DAY ONE:
November, 1, 2013
We pulled into Eugene last night around 5:30pm. Our first stop was at The No Name Garage to see Miles. Miles has been around VW’s all his life as his Dad was a VW Mechanic. Miles and his mechanics not only know VW’s inside and out, they know Buses. Most of them own one, drive them daily and their shop and lot is full of buses. I figured this would be a good place to tend to some minor issues we were having and have Sandy looked over since we put 1000 miles on her. Miles offered us a place to camp for the night and he’d be taking the bus in first thing in the morning.
Friday 11/1/2013
After a wonderful night’s sleep in Eugene (You are not a local until you have slept in a bus on the side of the road 😀 ) I made us breakfast and awaited the opening of the shop. They arrived early and we chatted a bit before bringing Sandy in. Up on the lift she went and after a good look see, they were ready to get to work.
First up was to fix the idle. With a hot cam, she idles a bit sunny, but the biggest issue was a missing spring. Next up was to get the High/Low Beams working. Another easy fix, just a relay. The High/Low speed control on the wipers was another issue, that needed a new switch which they had in stock 😀 and only took them a few minutes to swap out. The Windshield Washer was another story. I was given an education in how it works with air pressure and after a quick check, we discovered that the lines were disconnected. Rather than tend to that now, they suggested I either consider adding an electric pump or check all the lines and be sure none are cracked. Since this was an unscheduled visit and Miles was kind enough to squeeze us in, I did not think it was necessary t take up their time with something this minor that would involves a lot of troubleshooting. We moved onto the next project. The blower for the heater box. While this also turned out to be a simple fix…missing fuse, once the fuse was added we heard the blower motor was on the way out. 
Miles had an old working one there so we swapped it out so I can be sure to have a working defroster. Our final project was minor, but an easy fix. Wiring up the Water Pump for domestic water. After another quick education in how the electric runs on the Bus, which is different from American cars I grew up with ( Brown is Ground, Black is Keyed power, Red is Constant Power), it was obvious that I simply had it hooked up wrong, but once hooked up we discovered the pump housing was leaking. So we left it for another day once I can get anew pump on the road. We ended the visit with a quick check of the timing and ensuring the heads were good and off I went for my weekend in Eugene.
We spent the afternoon cruising around downtown Eugene (those that have been here are laughing now) and I was very impressed at the number of bicyclists and just how bicycle friendly Eugene is. Sadly, I later learned that there is also a huge problem with theft of bicycles here too. We visited a few bike shops as I was sure I’d be able to pick up a bike rack for Sandy here in VW Bus Land, but no go. I was also amazed at how many Coffee Huts there are. Not shops…huts. These are drive up coffee places. They are on every corner! Eugene, you sure do love your coffee.
I met up with my old friend Luna whom I had not seen since 1989 and we headed out for an early dinner. Tonight she wanted to take me for Sushi which I have never had. Off we went to the Sushi Station. Well almost. See the buses are not known for their well functioning seat belts and it took her quite a while to get hooked in. Its just one of the quirks you have to love about the bus. I really enjoyed Sushi. I didn’t think I would, but it was not awful at all. It was quite enjoyable actually.
After dinner we headed to Sweet Life Patisseri for their signature dessert, The Nipple of Venus, a decadent chocolate dessert and some local Vanilla Jills (think frozen yogurt only better). If you are in Eugene, you MUST come to this place. Not only was the dessert delicious, but the Cappuccino was outstanding.
Back home we went for some chit chat and to catch up on some 14 years.
DAY TWO:
November 2, 2013
After a brief visit at the Saturday Market in Eugene, we headed out of town to visit the Cougar (Terwilliger) Hot Springs up in the beautiful Willamette National Forest. The trip took us about an hour through mostly 2-4 lane highway, but the last 30 minutes were Spectacular as it was obvious we were entering a Rain Forest as we made our way around the Cougar Reservoir toward the Hot Springs.
Upon arriving, I was surprised to see just how packed the lot was as I had not passed a single car on the way. I met several people right away all preparing for the hike back to the Hot Springs.
The walk took about 10 minutes and it was under a light drizzle. Upon making the descent down to the Hot Springs I immediately made out that there was a line of people there. Most of them either undressing or dressing under the tiny shelter to hang your clothing as this Hot Springs is Clothing Optional. I set Lexie up under the shelter to keep her out of the rain and opted out of my clothes and proceeded to make the cold trek down the wet rocks into the upper pool which is also the hottest and most crowded. It also has a neat cave you can go into.
( Sorry, no p
pictures here to respect others privacy)
There had to be 20-25 people here all soaking in various tubs or going between them to cool down or warm up. Lexie had company too as there was a beautiful Husky there with her. 
We, well I, spent about 2 hours at the Hot Springs relaxing in the Hot Springs and soaking in the minerals it offered while talking to the others, many of whom were locals. We headed out just before dark just as more rain came in, this time, much heavier.
The trip back was a wet one, but still managed to get some good pictures.
Photo Album: Â Â https://goo.gl/photos/vQA1gmbyPhseKnECA
If you need a place to park in Olympia, WA. give us a shout. We’ve got coffee here too! Maybe not as many as Eugene, however. Be sure to get a coffee from Dutch Bros while you’re there.
Thank You, I’ll be sure to let you know once we are in town.
Thank you Dale and Colleen for your hospitality. I really enjoyed my stay there, though brief, you taught me so much about the blog and Lexie had a great time with Bunny. If you are ever in Vermont, please get in touch with us.