2008-01-03T05:00:06+00:00 2003-03-30T00:00:00+00:00 1967-01-30T00:00:00+00:00 It's a 1967 Type 211 (panel van) that was converted by Riviera Motors (of Beaverton, OR) into a camper sometime in the late 60s. From what I've gleaned from prior owners, it came into California around June of 1974 and spent much of its life along the central coast of California (namely, the San Luis Obsipo area). It made many trips up to Oregon and back with prior owners, had a wine bottle tossed at the rear left corner (the dent is still there), and eventually was painted "Surf Green" at one point. It's gathered lots of rust over the years, but the interior has stayed mostly original. When I bought it in March of 2003, it was sporting a completely oddball motor, no tent, no door panels, and some funky Ford Ranger type front seats. Since then I've worked to get things as back to original as possible while still putting my own touches on it. I'm currently getting this in order to join the Shasta Snow Trip at the end of January '08. Check it out at www.shastasnowtrip.com 189 570 Leaky the Wonderbus true 0 2008-05-29T17:10:37+01:00 305 ...I have been busy. New job. New classes heading for a new career. All sorts of stuff have kept me from wrenching on the bus is a major fashion. Little stuff, sure, but no big projects! Well, every car has its way of reminding the owner that "Hey, I need some attention here!" So when Amber and I were out driving in the Santa Cruz Mountains last weekend and it started becoming more and more difficult to turn left, I knew that some repairs were due. I had also recently purchased new cargo door seals and cargo door stops to silence the incessant rattling I get from that area. Well, the bus had gotten to a point where it needed a little help staying started when cold...so that was on the list. Anyway, last Monday I tooled over to the parents' place to do some work. I figured three hours and I'd be out of there. Well, while fiddling with the carb, timing, and points (all of which needed adjusting), we realised that I had no brake lights! Okay, so there's an additional project for the day (thankfully it was just a bad connector at the brake light switch). The cargo door stops became more of a chore because all the old ones were just spinning on the bolts to which they're attached. Two needed the use of the sawzall to get them off. One sheared and needed to be drilled out. Honestly, that project probably wound up being an hour longer than it needed to be! The cargo door seals were a bit easier, but it also exposed some of the more serious rot I have in my rockers. But with a bit of cleaning and some sweet 3M adhesive spray, my doors are soooo much quieter than they've ever been! Well, the time came to look at the steering box. I had felt something a little off in the steering a while back, saw that the steering dampner was worn, replaced it...and honestly, I could feel the oddness even more! So my gut said something was definitely wearing out inside the box. Or maybe the box was going dry! It turned out that the adapter plates for the Bice bumper I have actually block all the access to the steering box, so with a bit of muscle (and a very sore arm four days later), I removed the bumper so we could get at the box. So I crawled underneath and scraped away probably decades worth of dirt to expose all the bolts, adjusters, and plugs I needed to access. First, the filler plug...came out nice and easy. We filled it with some gear oil...overfilled it, actually. So we let gravity drain it out...and noticed sludgy black oil coming out of the bottom where the horn wire exits. Ah, should this be happening? I devised a "diaper" out of a large ziplock bag and some zip ties to see if this leak continues under usage. At that point we decided it was better to see if filling the box made any difference before we try adjusting anything and risk making the steering worse. Well, five hours after we starting working on the bus, everything was buttoned back up and the tools put away. Sadly, the steering still feels off...not as bad as it was, but something isn't right. Honestly, my gut still says that I am headed for a steering box replacement soon. Oh, as a side note (because I didn't blog about it properly), my bus was used in a promotional video for the National Auto Auctioneers Asso. 2009 conference in San Francisco. It was a blast and I can't wait to see the final product. They were cool with me taking pix and shooting my own video...so here's a video from coming back over the Golden Gate. 2008-05-29T17:10:37+01:00 308 1 2008-05-29T17:10:37+01:00 189 BghM9ZlFV5M It's done! Well, it took a bit of effort and while I should have been watching a sick kitty (who thankfully didn't get sick yesterday), my dad and I spent a few hours running, soldering, and insulating the proper hot wires and one serious ground wire down a bit of conduit into the engine compartment (it looks very back to the future) and then a color-matched, proper set of leads up to the switches under the dash. And on a typical project, we'd have to go back and fix at least one thing before they worked properly. Perhaps this time it was the one mounting screw that fell out since Monday (very very very minor), but amazingly enough no fuses popped, every light lit up on the correct switch, and everything worked perfectly!! But the real treat would be after dark when I could see just how much light this all provides! I'll let the pictures explain. 