I just thought I would write a blurb about my recent Mex trip in my ‘71. Not much of a story, really, other than the fact that it represents the culmination of two lifetime dreams.

In the beginning, I had spent many years dreaming about a serious Baja trip.

I had also spent many years dreaming of the perfect Baja Bug to do it in. Time passed, and I was never really in a position to fulfill either of my dreams. That is, until last summer (98). My wife and I were finishing our master’s degrees at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, knew we would be moving out of the state soon, and realized we would end up even farther from the fulfillment of Vdub/Mex, if we did not make it happen then.

No, I did not want a bus at first. Or should I say, I did not want one as bad as I wanted a baja bug. I mean, I love busses. I love all aircooled VWs, passionately. However, my wife said no way to the bug (no room, impractical, unsafe, desire of expensive modification, etc...). A bus seemed the better choice (I’m a musician, with lots of equipment, we plan on having a family, and a bus has less for me to modify. This last point was my wife’s favorite part). I went back to my favorite VW publications to research buses, and determined that ‘68 to ‘71 would be my best choice. As much as we love pre-‘68 buses, we knew we would pay quite a bit more for one, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to battle CA freeways with reduction gears, since I did not want a lowered or otherwise modified bus. ‘72 and on didn’t have that plentiful 15-1600, that is still relatively cheap to rebuild and maintain. The cost difference between a 1600 and type-IV rebuild is ridiculous, not to mention part cost and availability.

I think I should mention that this was all tentative - nothing was sure. However, one day on the way to class I noticed what looked to me like a 70-71 parked at the local VW repair shop with a for sale sign. I talked to the shop owner, and found that some guy had been driving it from Colorado and blew up the engine. To make a long story longer, the shop owner eventually swindled his way into an extremely cheap bus. He told me he would sell it to me with a good used motor, or rebuild one for me - I just had to make an offer.

My wife and I talked about it, reviewed our meager finances, and prayed. After a day or so I made the shop an offer for the bus with a rebuilt engine and miscellaneous electrical repairs (more than what the shop deserved, but I didn’t yet know how cheap he got it from the owner), and by the next week was driving a ‘71 bus. It took about two months to sell my truck, which payed for the bus, a cd player and amp, and new rear brakes. The engine and tranny are in excellent shape. I later had the guys at the shop install a oil temp guage (couldn’t quite figure it out myself). The body needs work, but I can deal with that.

I guess I should stress to the reader how significant this bus purchase was for me personally. I had dreamed about owning an aircooled VW all my life. I just was never able to, for one reason or another.

My other dream that always seemed to fall through was driving down Baja. We couldn’t do it in my truck (no room for friends, couldn’t lock up belongings, made a constant lugging sound, like it would soon throw a rod, or something). Neither did we want to do it in our other car - a ‘94 Civic inherited from my father-in-law (too nice, too little clearance). The bus was the perfect vehicle.

And perfect it was. My wife and I and two friends, with all the shtuff we could carry (Boogie boards, wetsuits, fins, snorkeling gear, camping supplies out the wazoo, week’s worth of water and Pop Tarts, clothes, etc . . .), headed for Ensenada and beyond at the breakneck speed of 65 mph (north of the border).

My friends sat on beach chairs the whole way, since I could not locate a rear seat in time. The bus ran a little hot north of the border, mainly because of the weight, and because L. A. was over a hundred both times we drove through. South of the border the bus ran like a dream. The cool air and slower speeds helped out alot. However, the bus really shined out in the boonies. I piloted the bus, with all the added weight, over washboards, sandy and rocky terrain, through creekbeds, and otherwise ridiculously fun and mechanically abusive, Baja roads and non-roads. Despite all the weight, the bus NEVER bottomed out, suspension-wise. Nor did my front end, tranny,or engine ever scrape on the ground. I had always heard that buses had good clearance, but it was not after this trip that I realize what they meant. The engine and tranny, even with 185/70r-14s, sit higher than your average axle/diff on your average 4x4. Traction was never a problem. Power in the sand was a problem, obviously. But overall, the bus was unstoppable.

My wife and I are still amazed at what our near 30 year old, stock bus handled in Mexico. In fact, the best part about the trip was the bus. The air was too cold to lay out, etc . . . The water was too cold, even with full-suits, colder than San Luis Obispo, even. We couldn’t surf or snorkel. Despite our medicinal preparations and food and water precautions, we all got sick, and I suffered a migraine, the throw-up kind, which I had to sleep off in San Quintin. My friend got so sick we had to leave early. Fish tacos everyday for lunch was extremely cool, though.

We drove more than any other activity in Mex. Everyone except for me hated it. The reader has to understand that, although we prepared as much as we could, this was still my first time to Baja for any extended trip. Hence, it was not the romantic getaway we dreamed it to be. Actually, it was not the romantic getaway my wife and friends thought it would be. I loved it, and would go back in a second. We’ve since moved out of state, and our friends tease me about the "big trip", which was really a disaster. Someday, I will drive to the cape. Just the two of us. The bus and I. My wife said she will fly there and meet me. What a wuss.