MN 4 The Travel Day To Iowa
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:06 am
Jun 13/14 Done! llarosa16 ........................ Farmington MN
Jun 16 Done! Belle Plaine .......................... Belle Plaine MN
Jun 17 Done! grifftenstein .......................... Saint Peter MN
Jun 18 Done! llarosa16 ii ............................. Farmington MN
Jun 19a Done! the miz .......................................... Eagan MN
Jun 19b Done! grifftenstein ii ..................... Saint Peter, MN
Jun 20 Done! lilpig88 .............................. Orange City IA
Damn good and tired after llarosa16 ii, I hauled my aching carcass with the damaged fingernail quicks to the miz for some spritzes of brake cleaner and carb spray to sooth them. The miz has a write-up on our visit, so I will just briefly share with you that the Vanagon self-adjusting brakes are an elegant system, but the new shoes come with cheepcheep tinny self-adjusting levers that must be handled carefully as you fight the original springs as you fight the shoes over the wheel hub as you fight the emergency brake cross bar into position. The miz is a too fine a gentleman to drag you all through the swearing and slipping and cussing and contortions we endured getting the assemblies back together. It was a timely job:
The original shoes were just just beginning to arrive at metal-on-metal. We honed the right rear wheel cylinder and did a local bleed as we re-assembled with new shoes. (check for leaks!) Did I mention I was going to Iowa? Then we disassembled the left side and replaced its shoes with far less swearing because now we were pros:
I hope the engine install and camping trip all come together for you. I think I left at about 2:30PM to go to grifftenstein's house to get the newly installed dual carburetors tuned and find out why the right carb was playing backfirishly dead. Did I mention I had to get to Iowa? So I got to grifftenstein's house and crawled over the spare 1700 engine at the back door of the garage and tried to get the garage door to open with the wall-mounted switch. No. Finally disengaged the automatic door opener and manually shoved it up.
Swapped the electromagnetic cut-offs to see if the problem would follow the cut-off. Nope. Then grifftenstein came home, apparently still alive after his night trip to the doctor the other day. The dead right carb problem was inside the carburetor. Took off the carburetor. Tore it down. Hey, I have to get to Iowa. Spritzed it with carb spray to help keep my fingernail quicks inflamed with raging pain. Re-assembled and the engine actually smoothed out and ran on both carbs.
"You'll like these carbs" I offered as we surveyed the new engine compartment layout:
We went on a test drive.
"Do you like these carbs?"
" I like these carbs."
Then I went to Iowa. There was a storm brewing. Said there'd be hail and wind and thunderstorms. With my late late departure from the greater Minneapolis metropolitan area, I was due to get slammed right smack dab at the Iowa border. I could see clouds building to my right and I thought I might outrun the impending storm (Chloe: out-walk it). :
But noooooooo, MN 60 had to hit me with a detour, a big feignt east that did not allow me to get south in time:
Now I had flashes of lightning to my left and my right and it was beautiful but I was tired, so tired, and where is Iowa, anyway? Did I mention lilpig88 was my Iowa call? Here are the message headers for #1,2,3:
Re: quick update: no baby yet...all signs go (at this point)
Stopped at a McDonalds for another coffee refill to read the latest message header:
Re: quick update: no baby yet...all signs go (at this point)
Then the storm howled in with wind gusts and sheets of rain. An old lady walks to my table, and peers out at the storm. She launches into a stream of consciousness about her daughter and son and weather and visits and her car and Rainstorms She Has Weathered.
"Is that a computer?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how to use it and all?"
"No. Not really."
Drove out into the storm on my way to Orange City Iowa at 11:00PM. Chloe just saunters with little skips and dances through the howling and almost constant flashes of lightning. I like lightning. It lets me look for approaching tornado funnels that must surely be lurking in this infernal maelstrom. Arrived at the exit to Orange City and camped off the highway along a corn field. A couple of good thunderbolts blasted my sorely needed sleep. Awoke at 7:00AM, no more storm. Step out into the mud and get ready to shave, I can SHAVE can't I? No, said the pop-up rain shower. Demoralized and cranky, I drive to Orange City up from the highway. Sun came out at the car wash, damn right I went to car wash, don't want anyone to see this wretched display of entomological carnage all over my poor Volkswagen. Shaved at the car wash, too, 9:00AM, better get moving. Drove to lilpig88's house. All is quiet. Fired up the laptop in his driveway. Checked my PMs:
Here is the proud new dad at Hour Two:
I'll tell you about the hail storm that smacked up Chloe pretty good in Spearfish before installing the engine for mpls-ham yesterday . . . but I have to get to Montana NOW.