2008-02-29T14:56:03+00:00 271 1 2008-02-29T14:56:03+00:00 189 So Shasta encouraged me to lighten up a little. The project idea was simple. Add lights to my roofrack in order to provide more visibility either while driving or stopped when I am out and about in very dark areas! I spent more than a week making sure that all the parts I needed were in my parents' garage and then cheaply sourcing everything else. I also drew diagram after diagram, trying to figure out the most efficient way to wire up this project. Well, today I started with the goal of completing the whole mission: add five lights on three switches to my roofrack. I got half way there. :D With the tremendous help of my dad, he got the power wire and relays all connected back in the engine bay. I finished affixing the lights to the roofrack and wired up the switches (after also having to fab up a mounting plate for them). Believe it or not, that was nearly 2.5hrs worth of work. We still need to run wires from the switches to the relays and then from the relays up to the lights and ground them! That will definitely be another day this week. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures! 2008-02-25T22:37:15+00:00 268 1 2008-02-25T22:37:15+00:00 189 Call it a teaser, but I was inspired by some of the other buses I saw on the Shasta Trip and I am working on a little project right now that should "light"en things up around my bus! :D 2008-02-22T15:02:29+00:00 265 1 2008-02-22T15:02:29+00:00 189 So my major problem on the Shasta Snow Trip was my distributor. For one reason or another, the spark was just not advancing at all. And when spark does not advance, well, everything is just a bit retarded. In the tiny town (and town is being generous) of Kettenpom, CA, we swapped the stock distributor for a 009 (mechanical advance) distributor and timed it as best we could. It definitely improved the performance of the bus for the rest of the trip. But what exactly was the problem? Well, initial inspection on the road showed that the vacuum line was a little cracked and it's certainly possible that we were losing vacuum pressure. Once I got home and into a cozy driveway with lots of tools and light, I took apart the stock distributor and found that the vacuum bits work just fine, but everything was dirty, worn, and generally in need of replacing. So my dad and I replaced the bits and bobs, reinstalled the original distributor, set the timing and everything seemed just fine! Hooray, we're good to go! And things were good...for a couple days. This past Monday, I am driving home from Amber's new apartment and making a very gentle grade up a hill and I swear I had to downshift to second and pull over to let traffic by! Holy crap! It's like I was back to square one with everything. I figured the dizzy was bad and I should swap in a spare 009 that we had in my dad's garage. So I headed over and we pulled the stock dizzy again, put new parts in the 009, installed it, set and reset the timing at least three times, and man-oh-man the powerband was back in force! But something was a little different. The distributor clamp sat a little differently. And we deduced that there really wasn't anything wrong with the distributor, but with how we installed it last. We suspect that the distributor was only seated enough to just engage the cam shaft (or whatever it engages) but loose enough that over time it would come out of adjustment and start running like crap again. My reaction was this: "Well, the 009 is in now. I really don't feel like taking it out...again!...and messing with it, so the vacuum advance one is the spare!" And so far the bus seems to be doing fine. I still have that exhaust leak, but another tightening of the clamp or a new clamp should fix it. 2008-02-13T04:46:29+00:00 258 0 2008-02-13T04:46:29+00:00 189 And as soon as we were there, it was time to leave. :( I awoke early (again) on Sunday morning and instantly my mind focused on road conditions and whether or not we could make it out of town by 9am. I wanted to get back and at least have a little bit of day to unpack and rest up before work the next day (note to self: take Monday off next year). 6:30am...I wander out to check on the bus and then go to the Stage Door Cafe again for a coffee and to call home and have someone check road conditions for me. Good news: Interstate 5 is open, but there are chain restrictions for about 20 miles south of Shasta. We can do that! Cool, no worries. So I polished off my coffee and decided to get a little upper body workout and dig out the bus...and part of the parking lot so I could actually get out. Geez! Easily ten inches of snow on the bus and easily fifteen feet of parking lot to dig out! Oh well, here goes! And so I dug...and dug...and dug! Luckily a guy in a 4X4 parked kind of behind me showed up and moved his truck, so my exit would be much easier! As I was almost done, Cory, Tim, Damon, and Sean all rolled into town (Cory had broken an axle early on the first day of the trip and he apparently found a replacement gearbox and completely swapped it out to get to Shasta at all!). I came up, shared some cheer with them, found them decent parking spots, and then went to move my bus. Aaaaand, managed to get just slightly stuck. Bless these guys, they ran over and helped push me out! I chugged up to the house, parked, and set to rearranging stuff and packing up. Slowly others awoke and assessed the situation. I shared the road conditions with everyone because some people were headed north and the chain restrictions lasted much longer in that direction. When I went out to chain up the bus for the drive, I saw that we'd actually broken a link at some point. Crap, we don't have a repair link...I couldn't find one before we left on the trip! I was frustrated again at that point and tried to figure out what to do. Well, Team Idaho once again came to the rescue with a repair link I was just able to make fit. **Sadly, after getting home and getting the chains back in their bag, did I realise there was a repair link in the bag!