New Door Locks on the Bus

So, first things first. The bus had some issues with security when I bought her. The key would not move the lock on the driver's side door; it would only lock using the inside latch. The passenger side door didn't even have a lock cylinder at all, but could also lock from the inside. So, I ordered two new shiny door handles and locks from Wolfsburg West.

As I waited for the new handles to arrive, I tore into the door panels. After removing all the hardware, I carefully pried the aged and brittle door panels off to reveal the nastiest mess. Dirt, leaves, dust, old foam, liquor receipts from a previous owner, and even a couple of hornets nests! The factory plastic sheeting and foam insulation just fell apart in my hands, so that will have to be replaced. But once I got the door locks removed via a couple of screws it turned out that all the mechanisms were so full of crud none of it worked, thus the reason the locks wouldn't work. After hours of scrubbing and soaking the entire units in good ol' WD-40, I finally got them working. I replaced all the hardware and snapped the door panel back on.

When the handles arrived, I fitted them into the door and screwed them in. After a few test runs the interior door locks loosened up and now we can leave our junk in the bus and head out for a hike! Next on the security list is Ava's seat belt install!

It Has Begun!

There are times in your life when serenity prevails. For some it comes during a sunset while in the solitude of mother nature, for others maybe from a drunken stupor. But in my case, by the good nature of my patient wife, serenity is working on a classic car. For years, thanks to my great grandpa's jalopy genes, I have nursed a love/hate relationship with cars. When the accumulated grime and general funk caked on an engine mix with a potpourri exhaust and carb cleaner, oh man, I am in my element. Give me a wrench and I will gladly bust my knuckles till dawn (ask Marianne). Alternatively, nothing infuriates me more than watching car after car go to one destination with only a single driver behind the wheel. Our American passion with cars has also become the catalyst of our environmental deterioration. Driving a car is a privilege, granted by both government and environment. But, I digress...

After semi-restoring two other cars, a third project has found its way onto my driveway. After having the above-mentioned epiphany, I no longer desire the chest pounding power of a muscle car. A two-seat coupe definitely will not accommodate Ava's car seat, nor will it take us and all our gear to our off-road destinations while keeping fuel economy in mind. Yes, after a few years of searching I have my quintessential family car:

From what information I can gather, we are the fourth owners of "Daisy", a 1969 VW Westfalia Camper. She came to Utah from So Cal and she is clean for her age; low on the rust scale, and high on originality. She is approximately the 175 thousandth 1969 bus to come from Deutschland.

Since this bus is nearly 40 years old, the first step is ensure she lasts another 40+ years and make her safe for the whole family. But aside from some general mechanical, engine, and aesthetic work, she is good to go! Nicholas would be proud.

In the Beginning...

We have officially grown up.

Now, this isn't to say that it's all over. Life is still unfurling its twists and turns for our family. For example, Ava added a whole new chapter to our lives. No longer are we carefree and determined to spend our lives living from a tent. Our little girl is fast approaching 15 months and is growing as fast as she can. Any day now we will be racing to child proof the whole house. She has graduated from relying on two hands in order to walk her cute stiff-legged Frankenstein walk to only needing one of our fingers to tread up and down the trails....mayhem is upon us and she has her mom's big sparkling eyes.

Therefore, it's time to document, record, and archive our life as we go along. Since we are living in an increasingly digital age, so must be the record of the fam. Here you will find accounts of our crazy lives and trips, recent photos, and a place to share your thoughts with us. So add those comments!!!! Let's keep in touch.