Hi! It's me Suzy with the Vannagon 87 and that trip was in 1997 or 1998. All of those helpful comments come from people I wish that I knew then. and now!
I carried too much water leaving San Diego--it was ridiculous the weight added--and probably the first night going over the mountains still in CA, i think the transmission began to have problems-it was diagnosed as collapsed lifter.
I did make it fine to Dallas. Where I ditched the van and took a plane and ended up swimming a heck of a lot and cooking fish over the campfire. I did this for many years actually. Then in 2008 adopted to homeless and abused Mexican dogs that are the love of my life. They flew home, too.
All of the comments come from such interesting super smart people ....I wish that we could all gather around the fire and hear your stories. Much appreciation for your thoughts. Suzy