** Well, our 9am departure quickly turned into 11am, but we got on the road with two of the DeafVolks buses. As soon as we hit the Interstate, people were already on the side of the road unchaining their vehicles! What tha?! Okay, quick, let's unchain and keep going. We did...messy, as always, and I just tossed them up on the roof and bungeed them down. Once we dropped below the snow line, the drive was fairly uneventful save for the occasional gas stop and food break. Amazingly, we made it home in very good time! About 380 miles in 7 hours. Rolled into Saratoga, CA right at about 6pm. It was after dark, but at least I had some time to unpack and unwind before work on Monday. The Shasta Snow Trip taught me much about myself and my bus. For years, I was nervous to drive too far from home for fear of breaking down and getting stuck. Now, I have the itch to get out there and blaze new trails! This trip found any weakness in my bus or in myself and exploited it! It took that weakness and went "Look, here's this...how you gonna handle it, eh?" But you know what? We handled it. We made it there and we made it back. And I would so do it all over again! 2008-02-12T14:45:28+00:00 256 5.0 0 2008-02-13T10:23:17+00:00 189 VdwYo-SpYTk Saturday Feb 2nd: 1am: Having arrived in Shasta and unpacked the bus and basically figured out where we were going to sleep because the folks in charge of all that were still a few hours away, I moved the bus into the local public parking lot (because I fully expected the roads to be plowed that night). Just as I get parked, I slam the door to make sure it latches in the cold...and a big piece of bondo carrying part of the logos on the front door just leaps off and hits me! Dang...now I need to decide if I want to put it back on somehow or put it on my wall at home. 1.30am: I stumble into my trundle bed and drop into a deep sleep. Next to (the trundle bed, not my person) someone who snores quite a bit. 6.45am: I'm awake. I am the only one awake. Yeah, I'm a morning person. It can be a lonely existence. Anyway, I get up and tiptoe into the bathroom to clean up and change. Priority One - get coffee! I hadn't had coffee since Thursday morning and I was not about to feel normal without it. So I snuck out to find a cafe or someplace that surely had coffee. And I found it with the Stage Door Cafe on the town's main street. Neat little place...warm, cozy, friendly people. So it was a medium mocha and a plain bagel with cream cheese! Woohoo...lord I feel normal again. Called the folks, called Amber, to let them all know I was there safe and sound and that...holy crap...there's lots of snow falling! From the Stage Door, I went back to the parking lot to check on the bus and take a peek at the engine. Checked the oil, the butterfly in the carb, etc. I snapped some pics and trudged about checking out the other buses. And I definitely thought about my priorities for the day. *Fix my boots or buy some at the thrift store. *Add oil (at least a quart) and fiddle with the motor. *Explore town. *Ride along with another bus if we go on an adventure (I was more than a little nervous about driving my bus after Friday's events). *Get something for Amber. Once I got back to the condo - did I mention it's above a Radio Shack? - a few bodies were starting to rouse and get a pot of coffee going. They were also getting some pot going, but that's not my speed. 10ish am: Team Idaho decides its breakfast time and opt to head through town to the Black Bear Diner (http://www.blackbeardiner.com/). I just kinda feel like getting out and exploring, so I ride along with them and holy crap...good food! Hearty! Great company...those Idaho folks are seriously salt of the earth types! From the diner, a handheld CB unit was used to touch base with a couple of the other teams roaming around town. 11am: The talk was of making an attempt on Castle Lake (the road to which I'd heard earlier wasn't plowed yet) and we found out by the time we got back to the house that not nearly enough people were awake and ready yet to make that attempt. So Team Idaho loaded up a bunch of people and made a run for the local thrift store. I'd had enough time to run to Ace Hardware and get some Shoe Goo to put my lame boots back together, but it takes 24hrs to set, so my hope was to find something at the thrift store. Sadly, there wasn't anything larger than, like, a size 7 at the store, but some folk found some pretty wicked deals on 80s-themed snow suits. Guess it's a running joke with some. But they were indeed fantastically ugly! 12.30ish pm: We get back to the condo and make plans for a Castle Lake attempt. For whatever reason, I decided that I was gonna go buy new boots. I was sick of wearing two pairs of socks and a pair of size 12 Sorels! So I head into town and accept the fact that if I get a ride with a crew, great, and if not...I could deal with that too. Well, sometime around 1pm, I was being fitted for a nice pair of new boots when I see three or four buses pass by. I knew I'd missed the boat...and from the stories and pics I saw and heard later...I actually wish I'd gone. But c'est la vie, ya know? Instead I meander around town finding something for Amber, getting some food, a keychain, and just really enjoying the fact that it's STILL snowing. I mean, it never let up! I also went by the bus a couple times to see how the snow was piling up. It was really starting to get impressive! 