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Date:         Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:10:12 -0700
Reply-To:     Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject:      Re: Vanagons and RVs
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=Windows-1252;
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In my first years of going around the US in a Westfalia, I remember once I went into a caravan park, I mean an RV park, drove around to find the spot I was allocated and could not help noticing that the place was void of humans. Only seen the big RVs parking all over using up almost every spot. But no humans around. Well, I did not think much of it at that time, we parked the van and with that the kids jumped out and started their play outside and I later served lunch to the family that we had, sitting on that table-bench camping site unit next to the van. In a few hours being there, I have seen only one or two living being. One was walking a dog. This place was very near to the ocean and RV guys are not known to be surfers and such. I was asking my American wife about why there is nobody around. "I don't know" was the expected answer. I also noticed one or two RVs moving in or out of the camp, but no sign of humans outside any unit. It only dawned on me later, that they are all inside. Aha! There they are all. Yes, but why are they here? If they want to be in the RV, they don't have to go anywhere, they can do it at home anytime. In the meantime my kids and I were at the pool, played table tennis, skipped on the pond, played mini golf had the lunch outside, took some other walks, went down to the beach. We never seen the neighbors for the couple of days we were there. They must have seen us when they peeped out from the inside from the security of their mobile castles. I kind of missed the good old days when people mingled, asked each other where they are from, talked about their lives, set around a fire telling jokesand stories, playing some gitar, singing songs together, exchanging addresses, making pictures about each other and when they left they hugged, promised to write then waved. Today the the affluence has separated them, estranged them. They became an island that we always thought we are not. I think, the small size of our vans makes us to be the old fashion kind of camper while the large monsters will really never leave home, only move their motorised machines to a different location. The difference is too great. Have fun this summer too. Zoltan

----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson@GORGE.NET> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:35 AM Subject: Vanagons and RVs

Someone asked about the large complex RVs people seem to favor now, "Thats Camping?" No, there is a whole new class of recreation called "RVing". It is different from camping. I've met lots of them during my travels, "RVers" and they often be the first to tell you they aren't camping, they are RVing. Now we VW people, we still think we are camping, we even call our vehicles "campers" and we seem to have a bit differnt "take" on what a trip out of town should be about than the RVers do.

It is a shame that we sometimes must co-habitate with RVers who haven't quite got it that they ARE RVers, not campers. When an RV gets "lost" and ends up out it's element, the RVers inside, they don't really know it, or they don't really care, they just turn up the TV. Inside there, they have no idea what kind of impact they have on their surroundings, because they are "RVing" and that is being inside their RV, going to 'interesting places' and meeting 'other RVers' etc etc.

That is one reason why the stealthy brown colored van is useful...No RVers will see you and say..."Hey, someone is parked out there, let's go set up next to him" which they often do, if they see you. Especially in out of the way places...Must be the "Herd instinct" or something...

Maybe we could get Go Westy or someone to build us some "Inflatable Winniebago" balloons that we could stake down like decoys, a decent distance from our real 'campsite' and get all the lonely Winniebagos to "land" nearby the decoy 'Bago, thereby leaving you in solitude in your turd brown "camper".. ...I always take earplugs along to RV country, just in case...

Don Hanson

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