tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347966519129729862024-03-08T00:50:32.028-08:00ElementhisWanderlust, Repair, People, Gatherings, Observations on the Road. A VW Bus Blog.PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-38553313703053098462017-07-28T11:20:00.003-07:002017-07-28T11:20:45.698-07:00Introducing, The SquirrelI have another VW. I know it's a sickness. I'm cutting and pasting the post that I put on the samba:<br />
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The Back story:<br />
My grandparents lived in Redding, California. My early memories are of my grandfather in his Studebaker Hawk, driving on the dirt road while his black labrador retriever chased us. It was his evening ritual when we were around. The dog’s name was Tucker - he was always a car person. I may have gotten the same bug (pun totally intended).<br />
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Our neighbors had a 1967 VW Bug, Savannah beige. It was the car that all the kids rode around in. We were small, and 5 of us could squeeze inside. Seatbelts were not required back then, I think we all just drove slower and gave each other some distance.<br />
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In 1997, the neighbors moved to a quiet place in the foothills, parked the bug, and there it sat for the next 20 years. I recently reconnected with them, they told me they are moving to Idaho, and they wanted to make sure the bug went to someone who would appreciate it. I’ve been driving a 1970 Westfalia Camper since 1989, they knew I could work on it. So they offered it to me.<br />
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My VW friend and I drove the truck and trailer up to their place on a hot day (105 degrees). We cleared the oak leaves off, and tried to push it onto the dolly, it didn’t move. The tires were frozen. We pulled out the jack and removed the wheel. Sitting in the brake drums were dozens of acorns that the local squirrels had been stashing. Sadly for them, they were never able to get them out. In their honor, the bug now has a name: The Squirrel.<br />
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The passenger side of the car seemed to be favored, the wheel wells were completely full. A shop vac removed enough of them to get the tires moving, and after two hours of coaxing tires, acorns and dirt, the Bug was now sitting on the dolly, strapped down, and going back to my place.<br />
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We didn’t have brakes, so we used blocks to push it down the ramp in small sections and inch it into the garage, return the car dolly, the truck, and pat ourselves on the back for the long drive.<br />
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Incidentally - while driving it back down to the SF Bay Area, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the passenger rear window waving back and forth. I pulled over and carefully lifted it up out of the channel, and placed in on the rear seat. After 20 years of sun and cold, I’m sure the window rubber became hard plastic and just broke apart as part of the vibration of the move. I’m glad I caught that.<br />
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Research:<br />
My neighbors purchased it in when they were living in Torrance, CA. I still have the license plate frames. It shows 52 K miles, but probably has 152K miles. The engine was rebuilt in 1997 just before it was parked. New tires were also put on it, they still have their 20 year old nubs on them. It also comes with:<br />
Original manual - slightly water damaged<br />
Original radio, a Sapphire AM only, though another one is currently installed.<br />
A copy of the Jud Purvis book complete with dust cover.<br />
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Time to get to work - Day 1:<br />
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The Acorns were still in the wheel wells, so I removed the front tires and readjusted the brakes. The rear wheel nuts were on pretty tight, tight enough to break my breaker bar, I’m going to have to take care of those later. <br />
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I removed the leaves, dust, spider egg sacs, moss/dirt clumps, spare pennies, gum wrappers, lolly pop sticks, old receipts, and any other junk from the wheel well, engine compartment, ashtrays, glovebox, and battery tray.<br />
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Speaking of battery tray, this one is rusted through the floor as expected. My first round of things to order are:<br />
Fuel lines<br />
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Fuel filter<br />
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There is no brake fluid in the reservoir. None. Does that stuff evaporate?<br />
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The engine has full compression and moves like it has been oiled recently. The fuel coming out of the fuel pump smells like kerosene - sign of very old fuel. I’ll be removing the tank and cleaning out the old syrup at the bottom before I refuel it.<br />
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More to come…<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-68900633075140871472017-05-16T10:24:00.001-07:002017-05-16T10:24:58.955-07:00Wolfsburg - The VW MuseumI started this blog years ago with the intention of documenting and sharing my travels. I thought I'd be in my bus for most of them. It turns out that most of my recent travel has been on airplanes. <div>
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But that doesn't mean that I don't drive places when I can. I'm sorely lacking in VW content, so I'm going to go out of order and jump to the VW museum in Wolfsburg. </div>
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I had a few days in Berlin, and had to drive back to Amsterdam for my flight home. Yes, It was a strange route, but that was on purpose. It gave me a chance to stop in Wolfsburg.</div>
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It's unassuming, you would almost not notice it if you weren't paying attention. If this were Ford, or BMW, there would be a theme park wrapped around it. This is the humble VW, so it gets a more subdued treatment.</div>
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The museum is on one floor, and has no special lighting, no interactive displays, and nothing but cars. </div>
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As expected, there are rare bugs, Ghias, and they have the 4 wheel drive bus. There are a selection of cars that I would refer to as the "questionable choices" cars. </div>
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Like this wooden bug.</div>
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And the ugly 80s interior that looks like someone ate all the colors and puked them on the upholstery.</div>
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The entire photo collection <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXkkj9X">can be found here.</a></div>
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Personally, I was most impressed with the Kubelwagen.</div>