3pm: I am back at the house by this point and no one is around! I have the whole place to myself. I should have been smart and had a nice hot shower, but instead I decided to make some notes on the trip and listen to the weather band radio as I was already starting to think of road conditions for Sunday. So I did that and chowed down on some sweet BBQ Tri-Tip from the local market! A nap soon followed and by the time I woke up, I had about an hour of daylight to duck out and fiddle with my motor! Oil takes a long time to drain into an engine when it's below freezing outside! LOL Soon everything seemed as kosher as it was going to get and I was tempted to fire up the engine and make sure, but it was getting dark and colder fast! So I hoofed it back inside in time for many of the groups to return home from attempting Castle Lake. They didn't make it all the way up there, but they made a valiant effort! 8ish pm: By this point the decision was made to skip the potluck out at Bunny Flat and have it in the house instead. Now, that's a lot of people in the house at one time! But it was fantastically social and enjoyable. We all threw together some food...herbivores and omnivores alike and just had a great time! See the video for more of this part. But around 10pm...Saturday...23hrs after we had arrived...trip-founder and de facto fearless leader Brian Piercy and his co-pilot Ericka finally arrived! They had taken some of the most insane and impassable roads you could imagine. Wherever it said road closed, they completely ignored it! So we were rapt with attention as they told their story. They're nuts...but dang, they made it! And it was impressive. I felt honored to have a sit down with Brian later and I thanked him for being such a cheerleader and he complemented me and my whole team for sticking with it and not flaking out this year. Vindicated, he said we were. And I was happy with that. 11.45pm: With the party still raging, I was exhausted (remember? morning person here) and with thoughts of road conditions and trying to make decent time getting home Sunday, I escaped to my room to try and get some sleep. For what it's worth, it was really a crappy night's sleep! But it was sleep nonetheless and I drifted off feeling so confident that my bus could make it just about anywhere! 2008-02-09T15:28:58+00:00 255 5.0 0 2008-02-09T20:09:46+00:00 189 wQTVIjfXC2c Well, we were now teamed up with Team Surf City and despite the fact they were running a much bigger motor and were pretty much ready for anything, the said they'd stick with us. The plan was to get onto Ruth-Zenia Road heading north. It eventually became Van Duzen Road and connected with Hwy 36. From there our plan was to take Hwy 36 all the way to Red Bluff and connect with Interstate 5 north to Mt. Shasta City. Well, after a couple wrong turns and one more time getting stuck (in a school's driveway we thought was a road), we found Ruth-Zenia Road and were met with some of the nicest scenery we'd had the whole trip. Our spirits we really healing well and despite some icy conditions on the road surface, made good time as the sun set on our day of driving. As we headed northwest and Ruth-Zenia Road became Van Duzen Road, we called out periodically for other Shasta Trippers and eventually could begin to hear another group off in the distance! Ah, the joy of having RF Gain on your CB! Well, soon they could hear us too and they were already up on Highway 36, a few miles ahead of us. They shared with us their planned route and we reassured them Hwy 3 was closed in Weaverville, so there was no point in going that way. They had actually worked out a route that stayed clear of Weaverville and dropped us into Redding instead of Red Bluff. It took quite a while, but we caught up with them and talked routes and took a bathroom break. We were really tired at this point and my role of navigator had become letting David know which way the road was going to curve because I could see further ahead than he could. So we followed the rest of the pack up Highway 3 to where it connects with the smaller Highway 299 and that road dropped us into Redding where we all were thrilled to see the lights of civilization, get gas, and then run across the street to Burger King for the first real meal of the trip! Minimart food really will only get you so far. This was a long stop and gave many of us a chance to stretch, check in with loved ones, and allow a few other buses to catch up with us. We could see the entrance for Interstate 5 from where we were and soon the idea that Mt. Shasta City was only 54 miles away had us all chomping at the bit! So we went for it! Blitz up I-5 and get there before midnight...that's the whole idea of the trip. Get up insanely early, take the most bizarre roads you can find, and get there before it turns Saturday! Naturally, climbing hills, we got a little separated from the group again and made the wrong turn getting off once we reached Shasta. Ultimately, we had to get back onto 5 south into Dunsmuir and head north again to the correct exit. I think if we didn't make that wrong turn, we could have been in Shasta before 11pm, but as it was we pulled up in front of where we were staying at 11.10pm! Hot damn, we made it! Oh, the feeling was unreal...to have faced such intense odds, overcome them, and actually make it to a destination I had dreamed of and only seen in pictures before. The rest of the night was one of unpacking, relaxing, sharing stories, and ultimately moving the bus into a local parking lot so we could avoid getting towed in case they had to plow the roads overnight. 