Have a great trip!  I hope your van holds up well, watch out for bears,
moose, quicksand, and former governors in Alaska, and I hope it's great!

Joy

On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 11:29 PM, Harold Teer <teer.vanagon@gmail.com>wrote:

> Sorry, but this is not an question about correct tires, best weight of oil,
> or the biggest battery that will fit under the driver's seat.
>
> In fact, I don't really have a question but am instead just
> warning/informing people about an upcoming trip.
>
> My wife recently retired and since I was already retired we now have the
> time to travel more in our Vanagon.  We live in Virginia and love to travel
> and hike and we have previously taken our van to the Tetons, Yellowstone,
> Glacier NP, and various parks in British Columbia and the Yukon. On other
> trips, the van took us to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
>
> We thought our traveling this summer would be on hold because of some
> family issues but they were resolved last week and we have frantically been
> hustling to get everything prepared so we can take an extended van trip.
>
> While our van has the original engine with about 140,000 miles, the van has
> been well maintained and our local mechanic went though everything and
> feels it is in great shape.  Not to say we will not have mechanical issues,
> but we have done all we can to be ready for a long trip.  Just in case, we
> also downloaded the rescue squad list and the one maintained by Larry Chase
> so will have those if needed.
>
> We normally take a leisurely pace in driving to our furthest point of a
> trip and then return home a little quicker.  However, since our furthest
> planed part of our trip is Denali National Park in Alaska and we would like
> to spend as much time in Alaska as possible during August before the
> September rains/snow, we will drive further every day on the way out and
> then take our time driving home.  Of course, once in Alaska, our daily
> travel plans will just evolve each day as we get advice from locals and
> other travelers.
>
> On Sunday or Monday we hope to leave Virginia and head toward North Dakota
> and up to Edmonton and then across BC into Alaska.  On the way back, we
> will spend time in BC.  While we have been to BC twice to hike and have
> spent time driving to the northern tip of Vancouver Island where we took a
> ferry to Skagway, we have never been to Vancouver so that is on the
> agenda.  We then hope to spend some time in Washington and Oregon before
> heading home.
>
> Along the way, we may accidentally see some of you.  If you see a white, 91
> Westy with Virginia plates and a Vanagon list sticker on the back window
> with a canvas storage bag in the overhead luggage rack, that will be us.
> Holler, wave, blink your lights, pull over for a cup of coffee, or
> whatever.
>
> Hope to see some of you on the road,
>
> Harold & Faye
> __________
> Harold Teer
> 1991 Westy
> Harrisonburg, VA
>