travels with the ‘78 ce2

[dodger tom]

heading out on the next trip.

first step, head south.

stop at coupla familiar spots.

the 2024 spring seasonal ipa comes in at 6.8% abv. light golden with a hint of yellow, it is clear with a strong grapefruit flavor tinged with pine. moderately bitter up front, building mid-palate to the back.

retraced our steps through eastern ventura county.

into simi valley, which is green now.

along the top of THE VALLEY.

over the hills into the secondary valley (san gabriel valley).

this being los angeles, there is traffic.

into the western of edge of the inland empire, whete the jacarandas are blooming.

skirting the los angeles county fairgrounds in pomona.

spending the night in chino hills state park in the north end of the santa ana mountains. some wild territory in one of the most densely populated areas in the us of a.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[The Volkswagen Ranch]

Bus looks great! And…. Hubcaps back on. Tom, just love the pics of CA right now. Going to rain/snow mix starting around 2:00am… and do this for the next 2 days where we live in AZ mountains. This has been a long, cold and wet winter this year. The moisture is good, but just , well …. Cold and wet. Bob
_________________
1963 Convertible (Lizzie) and 1964 Convertible (Patience) 1976 Westfalia (Winnie)

[dodger tom]

extra points for noticing the hubcaps, bob. the lug nuts were stroll tight at 500 miles, so back on they went.

and, as a preview of the next post,

snow in the cleveland national forest!

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[dodger tom]

woke up around 1am just as the rain started, and got the top down in the nick of time as it rained all night. and most of the day.

headed south.

first stop, oscar’s brewing co. in temecula. big, modern, and thoroughly upscale.

their pine grove ipa is 7% abv. clear and light yellow-gold. mild mix of pine and fruit with mild bitterness. the “spicy” chicken sandwich was meh. fries were good.

continued south through the off-and-on rain.

turned east on i 8,….

…..and headed up the viejas mountains.

mcilhenney brewing occupies the old alpine brewing building, and is, in fact, owned by the people who started alpine brewing.

alas, alpine, makers of some of the world’s best west coast ipa’s, was a casualty of the craft beer boom of the early 2010’s. they first semi-merged with green flash, who made the first hop-bomb west coast ipa. then, in 2022 both were bought by canadian sweetwater, and are strictly a contract-brew kind-o-thing. meaning no brewery, no taproom, just making beer from someone else’s recipes. now, the mcihenney’s are back to doing what they do best in their small tightly packed very joyful taproom.

the right side of the menu board is ipa’s.

too little time. i had an alpha therapy. 7% abv. clear and light golden. full-basket of hop flavors superbly blended. delightful bitterness from front to back.

headed up the mountains into the cleveland national forest. 45% of california’s 106 million acres is federally owned, most of that parks, monuments, and forests.

nearing the crest, snow!

up and over the sun breaks through as we enter the imperial valley.

we hit the valley floor to find desert…..

…..and green crops.

we arrive at our destination. humble farmer brewing’s imperial taproom is crammed into a corner of a strip mall.

their farmer’s mosaic ipa came in at 6.7% abv. clear. light golden color. mild mosaic fruitiness. barely noticeable bitterness. flavor and weight-on-the-tongue more like a session.

and the bums lost in extra innings.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[dodger tom]

spent the night at the james obese sunbeam rest area.

camped at one end, as much away from others as possible.

nice and quiet. right next to the yuha well.

used by the exploring expedition sent ahead of the colonizing expedition led by juan bautista de anza in 1774 on their way from sonora mexico to alta california. he was sent to establish a land route to the missions, the first of which was the san diego mission, founded in 1769.

you’d think the imperial valley is a desert, and you’d be right. but, water from the colorado river has turned the area into an agricultural powerhouse.

they grow alfalfa, lettuce, sugar beets, and carrots among lots of other crops.

this is the major population center.

i 8 runs along the bottom of the us of a, so mexico is never far away.

in this case about 10 miles.

about halfway across the valley we hit desert again.

and the imperial sand dunes.

approaching arizona things get green again.

then, arizona.

just had to go to yuma territorial state prison, located on a hill overlooking the colorado river.

the main guard tower.

a model of the prison in its heyday. it opened in 1876, and operated until 1909.

the only cell block left. the metal doors are open to the weather.

