My boss has asked me to postpone my departure for a day. I SOOOO want to be on the road. But...stuff happens for a reason I guess. I'll still be able to go and do pretty much everything I'd initially planned.
The van runs great, I'm not going to be over-loaded and I am just looking forward to actually seeing some cool stuff from the far right lane as I travel the highways @ 65MPH.

Haven't been here in awhile just thought I'd spit out some verbage for you all to peruse. I've been absorbed with preperations for BM. I'll be schlepping all the way from Key West again this year, hoping for an un-eventful journey but... as they say Shit happens. I'm counting on not much happening in the way of shit...I'm using this trip as kinda-sorta a shake-down run to see if I like the idea of being on the road and traveling in my van. The trip to BM in the middle of summer are probably the MOST extreme kind of conditions I'm likely to encounter so if I can survive that AND keep the van from doing a total melt-down...
A friend I wanted to see this trip is going to be away when I pull into town so maybe on the way back. There are a few people I want to see but mainly I want to get off this rock and onto the PLaya! Black Rock City here I come!

I've been looking through my posts and realized that according to them...I should have been outta here MONTHS ago! What can I tell ya. Gotta make a living. The trip to Burning Man this year is kind of a shake-down for me and the van. If I actually like being in the thing for extended periods, the price of fuel doesn't go to $4.00 per gallon, and I can find work...then I might just consider the gypsy lifestyle for a while. I've got friends that've been doing this for awhile and I might just go pick their brains first. I'm not giving up on "Paradise" just yet but me feets gettin itchy!

Only a few weeks to BM and I am jazzed! The van is coming along nicely, there's a possibility of a very good friend joining me, so I'm really looking forward to going this year.
Hurricane season is upon us yet again and I cannot believe all the "hype" given to our first storm. SHEESH! you'd think there wasn't any other news to report. Don't believe everything you see on CNN.

FINALLY! I have a beautifully running engine in my wonderous Westfalia Priscilla! Thank you Boston Engine!
A side note to this ongoing onerous saga: I was having some difficulty with the install and dropped Bob Donalds of Boston Engine an email. I fully expected to hear from him on a Monday. Surprise, surprise! He returned my call on a SUNDAY and pointed me in the right direction so that I could get my bus up and running. This guy gets MY vote! He knows what the term "Customer Service" means!
I have felt so "trapped" down here, ya see our little "rock" is 2miles by 4 miles you can see it all in about 30 minutes. You can get a little screwy if you don't get outtta here every once in awhile.
On a lighter note...The weather is warming up nicely and the water is getting warmer every day. Ah yes...It's good to live in "paradise"
We are not without cultural benefits a way down here either... The Rocky Horror Show (NOT the movie) opened last night and will be running till June! I remember doing the Time Warp yadda yadda

We are less than 60 days away from the "offical" start of hurricane season a way down here in Key West. I am really hoping we don't get the busy season they have predicted for us this year. One good thing...Housing prices have dropped! Oh, but beware If the place boasts a "remodel" and has all new appliances, AC, landscaping, cabinets and new drywall?....It was probably flooded during Wilma.
My place is up on stilts and my much beloved/hated Westy was up on high ground for the storm, I didn't take a bad hit but there are places on the island where you can still see Wilma's wrath.

Now on to something completely different.....
I WILL be going to BM 06 (Goddess willing) in my recently re-engined 1982 VW Westfalia and I hope to see some of you there.
It has been a real l o n g project getting an engine into this van. Thankfully it's almost over, I'm just waiting on a starter (victim of Wilma) and am now in the process of wiring up gauges for the engine.
I have been doing a re-think about living in "Paradise" and have come to the conclusion that for now, I'm fine wherever I'm at. I miss some things about being on the "mainland" and haven't been doing the things I used to enjoy when I first landed on this rock 7 years ago so I've concluded that I really need to start enjoying all there is to see and do here and quit whining! Hell I live in PARADISE gawdammit! What's to whine about?

It would appear that I'm going to have to replace my engine YET AGAIN!
Thanks to wankers @ Just VeeDubs I'm having to order an engine from Boston Engine to replace the oil-pumper they sent me.
I am NOT happy about it.
There is an upside though, I will have spare heads and a LOT of experience dealing with the FI system.

I'm NOT going to mention where I got the present engine from just yet. I'm going to give the person the chance to "do right" by me first before I go bad-mouthing the place.
But.....These are my experiences with this engine so far:
It took FOREVER to get here!
Once here it was NOT complete (no flywheel, no rockers or covers, case prep was cosmetically poor, (at LEAST remove the old GEX sticker from the thing!)
AS soon as I put oil in it it leaked! (Still leaks!) IT was "sealed with "black RTV" sealant, not the best in my book, Hylomar for the case and "O" rings for the pushrod tubes, if you get any RTV busting loose in the engine it can clog things up.
After running the engine for 10 minutes I drained the oil (to flush anything left over from machining) and when I pulled the filter I found a bit of shop rag on top of the filter! Now I have NO idea if any more of it got into any oil passages or the oil cooler but I've had the thing parked since then. I have NO faith in this engine!
I've been in touch with the guy and he tells me that since the engine has been installed we have a "warranty" issue. I'm waiting to see just what the upshot will be.
Meantime I've put in an order for an engine from "Boston Bob" the guy has one of the best reps, at least online so the saga continues......................

I know it's been awhile since I've posted ANYTHING here but between 2 yobs and sticking an engine in my van well....
We're pretty much done with "Mucking" out from Wilma but you can still see some evidence that she was here, appliances lining the streeets, dozens of dead vehicles still waiting to be towed away, dead landscaping etc.
We are starting into our "season" down here, hey it's in the upper 70's most days and not everyone wants a "white" Christmas so where ya gonna go? Key West!
Me? I've about had it with the "southernmost" city and want to hit the road as soon as I can. Wilma did it for me, I don't like living someplace where you can get either blown or washed away.
I was very lucky (this time) and realize that there are a LOT of other people that did NOT fare so well, you all have my sympathy.
No, this one was just too close for comfort. Key West, I am outta here!

We're about to go through it yet again....Wilma is just starting to make her presence felt down here in the Keys. I am SOOO over all this. Now I realize we haven't taken anywhere NEAR the hit the Gulf coast has...but it has impacted us money wise.
Wish us well