Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:01 am

Part II of the Oregon Experience included a return to rain. The Upper Midwest contingent and the Pacific Northwest contingent seemed to be in a contest of who would have more rain if not more beer.

The first LuckyLab night, barely a day of drying out from the Maupin Beer-Tasting, slammed me anew with Strong Dog? Blue Dog? Super Dog? and I had to pace myself very carefully to make it through the evening somewhat coherent. Everything looks beautiful after the first half-glass.
A beautiful Gretchen Ghia:
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A charming Tiki-lights Boell Westy:
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Much conversation with many, there was a Patricia . . . . and I remember a Heather and a Paige and Neal and Dwayne and Hambone and Sean with a couple of brand new D-Jet harnesses (I think I offered my soul and free appointments for life, but I was on my second glass of beer, too), tristessa, Gypsie and Cheryl and beer, Sluggo and kubelwagen with his crankcase in-tow.

I veered out of there begging off with the reminder (to myself) that I had an appointment the next morning. Dispatched Khargis the next day to his future travels with a bus that clearly knows something about travelling, it had the road patina, the stout heart, the slightly sloppy everything . . .

. . . and drove to Bellingham WA the next day. Beautiful landscapes and aggressive I-5 traffic and a new ability to cruise at 62 without nervousness after Hambone and I stuck on the "slow" fanbelt and eradicated a good 50% of the high-speed generator/fan vibration:
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Who needs "cooling" when it is 53*?:
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The lighting was captivating:
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I drove on the new temporary span of the Skagit River Bridge, just hours after it was opened:
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(have to scram to an appointment here in Eureka CA! will finish later!)
(for the first time ever, it was warmer and drier in Eureka than it was inland!
Rained yesterday and all day the day before and the day before that too!
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:42 pm

Poor ThomEllis, the customer who came down from Canada to Bellingham only to hear my whinywhiny complaining about the weather . . . which was pretty gruesome for June 20th. I think we hit 53* that day and it rained the whole day through. He held up with aplomb as I directed him under then in then under then in then under his late model Westy so many countless times. The rain was drumming into Chloe with rivulets running across to the other side of the interior as the tool box and all the boxes got wetter and wetter, no matter how crisply I opened and closed and opened and closed and opened and closed the sliding door to get tools. Our test drive included an anarchic blast up a one way street with a quick duck into a parking lot just before impact. His Westy was responsive and alert to inputs.

Would you like a photo-montage of my return to Portland?
Rain on I-5
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Rain on I-5
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Rain on I-5
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Rain on I-5
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Rain on I-5
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Very beautiful, yes, but I was getting exhausted and chilled. The interior of the car was damp with no chance for airing out. The cactus was totally happy, as was the engine.

Went to sleep in the rain at some rest stop, woke up to rain at some rest stop. A trucker walked by with his little doggy as I staggered out the sliding door trying to feel some sensation in my legs.
"Hurry up and go!" he commanded his dog. The dog was dealing enough with tall wet grass and I don't think he or she wanted to add to the moisture problem.
"You're awfully far from home," he directed at me.
"I'm homeless," I directed back.
"You have New York plates, don't you?"
"I do?"
He walked off shaking his head, but heck, it was raining.

Had time for a little discussion with myself, too. Did I not love going out in the rain as a child? Did I not play in squishy sneakers, make mud and twig dams along dirt roads? Did I not "grass sled" with friends?
Did I not enjoy those crazy rooster tails of spray bicycling through puddles? I rode my ten-speed bike through rain and snow through high school, nothing could or ever did stop me from getting outside, yet here I am pouting on the way back to Portland "I can't work on my bus in this crap."

And beautiful Portland, the bewitching city of beer! and nighttime lights and sidewalk energy nestled along the confluence of two rivers and many bridges, had some deeper challenges to fling my way than just rain drops . . .
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

Post by Bleyseng » Sun Jun 30, 2013 10:57 am

I am really glad you and your stormclouds/rain have left Seattle. Its been 75-83F now for several days so the Ghia is out, topless driving is in! :cheers: The little 1600SP is running smooth and 30mpg buzzing around the area. Now to install a MC and fix the stupid horn/steering wheel bearings plus get it aligned...never ends it seems.
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77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

Post by sgkent » Mon Jul 01, 2013 12:17 pm

he could bring some of the rain this way as he comes south. It is supposed to be 112 F here tomorrow and Wednesday also. The 4th is supposed to be a cooler 108 F predicted. Send rain please.
TBone208 wrote: "You ppl are such windbags. Go use your crystal ball to get rich & predict something meaningful. Nobody knows what's going to happen. How are we supposed to take ppl who don't know the definition of a recession & "woman" seriously?"

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Oregon II

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:50 am

sgkent wrote:he could bring some of the rain this way as he comes south. It is supposed to be 112 F here tomorrow and Wednesday also. The 4th is supposed to be a cooler 108 F predicted. Send rain please.
Apparently, all I have been able to bring in is some clouds.
We tried, Chloe and I . . .
ColinWiltedCactus
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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