Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 18:29:31 -0400
Reply-To: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject: Campout Report COWvab
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Hey campers!
We had a great time at Beaver Creek Sate Park. The weather was beautiful.
The night skies shone with stars. And the food tables groaned under the
weight of too much good food.
Previous Campers included:
Jeff and Kim with Otto the dog ('82 Diesel Westy)
Jonathan and Rebecca with Max the dog ('85 Westy)
Stephen and Colleen with Sam the dog ('84 Westy)
New (to COWvab) campers:
Dave and Chris ( '88 {?} Syncro Westy)
Jay ('87 Syncro Westy)
Bob and Barbara ('87 Westy)
Friday afternoon Jay began a wait for J & R and D & C. Saturday morning J
& K and B & B came in from West of Cleveland. S & C followed in mid
afternoon, driving 5 hours up from Southern Ohio.
The vans were arranged along the bank of Beaver Creek in the shade of
towering sycamores and maples.
A lively fridge overhaul ensued on Dave's new Westy (still had the temp tags
on it from Boston). Boy! Could we make some money selling those pictures?!
It's always good to get together in camping mode. We compared and discussed
the nuances of various aspects of our beloved coaches. Jay's Shady Boy
awning was impressive in its foldaway size and it seemed to hold up well in
the few stiff breezes that we experienced Saturday afternoon.
As the sun went below the Western hills and the shadows fell across the
Westies, folding tables formed up and lawn chairs circled. A small cooking
fire appeared in the fire ring and the feast began.
Pot luck dinner was a treat to behold...beginning with nachos, veggies,
breads, cheeses, salsas and appropriate beverages. Then the heavy courses
brought on quesadillas ("quaysadillus" in Appalachian), scrumptious chicken
topped salad, corn-on-the-cob, pasta salad, burgers and more than I can
remember. Barbara's corn bread and dessert are sure to make her welcome at
any future COWvab event.
After dinner and around the campfire we were visited by Brad the Park Ranger
and offers to dine were politely refused. We all waited for a contingency
of para-normals who were scheduled to camp nearby and do a "search for
phenomena" of the nearby park grounds. They didn't show in any numbers or
forms that we could readily identify. Too bad...they missed a gorgeous night
for being outdoors. Brad entertained us with not-too-convincing ghosts
stories/legends of the area. Some of the less skeptical didn't want to hear
a couple of good ones later on. We all slept well in the cool night.
Sunday morning broke early for some. Various walks, runs, trail and road
bike rides were enjoyed by several participants and all dogs. Beaver Creek
has the distinction of being the only National WILD and Scenic Waterway East
of the Mississippi. The trails along it are packed with flora and fauna no
longer in abundance in that part of the state. Even though we have had
record rains in other parts of the state, Beaver Creek was in it's summer
pool stage and would have made for spotty kayaking/canoeing. The water was
clear, cool and pretty.
Campout pictures should follow in a day or two.
At a group consensus meeting held Sunday before breaking camp we decided to
plan for a Fall Campout....somewhere West of Columbus to allow some of our
Western Ohio members to experience our shenanigans. Any suggestions? The
Little Miami River Trail area is nice.
Like Tar Hollow, the group approved of the camping arrangements and it was a
consensus to return in the future. As someone said, we now know we have a
core group that's willing to travel and camp. Our goal has been to secure an
area where we can be away from traditional camping 'slips' ( i.e. concrete
drives) and their accompanying motorhomes, trailers and generators. Perhaps
with more events we will be able to convince other State Parks of our "tread
lightly" practices and they will allow us to use their facilities, too. (It
seems most parks only allow tent camping in their 'primitive' areas.) For
now, we will continue scheduling campouts where/when we can. For those of
you on the COWvab list...we will continue to inform you of events. Try to
make one...you WILL have a good time.
Enjoy the remainder of the summer.
--
stephen
(still) reluctant header upper of the
Central Ohio Westies Vans and Busses
