Hmmm.. Tennessee, huh?  ;)

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 3, 2016, at 7:41 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Well, I'll tell my tale, though I can't remember which small town in
> Tennessee I was passing by.
> 
> I'd pulled off of I-40 to grab a quick bite.  When I left the fast food
> place I went through a traffic light that changed as I entered the
> intersection.  Next thing I knew, as I just was going onto the I-40 ramp, a
> local gendarme was behind me with his red lights on.  As quickly as I could
> I pulled over (next exit) on the shoulder of the service road.  The officer
> came to my window and asked me for my license and vehicle documentation.  I
> came up with a bill of sale and the Kentucky registration in the seller's
> name.
> 
> I thought I was going to be railroaded for the light, which I had not run,
> but I didn't say anything other than to respond politely to everything.
> Well, I was told to exit the vehicle, and as I did, I realized I was pinned
> by four police cars and there were 8 officers present.  I was put against
> the side of the van, frisked, my Swiss Army knife located and retrieved.
> Meanwhile, radio communication was taking place.
> 
> All this took some 30 minutes, during which I was told nothing, and I sure
> wasn't asking any questions at that point.  Those guys had the guns.
> 
> Finally, me still spread on the side of the van, the officer who'd frisked
> me handed my knife back to me and told me that I was free to go.  Then I
> asked what was going on.
> 
> He told me that there was a local man, wanted for a recent murder, known to
> be driving a VW Vanagon camper with Kentucky registration, and that he was
> bearded like me and last seen wearing a dark baseball cap.  Fit me
> exactly.  That dark baseball cap is still in the van, 8 years later.  Had I
> moved wrong, or put my hand in my pocket, I guess I'd be dead.
> 
> mcneely
> 
>> On Sun, Jul 3, 2016 at 4:21 PM, Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> 
>> "Warning -- don't look like an ex con wanted again for a recent murder
>> while driving the same kind
>> of vehicle as him."
>> 
>> Remember the D.C. snipers? You did not want to be driving around in a
>> white Mopar minivan, as I was, when they were reported being seen in an
>> identical vehicle after a shooting in nearby Ashland.
>> 
>> Stephen
>> 
>> 
>> On Sunday, July 3, 2016 6:50 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> I have AAA with the 200 mile towing package.  I get two of those a year.  I
>> think with the 100 mile package, one gets one of those a year.  But, with
>> the 200 mile package comes a lot of other benefits -- AAA will put you up
>> in hotels, get you home, and a variety of other things if you are stranded
>> on the road.
>> 
>> The package has different names in different parts of the country.  In
>> Oklahoma it is simply called AAA Premium.  Here in Washington it is AAA RV
>> Premium, IIRC.  Anyway, I have it.  I had it before I had the beast.  I
>> traveled out of state to buy my camper, and had it checked by a VW
>> specialty shop that claimed Vanagon expertise (and had lots of them at the
>> shop) before I bought it.  The tech made no mention of the water pump,
>> which promptly went out on the road, about 100 miles east of Fort Smith,
>> Arkansas.
>> 
>> I had it towed to Fort Smith, AAA put me up in a hotel for the night, and I
>> got a water pump installed the next morning, at a VW dealer.
>> Unfortunately, that water pump also failed just three months and very few
>> miles later, in Fort Collins, Colorado, where Rocky Mountain Westy
>> installed another one.  The dealer in Fort Smith eventually paid that bill,
>> though it took some negotiation, including sending the dealer's water pump
>> back to the dealer.
>> 
>> I have another interesting story about that drive from Lexington, KY back
>> to Oklahoma in the van, but that's for another time.  Warning -- don't look
>> like an ex con wanted again for a recent murder while driving the same kind
>> of vehicle as him.
>> 
>> On Sun, Jul 3, 2016 at 11:07 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> When it comes to towing insurance I feel that it is a must have
>> especially
>>> when you travel far from home. Not just the money factor but in the event
>>> something happens it is of benefit to have a single number to call and
>> most
>>> plans can you help even for non-vehicle events. Sometimes you go for
>> years
>>> and never need it but it is good to have. I have had Coach Net since my
>> 2nd
>>> motor home (1999) and a number of times they even helped me find parts or
>>> tools. After my experience in February last year with two breakdowns in
>> two
>>> days They have won me over for good. For the second breakdown which was a
>>> tire blow out while they were working on getting a tow truck to pick up
>> the
>>> motor home they also located a wheel and tire. They towed me to the place
>>> that had the wheel, then again to the place that had the tire. This
>>> happened just before Midnight in Georgia. I was back on the road 10:00 am
>>> next morning. Keep in mind I needed a 22.5 X 8.5 aluminum wheel and a
>>> 275/70-22.5 Load range J tire. They knew where to look and who to call in
>>> the middle of the night.
