As a final entry, I'll report that I moved to Oregon for a variety of reasons. I did not take the VW with me, so it stayed in Utah for a number of months.

After it became apparent that I was not returning to Oregon, but instead moving further West (to Hawaii), I listed the Beetle for sale and it was sold. The proceeds went to the people that cared for the car while I was traveling.

I loved the car and it treated me well. I hope to one day be able to call a Beetle mine once more.