I love VW's- especially Buses. I just get a happy feeling inside when I am driving a VW Bus. I owned a 1971 DoubleCab pickup for 12 years or so- a Long time- and I loved it; I thought I would Always have it, forever and ever. I even wrote it into my Will to go to my son- which he must know on some energetic level, since he was mighty pissed at me when I sold it. He's 9, and doesn't quite get the whole "well, I can sell the truck, or we can lose the house...." deal. But that is what it came down to.
So, once I came to terms with that, I decided I would need a new "toy" to replace it- something cheaper, so we would still get the necessary funding to maintain our lifestyle, but I knew I needed another cool old rig to soften the blow. Besides, I Used the Double- it was a workhorse for me- a rare and collectible workhorse- but a workhorse nonetheless. So I actually did Need to replace it with another hauling rig.
Early on, I fell in Love with an old Ford pickup I saw on Craigslist- sweet old truck, all original, Cheap- plus it had a Winch! I could be a Really macho chick with a Winch! But, as time went by, and I got to the point of considering partial trades for the Double, I started thinking that an old VW camper would be Sweet. It Rains in the NW- and camping in the rain Sucks!
So, fate intervened, and as I perused the ads on The Samba, I found one that stood out for me. Her flaws were assets. Her at
tributes attractive. The price was right. However, I still needed to sell the Double. I needed a no nonsense decisive buyer for my truck. And finally he found me. Worlds easiest transaction- he gave me my asking price, sent a Western Union deposit- followed by a check for the balance. Christmas was saved- and so was the house. Close call- don't want to be There ever again.
And, as luck would have it, Sandro, the nice man who now owns my old double, lived in Portland- which is Also where Irene was waiting for me. So, I offered to drive the Double to Portland, made arrangements to buy Irene from Jill, and I was all set. My longtime friend and all around awesome person Debbie offered to come along for the ride, I booked a hotel, and we were good to go. And then it started snowing. and snowing.
Our plans were delayed by 2 weeks, but then, we were off to Portland! It was a glorious good time, but I do have this to say: Never underestimate just how cold a metal box can get while flying (hmmm, is 55mph flying?) down the highway with No Heat. It was the coldest road trip ever! Plus it took forever since I didn't want to take any chances while driving a rig that was no longer mine. Luckily, I had booked us a motel with a hot tub-Ahhhh, the thaw!
screams at her the whole time! We got to listen to that scream anytime I had to change gears, so we were mighty happy that most of the way home was on the highway . 
Delivery Complete! and Now, On to our reward..... to be continued
