Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 14:41:48 -0400
Reply-To: "Anthony L. Mourkas" <frankenstein@TELPLUS.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Anthony L. Mourkas" <frankenstein@TELPLUS.NET>
Subject: LiMBO on Long Island what a weekend!!!
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I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend on Long Island!!! In fact I will go
on record as saying that I enjoyed my trip and this VW event more than
any other I have attended. Not that the other events I've attended were
bummers, far from it, but I guess the Karma last weekend was perfect. I
*REALLY* needed to get out of the house for a bit even though I was
*REALLY* tired from all the traveling throughout Maine the last six weeks
delivering bicycle safety presentations in K-8 schools. I have put 3200
miles on the van since the beginning of May and spent at least 15 nights
in her.
I had a great trip down from Maine to sister Melissa's in Massachusetts
on Thursday, where we made final preparations for the weekend over a few
(too many) vodkas, we hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving you
know........
The caravan drive the following morning in my 84 Westy and Melissa's 81
Westy down to the New London, CT dock was not to stressful, the ferry
ride was enjoyable, and the trip out to the park was short and scenic.
We encountered NO major traffic worries - by New York or Connecticut
standards that is - by Maine standards, the traffic was horrendous!
However after driving through MA and CT for an hour I was honking my
horn, shaking my fist, cutting people off, and giving the one finger
salute with the best of them.........
Friday we set up and said our hellos, checked out the park by bicycle,
and then cooked a grilled salmon dinner and joined the gang around the
campfire. Naturally included were a few "stealth" beverages. It was
good to make some new friends and greet old ones not seen over the Winter.
Saturday I awoke a little reluctantly with not the clearest head I have
ever had and after breakfast decided to forgo the caravan in favor of a
thirty mile bike ride and sushi lunch with three of Melissa's friends who
came over for the day for the occasion. We rode by some fabulous homes
by the sea - the kind that if I hit the lottery I probably still couldn't
afford! Back to camp by 4PM just in time to catch Chris and Lauren(?)
heading out to paddle their canoe. After determining that Melissa had
had enough for the day I threw my kayak in the van and headed for the
beach. By the time I got there Chris and Lauren were just about out of
sight, but after throwing the boat in the water and paddling quickly for
about thirty minutes I caught up to them and we enjoyed a leisurely tour
of that particular little inlet and the resident wildlife including some
very large white swans. We then headed out into the rougher water around
the other side of the picnic area and enjoyed a brief paddle in the
gently rolling "surf" before ending up at the bathing beach and a well
deserved swim.
I got back to camp and set up the van again just in time for the pot luck
supper which was just what I needed after all the physical activity of
the day. Too many good dishes to appreciate them all but I did try as I
went back for seconds. The awards ceremony followed and although I
didn't win the raffle, I did score the long distance award - a magic bus
mouse pad and a bottle of "Skin So Soft" which is renowned for its
ability to keep the Maine mosquitoes at bay. I also was fortunate to win
one of the two door prizes - a stuffed Jerry Garcia doll that looked
great with my four stuffed dancing bears illuminated by spotlight on my
dashboard later that night.
BTW - after the awards ceremony I sequestered myself in my Westy, fired
up my sister's "Barbie" TV (so named because it is bright pink and cost
$5 at a tag sale) and caught the last two periods of game seven of the
NHL Stanley Cup Finals where the Colorado Avalanche prevailed. I only
came out to join the group in our part of the campground during
commercial breaks but I don't think they really cared about the hockey
game updates and wondered why I was screaming inside the van! You have
to understand, hockey is almost a religion in our family, I even took my
wife Anne to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario last August to
celebrate her birthday and she loved every minute! What a woman!!!
By the time the hockey game was over the campfire chat had pretty much
died down, it always seems that Friday nights are rowdier than Saturdays
at these VW events. I circulated for a while and then hit the rack.
It was sad to see Sunday morning dawn but all good things must come to an
end. Melissa and I cooked breakfast and said our goodbyes to others as
the vans started to roll out of the campground. After packing up we
rolled out of camp ourselves, down to the beach where we launched our
kayaks for a repeat of my previous day's paddle. We kept switching
between our two boats and paddles and I think both learned a lot being
both relatively new to kayaking. We left for our date with the 3PM ferry
about 1PM, and after a quick stop at a Kool Aid stand some enterprising
children had set up, we arrived at the ferry terminal at Orient Point
literally just in time to drive right onto the 2PM ferry, an earlier boat
and no waiting, I told you the Karma was good. We brought a picnic
basket up to the passenger cabin on the boat and had a great lunch while
watching Long Island fade over the horizon.
After leaving the boat back in New London, CT, Melissa and I said goodbye
and went our separate ways back to our homes. It is great to have a
sister I am such good friends with and who also shares a passion for VW
vans! After hitting Interstate 395, I put the pedal to the metal and
with Jerry G. and the dancing bears keeping me company up front, made the
remaining 352 mile trip home with a few rest, gas, and potty stops in 6
1/2 hours. BTW - I would heartily recommend listening to some good blues
to make the miles fly by - Buddy Guy and Junior Wells - HOT!!! Got home
about 10:30PM in time to give my kind, patient, and loving wife Anne a
full report on the weekend over a few of the remaining Saranac brews I
had brought with me. They even stayed cold the whole trip in the fridge
- see I told you it was good Karma.
Many, many thanks to to Andrea and Brad for staging such a great weekend,
the first of many I hope! See you there next time folks!
Best wishes,
Tony
Anthony L. Mourkas
Hampden, Maine, USA
1984 Vanagon Westfalia "Gertrude"
(with Jerry Garcia and the Dancing Bears)
