We went to a VW Graveyard on Saturday. G needed a bolt removed from his engine, and he was having issues finding the socket to fit it. Turns out it was a bolt unique to an automatic 1974 air cooled engine. He took it to a local place that repairs these engines – and has sort of a graveyard of parts. The girls gave me a tour. It seems they have been there four times this summer, and while G is looking for something or BSing with the owner, they wander about the old VW buses and explore. Hearing them call “come here, Moe, this is the engine tin van” or “this is the carburetor van” made me wonder if four times was a conservative number of times they have been there.  Regardless, it is a neat place to take pics.

a spider made his home in one of the vans

the owner was weeding when we got there.

a van full of parts

this place was definitely a gateway of sorts – a gateway to a time of Jerry Garcia. the girls told me about a garden the guy had, and I kept expecting to see a garden of pot growing.

it’s kinda sad really – to see the vans filled with part instead of up and running.

there were probably 20 VW buses sitting there acting as containers of parts.

they also had a pile of VW Bug parts too – mainly body parts.

a van of parts spilling out onto the ground.

I will have to admit. I get the VW Bus obsession. These buses seem to have a spirit, a soul, that makes you want to wash them up and get them running again. And all seem to possess a very female soul to me. Maybe that is what compels me to want to help them. As we walked through, it was all I could do to not clean off a window or a headlight or got searching for the missing wheel from the front of the bus.

I do understand now why people want to restore them – to save them. There is just something about spending time with them that makes you want to help them.  Hell, SG’s son – the youngest – had announced after his fateful trip in G’s bus that he wants one. He wants to make it run. This is a kid who could really care less about mechanical things.  And despite his trip in G’s bus which ended in the thing dying, he took pictures before he left. Not to tell stories about how this adult is obsessed and how funny it is – but because he was bit by the bug….or the bus.

Friday, I posted a video about a 1958 VW Bus that was saved, then sold. And amazing bus really – crank start – safari windows. Neat. When G learned the guy sold it, he was shocked. How could he get rid of such a find. My response – it was time for the bus to have new adventures with a new family. The story didn’t end – it was continued. And that’s what is fascinating about these cars. They each have this story that involves cross country trips, free love, and probably lots of pot. How could you not want something with such a back story to continue to live and gather more stories?