Date:         Wed, 7 Jun 95 11:22:30 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         stafford@alcor.hac.com (Jack Stafford)
Subject:      Back from vacation

  Back from a two week vacation and catching up on the list.
I found Skip's WWW page that echoes the Vanagon list and it's
great!  Since I don't have a threaded email reader I love it.

Westy tent - setting up
  The rubber seal that attaches to the rain gutter can be
  very uncooperative.  Try applying a _little_ dish soap 
  along with the elbow grease.

Speedo error
  My speedo indicates roughly 5 mph more than the actual
  speed.  I'm running Michelin 185-R-14 tires on the '73.

Vanagon lowering kits?!
  This must be someone's idea of a joke, right?  ;-)


  I spent a couple days in Las Vegas for the Grateful Dead
concerts.  There were plenty of bay window and Vanagons in
the parking lots.  Sadly, the only split window vintage bus
I saw was welded to the top of a purple & green school bus.
  Out to Lake Mead for some houseboating for the week that
followed.  The fridge on board was made by Dometic and it
worked so well that it froze the food in the refer section.
  The bus ran flawlessly the entire trip. When I got back I
changed the oil and touched up a few door dings and a tiny
rust spot.  I got sick with a virus and had reservations
about my plans for Lassen volcanic park.
  Wednesday I headed north to Sonoma county.  I settled for
a tour of the Napa valley and the winerys in the area. Most
impressive were Domaine Chandon and Beaulieu Vineyards (BV).
The only microbrewery I found was in Calistoga - good red ale.
  The weather at Bodega Bay was pleasant, sun and light winds.
Nearly every generation of transporter was present except for
the EuroVan.  In the evening I learned that magnesium needs to
have oxygen to burn.  There must be 5lbs of slag in the bottom
of the smelter, er, fire ring at Steve's campsite.  
  My mileage varied from 16 to 19 miles per gallon.  I found
that my best mileage was from Gilroy to Gorman on the way home.
By keeping a constant 60 MPH the trucks and autos go right around
you at 70+ MPH.  No need to worry about passing and lane changes
so the driving was pleasant.

  It was a pleasure meeting you all and I look forward to the
next vanagon@lenti campout.
Jack  '73 Westy (orange)

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 Jack A. Stafford                 |  Hughes Aircraft Company
 Engineering Specialist           |  Microelectronics Division
 Design Systems Department        |  Bldg. 700, MailStop B1260
 (714) 759-2077                   |  500 Superior Avenue
 (714) 759-2913 FAX               |  Newport Beach, California
 stafford@alcor.hac.com           |    USA          92658-8903
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