2008-02-07T17:53:25+00:00 251 5.0 0 2008-02-07T22:54:47+00:00 189 qKpGUf4A04I I have an interesting time looking back at this leg of the journey. Already my mind is starting to gloss over the reality of just how damaged and frazzled our spirits were. And it would be an injustice not to address that and just say that we powered on, determined to get to Shasta. Quite honestly, I feel no shame in saying that our spirits were hurt and there was a large part of me who was ready to throw in the towel and head home. Everyone who has been on the trip before was going on about how this was the most challenging trip yet and frankly David had been up since 5am driving, the bus was definitely losing power, we were falling behind from the group and feeling quite miffed about it. Maybe that's whining, but that's genuinely how we felt. I also knew that if I bailed on the trip, my co-pilots were gonna bail on me and find other rides. So we motored up highway 162 into Covelo, CA...a very small town, flat, in a valley of sorts certainly. We caught up with the group and we all got gas at the town's one gas station. To give credit to the rest of the group we were with, they were all happy we'd made it that far and we doing their best to reassure us that indeed the bus (and we) could make the trip successfully. The next stop was a miniscule dot on the map called Kettenpom. There's something now about that name that haunts me. Probably because it was the toughest part of the trip. It didn't seem all that far, maybe 25-30 miles, on the map. The road passed through the Round Valley Indian Reservation (no, we weren't besieged by natives...just snow) and I knew there were a couple alternate routes out of that town if we decided. So we motored on, sounding very tractoresque, and I took some time to sit in the back of the bus and rest up a little. I knew that I could take over driving at any time. Naturally, the road wound its way up in elevation and naturally we started falling behind again. And before we knew it, we were chaining up. Onward and upward we went...until shhhump! We'd slid somehow into a snow bank! Still not sure if we hit ice or just what, but we were stuck. Thankfully, it just took myself and Graham to push ourselves out and get going again. We could hear chatter on the CB from up ahead about a couple of snow plows on the road and we hoped beyond hope that it would make the trip easier for us. We knew by that point that we needed to get to Kettenpom and assess any repairs we needed to make in order to continue on. Eventually, we came across the plow boys and they hopped down to our CB channel to see if there were other buses coming. Well, we were the end of the line, so we talked with them a bit and let them know we were the end of the line. Not too long after, we made the decision to dechain (mistake #1) and continue on. Well, we managed to lose enough power to not even gain enough purchase to get ourselves up a small hill. Well, along came the plow boys (Scott and Jesse, as we got to know them) and, blessedly, they took a liking to us and our plight. So the large plow got in front of us and the smaller one (basically a Ford F-150 with a plow) got behind us and pushed us up the hill. There was one point where we got a gap between us and bumped. Oh, I started to freak that I had some major dent in the bus, but I just had to tell myself that it was a dent or the end of the trip! Thankfully, he chose to stay behind us the rest of the way in case we needed another push. Long story short (surely it's too late for that), the big plow powered ahead to clear the pass to Kettenpom. He did a great job because we were able to make it up with the smaller plow following us. They took their leave and we headed toward Kettenpom, calling out on the radio to see if anyone was waiting for us. Thankfully, they were and as soon as we came up the one market/gas pump that is Kettenpom, the main part of the group just took off! Shrilly, we called out to them saying we NEEDED to stop for repairs. And again, blessedly, two buses stayed behind. Team Idaho loaned us a timing light and Team Surf City stuck around to help us replace the distributor with one of theirs. The bus was definitely sounding better, but we'd lost some time. Had to be nearly 3pm at this point...so we headed into the market to get some gas for the camper and hopefully some good directions. Thank whatever deity you choose to thank, but we got very clear and certain directions from the lady running the market (I am actually planning to call her and thank her today) about which way to go and which way to steer clear of. Oddly enough, the way everyone else went...that's the one she said definitely don't take. Next time: From Kettenpom our spirit rise dramatically and we make it to Shasta! 