I drove out to West Seattle Friday to meet a friend and take the passenger
ferry to the Seattle waterfront for lunch.  Across the street was parked
about a '90 Syncro Westy.  Half a block up, where I parked, was a very
clean. again about a '90, Carat with kayak on top.  While I was waiting for
my friend an '82 Westy pulled into the parking lot and I could see it was
originally a Canadian import by the arrangement of the utinlity inlets.  I
talked to the very young couple that got out of it.  It was originally a
diesel but now converted with a Golf engine.  They were delighted to find
out that there was an active VW camping community here in the NW.  They'd
had their rig for about two months and loved it.  And later, as I was
leaving, just down the road a half mile was another Vanagon, parked with
bicycles on the back.  Four Vanagons in half a mile.  It would have been
five but I was driving the T-Bird instead of Starwagen.  BTW, for those of
you in other parts of the US, this is not that unusual around  several
neighborhoods in Seattle.  All the sizes, all the ages.  I guess the Vanagon
is blessed with the Vulcan salutation, "Live long and prosper".