Sierra Nevada Fool Pump

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Amskeptic
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Sierra Nevada Fool Pump

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:31 pm

But first, how about a little Northern California Waxing Moon Over Fires:
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Today was a lovely day at 7,000 feet. I climbed rocks and wrestled junipers:
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My idiot impatience blew out a funny photograph as I crashed my laptop during upload. (svchost was hogging the processor and I shut down a couple of redundant ones. . . guess they weren't redundant) It was the below shot with that 1,000 foot drop off and a road sign that said "END" no kidding! Way below, wedged against a tree, was a tiny mashed pick-up truck bed but the truck must have just kept on going:
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This is an attempt at arty:
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"IAC Photography, famous for its compelling and daring juxtapositions of natual splendor with a taut political tautology has stretched the imagination of. . . a couple of . . . people over the past several . . . minutes. . . with a stimulating new eye for . . . . trees and stuff."

So THEN I drove down the big hill. . . right the hell into a 25 mile long traffic jam. CalTrans decided that FRIDAY must be a good day to trap the Lake Tahoe weekenders from San Francisco or something, and closed all the lanes but one outside of Reno. Now there was this '68 or '69 bus up ahead that I wanted to carefully catch by brilliant lane-change artistry through the jam, but my fool pump decided to go into its well-known guardrail kissing death rattle as the slow traffic heat soak in the engine compartment started boiling the fuel AGAIN (with good California 87 octane fuel, this pump is damaged no doubt). As we crawl down hills and climb up others, I am shutting off the engine and then doing high-rpm 1st gear runs to get more cool fuel flow, AND I am spastically trying to catch the faster lane with backfiring and herky jerky on-off spastistosis. Finally, the jam the 25 mile long jam comes to an end Look! They're fixing a guardrail, and that was all my fuel pump could stand. NO power, engine dead, and I am barely 100 feet past the single lane that flowered to three. There are a lot of pissed-off people that can't WAIT to make up for lost time, and they are kick-down accelerating like mad and there I am 3.26mph in my old van, man, and I can't even get mad at this poor fuel pump (it first got traumatized when I ran out gas outside of Dallas in 2005 just at the 500,000 mile mark, and ever since, it has spoken with chattering when I let the tank get too low or feed it crap from Grants Pass). But Mr. Red Volvo 18 Wheeler can get mad. He was behind a huge RV in the left lane for the past 10 miles making his 42 cents per mile at a rate of $1.68 per hour, and he swings to the right only to find me SLOWING DOWN. I heard his brakes too. He laid into that air horn like I jumped out in front of him or something. I was merely gently expiring to a halt against the guardrail, no shoulder either.
Guess I won't catch up to the '68 or '69. Probably made their day. "Hey Brenda, that late model bus can't even catch up to us, you did good with that point adjustment."
After sitting there in a total fix, I tried to start it again, and it starts. I launch hard along the guardrail (remember those stiff ball joints? I sure did) trying to get some momentum as quickly as possible before the pump chatters dead again, and a new truck dude is all over his brakes, there is NO shoulder here! but come-on!! I had been just sitting there with the flashers on for several minutes, he saw that back at the traffic jam release chute so any movement on my part is increasing his reaction times so what IS HIS PROBLEM?? Punishing me for being alive, that's what. That and his $2,575.50 fill up at the last Flying J.
Anyways, everything is running well here in Carson City, Nevada, the smallest state capitol I have ever travelled through. I shall camp under the moon, and wake up under the warm desert night's stars, and I will play the piano tomorrow night. . . if my fuel pump decides to let me.
Colin
(maybe I should install this here new Facet pump?)
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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amishman
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Re: Sierra Nevada Fool Pump

