Author Archives: ontheroadwithadie

Interstate thoughts

We made it back to our hometown of Dayton, Ohio. We left the coldness of southern Wisconsin early on Tuesday morning and drove straight through to Ohio in ten hours. And by straight through, I mean that we barreled south to avoid the rain and snow around Chicago. (Remember—no wipers.) Then we jumped on interstateContinue reading “Interstate thoughts”

Security for your bus

Every so often the topic of security comes up on the VW Campers forum on Facebook. What do people do to prevent theft? How do you keep your most prized possession from getting nicked? There’s always a laundry list of answers that runs the gamut from people putting up pictures of their manual shifters andContinue reading “Security for your bus”

Playlist: Indiana

We will be passing through Indiana twice in the next leg of the trip. This first part takes us through Mayor Pete’s hometown and the second jaunt through the big city of Indianapolis itself for a VW interview. So, for the first leg, let’s get some tunes going. I’ll be posting pics and stories ofContinue reading “Playlist: Indiana”

and then the wipers broke

We came back to Minnesota to pick up the bus at Dune Buggy Supply and decided to swing by the Bob Dylan mural in downtown Minneapolis. When our friends at Happy Productions, Shawn and Emma, found out we would be in the neighborhood (a couple of hours qualifies as being in the neighborhood in theContinue reading “and then the wipers broke”

Dune Buggy Supply

We knew going in to this venture that we would face breakdowns—flat tires and parts failure are a part of the game. In fact, they should be expected. We did not bargain for our recently-purchased rebuilt 2L to completely seize on us. I wrote a couple days ago about our tremendous luck during the ordeal,Continue reading “Dune Buggy Supply”

Back to Minnesota

We left early this morning to go get Adie from Dune Buggy Supply. All systems appear to be go thanks to Sam and his crew. Not only did he get a rebuilt engine installed in record time, he also worked on our sliding door, replaced a wheel bearing, and—this one is impressive—got our heat working.

Breakdowns and getting unstuck

Breaking down is demoralizing for a lot of reasons—mostly that you are stuck. The trip of a lifetime, the open road, adventures awaiting and suddenly you’re stagnant. Then the news comes: that engine you had rebuilt is a stinker. It’s a goner. The money you spent? Also gone.

A lucky engine failure

If you’re going to break down, be strategic. And by strategic, I mean lucky. As an Irishman, I swear my luck never runs out (knocks on wood). After we left our friends at Happy Productions Studios in Minnesota, we realized we had nice little gap in our schedule to swing through Stephens Point, home ofContinue reading “A lucky engine failure”