It was hard to leave our friends in Moscow, but we decided to have one last hurrah before wrapping up our travels and finding a place to settle. We had heard a lot about Moab, Utah, and the surrounding area, and had to go visit for some world-class mountain biking. Nearby is Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Glen Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks. Some warm desert weather sounded nice, so after a couple of days in Boise, cleaning up the bus and restocking, we headed south to Moab.

The drive through Southern Idaho and into Utah was pretty flat and uneventful, and we were making good time as we passed Salt Lake, hoping to make it to some National Forest to camp. South of Salt Lake City on the freeway, the bus suddenly popped out of 4th gear on its own and died. Seneca switched lanes and started pulling over, trying to restart it but only hearing a grinding noise like a rock tumbler. We pulled over and couldn’t get the bus to start. ****!

So, after a bit of freaking out we called 411 to find a towing company, and called friends with internet to find a VW mechanic. After calling several towing companies that were closed, we finally found Vern, who towed us to a VW dealership that was amazingly still open after 10 on a Friday night. We stayed in the bus in the parking lot (not nearly as fun as camping) and the dealership’s service center took a look at the bus the next afternoon.

The news from the dealership was worse than we thought. The timing belt (we put in a new one with the new engine in May) apparently slipped and was partially shredded. The dealership mechanics all looked younger than we were, and since they were used to dealing with shiny new VWs, they stopped their detective work and referred us to a VW mechanic who could help. Of course, the mechanic isn’t open until Monday, so it’s Sunday and the nice weather we had yesterday ended with a rainy cold day, we are cooped up in a Super 8, waiting until tomorrow to find out the damage and see what we can do.

With all the time and money, preventative maintenance, and trouble-free miles we have put into this bus, it’s still a persnickity old VW. We’re not sure how the new timing belt could have possibly gotten loose, but it could have caused untold damage to the heads we replaced in August. We can only cross our fingers and hope for the best. Think good thoughts for us, and hopefully we’ll be rolling again soon… I guess it wouldn’t be an adventure without a few bumps in the road.