the lucky inmates in these cells got to face the sun, which in summer must’ve been hellaciously hot, and, in the winter freezing cold.

solitary confinement.

it was so dark in there i couldn’t see anything even with my iphone flashlight.

now we know why glenn ford (playing a bad guy against type) strongly resisted van heflin’s efforts to bring him to yuma on the 3:10 train. for you youngsters, substitute russell crowe and christian bale as the bad guy and good guy.

arizona cities have arches, too.

went to prison hill brewing, which is not on a hill.

waited 15-20 minutes for service. left when i learned they didn’t make an ipa. plus, i don’t respond well to mistreatment.

resumed heading east through the desert.

this is a us border patrol station. closed. easter reprieve?

arizona has these lemon trees that are square!!

and going off road on the way to the next stop.

high tanks brewing company. truly in the middle of nowhere.

but, very fun and festive.

i had an ipa, thinking this was a truly outstanding brewery. then, i realized it was stone ipa. i confounded things by being so hungry (remember i never ate at prison hills brewing) that i never took a picture of my flatbread lunch. trust me, it looked as good as it tasted.

this part of arizona is filled with amazing mountains.

gassed up in gila bend.

which is not far from mexico.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Shonandb]

Another great trip Tom!
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[dodger tom]

camped at the west pinal county campground. semi-primitive, but didn’t get a pic. it was raining, and i preferred to stay dry.

i 8 soon ended at i 10.

as i said, this part of arizona is filled with strikingly beautiful mountains.

approaching tucson the traffic thickened, but never got bad, except the one broken-down wide-load.

tucson is a great city. founded as a fort in 1775, it is home to the university of arizona, much beer, food, and sights-to-see. we can only scratch the surface.

saw this sculpture on the outskirts of downtown, and had to stop.

love the giant gila monster on the back of the stage.

arrived at our first stop in time for brunch.

you guessed it, a brewpub.

the quintessential tucson meal is the sonoran dog.

dog with pinto beans, tomatoes, grilled onions, chipotle mayo, soft cheese spread, and a roasted yellow pepper on the side. the fries were nice and crunchy. fries twice in two days. very unusual for me.

the beer was their citrazona. ipa. 6.6% abv. clear. light gold, or was it just so dark in there? very slight cat-piss aroma from the citra hops. nice grapefruit flavor. mild bitterness mid-palate to finish. tasty.

tucson is famous as the filming location for “can’t buy me love,” one of the great coming-of-age movies (number three to “the sure thing” and “american graffiti”). patrick dempsey gives john cusack (king of the coming-of-age movies) a run for his money. one of the locations was scoops, a burger joint. isn’t there always a burger joint? this one is now a mexican restaurant.

sidled up to the pump for fuel. a common occurrence on these trips.

next, the airplane graveyard. couldn’t get a really good shot cause of the rain.

this is where nerd, ronny miller, took hot chick, cindy mancini, on their last-but-really first date in the wwii corsair.

heading back to i 10 we continue east. a bad photo of the sign to saguaro national park. home to many of those cacti holding their arms up in the air.

but, we’re on a mission.we turn south on us 80, and pass through some striking desert country….

…..on our way to tombstone.

“the town too tough to die,” whatever that means. they’ve kept the original main street authentic.

and, the gunfight between the law (earls and doc holliday) and the cowboys (the clantons and mclaurys) didn’t really happen here, but the name struck anyway.

boothill seemed less like a stark landscape than a kitschy tourist trap.

i never figured out what the jewish memorial angle was.

i did, however, hit the local brewpub.

west coast ipa. 7% abv. very light gold/yellow. piney up front disappearing mid-palate. bitterness kicks in there, and lingers at the back for a while.

i never saw wyatt earp in tennis shoes like clark, ellen, audrey, and rusty did.

continuing south we climb into the desert mountains.

eventually reaching bisbee.

the old mining town is crammed into the hills around the gulch.

our destination? need you ask,…..

…..the local brewpub.

drank some beer, and watched the iowa fems beat the lsu fems in the sweet 16.

the double hop ipa had a promising name. 7% abv. slight chill haze. dark gold mixed with some red. starts with caramel malt moving to slight pine and orange. the bitterness almost, but never does, overcome the malt.

camped in the mine vista turnout, and had the rest of my burrito for dinner.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[dodger tom]

woke up tuesday am on the edge of the pit. copper mine.

did my daily chore.

oops.

headed through lower bisbee,…..

