Bob,

I envy you, really. I love the idea of being free to travel so much and in the van. It is a different situation when you are alone (and don't take this the wrong way), different pressures on you than if you had a family along. Both situations are worthy, but being alone has a big appeal.

Finding the wheel was bonus. I can imagine your feeling when you saw it there. Replacing a cv joint is, when all said and done, just a do-able inconvenience. 

cheers

alistair

On 2013-03-20, at 7:23 PM, Robert Stevens wrote:

> On Mar 20, 2013, at 8:09 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
> 
> Often the romance is tempered by mechanical issues 
> 
> Being the retired bloke that I am, I spend 3 weeks to a month on the road
> about every other month, sometimes more often. I get lots of interaction
> with folks, stopping to ask questions, reveal their own VW van ownership
> stories, and on and on. Sometimes it's hardly a hello, sometimes a 30 minute
> exchange, but always cordial, fun and interesting.
> 
> To follow Alistair's ref: coming home from Moab to Salt Lake last Saturday,
> I noticed a slightly RR noisy CV. It finally came completely loose while driving past the
> Canyonlands Airport (15 miles N of Moab on 191). Right at the moment I decided
> to turn around, go back to the airport to use their extensive tarmac to lay on under
> my van for the fix, I remembered that I had put the front wheel to my mt. bike on
> the luggage rack, unbridled. I pulled over, got out to look to see if it was still up
> there, and it wasn't. "Oh shit, what a morning this is turning out to be."
> 
> Driving back to the airport, traveling less than 100', I spotted the wheel laying
> on the centerline. Stopped and grabbed it, went to the airport. Took me 1 1/2 hrs.
> to pull the axle, clean things up and put it back on, replacing 4 of the outer CV
> bolts with the 20 from McGuckins in Boulder, CO that I carry w, me.
> 
> Seems that no matter how often I use a needle nose CV grease gun or tighten
> CV bolts, there is always that unexpected-because-I-do-such-frequent-maintenance
> surprises. That occurred at about mile 2300 on this particular trip, and the only "event"
> in the last year that I recall. I sure carry a lot of tools and supplies! ;-)
> 
> Bob