Itinerant Air-Cooled Taos Gathering

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Taos Gathering

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:39 pm

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=13897#p233665

Left off at the end of the Los Alamos thread with this observation:
" ... that is where Kit and JR were, trying to put on a Taos Vanlife Gathering ... "

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Those poor souls having put forth such effort all summer, were under the clouds over there on the left of this shot. From my vantage point in "downtown Taos", I thought it was a deluge, but the rain was evaporating before it reached the ground. No, what they were getting was whipping winds whipping up all of their posters and papers and plates and pot-lucks, and they had decided to move it all indoors under the tent.

When I arrived, Kit was trotting down the road to the sign-in table, and I had to give her a "I can't believe you have done this" hug. Then the winds died down, the rain clouds dispersed, the decision to move was cancelled. There were more people there than is my usual wont, but I managed to "mingle" and meet a few people.

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I met the Vanlife Diaries duo, Kathleen and Jared, who have been producing these gatherings all across the country with local hosts (like JR and Kit here in Taos). Ran right into our very own ryankschulz and his beloved, "I'd like to see the interior of your Vanagon that you customized."

Kit and JR did such a job of creating flow for this weekend, I mean there was beer and a movie projected onto the side of an "enormous" white Sprinter, and there was a potluck and an introductory ceremony all on Friday evening. There was beer, did I mention that there was beer? Sure was. And a fire pit. With real fire. I don't think we got to sleep before 1:00AM.

In the morning we had to wrestle a semblance of a workshop sound system together without the sound engineer who might have been sleeping it off, I don't know. Kit engaged a passing person who actually helped us get it all together. I have never spoken in front of people with a microphone in my hand. This workshop went rogue and did not obey the already advertised subject matter. I had decided that it was not enough to merely share roadside repair tips. No, I wanted to discuss death and avoidable crashes and idiots who text. I wanted to leave 'em stricken.
Kit said, "Stricken is good."
I asked her, "but what if it casts a pall over the whole gathering and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains?"
"Pall," said Kit. How could you not absolutely love that?

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My other hand was flapping the "bullet points" papers and trading markers with the microphone hand as needed. Kit ticked off the time remaining with her fingers, but I think I was counting up. Finally, it was just desperate improv. I launched into a eight point diatribe about how best to stay alive out there on the road. The tattered bullet points paper seems to show:
1. Love - your passengers you may love, what do you actually do for them in the name of love when it comes to the deadly act of driving, do you:
2. Know and check your tires, which are the final arbitrars between you and the planet?
3. Understand how to apply your brakes, when to apply your brakes, the physics of work as speed increases?
4. Inspect your steering, question your mechanic, vet all work performed, understeer/oversteer?
5. Lights, visibility, when to use fog lights, driving lights, turn indicators, hazard flashers (rules for socked-in fog or sand storm > off pavement! shut off lights! shut off engine! don't touch brakes, leave it out of park!)

Other workshops followed. I should have caught them all, they were substantive and informative.

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I only caught JR's map reading/campsite finding workshop, and Kit's What Is Vanlife discussion:

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There was a charity dinner for Veterans Off Grid and a sponsored Happy Hour and evening music by Ira Wolf and Lee.
I was sauced on two beers again and lurched around saying "hi" to people. "Ryan! I need to see your Vanagon!"

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Next morning, I had another workshop to put on. This was to be a surreptitious Volkswagen Primer for my Volkswagen peeps. I told them one-by-one, "be there".
First cup of coffee I only got this far on the dry-erase chart:

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After the second cup ... :

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Well, wouldn't you know it, life does not unfold according to plan. The pancake breakfast got unruly. There was even alcohol and dancing at the pancake breakfast and music, plenty of music only feet away. My Volkswagen peeps know where the party is. I had maybe four or five VW people, and a whole bunch of Chevy, Dodge, Toyota 4-Runner people.
THIS is where you have to pull out the improv. I sped through the VW maintenance chart and continually pulled in the Chevy, Dodge, Toyota people with "this is not necessary with a Chevy Express Van," or "you modern people have COMPUTERS doing all the fun work," and then I just opened it up to a Q&A format where I tried to keep it at such a fast pace that it ran like a friggen auction. And it worked out even with the music and happy pancake partakers:

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My exit from the Gathering was of course on the heels of an excellent visit to the Carabiner Coffee Van. "Ryan! I never got to see your Vanagon!":

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This Taos Gathering hosted by Kit and JR was substantive and fun. The work that they put into it was huge. When I met them at the laundromat (Itinerant Air-Cooled To Los Alamos), they were loaded down to the bump stops with beer AND my dry erase easel and markers, look!
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every damn "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed, the signs, the posters, the magnets (I got one, now blocking my radio), and their thank-you's to the presenters were sent out in a timely manner, and kudos to you both, Kit and JR,
I. Had. Fun. (that's me clutching Sunshine's luggage rack "hang in there, Sunshine."

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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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covelo
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Taos Gathering

Post by covelo » Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:58 pm

That does sound like it was a lot of fun! And those mountains all around! Now I want to know all about those safety tips.
‘80 Vanagon Westfalia - 54,400 miles
'91 Toyota Pickup (4WD long bed) - 199,960 miles
1987 Alfa Spider Veloce - 166,400 miles
2017 VW E-Golf - 5,600 miles

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