Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:24:40 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon envy?
In-Reply-To: <494580124.16789.1318990531623.JavaMail.root@sz0063a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
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Shortly after we first got married, I strongly suggested that we go camping - not packing, but out in a tent a short distance from the car. She told me she had slept in a tent before and had never cared for it.
We bought a six by eight canvas tent and, at the earliest opportunity, drove out of the desert heat and up to Flagstaff to enjoy a nice cool weekend. Set up the tent with no issues. Sat around enjoying the pleasant 8000 foot air till around nine, and decided to call it a night.
It's dark in the woods
Almost too dark to pee - almost.
Around midnight, coyotes began their choir practice. They got closer. About 1am we could hear their footsteps as they searched our camp for leftover kibbles. We had been goof and left none out, so our guests left.
About three in the morning we reawoke to a light show, clare with sound effects. Flash, kaboom and that sort of thing. And the sky opened up. Desert rain is unlike the constant drizzle you get in the northwest. It's a two year old's temper tantrum, complete with immature cusswords and flying debris.
Rain came down all around us. Col wet rain that, for a while, stayed outside our nice new tent. Then started the drip, drip, drip that eventually turned onto a stream.
The canvas tent had an "advantage" over older and cheaper tents. You did not need to put down a drop cloth or dig a channel round the campsite because the bottom six inches of the tent walls and the tent floor were waterproof! No water could get in and (you guessed it) none could get out either. When the sun came up, we got out of the car and emptied about an inch of water out of the tent's sorry carcass, tossed it into the back of the car (where we had gotten a couple hours sleep), and headed home.
The tent refused to dry out, even in the August heat in Phoenix. It mildewed. It became trash.
We began looking at Westies the following weekend.
Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus
On Oct 18, 2011, at 7:15 PM, J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
> <SIGH> My wife is in perfect health, and she HATES camping in the VW , or actually just camping, period! Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
>> Reminds me of the time I had the garage door open, with Lola parked
>> comfortably inside, and an elderly gentlemen knocked on my door and
>> asked me if my van was for sale. As I had just purchased her, the
>> answer was no. After further conversing with him, found out his wife
>> was in poor health and he wanted to introduce her to the joys of VW
>> camping. I really didn't think that was wise, but found the sentiment
>> touching. I hope I never get too old to camp in my Lola!
>> Ellen
>> Lola, '85 Vanagon ASI
>> TWO camping cats LOL
>> ‘Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When
>> you
>> realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.’
>> ~Lao Tzu
>>> Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:57:15 -0600
>>> From: ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM
>>> Subject: Vanagon envy?
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>
>>> Hi all me again, I was out at my westy earlier to make sure my
>>> sliding door
>>> window was the exact one minus the screen in my old door to ship to
>>> another
>>> listmember when I noticed a business card under my wiper that said
>>> "call if
>>> for sale " on it which flattered me due the fact it was a mess
>>> almost
>>> scrapped before I saved Velma and put about$3k in
>>> body/paint/canvass. So I
>>> called the gentleman to find out with his family went to Alaska this
>>> summer
>>> and seen a bunch of westys/weekenders and wants one, maybe a list
>>> member or
>>> few!!! I regrettingly informed him Velma wasn't for sale but!!!!!!
>>> To look
>>> at the samba and a few vendors for information on purchasing and
>>> accesorizing one! We may have a new owner of the vanagon/family!!!
>>>
>>> Velma 82diesel 1.6 na westy