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PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-12981509493789439602017-04-18T14:56:00.000-07:002017-04-18T14:56:25.529-07:00AmsterdamI like cities. I like their energy, their design, the flow of people, the opportunities they present. They show the best and worst of humanity, often next to each other. Amsterdam is beautiful, chaotic, and filled with stunning architecture. I'm mostly impressed by the beautiful dance of bicycles, cars and people. It's effortless and hypnotizing when you look from a distance.<br />
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I've rented a houseboat for the company team. It's less expensive than a hotel. We have visitors.<br />
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I'm a little tired from the travels, the jetlag, the incredible beer. Daynapping is a good option.<br />
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In between meetings an sessions and talks, I get some time to explore the city. The building all lean in just enough to appear like they are swallowing up the streets behind you, or in front of you.<br />
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The conference is in an old castle. The conversations are always accompanied by beer and cheese. It's a beautiful place. I''l be back. More pictures <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/albums/72157643995066645/page1">here</a>.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-88581364314754951892017-04-13T09:52:00.000-07:002017-04-13T09:52:01.076-07:00Vegas and St PetersburgIt's February 2014, and I am about to get on a plane to Vegas. The conference is at the Hard Rock hotel. Disneyland goes through excessive effort to make sure that almost every angle of the theme park is photogenic. This hotel has tried to do the same thing, it's all in the details. As much as I like the themed ATM Machines:<br />
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I'm more partial to the Rock N Roll Memorabilia, like Lita Fords outfit or the infamous Britney Spears Hit Me Baby outfit.<br />
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It's a three-day conference, I'm only there for two. I have an early flight out to St. Petersburg the next morning.<br />
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Before my flight, the Russian cab driver tells me that whatever I do, don't get in a cab without a pre-agreed price. It turns out that this is the best advice I have gotten. My hotel sends a driver for about $20 US, my co-worker arrives after being fleeced for close to $140.00 for a 3 Km ride.<br />
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St. Petersburg is cold, as expected, but beautiful and filled with Soviet era artwork and statues.<br />
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I have a short window on my last day there to see the Hermitage. It was the winter palace of the Czar, and after I walk through it's oppulance and extravagance, I understand why it was overthrown. They lived like *that* while their people were outside starving. It was only a matter of time.<br />
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However, the remains of the palace is an incredible museum filled with the spoils of war, and the work of masters.<br />
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It's early and it's winter, so I am mostly alone in the rooms of Picassos and Gaugins with only a short woman glaring at me telling me not to touch anything. I smile at her and try to say that I know not to touch it. But that doesn't keep me from examining the final brush stroke flourishes, or the barely noticeable details.<br />
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This piece is the works most complicated and ornate clock. Rather than describe it, I'll refer you to this explanation which is pretty thorough:<br />
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The rest of my pictures are <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/albums/72157667857024584">here.</a><br />
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I have to leave earlier than I want to, I probably should spend at least two days there. But I have to be in Amsterdam that evening.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-55581949894481626802017-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:002017-04-10T13:00:01.823-07:00London, Seattle, and the 2014 Chili Bowl. It hasn't been a month with the new company, and I'm already traveling. I'm in the U.K. and have already taken the underground to downtown. The iconic cab takes me across town to an AirBnB - I've never used one before, but my co-workers insist on it.<br />
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It's a cute apartment, about six block away from the conference location and about 1/4 the price of a conference hotel. I arrive, it's raining, my cellphone isn't working, and I can't find the apartment. So, I do what they do in the U.K., I go to the pub.<br />
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This was delicious, and necessary. I hear a familiar sound, and there are my co-workers who have had the same idea and picked the same pub.<br />
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Bangers and Mash, something with peas, and one more beer. We head back in the rain before spending the next two days with conference people.<br />
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There are evening parties, and business to be done, and new people to meet, but I find time to make sure I am able to stop and appreciate reflections and interesting views.<br />
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This never gets old:<br />
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I'm there for a week, and just get back for about one day before I'm told that I need to be in Seattle. I'm getting used to rain.<br />
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Some people will know what I was doing there just by this picture:<br />
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I find time to escape the meetings and the discussions and visit the REI store. If I didn't have a VW Bus, I might have a cricket camper.<br />
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But I do. And it's superbowl weekend, which means I get to camp out with my VWCamperFamily people and cook Chili for each other. This time we are in Rio Vista, and it's sunny and beautiful.<br />
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I even manage to get a smile out of Gene.<br />
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I don't think I've ever written about Gene. Gene is somewhat new to the group in that he has only been camping with us for about three years. He set himself apart be arriving early at all our campouts. He has to drive half-way across the state to camp with us, so he makes it early each time so he has more time to sit with a glass of Whiskey. (Not wisky, wiskey. He has made that very clear. His bottles have pronounceable names.)<br />
