after over two months of patiently waiting for a rebuild, my van and i
were reunited friday.  i decided to take an easy little drive (~250 miles)
saturday along the rolling lakeshore hills of northwestern lower michigan.
performance on the road, especially on hills, is quite favorable (actually
great!) compared to before.  mobius is strong, but i didn't push him.  at
highway cruising speeds the oil temp guage reads an even 180, this
seems to be monitored at a fitting just in front of the distributor (which
appears to also be a fitting for the oil pressure sensor, and unfortunately
seems to leak just a bit).    

idling seems to be a bit of a problem.  it starts and rests hot at about 1500
rpms, but when first started (after the o2 sensor reaches temp)
fluctuates between 1000 and 1500. i'm thinking air flow sensor or o2
sensor, will check out before this weekend's trip, any tips appreciated.

also it doesn't appear that any hot air comes through the heating system
at all now.  in addition, the connections for two of my guages were just
sort of taped together, and had to be reconnected within an hour of road
time.  as shared in another post, the cyl temp sensor was 'lost'.  the front
tin bends away from the front compartment wall, leaving a gap between
the wall and seal.

this from a highly recommended mechanic who does 'good' work. 
maybe i expected too much.

there seems to be no end to lessons in patience, but i'm happy and
thankful to be back on the road, and will remember my lessons the next
time, especially if i have a choice to do it myself.  thanks also to this list
and the people who have responded to my pleas for help and parts.

matthew (81 adventurewagen)

ps - i'll be driving to vermont from northern michigan and through northern
ontario next week (leaving 6-28, returning 7-7).  any tips on natural
areas/sights, vw bus gatherings, etc?