risk, per huge signs in the middle of the road. So, we ended up finding a vista point that was far enough from the road to be comfortable for the night — the views of the milky way were insane! This is only a 30s exposure.

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The vista point had a nice little area to sit down for breakfast. Used a nice french press that I bought recently at descendon.

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My friend and I did an 8 mile hike at Andrew Molera, and then jumped in the freezing ocean.

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I dropped my friend off on the other side of the bridge and he took some awesome pictures. He also split the cost of gas. I need to find more friends to bring.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Trip Reports AND Quick Trips! Reply with quote

Happy 4th!

3 night at Bandits Roost campground Wilkesboro NC. Lake, trails, 0% chance of rain all weekend. First time mountain biking trails since major knee reconstruction fan freaking tastic.

Photo is right now, there’s a van in there.

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