2008-02-07T17:32:03+00:00 249 5.0 0 2008-02-07T22:53:44+00:00 189 BVUkk7ue8cM So the 5am LeMans style departure went pretty well. We definitely were not the last ones out the gate, but within a few miles that didn't mean a thing as we had to stop to chain up and then crawl forward and stop again because within the span of maybe a quarter mile there were three buses stuck. First, Aaron and Emily had slid into a ditch on the left and we spent easily 45 minutes breaking them loose. They finished chaining up and we headed forward a little ways more. Second, Cory was stuck on an inside corner and had tried so hard to break loose that he snapped an axle! Holy crap, we all figured the trip was over for him! But he was also on a corner and we had to find a way around him if half the teams were to continue on the trip! Third, we were able to get past, but not until Lou got unstuck as he had passed Cory, but slid off to the left before the next corner! See the attached video for this exciting part of the adventure! Okay, so our 5am start and subsequent stops now brings us to nearly 8am! Finally, we're pretty much all moving again, save for Cory and a couple drivers who chose to stay behind to make sure he gets out okay. We plow ahead and make our way down Bartlett Springs Road, chattering away on the CB. We drop below the snow line and dechain in the mud (yuck! so much laundry to do now). We barrel back down into Nice, Ca and stop at the Valero station to gas up, grab a little grub, and get back onto Hwy 101 to Willits. Already we seem to be falling behind the group as we ascend hills. Something's not right, but we march on and into Willits. Already, we're a little overwhelmed by the trip. It's way more than we'd planned for. We make it into Willits and to the home of Christopher Moore who has a huge stash of old VWs and parts and who is a great help to all the trippers. We spend some time resting up and trying to decide what to do. We can either take 101 all the way up to 36 and then across to 5 and stay on large roads or we can at least follow the group up Hwy 162 into Covelo, Ca and see how we do before proceeding on. After some encouragement from others (even though they'd totally leave me in the dust later) we chose to power on to Covelo and reassess the situation there. Next time: 162 challenges us and nearly breaks our spirits. 2008-02-06T16:35:38+00:00 247 5.0 0 2008-02-06T19:41:54+00:00 189 97q7tZMMPSU I'm back. Well, actually we got back yesterday around 6pm, but nevertheless, I am back. The bus is back. No one died, no one was seriously injured. And it was an insane trip. I will pepper the place with stories in the coming weeks and as they come back to me, but I'll start with the drive there and our first night. Thursday Jan 31: Left Saratoga, CA at 12.30pm with co-pilots David and Graham in-tow. Headed up 101 to 380 to 280, through SF, over the Golden Gate, continued up 101 to Hopland, CA to get gas and cut across 175 to 29 to 20. By this point we're in the Clearlake area and manage to meet up with a bunch of other Newts in the town of Nice, CA. We gas up there (it's now about 4.30pm) and head up Bartlett Springs Road toward the "Rampaging Spot" (aka: the campout/starting point). As we climb, we quickly rise above the snow line and I learn quickly how to keep my momentum and control in slushy, muddy snow! Eventually we crest the pass to learn that one bus has made a wrong turn and managed to get stuck. So we have to leave our buses and hike about a third of a mile up to the stuck bus. About an hour later, we hike back down with the bus unstuck and backing out the whole way. Yes! Adventure number one. Now it's dark and we have many miles more to go before reaching our destination for the night. It's cold. It's wet. There are small rock slides to dodge and fallen trees that have been moved and giant puddles to plow through. But dammit, we got there! As we got situated, more Newts arrived and set up camp, got fires going, played with some fireworks, socialized, ate, dried out, etc! The plan from the start was to be up, ready, and rolling by 4.30am Friday, so I decided it was time to crash out around 11.30pm. Friday Feb 1: Woke up at 3.45am and instantly started packing and arranging the bus for take off. Got my co-pilots up and we got ourselves situated. The 10pm Thursday Driver's Meeting didn't happen until about 4.45am Friday and the start wasn't until about 5am! Up Next: Three buses get stuck within a quarter mile stretch of road and the 4.5 hour trip down the mountain! 2008-02-04T21:19:54+00:00 246 5.0 0 2008-02-04T23:27:13+00:00 189 4J6_nbKPdFc Well, this is it! The last entry before the trip (oh, there'll be plenty afterward!). I really wish I didn't have school today...I could use the time to finish all the packing and be 100% ready to go tonight. But c'est la vie. The mystery clunk remains just that. I checked all the bolts in my front end and they're tight! I can only imagine the weight of the front bumper causes it to rattle. And until something breaks or falls off, I can't really stress over it. I'm in touch with both of my co-pilots and things are coming together nicely for them as well. The Shasta Trip email list is dead today...everyone's busy working on their stuff instead of BS'ing on the email. Spending tonight at my gal's and will come home tomorrow morning, shower, put everything in the bus, make sure the trash is taken out and rent is paid, and then go get David and Graham and we'll be on our way! Who knows what awaits! Looks like it's going to be pretty wet tomorrow. Showery Friday. Wet again Saturday. It's enough to make me excited and nervous all at the same time! Oh, and it is worth noting that today, January 30th, my bus turns 41 years old. Happy Birthday Bus! Get ready for the start of an awesome year! 2008-01-30T20:40:56+00:00 243 4.0 0 2008-01-30T23:21:23+00:00 189 Holy. Crap. Two days. And I get to balance prep for the trip, work, and now classes at the local junior college! Lordy, I am running around at an impressive clip! But today with the gap between school and work, I am taking the opportunity to pack the food and the clothes and generally