We left behind the memories of Mike’s “Glory Days” (cue Springsteen song) and passed by the largest roll of Lifesavers. Then parked on a street corner to observe an awesome monument to the armed services. It seemed appropriate on the 4th of July. We rolled on down the backroads towards the small town of Hume, … More Hanging out in Hume
This unit began as an original Vanagon bumper and a basic receiver hitch welded to the frame. Then we found an old-style GoWesty hitch mounted swing-away bumper. Finally, we added an Aluminess box. All of these pieces evolved into what you will see in the photos below. Many trips to the welder and several different … More The chaos of the rear bumper
The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site is possibly the second largest attraction on the Breton cape area of Nova Scotia (known as Cape Breton) and a fascinating archeology and anthropology reconstruction. At one time this fort housed a large community in a thriving city. But through feuds with Britain and France the fort was destroyed. … More Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site (and costumes!)
We said goodbye to friends in middle Nova Scotia with some sadness. These two guys had a great day of working on their VWs together and spent a few days talking cars and dogs and wives and whatever guys talk about. But it was fun to back to just the two of us on the … More Nova Scotia, additional thoughts as we cross to Cape Breton.
Back in 2010 we were in the same position as many Vanagon owners. We had begun to experience issues with the stock rebuild and were looking for something more reliable. We loved our van but just wanted to be able to get up a hill and travel a decent distance between overheating, coolant tank dances, … More Motor story; Bostig. A post by Mike!
Our arrival was uneventful. We did not even arouse enough suspicion for a search at the border. But he did ask if we had pepper spray, and I could answer with a solid “NO”. I just hope no one finds the foil wrapped package in the zipper bag hidden under a log back in Maine, … More Bay of Fundy area
One of the most useful and treasured items we have on board is the awning and enclosure. This system allows us to manage temperature, shade, privacy and our belongings and even the dogs. All of this offers flexibility to meet the needs of a particular setting. This system also doubles our living space! The awning … More The room and awning features on our hightop vanagon
Where has the slow house gone? All quiet on the postings, lately!? Alta has been relegated to Home Depot dashes and furniture hauling! We have accepted a fun offer from friends, and are spending some time working on two “cottages” in Cape Cod! This means we are sleeping in real beds, using indoor plumbing and … More A long pause in Cape Cod
The man in the uniform approached us briskly. We hesitated, thinking surely he wasn’t looking for us! But apparently he was…… “Hey, are you the slowcarfasthouse people? I’ve read some of your blog and when I saw the van I said, drop me off here!” And that is how we met John a museum curator … More Smoky Mountains, Appalachia, Blue Ridge Highway and Hot Springs
After the VW show we started towards Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Our first geocache grab was at the quirky Wigwam Motel in Tennessee. Then we crossed into Kentucky. These states blended together into a serious of back roads, small highways and little general stores broken up by large open swaths of land that … More Kentucky (by way of Tennessee)