Date:         Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:29:39 -0800
Reply-To:     "dhanson@gorge.net" <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "dhanson@gorge.net" <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Trip Report:  Oregon to California
Content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

  That could be a short trip...but from the north border of Oregon to the south border of California
is what I just drove, just under 1200 miles.  The 84 topless west-fakia with it's inline four
1.8liter VW motor and 5sp. worked perfectly.  We had a pretty heavy load of carpentry tools and
bicycle gear but for the most part, I kept the speed at around 65mph, looking for good gas mileage
there.
  I took the back road south, down hwy 395 along the east slope of the mountains.  Simply
beautiful!  Over the higher passes, I was slowed back to my 4th gear.  I can maintain about 65 in
that gear, but it feels a bit wound out, so I normally shift down at around 55mph and hold that
unless there is a stupid headwind combined with a very steep pitch on the pass.
  Haven't done the math on the gas consumption yet, but my normal ~23 fully loaded mpg seems like it
is still what I got during this trip.
  I stealth-camped in a mini mall parking lot in Gardnerville, Nv for about 6 hrs of sleep and
stopped near Bishop, Ca. to ride a bicycle climb I'd been wanting to ride up to the South Lake..
  It seems that the highway traffic is somewhat diminished (the economy?) and Reno looked virtually
deserted as I drove through..Acres and acres of empty parking lots around those huge hotel/casinos.
  I noticed the change in sound after mounting my snow tires (Hakepitas).  I felt good that I'd gone
into my CV joints pre-trip, too.  My new H-4 Euro headlights were a real joy out in the mountains
and I used my roof mounted spotlight to find my S.O.'s campsite upon my arrival in the desert.  My
new "cheaper" inverter seems to be happy charging my laptop and cell phones and my little solar
panel seems happy charging my extra battery to run that inverter..
  all is good in the desert southwest in the turd-brown vanagon..
  Don Hanson

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