Sounds like a great trip Neil, congratulations!  :-)

On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 5:58 PM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> A condensed version:
>
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/ccor08trip
>
> The EP version:
>
> Things got off to a late start last Friday due to a rusty rear
> trailing arm. http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/TrailingArmHole3.jpg
> Thankfully, I found a guy to weld it up.
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/TrailingArmWelded2.jpg Hit the road
> around 3 and hit the border at around 4:30/5. Things went well, and it
> was off to the races!
>
> Enjoyed a drive along the Chuckanut (sp?). Stayed the first night in
> Bayview WA. Being a Friday, it  was crowded (and I pulled in around 7
> or 8) but was quiet and uneventful. As per usual, enjoyed a fire with
> some beers. (I didn't drink the fire)
>
> Toppled out just before 11 AM and made the long trek from Bayview to
> Catherines Creek OR for the Wet Westy reunion. Took I-5 (yuk), 90,
> Ellensburg, Yakima, dicked around finding 82/395 to Hermiston,
> Pendleton, La Grande then Union. "Whew!" Quite a long drive I must
> say, and I did go through/slow leak about 3/4 litre of oil, but the
> engine ran great. Rolled into CC around 9 and met up with some of the
> late night crowd. Chris (last name?) belted out some tunes including
> the complete version of Alices restaurant. (!) The other person
> playing guitar added her dulcet tones with tunes of her own. (sorry.
> Not the best at recalling names). I think I even recall "Rain Drops
> Keep Falling on My Head". Chatted with Jim, Phil Z, Bob, Lorne, etc.
> Hit the hay at a reasonable hour. In terms of finding the CC CG, I
> must say that I should be better prepared with better maps. OR GPS!
> Finding CC with marginal headlights wasn't the most fun I've had......
> but..... what a great bunch of people! Really enjoyed meeting them.
> Had a good time comparing engine swap notes and chatting with
> Jim/Lisa, (thanks for the top Jim!) Phil, (thanks for the SS nuts
> Phil!) Lorne, who had a good laugh over the story of my skunky
> sousaphone, Vancouver Bernie, Bob (I call him "quiet" Bob..... he
> doesn't know this yet.... ), Jason, Rolf, Tim etc. Again, not so good
> with the old name recall, and didn't meet everyone, but chatted with
> quite a few folks. I only regret I didn't get there on Friday!
>
> My stays at Barnhouse USFS, La Pine SP, Elk Lake were uneventful, and
> I ended up heading toward Salem where I enjoyed a visit with Charlie
> and Cheryl. But, I decided to do the long drive back from Salem to
> Vancouver that night. Ended up sleeping a couple hours at a rest area
> just outside of Seattle. A wise decision. Woke up at ~ 4 AM, made some
> horrible instant coffee, and it was back to the races. How convenient
> are these Vanagons/Westies eh?! --- :^)
>
> Highlights:
>
> Daytime temps were downright balmy, but evenings were cold up higher.
> Noteably at Elk Lake.
>
> In Bend OR, not far after heading in from the south, there is a great
> parts place on the LH side. They had exactly the serp belt I needed
> (really. why wasn't I carrying a spare??) and have a good collection
> of stuff.
>
> Aside from a family of raccoons (one who was sadly splattered) no
> notable wildlife, human or otherwise, were spotted or harmed. Many
> chipmunks and squirrels though. I hope I don't have any passengers!
>
> The Thermarest mattresses helped out my engine "lump". My Eton "crank"
> radio fits the bill nicely (though i should have gotten the SW one) I
> especially like that it has Weather "channels", it's fairly small,
> sounds good and pulls in stations well.
>
> My fridge stayed lit the whole time, and kept food quite cold (not an
> amazing feat given the night time temps) But it was pretty hot on a
> couple of days so I figure it performed quite well.
>
> Barnhouse USFS CG was uber quiet and really nice if you're into the
> Pack in/out pit toilet thing. La Pine CG had noisy dirt bike or ?
> nearby at 4 AM!
>
> In the 2600+ KM's travelled, I used less than a litre of oil. Gas
> mileage *seemed* to be better than my air cooled engine though I
> didn't measure this. Having REAL HEAT was AWESOME. Being able to slam
> it into 3rd to boot away from errant freeway on rampers was really
> useful.
>
> Sisters OR is a nice little town, but I errantly ended up buying
> alcohol free Becks there. Thankfully, I had spares.
>
> Stuff I learned:
>
> cute chicks DO work at Ranger Stations
> buy cold food/beer late aft or night then stock your fridge. Turn it
> to Max ASAP in the morning. Let the ice/frost gather.
> buy forestry maps in advance. Buy good state maps. Check the state map
> out before buying it.
> read the label (see "Becks" above)
> if possible, pick level campsites
> if you're tired, take a nap at a rest area. It does wonders.
> asking for directions *usually* helps, but again, a good map or GPS is
> the way to go
>
> I had an awesome time. And though there were tiny details on the Westy
> as a whole that need to be worked out, the engine ran great, my canvas
> patches held fine, the welds at the trailing arm are fine still, the
> fridge did it's thing, the terrain was spectacular, the weather was
> awesome, and above all, I met some really neat people.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Neil.
>
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> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 JettaWesty "Jaco
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>

--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
Crescent Beach, BC
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27