For any of you readers out there who have gone on a vacation in your own vehicle and have had vehicle problems, you’ll be able to relate to this day’s tale of woe. We’ve had a few problems with our 1986 VW Vanagan on this trip and luckily, we’ve landed in cities were there are VW experts. These shops are rare and are becoming harder and harder to locate. But luck was on our side when we encountered problems in April while in Berkeley, CA and today when we were in Ogen Utah. BC Automotive specializes in VW work and luckily they could take us in right away. With parts and work involved it could mean being in Ogden for the next 4 or 5 days. So we prepared ourselves for this. But, when the car was up on the hoist, Kerry, the mechanic, diagnosed another problem which meant less cost, but still the same length of time for the repair as parts needed to be ordered. The part would be ordered in the morning and shipped to the shop for Monday. We were able to drive the van that night, stopped for a bite to eat at Rancherito and then stayed in a hotel as it was raining pretty hard.
We returned to the shop at 9 am Friday and got some great news. Colton, parts guy extraordinaire, had already ordered the part we needed the night before (not realizing it was the part we needed, but just filling in inventory of parts that had been used recently). The van would be ready by 10:30 am Friday and we could continue on our journey north. A very big thank you to Kirk the owner of BC Automotive and to his staff Colton and Kerry. This is the type of shop that people with VW from miles around, other States, and yes even Canada, come to for service. I can understand why indeed!
We’re on the road heading to Lava Hot Springs for two reasons – the hot springs and a Thai restaurant that gets good ratings. We arrive at the Riverwalk Thai Café mid-afternoon and decide to go for a late lunch/early dinner.
The food is good, but I admit, we have better Thai in Edmonton. The Spring Rolls are large deep fried rice paper rolls filled with bean thread noodles and vegetables served with a homemade sweet chili dipping sauce. Tasty, not greasy and quite filling.
We share the Stir Fried Broccoli and Chicken. It’s a lightly seasoned dish and could have used a bit more oomph. I will admit that the dish was plentiful, lots of thinly sliced chicken medallions and fresh broccoli that’s not overcooked. We decide to order the Thai Chicken with Cashew Nuts as take out for dinner later that evening. This was an outstanding dish with loads of chicken, cashews, celery, carrots, onions and bell pepper.
Next it’s over to the State owned hot springs for a dip in the pools. Something I need, as it’s been raining and on the cool side.
We’re back on the road to head to Star Mountain RV Resort in Thayne Montana.
