You can always tell when spring comes to Texas…the torrential storms start. Of course, here in north Texas, warmer weather typically starts in March. In 2015, just two years after the house was built, hail came with a storm that totaled the roof on the house and the shop. It sounded like there was a group of workers in our attic installing flooring. As a result, I’m always concerned of a repeat performance when we enter March.
Tornadoes are a lesser threat than the hail, but they have been known to happen. That same year (2015), two tornados traveled down highway 78, just two short miles away. They destroyed buildings and lives as they moved north. So, while they are a smaller risk, however, they are a possibility. So, if you plan on driving your bug during this period of time, you need to watch the weather. It changes quickly too.
All in all, the weather up through May tends to be, what I would call, volks-friendly. The temperatures are moderate for the most part. Beyond May, I start to get rather selective on driving, even to the VW meeting.
When the temperatures rise, my concern for the beetle rises with it. I don’t want to push my little engine down the road when the temperatures are high. Short jaunts are fine but driving over an hour in 90–100-degree temperatures make me nervous. I realize that many Baja bugs are driven in races in the desert, but it still makes me apprehensive. Part of my concern is the preservation of my original engine. Why stress it if I don’t need to?
Now, through March, I have really wanted to take it out for a drive. However, it seems we just get dry roads, and the weather calls for severe storms. It looks like the rest of the month is more of the same with a slight reprieve in time for the VW meeting in Garland on the 30th.
I’m looking forward to moving it back down the highway.