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My favorite Gene story: We asked him what he does that gives him all the free time. He tells us he is retired. We ask him where he learned to do all the leather work and the knife work that he keeps with him. He says "in prison". We all look uncomfortably at each other, wondering who is camping with us while we sleep. One of us asks how long he was there. He says "20 years, plus or minus." Again, our eyes look around at each other somewhat nervously. Gene sits there with a smirk, waiting for that to sit in just long enough to be awkward, and perfectly times the next statement: "Yup, I was a prison warden for 20 years." Collective sighs and laughs. He knew he was doing. We would have thrown things at him, but none of us knew what kind of friends he made in prison. We still camp with him.<br />
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John has set up the tent.<br />
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The Chili pots have been set out for tasting.<br />
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And I have a cold beer and a warm fire.<br />
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It was a nice little refresh before the next round of travel.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-46270281021500552492017-04-10T12:15:00.003-07:002017-04-10T12:15:59.835-07:00Texas Trip - HomeHere I am up early in a ridiculously beautiful room in Vegas. The full suite is bigger than most one bedroom apartments. Two bathrooms, a formal sitting area that overlooks the fountains, and my "guest" room that has it's own hot tub and a spectacular view of the dessert.<br />
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We are driving home today. Vegas of SF is about 10 hours, but I don't think I'll notice. <br />
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Road trips are beautiful things. They reveal character, they help determine who is the tourist, and who is the traveller. You find out who your friends are, and what they aren't. I find myself a little more each time I'm someplace new, and as of the end of this trip. I'll be in some place familiar, but very very new. This trip is the end of several parts of my life, and the beginning of another.<br />
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It's been three years since I update this blog, and it's a new world for me. I have decided to start writing again, and here I am, back at posting. I'll try to be here more often.<br />
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I got home and started the next day with a new company.<br />
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San Francisco did what it always does - gave me a beautiful sunrise to get started.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-27561601226958667522014-05-08T16:47:00.001-07:002014-05-08T18:20:03.501-07:00Texas Trip - Route 66 and beyond.We are leaving Albuquerque. That should be a title of a song:<br />
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The truck is filled and I'm leaving Albuquerque,<br />
The sun is rising time is O dark thirty,<br />
and highway 40 isn't going far north<br />
enough for me.....<br />
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It's a song in progress. give me time.<br />
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Time - we don't have much of it today, we have to reach Vegas.<br />
We do have enough time to stop in one of the towns used as a reference for Radiator Springs.<br />
Holbrook Arizona - a town known for being the town that's known for being a town.<br />
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There is a bit of nostalgia in the neon and pink and strange souvenir stores. What the town is more known for is the hotel.<br />
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It's still working, you can still rent one out. Here are some pics for the curious.<br />
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We have a few laughs and do one more drive by on our way to Winslow.<br />
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Sing it with me: "I'm standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see. It's a girl my lord in a flat bed ford slowing down to take a look at me."<br />
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Moving on.<br />
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Jackrabbit. Its nothing more than a store. There may have been a truckstop there once. For now, it's many signs pointing out the Jackrabbit. You find yourself saying it a lot. Jack Rabbit. Jack. Rabbit. Jackrabbit.<br />
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Back on the road - curiosity satisfied.</div>
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Side Note: Have you seen a greyhound bus recently? More importantly... have you notices that the logo for greyhound is pretty damn nice? As far as logos go, this one is pretty much artwork.</div>
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We stop at the meteor crater - because its awesome.</div>
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This rock:</div>
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Made this hole:</div>
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(Those two people are my travelling companions)</div>
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We haven't eaten for a while, so they suggested that we go find something. I suggest we stay where we were. In the back of the fridge, I have stashed bar-b-cue from Texas. We fire up the microwave (because we have one!) and eat ribs on the side of the crater overlooking the plains. Not a bad way to eat lunch.</div>
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We move on to Vegas, and stay at the Cosmopolitan. The view from my room is perfect way to end the day. It's about as blurry as my eyesite.</div>
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Tomorrow - heading home.</div>
PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-73706554745057350132014-05-03T14:01:00.001-07:002014-05-03T14:01:29.833-07:00Texas Trip - day threeWest Texas - No country for old men.<br />
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Damn this road is boring. I'm leaving a crappy hotel and taking the 10 down in a south easterly direction. It's mile and miles of nothing. Occasionally you have a rock - and that's considered "scenery".<br />
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But we are making good time and laughing about how land is probably pretty cheap out here. Perhaps it would be easy to own land near the giant natural hill that is shaped like... oh, Idunno... something.<br />
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Hours and hours of nothing, cars being towed are an occasional break. This thing has seen better years.<br />
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The debate between San Antonio for the evening and Austin is quickly settled when I mention that Austin has Four Seasons. After last nights hotel, my co-pilots are thrilled to have a comfy plush bed.<br />
For the record, I love Austin. Mucho. The people, the food, the music, the vibe. So I take them to two bbq places - both closed for corporate events.<br />
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We end up at a steakhouse, and after a couple manhattans, we walk back through the town and pass out.<br />