get myself to a point where I'm ready to load it all into the bus Thursday morning before leaving. And speaking of Thursday, I believe our route to the starting point has changed. Word has it that one of the roads coming from the east is closed, so I am not even going to chance it and instead come up Hwy 101 and attack it from the west. Now that's not to say that it won't be fraught with peril, either! There was actually a decent amount of snow coming down in that area this morning and I am sure there'll be more in the next 48 hours! Oh, this will be such an interesting trip! Speaking of the snow, I have been checking all over to see who has snow chain repair links around here. In a word, no one! All the local large parts suppliers do not carry repair links...they carry chains, but nothing with which to fix them! Good job, guys. *sigh* So I'll have one more entry tomorrow...that should be after I have some time to get out and make some mechanical adjustments in preparation (yes, before I go to class). And then...well...that's it! Won't be time for anything else save for repairs along the road! God, let me make this trip. Let it be a success and an adventure. LOL Let me come back in one piece! 2008-01-29T21:01:29+00:00 242 4.0 0 2008-01-29T23:19:13+00:00 189 I am craving Skittles. Not that it has anything to do with the camper, but I am finally feeling quite a bit better from the stomach flu. Now, just to keep it that way! I actually missed my "7Days" post because I was at Amber's place most all of yesterday helping to take care of her as she battles the stomach flu now. Yeah, I kinda think I gave it to her. *oops* Okay, so today became the point in preparing for the trip where I really started to psych myself out. I mean, I think I started building the adventure up to be more than it probably will be. The weather lately has been wet or snowy and the expectation for the trip has become much more "white" than it ever has been before. So that means a greater chance of running on chains for a long time, a greater chance of high-centering and needing to get towed out, and so on and so forth. So in my mind I starting thinking, "Crap, now I need to get chain link repair kits and tow ropes and this and that and augh!" Well, really, I called and talked to Brian (the instigator of this wacky racers adveture) and he really put it in a bit of perspective for me. And so my head's in a better space. Still quite a bit left to do in between working and starting school on Monday, but I'll get it done. And I will make this trip and it will be so awesome! Whatever happens, it'll be so awesome!! Oh, I almost forgot...last night I also picked up my new roofrack! Traded a cooler and a skateboard and a little cash for it. It's awesome and as soon as I have some daylight and free time, I'll snap some pix! 2008-01-26T05:22:14+00:00 241 4.0 0 2008-01-26T14:07:00+00:00 189 Well, I am down with the stomach flu. Very unpleasant. Haven't been able to get much of anything done on the bus at all. It's frustrating, but I'd rather have this hit me now than on the trip. But it's been really cold here and rainy. And that means there's been snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains! :D And if you know me at all, I love playing in the mud and the snow. And I love showing that the bus can do it as well as any SUV even more! But again, stomach flu. Not really a condition that makes it easy to get out and drive around for a while. Well, when Amber got off work yesterday and called me, she asked if I could see the snow in the hills and I not only said that I could but suggested that we go up there. Sure enough, she wanted to! And I was able to muster enough energy to drive the bus and hold myself together. It was awesome! Must have been a good six to eight inches of snow up there. When we initially got to highways 9 and 35, 35 was closed out toward Castle Rock, so we parked at the vista point there and walked around and watched people play in the snow. And then...CalTrans got done plowing 35 and opened it! Well, we had to go exploring...that's where the attached video comes from. I only managed to get kind of stuck once, but I've studied enough bad weather driving to know to paddle the front wheels until I broke loose. But it was really a blast...and took all the energy I'd saved up out of me. It was a good shakedown trip for the Shasta Trip...and it sounds like we might be chained up for a good portion of the trip, too! 2008-01-23T18:49:56+00:00 240 5.0 0 2008-01-23T23:33:00+00:00 189 QBWDdrLFJTk Two weeks! By then, at this hour, I should be on the road with Nid and Graham. We'll probably be approaching the Benicia Bridge (assuming we leave right at noon). But we're not there yet. Today was a work day (on the bus, not at the bookstore) and I am very happy with the progress. Here's a quick look at what got done: *Topped up Gearbox oil (took 18oz.) *Checked motor oil (will recheck before leaving) *Checked brake fluid (fine) *Checked timing (spot on!) *Adjusted carb for winter settings *Tightened front bumper (to eliminate clunks) *Installed new door scraper seals (wow!) And I saw "wow" because I've never realised how integral these seals can be! I mean, they definitely keep out the rain that drips down from the gutters, but they seal so well that they really take care of many of the draughts I've felt while driving the bus over the past few years. And I am blessed that the install went much faster than I anticipated! The other day, I also borrowed a sewing machine and spent about three hours making and fitting a new set of