Loaner

We've got a loaner engine in, had a few tricky situations with it~ vacuum line leak, timing got a bit off, oil sensor went out, accelerator pedal sticking or coming totally off.  But we've got it all together now and plan to hit the road this afternoon for North Carolina.  Going to visit the organic farm we visited in November, and then hitting up High Country Bus Festival for our 3rd year in a row.  The first year  we camped for only 2 nights. The second year we camped for 3 or 4 nights, this year we are going for a wopping 10! Will report back with trip photos in a few weeks. :)

How to kill an engine

Drive long distance in 110 degree heat...

engine is out, going back to Bear to be fixed, in the mean time we are putting in a carburated loaner engine.  Should be on the road Saturday evening! 

Drive smart, if the engine's air cooled (and especially new) don't drive during the middle of a steamy, southern day!

Slow Progress

The paint job was a quick one, and looks pretty good.  We've already had two friends give him "tattoos", with more to come soon. 
Last weekend we drove him up to Morganton NC and back.  We got to see our friend Peter who is traveling from New Mexico.  Lenny easily turned a 4 hour drive into 9...  the hottest weekend so far with temperatures over 100 degrees, Lenny's engine couldn't cool itself.  After only an hour of driving we had to pull off for two to let the oil cool.  Luckily we have gauges that tell us when things are getting too hot.  Now we are in the process of installing a secondary oil cooler to keep up with the heat. 

Lenny and Dean

However, all of these small problems cropping up are adding up- leaving our pockets sad.  This time we may only get to travel to Colorado and back, because we are too afraid to drive all the way across the country and run out of money or face more costly repairs.  If we run out of money here we have lots and lots and lots of friends who would put up with us while we find jobs/places to live/etc.  I guess right now I am choosing the comfort of the known, and shying away from the excitement of the unknown. 

Re-paint

Yesterday I woke up at 5am and got to work around 6am sanding and painting Lenny~ I am about 80% done.  I decided to go with a spray paint job again, with pretty much the same scheme. I want people to recognize us still. I left out the teal side stripe and the white bubble on the front.  I also painted his "eyelids"...  today I plan to finish up the dark blue stripe on the driver's side and the dark blue on the rear and his paint job will be finished.  Now just need to get these tired muscles moving...

"Freckles"

Bondo Nightmare

Rust reforming around windows/windshield the worst

removable cushion cover (was a bedsheet, then a curtain..) with "poop tent" to left~ fits perfectly

Trey installed the gauges and they work! Just needs to wire into the lighing

Ta-daaaa! Fresh coat of paint looks nice

looks a bit sad with out the VW emblem, need to stick it back on

Next week I plan to spend all week in NC visiting friends in the Raleigh area and possibly a trip to the beach.  I am going to let my friends do some custom art on him, it will be a nice way to remember all of my friends over here while I am over there.
We still need to bleed the breaks so we haven't driven him since Friday.  Although I did move him about 2 feet yesterday...  engine starts with just a slight turn of the wrist.  So nice! I believe this evening when Trey gets home we will bleed those breaks. 

Welcome Home Lenny

We drove Lenny home Friday! His engine sounds amazing, shifts smoothly and breaks badly~ we figure there is air in the break line. We plan to bleed to breaks tomorrow since this weekend we have been busy installing gauges, stocking the cabinets, patching holes in canvas & various odds and ends. Tomorrow morning I will wake before the sun comes up to begin a paint job touch up. I am hoping this Wal Mart has the gloss version of the paints he already has~ I love the paint job too much to change it now. Besides I foresee more body work in the future...

replaced the large pile of pots and pans with 2 person camp cookware purchase for $10 @ the flea market

Put cleanable wood grain shelf liner in all cabinets

Ooooh Engine looks and sounds amazing

Cut a scrap bit of wood to cover spare tire hole in "closet", use to be just cardboard

New stickers added

Preparation is Key

While Lenny is having his various kinks worked out we have been taking this extra time to make sure we are 100% prepared for our trip.  Last time we purchased the D. Light solar lantern and absolutely loved it!  It charged even in cloudy weather and since it recharges freely we never had to worry about leaving it on during night time walks or using it too much.  There are 2 settings- dim and bright but they are both about the same...  Since our trip we have lost our beloved solar lantern so we purchased two more.  This new and improved lantern even has a luminous button!  Its affordable and works beautifully.  I highly recommend it.  Now, it isn't as bright as a flashlight or headlamp, but its a great lantern.
Last time we found ourselves with a tad too much stuff inside the cabin.  We found ourselves wanting to get rid of items we were not currently using, but was very useful in the future (i.e. seasonal clothing, full propane canisters, seasonal bedding, etc).  We purchased this water, grit, and light proof cargo bag to fit on top of our luggage rack.  Since it is summer time, we will store our down comforter, winter clothing, and various others safely out of the way.
I mentioned before in my post about my Goodies for the Road that our diet was severely lacking in the health dept.  Also since we were eating bland, highly processed meals we found ourselves dining out more often.  With all the delicious new foods you find traveling that instant box of mashed potatoes is quickly forgotten.  So we purchased a sampler pack of dried foods from Harmony House (who is based out of Greenville, NC) and a 12 ounce container of dried veggie mix for use in soups, rice, and other meals we will make. The sampler pack is amazing and will allow us to figure out what we will use the most and what we like.  We plan to order more from Harmony House in the future. The deluxe sampler pack we ordered contains 1 cup of the following- " Broccoli Flowerets, Green Cabbage, Diced Carrots, Sliced Celery, Whole Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Jalapeno Dices, Tangy Green & White Leeks, Chopped Onions, Green Sweet Peas, Red & Green Mixed Bell Peppers, Diced Potatoes (excellent flavor), Spinach Flakes, Tomato Dices, Tomato Powder, Lentils, Split Peas, Red Beans, Black Beans, Navy Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern Beans, Dark Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Beefish Bits (Meatless), Chickenish Bits (Meatless), Hamish Bits (Meatless), Taco Bits (Meatless), Chickenish Chunks (Meatless), Beefish Chunks (Meatless)."
Last, and *eh hem* most importantly we purchased this privacy tent, or as I like to call it, the "Poop Tent."  Now we won't have to worry about late night trips out into the desert with a shovel, or early morning drives to the nearest gas station/walmart/ etc to use the restroom.  We have our own.  It even has a hook on the inside to hang our solar lantern on, plus screened windows.  Reviews stated that the hook is not strong enough to hold a solar shower, but I figure I can set it up close to a tree or the Bus and set the shower bag on something sturdy.  The fabric does feel a bit thin, so we must take care to not tear or rip the tent.  But it sets up easily and is something we very badly needed last time. 
Now all we need to do is pay 6 months of insurance ahead, get the Bus all in order and hit the road.  I've already written down some of the best looking free campsites from the wonderful site http:/www.freecampsites.net . 

Curse of Lenny

A cold start valve was leaking gas, which produced the fire last week; which came in today, but was the incorrect one.  The mechanic was able to locate the correct one and it will be in Friday at 1:00pm, with the Bus being done that evening...  If everything goes accordingly...
At this point it we are stopping and asking ourselves, whats going on here? Is Lenny Cursed?  So many different, random events keep happening delaying, aggravating, and costing money. Maybe its the Ultimate test of Patience? Hmm...