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Good morning. It's the fourth day of this trip, the car is parked right in front, the garage was too low.<br />
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It's off to the wedding at a private ranch. We are there for the rest of the day, the following day, and we are leaving at dark thirty the next morning.<br />
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Day 6. 4:00 am. And we are on the road back to Albuquerque. Also through west texas.<br />
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Its boring. And there is not much here either other than empty main streets and rusted cars for sale.<br />
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Ballinger. Sweetwater. Snyder. Lubbock. Clovis. Fort Sumner. Santa Rosa.<br />
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And now we are on Hwy 40. Seriously. There's nothing along the way but birds and sky. Maybe that's a good thing.<br />
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Tomorrow we are looking for the heart of Route 66.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-76173263754958268442014-04-29T11:50:00.002-07:002014-04-29T11:50:40.379-07:00Texas Trip - Day twoIt's day two and I'm not in a VW. Apologies, but the Sprinter is faster, and much more luxurious - which satisifies the sensibilities of my fellow travellers.<br />
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We leave Phoenix and head straight to Tuscon. We left at a reasonable hour, and todays leg to El Paso is somewhat short, so we decide to stop at David-Monthan Air Force Base, home of the Aircraft Boneyard. It's located <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/boneyard+arizona/@32.1542281,-110.8440492,13z" target="_blank">here and is best seen using satellite view</a>.<br />
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Short Description: Metal weakens (as we know) and plane metal weakens faster under stresses. These planes go through lots of stress, so when they reach the end of their serviceable life, they bring them here, prep them for storage, and then either use them for parts, or make unmanned drones that the navy practices shooting with lasers and other items.<br />
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You begin by getting on to a bus that takes you on a military base. After a proper ID check, we are driven around the base with acres and acres of this:<br />
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and this<br />
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The white stuff covering them is a paint/protectant that can be peeled off. It both protects the cockpits from sun damage, and keeps the kangaroo rats from entering the plane.<br />
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There is a lot of cold war history here, along with tons of damn cool planes. I have a particular fondness for military humor.<br />
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All the pics of the yard and the museum <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/sets/72157644342079984/" target="_blank">are here in a set.</a><br />
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We continue down the road and start seeing the signs for the infamous "thing". "What is it?" Sopt and see the "Thing!" Its an infamous tourist trap, but when you are in the middle of nowhere, you have to ask yourself, why not? An likely, you need to fill up anyway.<br />
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We pull over, and pay the dollar.<br />
Spoiler alerts ahead!<br />
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-There are three quonset huts filled with... stuff? I have no idea where he collected this junk, but part of what is inside is a bunch of paper mache' models of torture techniques. Some strange cars. A limo that claims that Hitler once rode it it.<br />
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And then of course, there is the Thing, which they tried really hard to put under glass that was difficult to take pictures, but my beat up Canon has modes. :)<br />
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The thing is nothing more than a dessicated corpse. According the the interwebs, she, was found a while ago had been on display for years as an indian woman. I suspect that there are worse places to have your body resting (just ask <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_McCurdy" target="_blank">Elmer McCurdy</a>).<br />
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We got our one dollars worth of curiosity satisfied, and went on our merry.<br />
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El Paso was.... El Paso. I have political thoughts about that town, but I'll save them for the campfire. It was a curious place.<br />
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Cheap hotel, poor sleep. We were happy to leave the next morning, even if it did mean driving through West Texas.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-12771237354650814672014-04-22T11:26:00.002-07:002014-04-22T11:26:57.389-07:00Texas via Non-VW road trip.It's December 10. A Tuesday morning, and I am loading myself and the wine and the rest of the gear into the Sprinter. It's not a Bus, its loaded with power, luxury, equipment, and all the items that I normally don't need or use on a road trip. I'm not the only one going.<br />
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There's a family wedding outside of San Antonio, and we have been tasked with providing the wine. Shipping is expensive.<br />
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I'm traveling with two in-laws, they have done road trips before, but not this kind of distance or time constraint, and not with me. The invite was appreciated and was a welcome end to a rough year.<br />
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We drove <a href="http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5533942-Going-to-look-at-a-MB-Sprinter-RV-tomorrow...-Thoughts-Advice&p=75107397" target="_blank">this vehicle.</a><br />
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6 AM and we are headed out the door. Down I5. Pasadena, San Bernadino, Palm Springs.<br />
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I am suspiciously not taking that many pictures this time. There isn't much to take pictures of... It's dry, high dessert, and our plan today is to cover distance.<br />
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Road signs are teasing us of the places that we aren't visiting.<br />
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Blythe. I am confident that the alien superrace that secretly controls our minds lives in Blythe. They will never be discovered there, as no one ever visits.<br />
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We are treated to a spectacular sunset.<br />
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Phoenix. We arrive at an almost reasonable hour, around 8:00pm.<br />
