This afternoon I was in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge, the
windsurfing capitol of the US...according to some.   I was driving my low
roof 84 with an inline motor...heading back west, downriver but upwind,
after a session of windsurfing.   I caught up to another vanagon, a red
late model  Wolfsberg and followed him for quite a ways, before going
around.   The winds were normal for the Gorge, perhaps 40mph with higher
gusts and swirling around as usual, depending on the terrain.

  It was fun to watch HIM swerve, then I would swerve as we were hit by the
same gusts from the sides....I always seem to have my hands full driving my
van in the Gorge, even though I have been completely through all the
suspension, steering, tires etc.,   When you are rolling along at 65 into a
60mph gust, then it hits you from the side....then stops, then from the
other side, etc etc....all the way along with high cliffs and through the
various side canyons....a tall profile and relatively short wheel base
vehicle like our vans....they 'feel' the wind....

   It was sort of comforting to see that my own vanagon wasn't behaving any
different than that one right in front of me.....I also often see even
tractor trailer rigs being moved around by the gusts....but not so easily
as our big box-shaped vans...
  Don Hanson