Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings Pullman WA

Post by **Amskeptic** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:26 am

Washington is a beautiful state. People may associate the northwest forests and Seattle metropolis as "Washington" but it is a state of broad diversity. After my Starbucks-saturated Seattle visits (with the excellent indie music courtesy of Lari & The Swim Team) and the sometimes annoying I-5 corridor and those Pacific Ocean misty chilly sun-extinguishing clouds of hypothermia, it was a pleasure to rediscover the sun-baked fields of wheat and abandoned intersections with old grain elevators. Rather than the usual baseline valley floors with mountains sticking up, we are sort of baseline plateau with valleys carved right on down into them. The whole Columbia River Gorge is an example, but this little spot really shows it:

I took the above picture in the middle of a windfarm. After driving alongside a single windmill blade that barely fit on an 18 wheeler flatbed, I had a new appreciation of the sheer size of these things. They make a nice spooky sound when you are next to them. Apparently there is quite a bit of "airflow" rushing past those blades:

A simple modification for those who might like to drive across the continent in one sitting:

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:39 am

We were out in that area two weeks ago and it IS beautiful, especially handy if you live here and you need to go dry out and dust off the arm pit rust.

Did you end up taking route 2? Er did ya' bomb I-90?

Velokid1 · Post by **Velokid1** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:05 am

I was traveling through there a few years ago alone and I found this wonderful big old dilapidated barn in the middle of a wheat field, so I hiked back to it with my lunch and sat and ate inside, while the wind whistled through the boards. Right as I was about to leave, an enormous owl swooped down from the rafters, over my head and out through a hole in the barn wall. It was nice to think of that owl watching me for an hour as I ate and me sitting there clueless.

Nice pics, Colin. I'm due for a road trip.

glasseye · Post by **glasseye** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:51 am

Windmills, the modern kind, are marvels of engineering and grace. I camped here (Cowley Ridge, east of Crowsnest Pass) and could barely hear them a hundred feet away, churning out megawatts.

[albumimg]1294[/albumimg]

Returning from the WA coast yesterday, I passed the those very same eighteen-wheelers carrying windmill part SW of Pullman. No blue and white Bay, though. I musta blinked.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:12 pm

glasseye wrote:
No blue and white Bay, though. I musta blinked.

Ya musta. . . . We were right here in Pullman, satchmo and me tuning his dual carbs during the final moments of his fine extractor exhaust system.

Then right down the road, I wore down drhallster with a full day of tuning his '72 bus dual carbs, too. And look closely, you'll see satchmo's bus came over too with a stock exhaust system, post-IAC.

So we have blue, blue/white, blue/white bays just crawling all over Washington state. Good people, these satchmo and drhallster folks, the best sort of banter. . . .

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:15 pm

AAHHHHHHHHH

TWINS!! (that musta hurt)

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:19 pm

So in the last picture is that two 73's and a 72?

The 72 musta been fun to adjust

Post by **Amskeptic** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:32 pm

spiffy wrote:So in the last picture is that two 73's and a 72?

The 72 musta been fun to adjust

Satchmo and I have blue/white '73's, drhallster has the '72 Kombi.
It was weird to have almost identical cars in close proximity. His steers better. And is peppier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mine's quieter.

I have never never never been annoyed by '72 engine access. His was a cooperative now-factory-dual-carb bus with airflow synchronization that is so dang easy I wish my linkage had it. Notice the lovely straight early bay bumpers, did I mention that it had the original engine-break-in bracket on the floor? Clean original visors and good headliner at the cab. It is a very complete nice low-mileage Kombi.

Bleyseng · Post by **Bleyseng** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:31 am

break in bracket?

Love Eastern Washington especially the Yakima area. I go over there to be with friends alot and to escape the I-5 Seattle traffic nightmare. My westy likes going the I-90 route but I have gone around too.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:59 am

Bleyseng wrote:break in bracket?

Love Eastern Washington especially the Yakima area. I go over there to be with friends alot and to escape the I-5 Seattle traffic nightmare. My westy likes going the I-90 route but I have gone around too.

Drhallster has agreed to post the part #. It clips to the floor under the accelerator.
ColinOutsideOf Spokane

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:50 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
Bleyseng wrote:break in bracket?

Love Eastern Washington especially the Yakima area. I go over there to be with friends alot and to escape the I-5 Seattle traffic nightmare. My westy likes going the I-90 route but I have gone around too.
Drhallster has agreed to post the part #. It clips to the floor under the accelerator.
ColinOutsideOf Spokane

That thing right there needs to be sent to Chris at the Busted Bus or Scott at German Supply to be reproduced by cracky.

satchmo · Post by **satchmo** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:58 am

Amskeptic wrote:
spiffy wrote:So in the last picture is that two 73's and a 72?

The 72 musta been fun to adjust
Satchmo and I have blue/white '73's, drhallster has the '72 Kombi.
It was weird to have almost identical cars in close proximity. His steers better. And is peppier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mine's quieter.

Hey, no fair. Since I hit a deer, I intentionally keep my bus as noisy as possible so they hear me coming. My SO even made me put deer whistles on the front (they must really work because I haven't hit a deer again since I put them on).

Anyway, my bus and I had a good time with Colin. I got a major demerit on my dual carb tuning, and a 'downgrade' on my 'Best Shifter in the Country' rating since I replaced the original 002 transmission with an 091. That's ok. I'm still learning and enjoying the ride.

It was nice to get drhallster's 72 bus back on the road, too. Thanks, Colin.

Tim

Drhallster · Post by **Drhallster** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:55 pm

It was a great visit with Colin, and this time my bus actually ran when we were done. =D>

The part number for the break in bracket is
211 721 625A.

So did Colin make it into Canada?

Post by **Amskeptic** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:33 pm

Colin did not.
Bitter, bitterly disappointed, and it was all entirely my responsibility to just have done the damn bureaucratic tap-dance from TWO summers ago that I avoided with both procrastination and a childish resistance. I have the forms, OK it was a bit difficult to get to the consulate, but nonetheless, this was a stoopit gamble that did not pay off. They tore up my interior and possessions pretty thoroughly, and I had to cool my heels for a good long time to speak with an immigration officer, then convince the U.S. side to please please pleeeze let me back in. I concede that they were courteous and professional and extremely stern with this having been my second attempt to enter Canada without the proper documentation.
Glasseye, I am sorry as stated at the border station.
Colin

vwlover77 · Post by **vwlover77** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:38 am

glasseye wrote:Windmills, the modern kind, are marvels of engineering and grace. I camped here (Cowley Ridge, east of Crowsnest Pass) and could barely hear them a hundred feet away, churning out megawatts.

For those interested in a little more detail about the marvel, check out this article featuring my employer....

http://machinedesign.com/ContentItem/69 ... ility.aspx