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We have a well-deserved <a href="http://barriocafe.com/_index.php" target="_blank">dinner here</a>. For anyone in Phoenix who has the pleasure of eating there, I have serious food envy, and I live in a food capital. Seriously, I would I driven there just for dinner.<br />
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We wake up early the next morning and head to the Boneyard. Up Next<br />
<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-30000753235020450682014-04-15T04:57:00.001-07:002014-04-15T04:57:19.961-07:00Travel, chili, and yet more travel.I've been absent. For most of you who follow me (thanks to both of you!) I've been working at a new company that has me on the road. Often.<br />
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So I have all sorts of stories and pictures to share. One is about the roadtrip I took in a massive Sprinter of luxurious luxury, and another about a trip to the Wolfsburg VW museum. And a Dutch VW repair shop.<br />
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I'll start with our annual January campout.<br />
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The Anti-superbowl campout was always poorly named. It's not as if we are anti- anything, including the Superbowl. It's a timely name, one that describes the weekend that it is held. But it isn't accurate.<br />
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We found a new name: The Chili bowl. It's often chilly there, and we make chili annually. Perfect name.<br />
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This Campout has traditionally been a mix of Motorcycles and VW's. Ask Joe about it. so Chris showed up on this:<br />
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And as usual, we find ways of keeping ourselves warm.<br />
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I suspiciously have not taken as many pictures on this trip. It is possible that I was being social after being a troglodyte for a while. So let me make this easy for you. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/sets/72157620678949534/" target="_blank">Click here.</a><br />
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<br />Enjoy the road.<br />
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PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-5976177208571855812013-12-03T11:51:00.003-08:002013-12-03T11:51:37.083-08:00High Sierra Camping part twoIt's Saturday morning, and after a short light breakfast, (yogurt and granola - breakfast of camping champions) We are off to Mono lake for a canoe tour.<br />
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Mono lake is filled with brine shrimp and flies, and has been the subject of a large conservation effort since Los Angeles county began diverting water away in 1941. It's been a long slow recovery.<br />
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The valley is filled with Sage - so strong you can almost drink in the scent.<br />
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We get in our not-so-stable canoes and learn a little about he history of the lake.<br />
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The Ospreys are slowly returning and making nests at the tops of the tufas.<br />
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It's beautiful and serene. Paddling on such a calm surface reminds you of just how small you are...<br />
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There are other birds that fill the area. This is a Says Phoebe.<br />
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And this is another osprey warming its wings.<br />
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I did mention the flies, didn't I?<br />
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There is other wildlife too.<br />
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Time, salt, mud and some erosion makes these little structures that could be mesa houses if they were larger. As they stand, they are about 8 inches high.<br />
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The lake is very salty. This is what happens when you take your water shoes off.<br />
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The gulls don't seem to mind.<br />
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We finish our tour after about an hour and walk around. One of our team heads home a day early, the rest of us head back to Mammoth and sit still for the afternoon.<br />
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I leave early the next morning. It's a pretty ride through Yosemite, I'm not in a rush and enjoy the meadows and lakes of the upper section while slowly working my way around tourist vans and busses.<br />
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I make it down to Groveland and the valley has the distinct smell of smoke. Apparently I threaded a needle - a wild fire had taken over the area and they would be evacuating some sections later that day. It would have been a long ride back the other direction.<br />
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Arrived at home at 3:00pm. I'm unpacking the sage I harvest from the campsite and placing it all around the house. For the next six days, the house is filled with the smell of the high sierras, and I'm sleeping better.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-47477666500432878042013-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:002013-12-03T11:06:36.755-08:00High Sierra CampingI didn't have the time to take my bus on this mini-campout. I had to leave late, and I had to make good time.<br />
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My ridiculously awesome friends sensed that I needed to get out of town, so they insisted and I went on my other german vehicle. (BMW motorcycle, two cylinders, horizontally opposed, don't hate me.)<br />
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Typically, when I go to this part of California, I drive along hwy 120, and turn right on 49, heading to Yosemite. This time, it was 120 to 108 all the way up into MonoVista, Twain Harte, and the Stanislaus National Forest. I'm heading for Buckeye Hot Springs<br />
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The Pass at Sonora is at 9,623', and at one point, reaches a 23% grade. It's a twist of the wrist and a lean left, then forward to balance the weight, then right, and a downshift, then... you get the picture.<br />
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<a href="https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.317148,-119.651928&spn=0.127276,0.231056&t=h&z=13" target="_blank">Here's the map</a> if you want to get an idea of just how twisted this road is.<br />
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I connect to 395 at 9:00pm, and make it to Bridgeport by 9:30. The instructions say to turn toward twin lakes, and look for signs to the hot springs - difficult at night. I miss the turn off, and make it all the way back to Twin Lakes Resort. The bartender there is closing up (at 10???) and tells me where I'm going.<br />
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It's another dirt road, and a couple of cliffs, and I'm riding on them at night. Magically, I find the campsite, and my VW friends are there, with food.<br />
