Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Mideast I

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Mideast I

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 27, 2019 8:07 pm

We left off with my appointment with zabo in the Atlanta metro area scrum. Did a huge clean & organize at the storage units hoping to maybe locate the missing Transaxle Inventory Box. It remains missing ... with its utterly priceless 3/4 special slider and cut gears for Chloe's 002 that I shall rebuild, I shall rebuild.

With great relief, I departed the Atlanta region on Interstate 20 eastbound for North Carolina. By and by, the traffic became less frenetic, and NaranjaWesty settled into an easy gait of 62-65 mph while I pondered the very good fuel economy and driveability and decent cylinder head temperatures of about 400 with climbs to 415 when I was passing trucks and phone zombies. Camped behind some mall down a dirt path safely away from fluorescent lights and made up my demented back seat nest in my full size double bunk four-person poptop camper with actual running water this year. I sure do sleep better in this plaid palace than I ever do at a motel. Westy 1 - Hyatt 0. Woke up crazily disoriented, I love that. Where am I?

Took a crick-neck stiff-back tottery-knee morning stumble this, my first real day of the 2019 Main Lap. Calisthenics on the picnic table behind the mall, a weird modern Dance of the Fat Flamingo with slow motion flapping of all extremities, a Motel 6 bucket bath/shave and hit the road with my ticky NaranjaWesty reprising the first drive home on October 26, 2015 when the rusted-out muffler was so amusing. Was appalled, utterly appalled at the absence of brand recognition at the gas station. Standing in line to get my receipt, wearing my NaranjaWesty t-shirt (you know the one, orange Westy with the poptop up), "hey is that your van out there?"

Made it to the Mispeld appointment only after wrestling with my Bic pen napkin GPS system. I am at the mercy of the Entropy Of The Universe when I valiantly follow the directions and some road sign is blown down or just plain ol' missing. This little puzzle included Dawson Cabin Road and Dawson Place Road and Dam Something or Other road, and I found Mispeld within a gentleman's fifteen minutes lateness.

Plowed into the morning's Concepts With Colin Over Coffee® and booked on out to the garage to translate them into Real Mechanicking on a 1977. Ruger (Doug) the dog wanted very much to participate. I don't know about you, but I am weak in the presence of this yearning:

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First Perusal. I went all Amway on him and sold a timing scale. Fish in the barrel. He didn't have a chance:

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Wouldn't you know it, he sure could have used a part from my Transaxle Inventory Box. His parts box had it all over mine:

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Yes, the double-clutching lesson was botched beyond belief with my inability to catch 2nd. Although we did tune-up/sliding door/rust eradication tips, the day was primarily one of my interviewing Mispeld about the latest in HVAC practices. Apparently, I am still fascinated about the career that I left so abruptly in 2002. I have faith that Mispeld will get his VW up to a good road-going state and will remember how fiercely I declared that rust comes from the inside out. I was short on aesthetics and long on Stop The Rust Now, going so far as to rip bigger holes in the rocker panels to help disgorge the sand and rust chunks from the inner recesses. Can't wait to drive it with the new hockey stick ball, Mispeld <hint.

Spent the evening trying to find a little road off the big road up in Swansboro in the evening light so I could visit Cindy's sister unannounced. Once again, Bic n' napkin GPS failed miserably, I found her road all right. I even got the street address right. A little ol' lady answered the door,
"No, I am sorry sweetie, I am really not her, at least I don't think so. Are you in the right town?"
Well, no. I was actually one whole town off.
Camped off the big road on some small road, and drank in the moon:

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In the morning, I went to a local Panera with my NaranjaWesty popped-top t-shirt to look at that miserable Mapquest site once more.
"HEY, HEY, are you the owner of that orange van in the parking lot?"

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Never did find the small road off the big road. I wasn't going to call her, either. That would have spoiled the visit for reasons I am not going into. Ran out of time. By 10AM I had to concede defeat and get booking north to Chesapeake VA to visit with greybok the very next morning. What a lovely morning to bask in defeat, the greens, the sunshine, the tickytickyengine ticking off the miles ...
... and here, in the Chesapeake/Portsmouth/Norfolk area, not only did the Bic pen/napkin GPS program completely lose it, so did MapQuest. The roads are a knot of twisting entrance/exit ramps with stacks of road numbers on the signs so poorly organized that I had to read "17 North 17 South" on the same sign. Anyways, I blew off an exit, or was it an entrance? and found myself on a surface road that paralleled the clogged commuter route. "Ha!" I exclaimed, "I'll show you natives some Noo Yawk commuter mad skilz ..."

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Sure Colin, sure you will:

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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

MonoCone
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Location: OB California
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Mideast I

Post by MonoCone » Fri May 31, 2019 9:02 am

Colin..........please...get...a...smart...phone.
Your life will be better and easier when Siri is giving you directions. Much safer than looking at the written directions on a cocktail napkin balanced on your knee. (And **you** love to criticize drivers that **you** consider to be distracted.)
In your case fully tax deductible. Bonus!
To Really Live You Must Go Back to the Mountains.
The Mountains are Where I Am and What I Am.
69 Westfalia 1600 DP; 2002 Eurovan Camper
When you elect a clown, expect a circus.

Formerly posted as OB Bus on this forum - many years ago....

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