curtains on the camper. The material I got about 6 months ago, but just never got around to working on them. And these are really basic curtains. Really! Basic! I mean, I cut the material and the only stitch I made was for the 1/4" dowel (read: curtain rod) to run through. But I am very pleased with those, too! So now it's all a matter of shakedown drives designed to help illuminate anything I might have forgotten. Other than that, it's packing time! Get the grub and the gear together and get it in the bus! 2008-01-17T21:34:15+00:00 238 0 2008-01-17T22:58:48+00:00 189 Not much physical progress since my last entry. Plenty of psychological progress, though. Four straight nights where I've dreamt of the trip! That's what participants call the "Shasta Shakes"! I've done some small stuff. Adding Rain-X and the like so I can see where the heck I am going! And I got confirmation that our third member...Big Graham...is still in like Flynn for the trip. So it's a 3000lb bus, three guys, and our gear, being pushed along by a 1600cc motor and a stock gearbox. Yeah, makes me glad I got that "Slow Moving Vehicle" sign for the rear hatch! So this entry is a "by the numbers" entry. I've been working on a rough route map for my parents (cause they're sweet and worry) even though the actual route has yet to be released to participants. I've done some rough math thanks to Google Maps and the estimated round trip from San Jose to Mt. Shasta and back is about 1150 miles. The numbers get a little fuzzy from here on out because I am trying to account for weight and elevation...but it'll probably be about 100 gallons of gas, give or take a few. And if you have Google Earth or a decent GPS map system, here's our starting location: 39*09'19.75"N 122*34'56.91"W 2008-01-15T18:26:54+00:00 237 5.0 0 2008-01-15T19:48:41+00:00 189 kOfZWFPM6Go <p>Another rainy day around here. But I have the day off and started my Master Packing List for the trip. It's about a page so far and I suspect it will grow as the days tick away. Currently I have a problem with water getting in my front doors past a non-existant seal which sounds easy to install, but likely won't be. In the eternal idea of &quot;it does have to look good, it just has to get there&quot; I've worked up a couple Duct Tape Theories to help keep water from getting in and soak either myself, my co-pilot, or the coffee bag door panels I have. Test #1 failed, but gave me some good things to think about, so it's not so much a failure as a learning experience. I am also testing out carrying a filled gas can under the backseat just in case I'm not able to source a roofrack in time for the trip. Naturally, I splashed over a little on the can and so need to wait a little while before being sure if I can do this or not. I've also started dreaming about the trip at night. It's great. And it looks like it's raining harder outside now, so maybe I'll have some lunch and a nap before getting back out there to test my seal theories.</p><p>&nbsp;Edit: Well, my second seal theory appears to work, but I haven't tossed a bottle of water at it to be sure. A friend says he has some of the correct seals for that door at his place, so I need to follow up on that.&nbsp; And at the local VW hangout tonight I managed to borrow a roofrack from a buddy...so that's another one off the to-do list!&nbsp; Sweet! </p> 2008-01-10T19:37:46+00:00 231 0 2008-01-11T05:24:10+00:00 189 Been battling allergies this week and have spent too much of the day half-asleep or mostly-asleep due to Benadryl, but made myself get up and get out there to test fit the snow chains I bought. I am happy to say that it was much easier than I expected. Mind you, this was on dry concrete in my carport! I'm sure it'll be more of a challenge on a dirt road after miles and miles of abuse while snuggled up to a cold, wet tire! 2008-01-09T17:56:40+00:00 230 0 2008-01-09T17:56:40+00:00 189 So it's the end of the weekend of big storms in Nor*Cal and let's just say it was a bit of a learning experience as I prepare for the Shasta Trip. My duct tape window seal solution kept the rain out for much of the day, but ultimately let some water in. One of my door seals is less than perfect and is getting my door panel wet. Need to see how to solve that in case we find ourselves in lots of rain this trip. Also need to head up to Sacramento this week and borrow a roofrack from a friend. And I need to make sure to apply an anti-fogging agent to my windows as I've learned that my windows will fog up something fierce in cold weather. So much to do...mere weeks remain! 2008-01-07T07:28:33+00:00 229 0 2008-01-07T07:28:33+00:00 189 Four weeks from now I will be at a place called the Rampaging Spot. It'll be dark, cold, perhaps damp, and I'll be surrounded by a bunch of other VW bus owners. At 4.30am the next morning, February 1st, we'll run to our buses and start the most insane marathon drive to Mount Shasta, CA ever. The Shasta Snow Trip. More than 15 hours of driving unpaved backroads; a test of skill, endurance, and one's cojones! It's taken me three years of committing to and then bailing on the trip to get to this point. I mean, I've become a true "snowflake" to this group. I need to go this year. Need. The bus is just about as ready as it's gonna get. I've got supplies and a co-pilot. I have my mapbook and keep looking at it and imagining what it'll be like to really be on the trip. Am I scared? Hell, yes! Am I excited? You bet!! Do I still need to learn how to put on chains? Yeah, gotta work on that. 2008-01-03T05:45:44+00:00 227 0 2008-01-03T05:45:44+00:00 189