We are home safe and sound!

Before I detail out the trip a bit, I wanted to say thanks to the many list members that offered words of wisdom, support, and encouragement to me and my family.  As some of you know, the first (small) problem we had was the unintentional (scary) side door opening in Salt Lake City. This was remedied with some lubricant on the latch mechanism.

As we were to leave for home, the van began to buck violently and the RPMs would fluctuate from 4K to 2K.  I changed the fuel filter in SLC and the van ran great almost all the way back to L.A.  However, in San Bernardino, the bucking began again. It wasn't nearly as bad so we decided to finish the trip on the old Route 66 (Baseline and Foothill)  Anyway, in Azusa (about 35 minutes from home,) some jerks in a Camry were driving recklessly and sideswiped us. Fortunately, the only damage was a scratched bumper endcap and some marks on the paint that should be able to be buffed out.  Despite these minor setbacks, the trip was lots of fun and we all had a great time.  And I'm proud to say that my 3 year old and 8 month old boys did GREAT on their first 1400+ mile road trip. (Hopefully one of many.)

If anyone ever gets stuck in So Cal, be sure to email me and I will be glad to "pay it forward."

Mark Garcia
1987 Vanagon Westfalia (to go slow)
2000 Passat 1.8T 5SPD(to go fast)

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