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I awake to this the next morning.<br />
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The hot springs are about a mile walk, none of us are interested. We opt for Travertine hot springs just outside of Bridgeport instead. So I ride out first, and in hindsight, have no idea <a href="https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.237974,-119.345051&spn=0.003982,0.007221&t=h&z=18" target="_blank">how I found this place</a> last night. <br />
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I refill in Bridgeport after a brisk paced ride through some beautiful turns on a perfect sunny morning, Bridgeport has the dubious distinction of the most expensive gas in California. I think it was 5.35/gallon. I didn't take a picture of it, my camera would have shattered it's lens in protest.<br />
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Travertine Hot springs are <a href="https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.245899,-119.206295&spn=0.007963,0.014441&t=h&z=17" target="_blank">located here.</a> I've got a moment to unwind and let my sore shoulders and wrist decompress. <br />
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The water is at about 110f and cools to around 100 be the time it hits the pool.<br />
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We warm up, relax, and then head to Mammoth, our second night for camping.<br />
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We are just outside of monolake and it's time for a panoramic photo.<br />
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We arrive in Mammoth lakes, and the campsite is full of other vehicles. We find our site and I set up the tent. It's not as comfy as my bus, but I sleep fine in it.<br />
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Mike and I decide to explore some of the other vehicles. Hwy 395 is famous for offroad adventures, We were sure to find some machines that had too much money poured into them - not that there is anything wrong with that.<br />
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This beast was towing a re-purposed army trailer complete with fold outs for easy access.<br />
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I'm a sucker for a sportsmobile. The owner told me that the two screaming children inside were for sale. I think they had a rough day.<br />
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We didn't do much other than warm ourselves by a fire, we had a day of Kayaking ahead.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-10879876670222672732013-11-19T09:56:00.001-08:002013-11-19T13:59:38.598-08:00Airhead Treffen 2013If you have a couple of weeks free, you may want to join the <a href="http://www.airheadparts.com/treffen15/" target="_blank">Airhead team on their annual treffen</a> (trip/gathering).<br />
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They drive through San Francisco and do their best to get a good photo op in each year.<br />
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Here a a few of this years photos, in the same location as 2011.<br />
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Just for reference, here are my choices from previous years:<br />
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2011<br />
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2010<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-20437535864543115982013-11-06T17:09:00.002-08:002013-11-06T17:09:41.031-08:00Another shoutout for the engaged coupleApparently the couple got the <a href="http://bridalmusings.com/2013/11/cosy-vw-camper-van-engagement-shoot/" target="_blank">attention of the bridal websites</a>. Cool.PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-50704159296292853272013-11-05T08:23:00.003-08:002013-11-05T08:23:50.738-08:00Bus Sightings: Whole FoodsThis <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Whole+Foods+Market,+4th+Street,+San+Francisco,+CA&hl=en&ll=37.781177,-122.399752&spn=0.002003,0.003616&sll=37.269174,-119.306607&sspn=16.498647,29.619141&oq=whole+foods&t=h&hq=Whole+Foods+Market,&hnear=4th+St,+San+Francisco,+California&fll=37.781304,-122.399913&fspn=0.002003,0.003616&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.781132,-122.400001&panoid=9RbT-EpjBOleD7M3R5XoJg&cbp=12,7.59,,0,8.01" target="_blank">one is not mine</a>. But I think I know who owns it.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-42466381590259718192013-10-11T16:00:00.001-07:002013-10-17T09:28:54.175-07:00Yahoo Photo HappinessAs long as I'm the topic of Bus photos...<br />
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If you use Yahoo Mail, you may use the "themes" to enhance your background or personalize your mail. They have all sorts of generic clouds, rainbows, etc. But recently, they started using peoples images on Flickr, which they own. (Flickr, not the pictures).<br />
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I got contacted about this picture:<br />
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They wanted to use it. I gave them permission. And now, if you use Yahoo mail, you can use it as a background. Note: To get the background on your iphone/pad download the yahoo mail app. The themes button is at the bottom of the left hand menu. <br />
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The rest of the pictures that they use are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmania/galleries/72157636332767225/">curated here.</a><br />
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I might be a little bit proud. A little.<br />
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And in case you want to know, Hwy 128 outside of Moab in Uath, near Castle Creek. Also, no editing, that's the raw image. It was a good day. <br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-73678763594461725582013-09-20T09:24:00.002-07:002013-09-20T09:24:33.342-07:00Photo engagementAbout a month ago, I got a call from a couple. Big Blue sent them my way, they wanted to rent my bus for an afternoon. They got engaged and wanted a photo session with the bus.<br />
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The back story is that he had a bus that was broken, fixed, broken, fixed, broken, fixed... bus pilots know this story all to well. He eventually sold it when money was tight (a story even MORE familiar) but misses it.<br />
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So I polished up red for the couple, the<a href="http://www.anitamartinblog.com/2013/jessica-and-zaks-vw-bus-rodeo-beach-engagement-sausalito-san-francisco-engagement-photographer/"> photographer did an excellent job</a>.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-31963160857733250772013-09-09T10:20:00.000-07:002013-09-09T10:20:02.243-07:00Bus City - Movie nightIt's one of my annual "must go to" events. The weekend before Memorial day, the school house canyon campground opens up their site - just for us.<br />
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A few years back, several of us discussed a movie night. It would require a projector, a sound system, a screen, and a good movie. This year it happened. The Bus movie was a good excuse to test out the projection system.<br />
