Krutzpack: Moving on after AML: Labor Day Weekend

I'd say that in general, I'm a very patient person, and dealing with testing and waiting for results and going through chemo has only made me realize that I can even be more patient than I ever thought was possible. Enter Purple Haze, stage left.

I'll start by saying that I've wanted a Westy for several years now. I flew to Seattle right after finishing my last chemo round with an intention to purchase a different van that didn't quite work out, but Purple Haze, or as she was known at the time as "Pokey" (by her previous owners due to her startling speed) was there waiting for me to test drive and bring her to her new home in Lolo with the Krutzpack.

Purple Haze made the trip from Seattle to Lolo without any issue, although we new that she needed new brakes and that the transmission needed resealed. We took her to the mechanic the following week after enjoying a few evening joyrides. She sat at the mechanic's shop for the next month as a "sub-mechanic" took apart the transmission. Sealing the transmission turned into "well, your clutches show signs of wear" which turned into "we also need to replace the torque converter" which turned into, "here's your rebuilt transmission".

After much anticipation (i.e. entire last month of summer gone with no van camping taking place), Purple Haze was finally ready for pickup this past Wednesday. The brakes made a huge difference, and for the most part, she seemed to run fine, although it seemed like she was a little slow to kick it into gear. We got ready for the long weekend ahead, packing the van up with little odds and ends to go on her maiden voyage to the Grand Tetons where we would bike and fish for 3 days.

All packed and ready to go, we headed out on Friday around 10 am with intentions of setting up camp and enjoying the evening for the first time in nearly 3 years, as we generally get to camp at dark and it's pretty much time for a 1 hour fire and go to sleep, only to pack up again early the next morning and be on our way.

Purple Haze made it to Darby, MT, about 60 miles south of home, when chit went down.

Toby noticed coolant leaking as we stopped for coffee. We pulled over to check things out, but the coolant light hadn't come on and it looked like maybe it was overfilled, so we decided to keep going. Less than 5 miles down the road, P.H. flashed her ruby red coolant light at me, and we pulled over once again and called the mechanic to see if there was really an issue or if there might be a slight chance we could keep on keeping on. He suggested that we turn around and head back home. If that wasn't enough of a bummer, I put the van into reverse and it didn't want to go anywhere. When I put it in drive, Purple Haze stood still. I put her in park and went back to reverse and then drive and finally, we got back on the road. The transmission clearly had a problem.

The transmission got progressively worse rather quickly and around 2:00, we rolled back into the mechanic's shop. Rather than cancel our trip, we loaded everything into Toby's truck and brought our tent and sleeping bags along.

While the rest of Friday was a huge downer, and we didn't make it to our campsite at Falls Creek, along the Snake River in Swan Valley, ID until 9 pm that night, the weekend turned out pretty well. On Saturday, we drove to Jackson, WY, and set up camp at the Gros Ventre campground about 10 miles outside the park. We rode the bike trail from Moose to Jenny Lake and back (about 15 miles) and it was beautiful. One of our trip highlights was the giant bull moose that walked right behind our campsite on Saturday night that Remi is still talking about..."Da moose! Come moose!" On Sunday, we fished the Snake River and Toby and I each caught a nice fish. Colder weather set in that afternoon, but we were able to fish the Gros Ventre River in the evening and head to our campsite at a decent time. Today's drive back home was scenic with also some evidence of snow from the night before, a sign that it's time for flannel, boots, and campfires, which makes me happy.

Hopefully tomorrow, we'll have an update on Purple Haze- something I am and am not looking forward to. One thing is for sure, she better shape up or she's getting shipped out. Ain't nobody got time for that, P.H.!

Here are some Labor Day Weekend Glamour Shots: