Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From California

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From California

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:08 pm

Poor bus. 100* heat and hill after after hill, but worse than that;
what is with that gas station in Grants Pass selling low-octane crap gas as though the elevation was sufficiently high? I hit the road and the engine started stumbling in about 100 miles. I thought it was the fuel pump, so I pulled off to cool it down. . . and shot this year's Mount Shasta Bus Shot ( August of 2003 shot is in theSamba gallery):
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Then, as I was filming a shot of the almost dry Lake Shasta on the I-5 bridge, bam! the engine dies dead as a doornail. Hit the emergency flasher, and squeezed out a couple of photographs as the speed dropped below 30 mph:
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Bus came to a dead halt on the inside curve of a hill just past the bridge, parked so close to the guardrail that I cannot open the passenger door, trucks are rushing past and rocking the car as I grab my towel and scrunch under the car to eat road grit from the air wash of the incessant parade of trucks blasting past. Now I know you have heard me complain about trucks and their lousy lane discipline as of late, the sound of tires buzzing on the shoulder strips has wakened me many a time in some rest area with a start, but I gotta tell you, if I heard anything like that right here under the bus, I would completely freak. So the fuel pump is tackity tocking like mad when I energize it from the starter 13mm nut terminal. The fuel filter has some tank rusty bits and paint chips from the recent Oregon gas attendant wars, so I pull it, mindful of the exquisitely hot exhaust plumbing and 100* day, and I backwash that bad boy with GumOut the elixer of gods, and get a good spatter of chips, rusty bits, and even a flying filter from a really good blast from a really close truck. No time to screw around! Get this done! Reattach the filter and the hose leaks. Tighten the clamp a tad. It squeezes the hose off the end of this fine Made In Israel plastic fuel filter. Gas bath, truck wind, road grit, fear for my life, and finally got it all together and primed the pump which is now a nice quiet mellow dudududududududududu-du-----du-------du. Engine starts right up and I pull up the hill on the shoulder at 30 mph with flashers and take some more pictures, at least you can't smell the gas on them!
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This poor lake is so low. Look close. The hordes of Recreational Locusts are just descending into the lake bed to party on. . . .

Drove on, well pleased with the favorable fact that I was not killed in a fiery wreck. But fire was still on my mind. The skies have been whiteish all day and that cloud hiding the summit of Mount Shasta was a cloud of smoke. Here is a staging area for an aerial attack on the fires ravaging northern California (because that is what fires here are supposed to do):
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And here is a big-ass helicopter getting filled up by a tanker:
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Right after this shot, the car just puked to a halt again, complete loss of power but no idiot lights until I pushed in the clutch. With my 15 seconds of coast time now upon me, I put away the camera AGAIN, looked along the guardrail AGAIN, sized up the truck traffic and their lane tracking AGAIN and came to a halt. . . . on an exit ramp with a Shell station visible through the trees. "Fuel pump!" I says to the fuel pump, "yer screwed, I don't care if you overheat and die, I am getting off this freeway." So I hotwired (no fuse protection either!) the pump to the starter 13mm terminal and it is making a death rattle. I flick the filter trying to splash some fuel into the pump, but the death rattle gets worse. Then I squish the outlet hose and try to tilt the filter down to get some fuel into the pump on the inlet side. But wait! The pump quiets down and goes into its mellow dudududududududududududu-------du------dudu---du---du-----du. "Aha!" but no one is there to listen, "vapor lock due to a dip in the outlet hose." Like a toilet trap, a pocket of gas vapor has occurred and the pump has been dashing its plunger silly trying to push air that refuses to go anywhere. Air. From Lousy Gas Vaporizing in the 100* heat. Thanks Grant's Pass Whomever with the 85.5 boilable horsepiss and ethanol. So I get to the Shell and fill up with 87 real gasoline, and I am looking just as hot and cranky as I feel. That's why, at Starbucks here, when I found out the A/C is not working too well, I snapped at the counterperson to please perhaps turn down that car accident stuck horn section passing itself off as jazzzzzzzz just a bit. To which she replied, "I am glad you asked, for they make us turn the volume up to 3:00 on the dial all day, and I hate music. . . have you been working in gasoline?"
I am literally right next to Bus-Boys here in Redding, and I so desperately want to get some new trailing arms. . . . but the itinerary marches on.
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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pjalau
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Post by pjalau » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:35 pm

Funny, I was just there, in that Starbucks, next to bus boys on the way back from Maupin. My grandparents lived in Redding, I have oddly fond memories of the town.

My Pics of the bus boys grave yard are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/set ... 705324335/

Let me know if you need help up there, I still know a few people.

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:44 pm

pjalau wrote:Let me know if you need help up there, I still know a few people.
Call Walter! Call someone! Tell him them whomever to come to the shop tomorrow, Sunday morning! I'll pay for the coffee, but I need new ball joints. These things are horrid in the heat. Let me know!
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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pjalau
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Post by pjalau » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:49 pm

Funny thought, knock on the shop door. Their mechanic works weekends and occasionally sleeps there with the cat. Seriously. If the light is on, he's usually there.

-P

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:57 pm

pjalau wrote:Funny thought, knock on the shop door. Their mechanic works weekends and occasionally sleeps there with the cat. Seriously. If the light is on, he's usually there.

-P
I will do so in the morning. Tonight, it is a glorious Cool Fuel Pump camp-out under the Orange Half Moon But No Stars.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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covelo
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Post by covelo » Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:42 pm

I hope you get it going better tomorrow. We'll be crossing paths somewhere on I-5 probably. I'll avoid the Grants Pass gas! Please pm me if you would like me to leave my spare facet pump somewhere for you.
‘80 Vanagon Westfalia - 54,400 miles
'91 Toyota Pickup (4WD long bed) - 199,960 miles
1987 Alfa Spider Veloce - 166,400 miles
2017 VW E-Golf - 5,600 miles

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:51 pm

covelo wrote:I hope you get it going better tomorrow. We'll be crossing paths somewhere on I-5 probably. I'll avoid the Grants Pass gas! Please pm me if you would like me to leave my spare facet pump somewhere for you.
Very very kind of you. . .
Mile Marker 594 northbound, go down the embankment to the south side culvert (its a triple). Three snagged trash bags in, there is an overturned Whirlpool washer basket, the plastic one. Upend it and remove the motor support bracket. Place the Facet Pump under the bracket and re downend it. Twist the shoulder reflector just north of the mile marker to catch the afternoon sun from the west at 2:00PM such that the glare hits the southbound traffic 1/10th of a mile north of the mile marker.
Colin :compress:
( I will be picking up a spare tomorrow and seeing how long this old thing keeps ticking with no more vaporlock dips in the outlet hose)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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covelo
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Post by covelo » Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:06 pm

Just found the pump in my garage. Problem is that our dog sitter won't be here (Santa Clara) until noon, so we won't be reaching I-5 until 3pm or so. Not sure where the mile marker is that you're talking about, but I doubt we'll get there before 2pm. Depending on your morning and where you're headed, we may want to meet further south. I'll pm my cell number so you can let me know tomorrow morning. I will also definitely check in from the road.
‘80 Vanagon Westfalia - 54,400 miles
'91 Toyota Pickup (4WD long bed) - 199,960 miles
1987 Alfa Spider Veloce - 166,400 miles
2017 VW E-Golf - 5,600 miles

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ruckman101
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Post by ruckman101 » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:48 am

Cha, just this year, Oregon went 10 percent ethanol mix year round, instead of switching back and forth from winter to summer.


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Oregon72
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Post by Oregon72 » Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:43 pm

Sorry to hear about this and I hope you get rolling soon.

Grants Pass - I lived there most of my life. I'm pretty sure the same company (Colvin Oil Co.) owns pretty much all the gas stations there. Why worry about quality when you have the consumer backed in a corner. Not only that, you can normally count on paying quite a bit more for gas there compared to other parts of the state.

Glad I no longer live there, I miss the Rogue River though.

Troy
-'72 Westy-

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hambone
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Post by hambone » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:40 pm

What was it like living down there? I've heard S. Oregon is either way overpriced or toothless ghetto...but I'm sure the wild areas can't be beat.
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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:52 pm

Oregon72 wrote:Grants Pass - I lived there most of my life. I'm pretty sure the same company (Colvin Oil Co.) owns pretty much all the gas stations there. Why worry about quality when you have the consumer backed in a corner. Not only that, you can normally count on paying quite a bit more for gas there compared to other parts of the state.
It was $4.69 for regular yesterday $31.96 for 6.8 gallons o' garbage.
Fuel pump is fine today. Temps are still HOOOOOOTTTTTTTT and I am cruising 70-75, tempting fate. . . but I have a $42.00 facet fuel pump sitting on the floor next to me as back up.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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static
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Post by static » Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:22 pm

Amskeptic wrote:but I have a $42.00 facet fuel pump sitting on the floor next to me as back up.
You are quite multifaceted.

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Oregon72
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Post by Oregon72 » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:42 pm

hambone wrote:What was it like living down there? I've heard S. Oregon is either way overpriced or toothless ghetto...but I'm sure the wild areas can't be beat.
Hambone - let me start with a joke - How do you compliment a woman from Grants Pass?? Answer: Nice tooth :blackeye:

The wild areas are beautiful. Plenty of dispersed camping which I know you would love. Mt. Ashland is a nice little ski area. Beautiful drive to get to the Redwoods. River rafting on the Rogue. Lots of good recreation.

Troy
-'72 Westy-

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Oregon72
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Post by Oregon72 » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:44 pm

Amskeptic wrote: It was $4.69 for regular yesterday $31.96 for 6.8 gallons o' garbage.
Fuel pump is fine today. Temps are still HOOOOOOTTTTTTTT and I am cruising 70-75, tempting fate. . . but I have a $42.00 facet fuel pump sitting on the floor next to me as back up.
Colin
Colin - I just paid $4.19 today for 87 octane... now you mean to tell me it's only $.50 more per gallon to received genuine bonafide horse-piss? Where do I sign up??
-'72 Westy-

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