What's the best place you've been to?

[Ben850]

Italy, northern Italy in particular. The Apennine mountains, Lake Como, Milan, Bologna, Assisi all of that area is gorgeous and the people are nice.

But the Rockies and all the national parks adjoining are great too. Yellowstone and Yellowstone lodge and Glacier and its majestic old hotel (can't think of the name) are awesome places to hike and explore.
Yosemite and Kings Canyon/Sequoia also have the majestic trees, mountains, and the lodges made of the native trees.

I guess I gravitate to places where there are mountains, lesser humidity, cooler temps, and old buildings that impress me.

@jimmy57
It is a beautiful trek I had taken in '84. From Detroit, through the U.P. , across Canada to the Canadian Rockies into Montana through Glacier National falls. It is truly a beautiful trip.

1974 VW Beetle was the vehicle of convenience, with firewood tied to the front bumper. Tents and backpacks tied to the rear. Destination being Los Angelas CA. There was a month to spend on vacation. Many things were learned.

I will post a photo in a new post, but those are inspiring places within the North American continent. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into on this excursion, but I wouldn't change a thing.
In so many words, the Cnadian Rockies were the most beautiful, and I look forward to revisiting.

Side note: Above 10,000 feet, you may need to jump out of your bug and change the jetting on the carb. And/or stop to enjoy the scenery with a sandwitch and a beer.(alcohol seems to have an intense effect.)

Ahh...

[Ben850]

I didn't forget about this thread. I found photos from the north american excursion of 1984. Here is one. I may post more if I can dig some up.

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[matthew1]

Ben, outstanding photo. I too owe this thread some photos.

Did the tent cause it to overheat? Seems it's insulating that area.

[jblackburn]

Awesome picture!

[Ben850]

No overheating throughout the Mojave Desert or Death Valley. The louvers visible above the tents are the only ones on the lid.

We did have a breakdown in Sata Fe NM. While fueling up in Flagstaff AZ, my friend left his nose spray on that rear lid when he opened it to check the oil. We didn't reallize it slid into the inside of the cylindrical cooling fan. (like an 850 blower)

It threw the belt driven mechanism out of balance, and by the time we got to Santa Fe, the carb and manifold were almost completely detached. We exited the freeway at full throttle, not of our choice.

We got lucky, and found a really cool VW shop a couple miles off the freeway in Santa Fe.
This was the only night on the trip we stayed in a hotel while on the road.

I have a photo of the guys that fixed the VW. I'll add it to this in the morning.

(next morning)
While looking at the photos, I notice the date stamp of Feb '84, so the trip was actually in summer '83. Wow, where did the last 30 years go. I am the tall blonde guy, and I still look just like that. Ha.

I wasn't kidding about the firewood on the front bumper. LOOK. There were three of us in the car as well.

Santa Fe NM VW repair shop. Summer 1983.

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[abscate]

Hmmmm...1974 with only two sets of slots on the rear louvre? Looks more like 71 or 72. Nasty carb those years - Solex PICT 34....I'll bet that gave you trouble in the desert too.

Was that a Beetle or a Super Beetle with the Macpherson strut front suspension?

Admiral Boyle and I did the great North America loop in a 1971 VW Bus in 1984 ourselves