i finally heard from him, last nite (tues nite -after not hearing from since
sat nite).   he is ok, and back at home with the van.  moral of the story:

DO NOT make a 1500 mile drive in a vanagon that youve never driven before
with no tools, no spare parts, no car cell phone charger, no AAA, no Bentley, not
properly checking out van before you drive it, never having owned a vanagon
before and not wanting to listen when someone is telling you about it, in a
rush, in non stop rain, late at night, on desolate roads in Bumblef*ck Tennessee,
and on the weekend when all repair shops are closed.

end of story.

chris