dokodemo

The weekend passed very quickly... many laughs and good times were had. The cast of characters:

Dire
Drove a splitty (older bus, not a Vanagon and not a camper. Called a "splitty" because the front windshield is divided into 2 discrete panels). He was a software engineer, environmentalist, mountain climber, and very friendly fellow. He restored his bus from the ground up, knowing nothing about them to start, but learning quite a bit in the process. He is now working on a 1984 Westy Vanagon he bought for $400. Good luck Dire! Sadly, he was only able to spend the first evening with us, leaving shortly after sunset.

Diana
She pilots a Syncro Vanagon (4wd version... mmmmmm), but instead of the typical Westfalia camping conversion, it is an "Adventurewagon" (Adventurewagen ?), out of Fort Bragg, CA. These are not poptops, rather they are taller than normal. The accoutremants are similar to the Westy, but the arrangement is quite different. I was quite captivated by the charm and style of the interior, which had quite a nautical style. The cupboards and cabinets and shelves were wood, with a very warm and finely crafted aesthetic. I was quite impressed with the vehicle, and was trying hard to supress the "must have" signals my brain was firing.

Diana was a beautiful, healthy, glowing woman with an infectuous smile. Her hero is her grandmother, Genevieve, whom her Wagon is named for. Genevieve spent years travelling the nation in the pre-highway days, using a millitary weapons carrier (like a huge gnarly jeep style truck). There is a book documenting these travels, _Millions Want To_. Diana travels with a sheepdog, Sheila. A real honor and pleasure to meet them both.

Larry
Also a Syncro driver, Larry has a Westfalia. Far from typical, however, Roadhaus has been a roving testbed for nearly any possible camping gadget. Larry has spent a year and then some roving North America in his camper, while constantly upgrading, improving, and tweaking every possible system. He has spared no expense in creating the ultimate touring vehicle. Larry is one of those people so kind, warm, and genuine, that he is almost a characture of himself. His crazy giggle is that of a man having more fun than should be legally allowed. I've followed his travels on the internet for many months (or years), and consider him a role model in many ways. He abandoned his career at IBM in order to do what he really wanted to, and hasn't looked back. He has had to return to work, but we can't all win. Larry is a philanthropist, a comedian, a philosopher, and really a spectacular human. I was looking forward to meeting him for many reasons, but he surpassed my expectations on all counts.

Charlie and Cathy
This couple from Michigan have been travelling a few months in a light metallic blue Westy, my favorite of the factory colors. They knew nothing about Vanagons when they bought it, but lucked out on an amazing, nearly pristine specimen. Months were then spent preparing it for fulltime travel, and they are now on the brink of a 6-month oddysee to Mexico and Central America. Extremely kind, witty, and intelligent, they felt like old friends instantly. They are bastions of rational and liberal thought in an area where that is not always the norm (central Michigan). They insisted on cooking for us the entire weekend, and they make mean martinis. Bleu-cheese stuffed olives, so delicious, who knew? It was really a treat to hear their tales and talk with them late into the night. I am vicariously quite excited about the adventure they are about to start, stepping quite boldly across the border. They have an attitude and approach which I was in admiration of. I expect they are going to have some rough and terrifying times ahead, and they are going to emerge unscathed, with flying colors, and a long list of incredible tales to tell.

Bob and Anne
This couple just happened to be at the campground at the same time. I saw their '88 silver Westy (almost like mine) and invited them to join us if they desired. They came over the next morning, and we had a great time getting to know them. From Montana, we had a lot in common. Anne (two syllables, she was from Germany) was a beautiful silered hippie and Bob was also a hep
cat who had been around the block several dozen times. They were not so aware of the "Vanagon scene" (perhaps a good thing, but they seemed to have been tempted to investigate), but they were avid birders and I was glad to learn as much as I could about all the little chirpers that were so prevelant in this campsite. They were "only" on a 12-day trip, but they have been using VW campers since the 50s, cumalitively longer than any of us there (and probably more than all of us put together). They had to leave quickly, but it was so great to have them spontaneously join us.

Catalina Park was stunning, especially given its proximity to the city. The whole time, however, I did very little exploration, as I was too busy discussing important topics with my Vanagon consultants. Items like how to chill "baby butt wipes" (as Cathy calls moist towelettes, a phrase which infuriated Larry), merits of distilled water mixed with engine coolant, and so on. We did have a very productive Saturday, however. Aside from the crucial mission of scoring some sour cream for the evenings tacos, Larry and I hit Home Depot to find a $2.98 version of the $30 hatch-opening accessory. We also confirmed that my propane system is working fine, and only requires a skilled attendant (in Texas I was told 3 times that my regulator was not working). At the same time, Charlie had his regulator actually replaced, as his was indeed damaged. We passed the time while the work was done sipping some margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant, and we all had "melted cheese" for the first time. This was a kind of double boiler, the bottom filled with charcoal, and a chorizo/cheese mixture at the top. It could perhaps be considered a kind of thick, Mexican fondue. It was absolutley delicious spooned onto small corn and flour tortillas.

Returning to the park, the laughs mixed with useful tips and compelling tales of past adventures never let up. As the night wore on and it became quite nippy, I spent some time in the blue van and started to really appreciate an auxillary heater. Larry demonstrated his Propex propane heater, and I think I am sold on it. He also showed us how to work his ShadyBoy awning, which also seems a great value. I am about to give up on my Bus Depot EZ Awning, but that is another story.

It was so good to make some new friends so quickly and easily, and it really inspired me to seek out more of the group campouts in the Northwest, such as the Wet Westies participate in. We all were dwelling on how excellent it is to have a community of people with such an eccentric interest (these mid 80s questionable and remarkable vehicles), and the great lengths they go to in order to help each other. There is a lot to learn about camping in a Vanagon, and for some reason, the people who are attracted to them also seem to enjoy helping others. This is not true with all vehicles... I don't want to name names, but suffice it to say that the VW crew really are good people.

On the front of Roadhaus, Larry keeps an ever-growing mandala-like pile of roadkill pieces... seashells, bones, feathers, sprigs from shrubs, etc. This talisman, attached to the front grill, is the first part of Roadhaus to cross a state or national border. It guides him and perhaps protects him. It was quite touching when, as I was packing up to leave, I noticed a grisly coyote bone sticking out of my front bumper. Larry said "its a start".