I didn't see the beginning of this thread but I'll comment on this end
of it.  Comparing my air-cooled 2.0L 81 Vanagon to my 1.9L water-
cooled 84 Vanagon, I have these observations relative to the post:

1.  Second gear on the 1.9L is much longer, as much as 10 mph.  So,
where my climbing sweet spot in second gear in my 2.0L was 28 mph, it
is now 38 mph in the 1.9.  This may translate roughly to the 76 bus.
That mean I am going faster uphill than before and covering more miles
more quickly. :-)

2. Yes, perhaps, you can do it faster in your GTI, but do you have the
big windshield view?  Can you see over the guard rails?  Will you
achieve a Zen-like state, carefully balancing forward motion with
pressure on the pedal, listening to the motor (no tach), the downshift
at just the right moment, all the while engaging in the rhythm of the
bus?  I think not.

Forget the hours and enjoy the ride.

>> First, I had a '76 bus named Peregrine. Greg mentioned my trials and
>> tribulations with Peregrine.
>>
>> Second, and this is really the kicker, my number one destination is
>> the Colorado Plateau -- Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Cedar Mesa. From San
>> Diego thats' 500 to 600 miles and an 8000 foot gain in elevation. In
>> my GTI I can do it in 7 hours. I'm guessing that in a watercooled
>> Vanagon I'm looking at 10 to 12 hours for the same trip.
>>
>> Sound right? Are Vanagons slow pulling long grades?

Melissa Mourkas
'84 Westy Honey Bee
Sacramento, CA