Colin
Jun 16 Done! Belle Plaine .......................... Belle Plaine MN
Jun 17 Done! grifftenstein .......................... Saint Peter MN
Jun 18 Done! llarosa16 ii ............................. Farmington MN
Jun 19a Done! the miz .......................................... Eagan MN
Jun 19b Done! grifftenstein ii ..................... Saint Peter, MN
Jun 20 Done! lilpig88 .............................. Orange City IA
Damn good and tired after llarosa16 ii, I hauled my aching carcass with the damaged fingernail quicks to the miz for some spritzes of brake cleaner and carb spray to sooth them. The miz has a write-up on our visit, so I will just briefly share with you that the Vanagon self-adjusting brakes are an elegant system, but the new shoes come with cheepcheep tinny self-adjusting levers that must be handled carefully as you fight the original springs as you fight the shoes over the wheel hub as you fight the emergency brake cross bar into position. The miz is a too fine a gentleman to drag you all through the swearing and slipping and cussing and contortions we endured getting the assemblies back together. It was a timely job:
The original shoes were just just beginning to arrive at metal-on-metal. We honed the right rear wheel cylinder and did a local bleed as we re-assembled with new shoes. (check for leaks!) Did I mention I was going to Iowa? Then we disassembled the left side and replaced its shoes with far less swearing because now we were pros:
I hope the engine install and camping trip all come together for you. I think I left at about 2:30PM to go to grifftenstein's house to get the newly installed dual carburetors tuned and find out why the right carb was playing backfirishly dead. Did I mention I had to get to Iowa? So I got to grifftenstein's house and crawled over the spare 1700 engine at the back door of the garage and tried to get the garage door to open with the wall-mounted switch. No. Finally disengaged the automatic door opener and manually shoved it up.
Swapped the electromagnetic cut-offs to see if the problem would follow the cut-off. Nope. Then grifftenstein came home, apparently still alive after his night trip to the doctor the other day. The dead right carb problem was inside the carburetor. Took off the carburetor. Tore it down. Hey, I have to get to Iowa. Spritzed it with carb spray to help keep my fingernail quicks inflamed with raging pain. Re-assembled and the engine actually smoothed out and ran on both carbs.
"You'll like these carbs" I offered as we surveyed the new engine compartment layout:
We went on a test drive.
"Do you like these carbs?"
" I like these carbs."
Then I went to Iowa. There was a storm brewing. Said there'd be hail and wind and thunderstorms. With my late late departure from the greater Minneapolis metropolitan area, I was due to get slammed right smack dab at the Iowa border. I could see clouds building to my right and I thought I might outrun the impending storm (Chloe: out-walk it). :
But noooooooo, MN 60 had to hit me with a detour, a big feignt east that did not allow me to get south in time:
Now I had flashes of lightning to my left and my right and it was beautiful but I was tired, so tired, and where is Iowa, anyway? Did I mention lilpig88 was my Iowa call? Here are the message headers for #1,2,3:
Re: quick update: no baby yet...all signs go (at this point)
Stopped at a McDonalds for another coffee refill to read the latest message header:
Re: quick update: no baby yet...all signs go (at this point)
Then the storm howled in with wind gusts and sheets of rain. An old lady walks to my table, and peers out at the storm. She launches into a stream of consciousness about her daughter and son and weather and visits and her car and Rainstorms She Has Weathered.
"Is that a computer?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how to use it and all?"
"No. Not really."
Drove out into the storm on my way to Orange City Iowa at 11:00PM. Chloe just saunters with little skips and dances through the howling and almost constant flashes of lightning. I like lightning. It lets me look for approaching tornado funnels that must surely be lurking in this infernal maelstrom. Arrived at the exit to Orange City and camped off the highway along a corn field. A couple of good thunderbolts blasted my sorely needed sleep. Awoke at 7:00AM, no more storm. Step out into the mud and get ready to shave, I can SHAVE can't I? No, said the pop-up rain shower. Demoralized and cranky, I drive to Orange City up from the highway. Sun came out at the car wash, damn right I went to car wash, don't want anyone to see this wretched display of entomological carnage all over my poor Volkswagen. Shaved at the car wash, too, 9:00AM, better get moving. Drove to lilpig88's house. All is quiet. Fired up the laptop in his driveway. Checked my PMs:
Re: quick update: a baby came already...
Sent: Sat Jun 20, 2015 10:03 am
From: Amskeptic
To: lilpig88
lilpig88 wrote:
So we had our baby earlier this morning.
Not sure if you're around (or every were), but call if you are. I might be able to at least say hello for a bit.
Andrew
Congratulations!
I am sitting in your driveway. Green house. Looking at the bicycles that need baby seats. Flowers on the patio table.
I knew right away . . .
Please feel free to attend to your new mother and family member, it is a big day.
I will be heading to South Dakota.
Share a coffee at the hospital? Where at?
Colin
Here is the proud new dad at Hour Two:
I'll tell you about the hail storm that smacked up Chloe pretty good in Spearfish before installing the engine for mpls-ham yesterday . . . but I have to get to Montana NOW.
Colin