So as you all are probably well aware, Graham and I bought a 78 VW van this past summer and decided to rebuild the engine ourselves. Over the course of two months, we slaved on the engine, bugging every air cooled VW mechanic in town for their expertise on how to do it. Most of the time they were really helpful but the question was always asked, "Why don't you guys just bring it in and we'll save you the trouble and rebuild it for you?!?" Needless to say, I think they were getting a little frustrated with our questions. On several occasions, I tried to be an anonymous caller but as soon as I said I was working on a 78 VW they'd say, "Is this Greta??" They outsmarted us. To make a long story short, we successfully rebuilt the engine and it has been on the road for a couple months now. "It" has now been named Margaret by a stranger we met on our first trip in the van.
We've only ventured as far as Smith Rocks State Park in Central Oregon; Tacoma, WA; and the beach so naturally I felt it was time that she be subjected to the ultimate test - an epic road trip. I'm not talking about driving the Oregon Coast, or taking her to the mountain a couple times, I'm talking about something that would test not only her mechanical abilities but her camping and leisure abilities as well. About the time I was rolling around road trip ideas in my head, I was made an offer for a job up in Anchorage Alaska. I would spend the summer out in remote field stations deliniating wetlands working 2-3 weeks straight and having a week off at a time. Hmmm, what to do with my time off? I could rent a car, bum a ride off of someone in Anchorage, stay inside and watch TV all day, or...TAKE MARGARET! The Gods have spoken, it was time - she was going to Alaska!
The days leading up to the trip I ran about frantically trying to resolve all of Margaret's quirks, like how when you fill up the gas tank it only shows 3/4 full or doesn't register all together. I didn't feel like having a guessing game with the gas gauge so I pulled one from a junk yard and put it in. The gas gauge now works! Driving to Beaverton the next day, Graham points out, "Ahh...why doesn't your speedometer work anymore?" Dude, seriously? This is the game I have played with Margaret since we bought her - you fix one thing and another breaks. With the speedometer now fixed, she was ready to roll.
On a whim, I posted a message on Craigslist looking for a riding partner up to Alaska and came across a guy who was interested in going to Whitehorse, about 700 miles from my final destination. Perfect!
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