Ken,

You are not alone in being caught in the Del Norte speed trap.  Dove Creek
on the same highway was notorious for doing the same thing years ago when I
lived in Durango, CO.

See:  http://www.speedtrap.org/city/1434/Del%20Norte

Harold

On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 12:19 PM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:

> One other comment on our trip and something that I think would benefit
> Westy drivers.  We made a point to drive on scenic highways whenever we
> could.  If you look on most maps you will see some highways that have
> dots next to them and if you look close you will see that this
> considered a scenic road.  I would highly recommend following these
> routes versus the interstate.  Interstates were actually originally made
> to transport our troops from their bases around the US to points where
> foreign countries were likely to attack us.  They were made for speed
> and not for necessarily for the scenery.  However scenic highways were
> actually made for the scenery and therefore you can not only drive from
> point A to point B but also enjoy doing it.  The hours will fly by as
> you "ooo and ahh" at the natural wonders around you.  You will see
> scenic pull off every so often.  Take as many of them as you can without
> getting too crazy.  You don't have to stop at every single one but if
> something catches your attention, stop and check it out.  We loved doing
> this and it breaks up the driving.  You can stop, go to the bathroom,
> eat lunch, and check out something cool all at the same time!
>
> The scenic highways I really liked was 101 starting at the top of Oregon
> and going down to northern California.  You will drive on the edges of
> cliffs overlooking the crashing ocean waves in Oregon. Check out cool
> stuff like "The Devil's punchbowl", etc.  I would also recommend taking
> 160 across the bottom of Utah and Colorado. Monument Valley, Mesa Verde,
> San Juan National Forest, etc.  These roads usually don't have many big
> rigs on them so you won't feel as run off the road either.
>
> One other thing to be careful of if you are taking the road less
> traveled by is speed traps.  We ran into one of these on 160 in Colorado
> at a small town called Del Norte.  It is right after you coast down a
> really long mountain grade where the speed limit is 65 mph.  You have to
> keep on the brakes the whole way down to stop going too fast, then when
> you get to the town the speed limit goes from 65 to 40 to 35 without any
> real warning and very quickly (like in the course of a quarter of a
> mile).  So if you don't slam on your brakes when you come into town,
> chances are you are going to be coasting through at around 50 like I was
> and get stopped and get a ticket.  You have to watch and obey the speed
> limits especially in small towns.  Our ticket for going 50 in a 40 was
> $125.  That is alot in my opinion plus 2 points on your license.  I
> thought the guy might take mercy on us since my record is basically
> perfect, but he didn't.
>
> Hope this helps someone.
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
> Phone: 856-327-4936
> Fax: 856-327-2242
>
>
> On 10/17/2012 11:12 AM, Steven Johnson wrote:
>
>> Dennis H. has warned about over-loading campers for years.    Common
>> mistake for most vehicles.   Then drivers expect their
>> shocks, brakes and steering to save them when they take corners too fast
>> or
>> cannot stop in time.   People expect way too much
>> of physics....
>>
>> Steven J.
>> 91 Westy
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 7:58 AM, David Bjorkman <ddbjorkman@verizon.net
>> >wrote:
>>
>>    I have to agree with Ken.  When I took my roadtrip this past June, with
>>> a new inline 4 from FAS, I packed to the gills.  About 5000 lbs, and the
>>> max is 5500.  I should have left most of those canned goods home and went
>>> shopping more.  Weight absolutely makes a major difference in
>>> performance,
>>> as does altitude.
>>>
>>> Dave B.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 10/16/12, kenneth wilford (Van-Again)<kenwilfy@COMCAST.**NET<kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> We actually sold an 88 Westy that we had for several years, and then used
>>> the money to buy a 34ft 95 Fleetwood Bounder motor home. This is because
>>> we have four kids that are medium sized and we were going on a month long
>>> trip. I knew that there was no way we could fit all of our stuff and six
>>> people into a Westy camper and not try to kill each other over the course
>>> of a month. We needed some elbow room and the Bounder gave us that. It
>>> wasn't the biggest, baddest MH out there as at has no slide outs, and
>>> wasnt
>>> the size of a tour bus. Actually Dennis Haynes recommended for me to get
>>> the Class A motor home and I followed his advice. I used our Vanagon
>>> camper for shorter trips that were just my wife and I. If I were doing
>>> this trip in the future with just the two of us I think we would be fine
>>> in
>>> a Westy. However because we had the extra people, we needed the extra
>>> room.
>>>
>>> As far as taking those mountains in a Westy is concerned, I can chime in
>>> because I have done a similar trip to this one in a Westy with three
>>> people. The biggest problem most westy owners have is treating their
>>> Westy
>>> like a much larger RV. They want to take all of their toys along and also
>>> max it out on people. I have customers coming in here that want me to
>>> install center two person bench seats in their Westy so they can seat
>>> six.
>>> They load every single cabinet up with stuff and then put stuff on the
>>> top
>>> on racks, and then tow a trailer behind. This isn't a very good plan. If
>>> you are going to take a nice trip in your van, less is more. You need to
>>> evaluate exactly what you need and then try to take the bare minimum of
>>> that. You want your Westy to be safe and part of that is being below the
>>> Max Gross Vehicle Weight. Most Westy owners never look at that sticker,
>>> they never think of it, but if they ever actually weighed their vans
>>> fully
>>> loaded they would be pretty shocked. I have had them come in here loaded
>>> down to the point that you can actually see the van sagging down under
>>> the
>>> weight, packed full to the point were there is only enough room inside to
>>> sit but not actually move around.
>>>
>>> So don't overload your Westy, I would say four people is the max I would
>>> take on a trip longer than a few hours or one or two overnights, and you
>>> will enjoy your van much more. Maxing it out is going to make it that
>>> much
>>> slower, and wear out that much faster. You could even have problems
>>> stopping going down the long downhills that always follow the long up
>>> hills. Read the owners manual, believe what is says, follow it, and you
>>> should have a better experience. Just my two cents.
>>>
>>> Ken Wilford
>>> John 3:16
>>> www.vanagain.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> -----
>> No virus found in this message.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 2013.0.2741 / Virus Database: 2614/5836 - Release Date: 10/16/12
>>
>>
>>

--
__________
Harold Teer
1991 Westy
Harrisonburg, VA