Well I made it to just outside Rawlins WY before all the attempts to repair the exhaust system just won’t hold it up anymore. I’m going to bailing wire together what I can to limp into town and lick my wounds. The Bismarck is taking on water, captain.
Author: Archturiat
Mile 947..
Where the hell ELSE can I stop in the middle of Wyoming?
Mile.. *adds on fingers* 800-ish.
Well over half way there. Didn’t quite make it as far as I wanted.. I’m on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. I wanted to be on the WY side of the border, but we had some hiccups.
The exhaust pipe is cracked nearly in half at the manifold. I think I can make it to Denver with the exhaust pipe partially secured and strapped, but it means I functionally don’t have a working muffler at all now. Also, the crack seems to have happened at a sensor, so I suspect I’m not getting full fuel economy now. I tried to apply a muffler patch to the break, but it didn’t last very long. I may need to try the same technique once I can leave the patch in place overnight to allow for it to cure properly.
So I made it this far. Only about 500-ish miles to go. One day’s hard drive..
Mile 482? Can’t math today.
Made it to Boise. The heat sucked yesterday. I feel a little sick but I’m going to press on this morning. I’ll feel a lot better if I cross the WY/UT State Line.
When did Idaho up the speed limit to 80? At no point did I feel more German in my entire life: I was driving a Volkswagen as fast as it could go across the countryside. If I had a oompah band in the back and lederhosen it would have been perfect. Sorry my Native half, let me enjoy this brief moment of “Stolz platzen”.
Checkpoint Idaho..
Will post more when I stop in Boise for the night…
Mile 162..
So I may have actually picked a good day for travel across the desert. It started raining once I hit Bend.
Food, then East!
Muffler update..
So my temporary muffler fix is holding in place and it looks like I’ll make it at least through the next leg of my journey. I will need to do a more permanent solution to the van’s long standing issues.. even a maybe “final solution” if you will. It may be right time to rethink transportation options in general once I’m settled somewhat in Denver. At minimum my immediate plans are to hole up near work and figure out more pressing moving logistics.
Anyway tied up a loose end I left dangling here in Redmond. Another will have to remain as I cannot find Morgana for the life of me. A quick stop in Bend and then.. well, Greater Taterland awaits.
I hate potatoes
I gotta cross the Great Basin on the hottest day…
I guess I could have chosen to do this in August, but blimey, it’s hot even here in Bend.
Mile.. well I think it’s around 140.
Well I made it at least over the Pacific Crest, and I’m in Redmond. I forgot that in some ways I miss the desert, and it reminded me of why I felt the way I did when I came out here just a little over two years ago. Just being out here makes me feel refreshed and healed. The trick is not staying here too long.
I have to pick up something to tie up a loose end, visit a mechanic shop and see if we can make the quick muffler repair I did in Portland a little more permanent and then tp cross the desert to points Potato.
I am making plans to come back as soon as I can, just FYI. With all the weird health stuff I’ve had the last week I’ve been focused on getting as much as I can healed so I can start my first day in.. well, six days now. Things are going well and even with the challenges I’m looking to be on track.
Time for pain meds, good air conditioning, and a soft bed. Lacking that the shower feels nice…
Mile 1?
Muffler is falling off.. uh oh.