Itinerant Air-Cooled

Safe travels, once again, to you Colin!!

How do you compare the comfort of the drivers seat in the early bay to the BobD late bay?

Since we're peppering you with questions... did Mike wire up the front reflectors to be marker lights? I know sometimes, if the angle is right, they will reflect camera flash and appear to be lit, but in every picture posted so far they appear actually lit. I can't believe the stock-enthusiast Mike Browning would have committed such an atrocity. We'll blame it on a previous previous owner.

Safe travels and say hi to Mike for me. I know he's riding shotgun with you even if you can't see him.

Good luck Colin and early bay! Enjoy the patient pace and old bay feel. I am looking forward to the next northeast visit...

sped372 wrote: It's already developed lazy mirror syndrome!

Ahh no. That is Parallax Syndrome, whereupon my desperate desire to get a full view of the I-5 Portland Metro traffic hurtling up behind me has caused me to commit an aesthetic faux-pas that is shared with the BobD. The upper inner edges of both mirrors are canted to the longest visible line of road behind the bus. Then the outside edge gives me a preview of any idiot swooping in from two lanes over. Looks stupid, no debate there ...

The BobD in Death Valley:


TBRRD near Mount Shasta:


This bus sneaks the miles in. It did all the mountain passes between Oregon and California and I found it to be effortless for this 48net hp engine so long as I kept it in the happy spot around 3,500 rpm. Yes, when the hill looms, I dive for the climbing lane, but once there, it is a great time to catch up on:
*dusting the top of the dash
*realigning both outside and rearview mirrors
*cleaning the instrument glass
*picking at that dried glue near the headliner
*finishing chapter 17
The TBRRD has the same odometer error as the Road Warrior did. Every mile is recorded as only 9/10ths on the odometer. Tires are standard. Does this car actually have 99,500 miles??



(p.s. I too find the illuminated front markers dumb on the early buses with their parking lamps so close by. But I think they could serve a purpose on the later buses where the legally required side marker illumination are these diddly little things stuck in up under the windshield in the turn signal housings. The replacement turn signal housings do not have provision for the side marker bulbs, so it is a nice idea, Mike .... just overpowering on the early buses )

Oregon72 wrote: Sorry I missed the lab - 'twas out of town. Looks like the TBRRD has survived it's first leg - it's good to see it on the road again.

Hello Troy. I wanted to drive your bus just a little, just to get some early bus juju WITH a Type 4 engine for just a little moment. This bus has no idea how things have changed for it ... starts up "sure, let's go to the store", then finds out that it is running at speed for the next 12 hours straight. Yee HAW, it's Highway Time!
ColinSunnyInRedding!MustGoToChillyCoastNow

It's funny to read your accounts of the hill climbs... sounds so familiar. Sometimes it feels like you're riding a ski-lift or something. There you are, puttering up the hill at a constant mediocre speed with the trees passing by and the engine humming away at it's happy spot. I feel like our bus has a way of splitting the journey into it's divisible components... you notice the hills, you get real acquainted with them because you have no choice but to slow down. They become milestones on the journey and landmarks to look forward to next time. The areas between the hills are enjoyed in a different way entirely. It's hard to explain; to some it might seem a nuisance but I've grown to find comfort in it.

Indeed, hills are noticed. Like Cabbage Hill east of Pendleton, OR on 84. Or that monster 95 going north out of Lewiston, ID. I thought that one would never end. Unforgettable.


neal

We have a landmark hill on I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe: La Bajada.

We also have on that must be scaled to get up to Los Alamos: the Main Hill Road, topping off the substantial climb up from the Rio Grande to get all the way up onto Pajarito Plateau where the town sits.

It looks like you found some sun. It was over 100 here today. Tomorrow will also be hot.

sped372 wrote: It's funny to read your accounts of the hill climbs... sounds so familiar. Sometimes it feels like you're riding a ski-lift or something. There you are, puttering up the hill at a constant mediocre speed with the trees passing by and the engine humming away at it's happy spot.

Light-bulb moment here. I think I just figured out what VW was thinking when they came up with the air-cooled Vanagon. They were just trying to help people get back into that laid-back, we'll-get-there-when-we-get-there headspace.

I can just picture a design meeting, 1977 or so:
"Dammit Heinz, people are just going too fast in our latest type IIs. They're not enjoying the journey."
"No problem Fritz, we'll just add weight. That should slow them down on the climbs. Better improve the brakes though..."

Yup, that explains everything. (well, except the wasserboxer)

Birdibus wrote:It looks like you found some sun. It was over 100 here today. Tomorrow will also be hot.

Seriously, quit effing around in the NW and come to where the sun is....


http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/ ... ts/146363/

Have I taught you nothing?

Lanval

Lanval wrote:Seriously, quit effing around in the NW and come to where the sun is....


http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/ ... ts/146363/

Have I taught you nothing?

Lanval

Today Colin meets up with Airkooledchris. I wonder how that is going? What is the weather like out there?

We actually ended up doing our visit yesterday.

it was bright and sunny all day long. I even got a mild sunburn on my neck and arms from being in the direct sunlight most of the morning/afternoon.

it was a great visit this time around, nowhere near as crazy as our marathon session last time around thankfully.

The rain has it's own perks.







Yummers.


neal

Yummers is RIGHT!

Thass a shedload of chanterelles, right there.

Autumn is good.