I've Become a Fan of The Oatmeal

AND PASSED WITH AN ABOVE AVERAGE SCORE. B-

Quiz Created By Auto Insurance.org

Yes, the bug is on the list. Yes, it was the easiest question.

New Photos on the Club Site

Pictures and commentary are now available on the Utah County VW club's web site (yeah; ours). I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What? Already?? Club night wasn't even a week ago!" And I'd deserve it. Nevertheless, club night photos are up.

I must confess, I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. Given the extremely frigid (for Utah) conditions, I feared we'd see maybe one or two cars. Instead, imagine my delight when we hit double digits (in people, anyway). Only five classic VWs showed, but like I said, it was "frickin' cold."

On another note, the online option for payment of club dues has been updated to reflect the 2010 calendar year. For those of you who have already paid your 2010 dues (you know who you are), please DO NOT feel like you have to use the updated form. Your 2010 dues were received and are on record.

You'd Better Watch Out

In case any of you festive types were wondering, this is apparently a no-no in Utah County. As I was driving home from club night, I saw a vehicle dart behind me with a light rack on its roof. Within moments the aforementioned rack lit up in blue and red. As the officer walked up to my window, his first words were, "Feeling festive, are we?" He was kind enough not to cite me, explaining that I just needed to lose the Christmas lights, lest they distract anyone from driving. Kinda wondered about it when I put them up, but...

Now you know.

Doctor Dave Surfs the Web for You

These guys know a good time! I love the comment someone makes after a complete transaxle change. "Just a little road-side maintenance."

Shasta Snow Trip #9, 2009 - Friday from Gene Cornelius on Vimeo.

A rollicking rampage by VW bus in the dust bowl of Northern California, February, 2009, during one of the driest and dustiest Snow Trips in the nine years since its inception.

Complimented by the song "Undertow", used by permission from the album "Alektorophobia" by Eric McFadden & Wally Ingram. The edits were not necessarily authorized, however ...

Many thanks to the Newts who put up with my continuing efforts to obtain the footage of the Trip, as well as those who took on the pain and responsibility of the POV-cam!

For more information about the Shasta Snow Trip see www.shastasnowtrip.com and www.backroadbus.com

Do We Know This Guy?

The bug shown in this piece on KSL has GOT to be salvageable. PLEASE tell me it can be saved:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

So remember: Slow down. Maintain following distance. Beware of Nissans.

ksl.com - Snow snarls traffic, excites winter sport enthusiasts (Gallery Viewer)

Found on the "Interwebs"

So I was running a Google search for old VWs and it turned up this German classic VW blog. There is some great photography, so you won't have to speak, read or write German to get something out of it.

Once Again, Nothing to Do with VWs...

...but freakin' COOL, nevertheless...

It's My Car (Sort Of...)

I hope my old blue bug looks and sounds this nice one day. In case the embedded file isn't working for you, here's a link to YouTube.

I like this

I like this, but I can't seem to access the comments feature.

In Case You Missed It

Our little car show is the highlight of my year. If you haven't heard me say so before, stick around and you will. If you have heard me say it so many times you're ready to cement my mouth over...Well, I just hope you still have some patience left in you.

The Wasatch Classic VW Show is a unique little animal, and one I feel actually serves the community by providing something you just don't get everywhere. It's certainly a rare gem here in Utah. I'm extremely glad that there are consistently 70-80 VW enthusiasts each year that agree with me enough that the show happens. Apparently, though, it's not just us. I was pleasantly surprised when a haphazard Google search for all things "Wasatch Classic" turned up a glowing review of the 2009 show.

Brian Champagne (KUTV's 'Cool Car Guy,' if I remember right...) wrote a review of the eleventh annual Wasatch Classic which you can see (and tell all your friends about) on Examiner.com. Especially show it to those friends who tell you every year that they have something else they need to do...

I Promise: The Newsletters Are Coming!

I'm really hoping that no one was waiting for their newsletter to remind them about club night on the 11th. If that description fits you I apologize profusely. The letters were late getting printed, and though they were available to anyone at the meeting, those that didn't get handed out are still waiting to be mailed. They should be in your hands this week...Well, they should have been in your hands last week, but...

Hopefully, it should go without saying that December's meeting is on the 9th. The last two years we've asked club members to bring non-perishable food to be donated to the Food Bank, and we've given away a prize to the person who brought the biggest donation. Once again, this year we're asking club members to bring a Food Bank donation. In fact, if you want to bring a friend, I think it would be fair to give the prize to whoever brings the biggest food donation. Granted, the prize we're talking about is not anything super-expensive like a television set. Mostly, I'd just like to see us make a significant donation. See the December 2007 meeting.

Stolen in '74, '67 Bus Recovered in 2009

SPOKANE, Wash. – A Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Washington state has been found in a shipping container at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport.

Customs agents found the 1965 van on Oct. 19 when they opened a shipping container bound for The Netherlands, The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported. They ran the vehicle identification number and discovered... Read the stolen van story

Totally Unrelated to VWs

see more Lol Celebs

New Photos on the Club Site

In case anyone wants to see, the photos of the October WVVW meeting (on the 14th) are up and ready for viewing. A special "thank you" is in order for Dave Gilchrist, who not only served as photographer last month, but provided the witty commentary as well.

VGM Scours the Web for You: V8 Single Cab

Just got an e-mail from Dave about this handsome devil from Kustom Coach Werks. To answer his question ("Look like your old ride?"), I would have to say "Sort of. Kind of. Yeah."

Actually, now that Scott is driving that ride in particular, I imagine he could answer better than I :)

Potential Outing in Park City Next April

We just got a notification in from the club web site; there's an event at La Caille this April, and one of the guys working for the event management company wants to know if there are any owners of vintage German autos who would like to show off their precious metal. If you're in the club, I've already forwarded the info to the e-mail I have on file for you (though there seem to be a few out of date addresses...). I've also posted it on the club forum. If you missed the e-mail, here's what it says:

Tom Smith of Park City writes: I work for an event management company and we have a group who would like to display a couple vintage german vehicles during a dinner at La Caille. The event is in April of next year and i would like to see if any of the group members would like to show off their vehicle.

2009 Fall Cruise

While I don't suppose I'd call it a roaring success, I'd say that those who went weren't sorry for their trouble. The foliage along Hwy 189 in Provo Canyon isn't as spectacular as up the Alpine Loop, but it's still pretty, and in the end no one seemed to mind not being driven off the road by on-coming traffic. Deer Lake Reservoir looks lovely, and the food at Dairy Keen was enjoyable, too. I even stuck a quarter in the "Harry Potter Train" feature and we watched a toy train run back and forth (about a yard or so) for about 60 seconds.

Those of you who were not in attendance, the 2009 WVVW Fall Cruise would have been better with you there, and we hope to see you next time.

Cool Video

Dave Gilchrist spotted this video of a whacky Type II customization on YouTube. Enjoy!

New blog for the club and the car show

Ok, hopefully this won't be a crash-and-burn idea. I'd like to connect this blog to the club and show sites, thewasatchclassic.com and wvvw-ut.com, and allow club members to post on here. Maybe it will work better than the current forum. If you found this blog and are not familiar with Utah County's vintage VW club, visit the Wasatch Vintage VWs site by clicking on the links herein provided.