My Adventure From CA

As you all know, I moved from CA to MO. Well I wanted to share my adventure. Keep in mind, I'm driving a 1970 VW Beetle @55mph plus I had my dog with me too.

I left Healdsburg CA on Monday July 28th around 4pm. I was planning on cruising to Truckee, CA. (211mi) and then rest for a little before going through Nevada. Well I didn't make it that far. I had been watching my temp gauge and noticed it getting pretty high (around 240). (I was in the sac area at the time. ) I pulled off and let the car cool and then started again, this time only making it to Denny's in Auburn, CA before noticing the temp again.. At this point, it was 930 at night. (Took 5 hrs to go 120mi..)

I decided to stop for the night, slept for a few hrs and then thought maybe I should adjust the valves and timing.. After doing this it made a bit of difference but was still hot. I again pulled off this time at the top rest area. I then had a brilliant idea, remove the engine lid and treat it like a baba bug. Doing this kept my temp at 180 as it normally would sit.

(Tues) After about 17hrs of making it to Truckee I started my decent to reno. Car was driving great and the temp out side was cool too.

I gotta say, NV is a boring state. There is nothing but desert and more desert... I stopped in Wells NV for the night and started up the next morning. I pretty much made it through NV with no issues, I stopped every 50 Mi to make sure everything was good.

(Wed) At this point in my trip I was getting some good miles in. I left Wells, NV traveled through Utah, saw an over turned bog rig and about 3 miles of traffic up hill. (Im thinking the driver that rolled probably doesn't have a job anymore) and made it to Rawlins, Wy. (469mi).

(Thur) I left Rawlins and continued my journey to the border of NE. At this point I started smelling fuel. I pulled off at the rest area, and came to find my fuel pump was lose and leaking fuel everywhere.. Glad I caught it. My adventure continued, I stopped every rest area and checked everything. As I was coming into N. platte , NE I started hearing my fan belt slipping. Curious I stopped and couldn't find the cause, so I thought maybe the trip was making it lose. No biggie.

I started back at it and got to Lincoln, NE and then it starts to pour and shots of lightning shoot off from the sky. It got so bad I had to stop in Percival, IA. (This is a not stop drive from Rawlins BTW. 645mi)

(Today) well I just left Percival and was starting my last bit of road (128mi) when I started to smell oil burning while climbing a grade... I pulled off and found my eng drenched in oil.. WTF??? I started the eng looked around and reved the rpms up, low and behold its leaking from the fan area. (A beetles oil cools from the fan..) It looks like my oil cooler popped a leak... YAY!!

I can say I successfully made it 1700+Mi in a vw beetle. Right now I'm waiting for my parents to get here so we can tow it. ;(. Its been a good drive tho. I'll post a few pics when I get my lap top up.

David

That sounds like an adventure from the old "Hippie" days. I'm thinking Jopa might be the only one here who will fully understand that sentiment. Glad you made it as far as you did David!

When I met my wife her dad had about four or five VW "bugs" and a "thing". After we married he gave the "Thing" to us but wanted us to know that it was only on loan until he might need it again. After about a year or two he had a tree fall on one of his beetles and he decided he needed the Thing back. Every time I would see him for the next two years he would apologize profusely about having to take it back from us. It was funny to me how he felt so bad about taking it back. It was a great little ride to take to the beach - I have some really fond memories of he and I making several trips to Galveston Bay together in Texas. Those little air cooled engines were something else.

This brings back memories. I grew up being a military brat. (My father was in the Air Force.) We had a 1966 VW Convertible which my dad moved us every four years from one end of the USA, to the other. The GOOD 'OL DAYS!!! No wonder I love driving!!!

This brings back memories. I grew up being a military brat. (My father was in the Air Force.) We had a 1966 VW Convertible which my dad moved us every four years from one end of the USA, to the other. The GOOD 'OL DAYS!!! No wonder I love driving!!!

Yea this drive really rekindled the my spark for driving.