Post by amishman » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:31 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
So THEN I drove down the big hill. . . right the hell into a 25 mile long traffic jam. CalTrans decided that FRIDAY must be a good day to trap the Lake Tahoe weekenders from San Francisco or something, and closed all the lanes but one outside of Reno.
Colin, this same jam was hitting me coming home last week with my new 1967 Westy. Remember me breaking down in Utah. What else could go wrong. I was so ready to get home and whap, daytime close of many lanes on 80 over Reno/Truckee area. Hottest fraken day of the year, smokey as hell getting home. I was nearly about to pass out from being so hot in my hot breadbox. I was swearing at who decided to do all this working during the day. But I guess they have to get it done but...

tj
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"As smart as I can be, the dumber I can become."

tj (the amishman)

Visit my web site if you can.
http://www.vwhippie.com

Come see more pictures and videos of my rides at!
http://www.flixya.com/user/amishman

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Cindy
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Post by Cindy » Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:20 am

did you take that picture of the moon?

cindy
“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.
Or you don't.” ― Stephen King, The Stand

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static
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Post by static » Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:57 am

A fool and his pump are soon parted.

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Birdibus
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Post by Birdibus » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:27 am

Nice photos.

Oh lordy! You got caught in that same traffic mess. Amishman's story of that sweltering nightmare is in the type2 section. (Too bad you two didn't get together to show off your new splitty before Colin went over the mountain.)

I've been on I-80 only once, about 17 years ago, and there was bad traffic then, too. I usually prefer to cross the mountains on the small, scenic, high country routes, but of course that takes longer (or does it?).

Colin, maybe it's time to change the fuel pump? Makes me stress out just to read your story of big noisy trucks. You know you are able to fix your breakdowns, the question is, where are you gonna have to do them? Side of the growling highway? or under a shady tree in a quiet backwater?
71 bus, 74 westy

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amishman
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Post by amishman » Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:25 pm

Birdibus wrote:Nice photos.

Oh lordy! You got caught in that same traffic mess. Amishman's story of that sweltering nightmare is in the type2 section. (Too bad you two didn't get together to show off your new splitty before Colin went over the mountain.)

I've been on I-80 only once, about 17 years ago, and there was bad traffic then, too. I usually prefer to cross the mountains on the small, scenic, high country routes, but of course that takes longer (or does it?).

Colin, maybe it's time to change the fuel pump? Makes me stress out just to read your story of big noisy trucks. You know you are able to fix your breakdowns, the question is, where are you gonna have to do them? Side of the growling highway? or under a shady tree in a quiet backwater?
he was within 25 minutes of my home. Live in Grass Valley and off of 80, you can take the weimer cross roads exit and there is a backway to my house within 25 minutes or so.

He could have fixed his pump here.

I think I offered in another past thread if he was ever up this way. He maybe did not see that.

I am sure he had commitments to get to anyway.

tj
--------------------------------------------------
"As smart as I can be, the dumber I can become."

tj (the amishman)

Visit my web site if you can.
http://www.vwhippie.com

Come see more pictures and videos of my rides at!
http://www.flixya.com/user/amishman

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dtrumbo
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Post by dtrumbo » Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:53 pm

I think your current bus knows you've bought another and feels slighted. Trading up for a younger model and all... :angry5:
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:16 pm

byproxy wrote:did you take that picture of the moon?

cindy
Right outside of Bus-Boys in Redding CA.
I like the moon.
Colin :pirate:
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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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:29 pm

amishman wrote: he was within 25 minutes of my home. Live in Grass Valley and off of 80, you can take the weimer cross roads exit and there is a backway to my house within 25 minutes or so.
I think I offered in another past thread if he was ever up this way. He maybe did not see that.

I am sure he had commitments to get to anyway.
I am incapable of remembering my own phone number not to mention invitations to vist the many people who have offered. I appreciate everyone's offers.
Colin
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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Cindy
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Post by Cindy » Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:49 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
byproxy wrote:did you take that picture of the moon?

cindy
Right outside of Bus-Boys in Redding CA.
I like the moon.
Colin :pirate:
really? i didnt know. :pirate:
“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.
Or you don't.” ― Stephen King, The Stand

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