I'm back, safe and sound, af=
ter putting on 3000 trouble free km on our '87 Westy. We got into Shaw=
inigan Falls Friday September 07 and found ourselves in paradise. The =
tree covered campgrounds "Parc des Chutes Shawinigan" on Melville Island in =
the Sainte-Maurice River was within walking distance of downtown Shawinigan =
so we had nature at our camper doors and access to supplies without moving t=
he vehicle. PERFECT ! VW vans of all persuasions were already th=
ere and kept rolling in through Saturday evening. When the final count=
was tallied late Saturday evening there were just over 400. A mere 75=
less that at last years event in Omerville. No idea why as the weathe=
r was perfect, just like the middle of July, hot and humid, maybe it was due=
to the location being a bit off the beaten trail. I saw many folks ju=
mping in the river for early morning swims with the steam rising from the su=
rface as the sun came up and warmed the surroundings.
Saturday night under the Big Top we all=
gathered for dining, door prizes and music until way after midnight. =
The IWCCC's Camping Car Club Band played a wide selection of music but when =
they got into renditions of CCR's Proud Mary, etc., I went nuts and Rita and=
I were up dancing just like years ago. The 50-50 draw of some $700 we=
nt to some lucky camper other that Rita or I. Better luck next time ! =
I had given ten BusFusion T-shirts as door prizes and Sunday they were in evidence all=
through the campgrounds. There was much interest in BusFusion and we =
expect an even larger gathering for BusFusion 2002, so make your plans now. =
Sunday, at 9 am a mass was held under t=
he Big Top followed by the general annual meeting of the IWCCC were one of the items discusse=
d is of importance to all of you reading this. In the summer of 2003 t=
he IWCCC is attempting to organise a week long VW Camper camping event on Ma=
deline Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the coast of Prince Edward Isl=
and (get your maps out and you will see why this is interesting) for the clu=
bs 10th anniversary. They would like to break their own Guinness Recor=
d, Guinness World Records. - Record Home Page, of =
500 VW camper vans and an event. So make your plans now and let the IW=
CCC know of your intentions to participate !
We stayed in Shawinigan through Sunday =
evening taking the one hour boat tour on the Sainte-Maurice River around the=
islands and town of Shawinigan. It was great and I highly recommend i=
t if you go there. Monday morning we started packing and headed slowly=
for Brunswick, Maine and LiMBO's Buses By The Buoy. We got to and cro=
ssed the border into Maine Tuesday just before the horrible attack on New Yo=
rk and were unaware of the events until we turned on our radio some 10 miles=
into Maine. We were absolutey stunned with disbelief. Driving f=
rom then on in a dream like trance we keep going until we got to Thomas Poin=
t Beach sometime late Tuesday afternoon. There was no one at the campg=
rounds except for the custodian. After finding out that our $25 a nigh=
t camping fee did not include showers, they must be paid for at the rate of =
$.25/ two minutes as your showering, Rita got very upset and we cancelled ou=
r reservations and went elsewhere looking for a more hospitable campground. =
We found one at Meadowbrook Campgrounds, a few miles up the road for $=
20, showers included, and they were offering fresh cooked lobsters for dinne=
r. We bought two, and steamed corn, had diner and went to bed listenin=
g to the sad unbelievable reports coming over the radio waves. In the =
morning after much deliberation and sadness we decided it best to head for h=
ome where we had left our daughter April and be with her if things got any w=
orse which we were sure they would. Driving all day Wednesday feeling =
really badly and not able to enjoy ourselves nor the surrounding country we =
got home around 9 pm. It was then that we had the first chance to see =
pictures on the TV of what had occurred. We were in shock again but gl=
ad to be home. I believe the BBTB event was held and I hope they all h=
ad a grand time and maybe we will be able to get together at that event some=
time in the future. Sorry about not leaving the BusFusion T-shirt door priz=
es behind but they were not on our minds at the time.
Meanwhile we spent the rest of our vaca=
tion at home. Back to work with heavy hearts tomorrow.
Peace
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
BusFusion a VW C=
amper camping event in Almonte, ON, June 2002
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Member: Vanagon List, LiMBO, IWCCC & Capital City VW Club
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless=
Steel Mufflers
Frank Condelli & =
Associates or http://frankcondelli.com
Peace
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
BusFusion a VW C=
amper camping event in Almonte, ON, June 2002
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Member: Vanagon List, LiMBO, IWCCC & Capital City VW Club
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless=
Steel Mufflers
Frank Condelli & =
Associates or http://frankcondelli.com