>>> 
>>> My renewal e-mail came a few days later. Immediately upped for another
>>> three years.
>>> 
>>> Dennis
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of Eric Caron
>>> Sent: Sunday, July 3, 2016 1:49 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Towing insurance was: Air conditioning
>>> 
>>> Everyone with a older car!
>>> Still nice to have when I travel even in other folks cars.
>>> 
>>> Eric
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Jul 3, 2016, at 1:08 PM, Gordon Mah <gordonmahung@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> That is good to know.  It must mean that you get invited by everyone!
>>>> ;)
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>> 
>>>>> On Jul 3, 2016, at 6:21 AM, Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I bought my first VW when I was 17 and invested in AAA soon after.
>> The
>>> cool thing is that it insures the holder of the card not the specific
>>> vehicle.
>>>>> 
>>>>>     So, over the years despite being a non driver, I have more then
>>> once been the one able to resolve a travel misfortune.  It has been good
>>> fun to have friends say no I don’t have triple A but now I wish I did.  I
>>> Just hand them my card and say, no problem we are all set!  Life is full
>> of
>>> fun surprises.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Eric Caron
>>>>> 85 GL Auto Westfalia
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Jul 3, 2016, at 6:55 AM, Dennis Jowell <dennisjowell@GMAIL.COM>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> You betcha - AAA Platinum RV INSURANCE always have had the 100 miles
>>> package + .
>>>>>> Have never had to used it yet in 15 years. One never knows.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Dennis J
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Dennis Jowell
>>>>>> Scotch Hollow Farm
>>>>>> Newbury, Vermont
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Jul 2, 2016, at 11:50 PM, Gordon <gordonmahung@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Thanks for the search term "stealth camping", John.  I'll look it
>>> up.  Adventurous?  Not so much.  But maybe open-minded is a better term.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Let me piggy back one more question if I may:  how many of you have
>>> opted for the extended AAA road side assistance towing of 100 miles
>> rather
>>> than the default measles 7 miles?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> -gordon
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Jul 2, 2016, at 7:14 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Well, so far as saving on hotel charges, you can camp in lots of
>>> places that are cheaper than hotels without violating local ordinances.
>>> However, they mostly have to be either designated for camping (lots of
>>> small towns have parks with campgrounds), or in national forests, BLM
>> land
>>> and so on. Most municipalities explicitly forbid sleeping in a vehicle on
>>> the street or in parking lots.  If you are just looking for a place to
>>> crash for the night, and you feel safe, rest areas on highways allow
>>> overnighting in some states, and WalMarts allow overnighting in their
>>> parking lots where municipal ordinances don't prohibit it.  You should
>> ask
>>> the store.  But you won't save anything, because of the cost of owning
>> the
>>> beast.  I've even heard people with $300K motor homes claim they were
>>> saving money on hotels.  Yeah, right.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> But, with the Vanagon, if it is trustworthy and you are
>> adventurous,
>>> you can get to places well worth the trouble that don't have hotels.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> DMc
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Sat, Jul 2, 2016 at 6:21 PM, Gordon <gordonmahung@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I've read some great stuff on A/C from you guys already,
>>> unfortunately I don't consider myself a tinkerer and especially not a
>>> mechanic. I wasn't even interested enough to ask the mechanic what he did
>>> to fix the A/C. I just took it in and he said "it's ready". Truly this
>> must
>>> sound blasphemous to you guys with Bently manuals.
>>>>>>>>> At the risk of taking this thread in a strange direction, I may
>>> have bitten off more than I can chew with this Westy. Turns out, more and
>>> more you're not allowed to just park somewhere to spend the night. We've
>>> been kicked out of parking lots or streets by local police when we were
>>> innocently just stopping for the night while on a long trip. So, the idea
>>> that we'd save on hotel charges is beginning to fade. Maybe there's a
>> fear
>>> of homeless people living in Westys? Talking about mechanical ability,
>> our
>>> maiden voyage in the Westy resulted in having to tow it home after only
>>> about 8 miles of travel. Smoke was coming out the rear vents. The water
>>> reservoir plug had broken. :(. Just a little venting.
>>>>>>>>> -gordon
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Jul 2, 2016, at 10:36 AM, Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> But we are all kind of nuts and love our Vanagons!!
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> I "resemble" that remark!
>>>>>>>>>> ha ha. LOL.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> To the original poster:
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> some jobs I've done on my Vanagons ended up becoming restorations
>>> of sorts.
>>>>>>>>>> Once you start a job, you may discover more things that need to
>>>>>>>>>> be done or will soon need to be done.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Something to keep in mind.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Neil.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>> Neil n
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca/
>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 1988 Westy Images
>>>>>>>>>> <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical
>>>>>>>>>> <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group
>>>>>>>>>> <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>
>> 
>>