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One year we will curate the "how to fix" videos and advertisments, and run through the classic ads.<br />
Of course we did the annual Korbel tour and tasting.<br />
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Parked at Korbel were several of these funny shaped "only a mother could love" cars. Apparently, the "ultravan" company of Oakland California made these hideous things for a short time, and a small group of insane people restore and drive them. Sounds familiar...<br />
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This is my annual excuse to put up the tent, I'm not the only one who does it.<br />
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See you next year.<br />
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PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-40901445553457130972013-08-21T12:06:00.001-07:002013-08-21T12:06:29.848-07:00A drinking crowd with a VW problemThere are t-shirts of various places around the country that say <insert here="" name=""> - a drinking town with a <insert appropriately="" associated="" event="" or="" sport=""> here. I.E. "Breckenridge, a quaint little drinking town with a skiing problem". And "Portland - a quaint little drinking town with a Hipster problem". Our little camping group isn't full of drunks and/or alcoholics, but we like our wine and our beer. Occasionally, we like a cocktail. </insert></insert><br />
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This year at George's Birthday party, I tried my hand at cocktails. (George is John LaTorre's bus. <a href="http://elementhis.blogspot.com/2011/04/live-oak-georges-birthday-campout.html">See Here</a> for more)<br />
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For those who prefer an easily made drink, we had other options.<br />
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And if drinking an adult beverage is not your think, there is always eating.<br />
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Or maybe you don't like the food we brought. Then I hope you have a sweet tooth.<br />
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What? You don't like cake? Or food? Or beer? or a cocktail? Then I have no idea why you are camping with us... perhaps you just like to sing.<br />
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Or maybe traveling around is your thing<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's the thing about us... we are an "all of the above" kind of crowd. We don't really care if you bus is new or newer.<br />
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Old or older.<br />
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Or just weird.<br />
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We want to camp, preferably with you. Bring Wine, bring wood. Drive, camp, be well.<br /><br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-58787127128795715082013-08-20T13:15:00.003-07:002013-08-21T16:54:46.175-07:00Random Camp trip - because we canThe bus is a spontaneous vehicle. It's not a surprise (to me anyway) that Outside Magazine called it the <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/camping/car-camping/The-Greatest-Car-Ever-Built.html">greatest vehicle</a> ever made. They may have been referring to the Syncro exclusively, but I'm rolling mine into the pile.<br />
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So when some of the crew asked me to join them at a random campout, and it was both cheap and on a free weekend, I didn't pass it up.<br />
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Lake Pardee, Ca. Also known as lake party in the summer. It wasn't summer yet.<br />
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Blake and Shelby are perpetually adorable.<br />
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The turkey vultures like to wait until it's warm before foraging.<br />
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But the turkeys will forage whenever they want.<br />
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I decided to try and take some pictures that I could submit for the <a href="http://www.gowesty.com/view_page.php?name=2014%20Calendar%20Contest">GoWesty calendar</a>.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-25534561695027842632013-08-20T11:54:00.001-07:002013-08-20T11:54:43.231-07:00Where the hell have I been?Certainly not here. I've been focused on other projects to do much blog updates, or many VW adventures. It's been a weird year so far. So rather than spending too much time apologizing, let's just get to work. Feel free to chastise me in the comments.<br />
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Del Valle!<br />
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Outside of Livermore is a small regional park. It has a man-made reservoir and several circles for car camping. Our group likes to use it for short weekend campouts - it's close, yet just far enough. This was a good excuse for me to bust out the Tent of Awesome.<br />
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It was spring, green, and there were plenty of pretty things to walk around and look at.<br />
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Some of that walking could be done with very short legs.<br /><br />
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And if walking isn't your style, there is always keeping warm and drinking a beer.<br />
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For your consideration, a 40 year difference study. As much as I love mine, I fully understand the appeal of air conditioning and modern amenities. I suspect if I had a kid, I would look at my car a little differently. But since I don't, I'm preferable to the older design.<br />
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Here's another study of two different packing methods.<br />
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Modern:<br />
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Vintage:<br />
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As usual with my VW camping crew, it was a mellow assembly, excellent food, and camping fire happiness.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-18864108398302866452013-03-13T09:58:00.000-07:002013-03-13T09:58:10.786-07:00This is why I'm brokeA friend sent me this:<br />
<a href="http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/volkswagen-bus-camping-tent">http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/volkswagen-bus-camping-tent</a><br />
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For that many simoleans, you can buy an original tent.<br />
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I take issue with the description line "It’s the ultimate outdoor hippie experience." Some the the people who read this blog WERE at woodstock, and did "the ultimate outdoor hippie experience" in that they don't remember it. :)<br />
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If you want some much better hippie busses, <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/hippy%20bus">Tumblr will deliver.</a><br />
