I was taught that when the trailer is past you should very briefly kill your lights a couple times. Been doing that since the late 60's.   I always get a thank you dim in return. 

Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus

On Oct 16, 2012, at 5:15 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 2:25 PM, Donna Skarloken <dskarloken@gmail.com>wrote:
> 
>> All good advice; just one additional thing - when in the truck lane try to
>> keep an eye out and move out of the way of the big trucks back into the
>> regular right lane and let them go by if you can -
> 
> 
>  That is a nice gesture.   In California, trucks will be cited by the CHP
> for traveling out of the truck lane on a pass...but a slow Vangon is
> allowed in the second or third lane when climbing...so why not?   Also,
> when a truck is passing you on the interstate it is a nice gesture to flash
> your highbeams when their last trailer passes clear of you and they are OK
> to pull back ahead of you....They appreciate that, and often have impatient
> cars stacked up behind them....You will usually get a double blink of the
> trucker's taillights as he comes back into the lane ahead of you...a
> "Thanks, buddy" acknowledgement of your helping him with the pass.
> 
>   I don't have much trouble holding speed in my inline 2.0 liter with it's
> 5sp on the steep long stuff.   I backshift to 4th gear at about 65-70 on a
> climb and continue uphill at about 4000rpms in 4th at 65.
> 
> Above about 5000' elevation,  the power really drops in a normally
> aspirated vehicle...around that elevation there is a marked drop in the O2
> in the atmosphere...it is not a linear thing..
> 
>   The horsepower to weigh ratio of a Vanagon is quite ludicrous    My .6 L
> (600cc) Honda motorcycle has more horsepower than a waterboxer.... ~ 100hp
> and the bike only weighs about 375lbs   ....roughly 10 times the HP to
> weight of a vanagon....Underpowered we are, but as expressed by many...so
> what?  Just kick back and be a bit patient...you won't lose much time.
> 
> 
>   Don Hanson