WALSTIB - 7

Ok, I didn't complete the story of the trip into the Gorge to see the Dead. I'll hit that in this post with a small update on the bus progress. See WALSTIB - 6 for the previous chapter.

The show the night before lasted until after Midnight, and we weren't walking throguh Shakedown Street until after 12:30AM. Even then, the place was bumpin' with vendors and concert-goers. The guy with the PA system was crankin' out a mid 70's Scarlet Begonias, and the foot traffic was kicking up a thin fog of dust. As we noticed all weekend, the vending was very light in terms of variety. It seemed like everyone was selling the same cheap glass pipes and nothing else. We couldn't find anyone selling friendship bracelets on cardboard sheets or good home-made 'dyes. Overall, it was pretty disappointing as a consumer. So, we hit the bus and had beers with our Canadian friends.

The following morning, we were greeted by the smells of breakfast instead of the yells from the Idiots of Yak. The guy a couple of cars away was whipping up pancakes and sausages with OJ for $5 a plate. We figured that was easier than going through the hassle ourselves, so we grabbed some breakfast and made coffee. By the time we finished eating, the lot was on the move. Some cars had already left and most of the remaining were packing up. We did the same and were moving by 10. The lot had only one official exit, so it was pretty jammed up, but we discovered a break in the fence that allowed us to go around the line of cars, so we were out of the lot in uunder 15 minutes. After filling the tank, and checking the oil, we hit the freeway.

We stopped at the same rest area where we met the Canadians for one last pit stop. It was just after leaving that rest area that we had our first mechanical mishap. The engine started firing inconsistently and within a few minutes stopped firing altogether. Rolling in the breakdown lane, we coasted to a stop under a mid-day sun. We quickly diagnosed the coil as bad, so we grabbed a replacement from the parts bin. I noted to Ed that the replacement coil wasn't a hi-fire coil, so we should probably think about swapping out the dizzy at the next convenient stopping point. Belle gave us the signal that we needed to do something quickly by acting up again. We weren't near any ramps, so we pulled over under an overpass. We pulled the dizzy, blocked the vacuum port on the centermount Weber (32/36 progressive) and put in the old 009. During this roadside stop, we saw many buses and vanagons pass. Many honked horns and more than a couple stopped to see if they could help. Even Washington Highway Patrol visited us. While Mike watched for out of control drivers to our rear, Ed and I took turns wrestling the dizzy in. We took the opportunity to eat lunch and then got back on our way.

Just before we crossed over the Columbia River, we stopped at Stonehenge. I didn't know the place existed, but a few other Deadheads did. We pulled up to the sound of a drum circle, and found 3 drummers playing for a couple of dancers in the center of Stonehenge. That was pretty cool. We visited the now-out-of-business visitor's store and found those elusive friendship bracelets. We bought a bunch and some other gifts and headed home.

bus update:
very little progress this week. It has been over 100*, setting record temperatures throughout the Pacific NorthWest. When I get home from work, I've been taking the kids to the pool in attempt to keep cool. So, I haven't done a thing. I'll be getting a few last items for the fuel system tonight on my way home. I should be finishing that out tomorrow or Sunday. On Sunday, Hal will be back to work on the mounts. If there is time, we will be looking into radiator placement.

pictures:
top - leaving the Gorge.
middle - Mike keeping us safe
bottom - Belle at Stonehenge