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PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-42505476098006982642013-03-12T14:05:00.001-07:002013-03-12T14:05:15.867-07:00101 postsThis is my 101st post. From a blogging standpoint, that's not that many. I started posting on this blog in April of 2009, after spending five months in Canada.<br />
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Since then I've:<br />
- been on 26 group campouts, and 6 solo campouts.<br />
- driven about 32000 miles<br />
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Much of this blog is linked to my flickr account which has it's own ranking - obviously pictures of cosplay chics at comiccon are the highest ranked. Everyone loves slave Leia.<br />
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But on the VW side, my most popular pics are this one:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/2296661172/" title="Luggage Rack mounts by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Luggage Rack mounts" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3055/2296661172_a621baaed6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Apparently everyone wants to know what those original rubber mounts looked like.<br />
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This one:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/2296661354/" title="Pop Top Corner by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Pop Top Corner" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3092/2296661354_652fdd2096.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
I'm sure this is due to a samba thread that discusses refinishing a pop top.<br />
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and this one consecutively.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/2295867797/" title="Front and back by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Front and back" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3248/2295867797_fa8dfbca8f.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
(I'm sure its for the same reason.)<br />
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In the past five years, I have:<br />
Replaced the engine.<br />
Redone the entire brake system.<br />
Recut the most of the wood panels.<br />
Refinished the fiberglass top.<br />
Replaced the canvas.<br />
Recovered the front seats.<br />
Built an outside-the-bus table. <br />
Replaced the clutch.<br />
Rewelded the passenger side shock absorber mount.<br />
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I've driven the bus through six western states. I say western because, let's face it, eastern states are just not that large.<br />
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During each drive, locally and far away, I lose count of the number of smiles, peace signs, "lookitthat"s, "nice bus", and "I used to have one- I never should have sold it"s.<br />
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I had three offers for purchase left on my windshield, and two "Wow your bus is really nice be good it it" notes. My favorite one was found in Yosemite while I was out hiking.<br />
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It occurs to me that I haven't posted enough, or driven enough. Time to fix that.<br />
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Happy driving.<br />
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<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934796651912972986.post-53799119947166789992013-03-05T10:38:00.000-08:002013-03-05T10:38:13.507-08:00Mark Merrill's Museum ReduxMark Merrill is really a nice guy. He helped build a ridiculously successful company and he has a strange compulsion for vintage VW's.<br />
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During the annual Aircooled parts Treffen, the garage got opened (again) to the public, and Mark provided coffee, donuts and fruit (yeah, we are Californians, there is always fruit) to everyone while the wandered through his wonder.<br />
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I've talked about his garage before.<br />
<a href="http://elementhis.blogspot.com/2011/08/private-museum-buses.html">Post 1</a><br />
<a href="http://elementhis.blogspot.com/2011/08/private-museum-schwimmwagen.html">Post 2</a><br />
and <a href="http://elementhis.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-museum-cars.html">Post 3</a><br />
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I rode on the coattails of the Treffen to joing them for another round at the VW house of dreams.<br />
I forgot my camera. So these are iphone pics.<br />
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The fireengine water pump is, of course, another vw engine.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8519090887/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8519090887_61aa55c6ab.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I have a thing for teardrop trailers. This one especially.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8520205604/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8520205604_a7efa6bc13.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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This is a cutaway model to show people how the engine works. It has an eletrically powered slow movement so you can watch the cylinders and valves all move in time with each other.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8520206040/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8520206040_6b7d547745.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Pretty.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8520206596/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8520206596_121359dffb.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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The garage space is enviable.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8520206864/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8520206864_6d9280f4cc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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One of the treffen drivers had this beauty behind it. I wonder how well it did going over some of the hills.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8519093443/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8519093443_bafac92482.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And there was this beauty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/8519090639/" title="Mark Merrills Museum by pjalau, on Flickr"><img alt="Mark Merrills Museum" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8228/8519090639_f250ab3600.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Next time I head down there I'll take more detail pictures. In the meantime, feel free to <a href="http://www.volksrods.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20854">read this post.</a><br />
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Or watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-ZsR4tZPY">this video</a>.<br />
<br />PJ Alauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664632432641993976noreply@blogger.com0