…..and turned north past a headframe, evidence of shaft mining.

there was snow on the distant mountains.

headed to lordsburg.

that was the stagecoach’s destination in “stagecoach,” the 1939 john ford movie that made john wayne a star. he didn’t even get top billing, as that went to claire trevor, who played the hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold. course, ford shot the movie in monument valley, far from lordsburg.

came across the geronimo surrender monument.

he surrendered in nearby skeleton canyon, marking the end of the “indian wars.”

these mailboxes are 50 miles from anything that could be called a town.

the scene can be replicated throughout the deserts, mountains, swamps, and plains of the us of a. it brings up three thoughts. in inverse order, 1) how do these people make a living? 2) the us postal service is amazing, delivering letters and packages everywhere in the us of a for pennies. 3) you better not forget to buy the milk.

new mexico…..

…..looks a lot like arizona.

more snow.

and, back on i 10 going east.

these signs caught my attention.

not burma-shave quality that’s for sure.

not a bad burrito at an americanized mexican restaurant. “green chile meat burrito.”

heading into some weather.

and, the day’s destination.

first stop, spotted dog brewing.

their ipa came in at 7.3% abv. unfiltered, so not entirely clear. the caramel malt hits right at the front. medium gold/orange. caramel malt flavor hits first. mix of pine and fruit mid-palate. bitterness mostly up front. very nice people. and, notice the imperial pint.

back north through mesilla

to icebox brewing…..

…..as the sun set.

their frostbite ipa also came in an imperial pint. 6.7% abv. clear and medium gold/orange. bitterness hits first, and lasts the whole way. there are some mild pine and fruit flavors mostly at the back end.

i know, more fries. but, the breadless brat was tasty.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[dodger tom]

took the day off to shower, hit the market, and chill from all the driving.

back through mesilla, past the ristramnn chile company.

gotta love a state that puts chiles on its license plates.

headed east through town.

to farmers’ market. full of artsy-crafts stuff…..

…..with the only food vendor being,…..

…..you guessed, a chile booth.

found a shady spot at an abandoned restaurant.

made breakfast, in this case, as in many, oatmeal with walnuts, hemp hearts, nanners, and milk.

stopped at bosque brewing.

it’s so interesting how people differ in their categorical definitions.

the beer on the left was just an ipa while the beer on the left was described as a west coast ipa. as the former had a weird lemony flavor, i went with the latter. however, on the west coast we don’t call this a west coast ipa.

the frostbite ipa came in at 6.7% abv. clear. dark gold/orange. bitterness hits first, and lasts the whole way. there are some mild pine and fruit flavors mostly at the back end.

there weren’t many “sites to see” in las cruces, or more likely i was just lazy on my day off. so, i settled for new mexico state.

headed west, back through town.

to truth and consequence brewing company.

their buckhorn ipa clocked in at 7% abv. clear. medium gold/red. mild pine flavor. mostly bitterness from front to back.

then, hung out back at spotted dog brewing, listening to the bums (they won), and camping in the parking lot.

ivan and nick are great people and make great beer.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Xevin]

Great trip Tom!

Did you notice the “Family Crossing” signs are always posted in really busy parts of the freeways? Seems like Caltrans could find safer places for families to cross.

_________________
Keep on Busin'

[richparker]

Niice!

I gotta get back out on the road.
_________________
__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[dodger tom]

got up, and did some chores.

also, changed a bad headlight bulb, fixed the contact on a rear side-marker light, and diagnosed my unfunctional wiper-washer system (no fluid).

then, headed east out of las cruces,…..

…..and, out of new mexico,…..

…..and, into texas.

where google takes us off i 10…..

we turn on texas 20 east,…..

…..which is an el camino real.

guess the king had a lot of roads. this one’s the ecr de tierra adentro. stretching from el paso, texas to santa fe, new mexico to mexico city, mexico it was the essential link between the growing economy of the us of a and the established mexican economy.
we receive our second welcome to texas.

southern hospitality.

then, we turn left, and head back to i 10,…..

…..where we discover the reason for the detour.

there is no i 10.

they’ve channeled all traffic onto the one-lane frontage road, onto which we merge.

but, soon it reappears, and off we go.

ending at…..

…..deadbeach brewing.

a coupla hundred million years ago el paso was on the beach. now, it’s midway between the gulf of mexico (680 miles) and the pacific (620 miles). hence, dead beach brewing.

their ipa is another red hoppy ale, though they call it a west coast ipa. 6.5% abv. dark orange/gold. very slight chill haze. mild caramel-malt flavor at the front. piney bitterness follows all the way back.

they have a version of a sonoran dog,…..

…..which they call the durazno dog, durazno being ta regional capital city in uruguay. it’s all clear to me.

we head east. i 10 and all its components look new. our federal tax dollars at work.

we hit the airport to pick up my friend/brother carl.

and, are greeted by a set of contradictory messages.

we try to hang out at the far end,…..

…..but, are rousted four times by two different airport traffic personnel, and made to go around a second time.

back on i 10 heading east.

we come to the pecos west county safety rest area.

a very new and incredibly nice spot.

where we and many others spend the night.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[airschooled]

I hit the road this morning, trying to catch you in another late bay…

Dang, this fuel injection and 2L/091 setup is lovely with a 30mph tailwind. I might just get to see some totality yet… Dodger color paint has to bring me good luck, right?

Tonight I'm having a caramel-malted cerveza, 5.4% and available at every gas station.

Robbie
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[dodger tom]

not to give too much away from tomorrow’s post, but i am now stationary in hunt, texas on the line of maximum totality, waiting to see what the cloud cover is going to be like on monday.

maybe i’ll see you hereabouts, scott.

but, expect the shift to a headwind soon.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Shonandb]

Looks like you are having fun Tom. My wife and I planned a trip to Quebec a few months ago not knowing about the eclipse and by luck, we'll be in Montreal on Tuesday and the forecast is clear and sunny.

Looking forward to it.

On a different note, it looks like Ohtani is doing what he was brought on to do.... now the rest of the team needs to pull up their socks.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[dodger tom]

looks like you’ll get about a minute-and-a-half of totality, db. it will be an amazing experience.

ohtani will be fine baseballwise. we’ll see about the gambling investigation.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[mikewire]

Really cool trip, nice pictures and quite the adventure. And you're not far from where I'm at in Mico, TX area.

Enjoy the eclipse and hopefully the skies will be clear!

If you (or anyone else in a VW reading this) need anything while you're here PM me.

Safe travels!!
_________________
-Mike

@countdowngarage
@bigskyeuro

1972 VW Kombi 9 Passenger Deluxe w/ 2.0L F.I. VWAC swap
1965 VW Beetle Deluxe Bahama Blue

[dodger tom]

woke up, and had tea. that’s carl drinking tea and texting.

went into the safety rest area. amazing.

your federal tax dollars at work.

returned to i 10 east. looks like new mexico, which looked like arizona.

stopped in fort stockton for lunch, gas, and some shopping.

they have arches in texas, too.

and fort stockton has paisano pete.

he’s the second-largest road runner in the world. 11 feet tall and 22 feet long. the largest was in las cruces, but i missed a photo of that one.

passing through the outskirts of fort stockton.

back on i 10 east.
past butte after butte.

and a greener desert landscape.

began to climb into the texas hill country.

stopped for gas in roosevelt, pop. 9.

this pump didn’t work.

this one did.

started hitting some wild flowers.

this being texas, there are beeves.

continued climbing.

more wildflowers.

more climbing.

more wildflowers.

turned onto texas 27 east.

more climbing.

more wildflowers.

passed through ingram.

and passed out of ingram.

and, arrived at carl’s in-laws‘ lake house.

as many of you have guessed, the trip is to see the eclipse.

the lake house is in the path of maximum totality. should be about four-and-a-half minutes. cloud cover allowing.

we’re mostly stationary for a few days.

so, we hunkered down to do nightly things…..

cribbage and beer, not in that order.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Xevin]

Hi Carl.
_________________
Keep on Busin'

[dodger tom]

the bus didn’t move at all the past two days.

just sat on the perfectly-sized rv pad.

the lake.

the laundry.

too much beer and food (and tequilla) to post.

ps - carl says “hi, xevin. nice to meet you.”
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.