Camping, Crutches and Rain Don't Mix

Our 1st RV was a 1970 Volkswagen Campervan, which we purchased in 1979 in Mississippi. This was the style with a cot in the pop-up area, and an infant sling over the front seats. We were planning on taking the boys (aged 1 1/2 and 3 1/2) to Disneyworld, camping at Fort Wilderness, and wanted to have a “shakedown” cruise in advance. Given the tight sleeping confines of the VW, we had also purchased a tent as “auxiliary sleeping quarters”. The weekend before our first trip, I broke a metatarsal in my foot playing soccer, and was on crutches, with the foot wrapped in an ace bandage. We decided to go ahead with the weekend, and set out for the campground on a Saturday morning in early April, usually good weather in Mississippi.

We arrived at the campground in off and on light drizzle, and managed to set up up camp, with me hobbling around on one foot. By early evening, the drizzle had turned to a fairly steady rain, and we retired early for the evening, with my wife and the boys in the VW and I in the tent. By the next morning, the steady rain had turned into a solid downpour, and I ultimately broke camp by hopping around on one foot while striking the tent, and then just stuffing it into the back of the VW, soaking wet and a complete mess. All the while, the folks in the motorhome in an adjacent campground sat inside, warm, dry, and with hot coffee. We then headed home, somewhat wet and disheveled.

Nonetheless, we still went to Fort Wilderness, had a great time, and had many other trips with that val, until we replaced it with a Class “C”. We now have a 5th wheel, and have had many enjoyable trips, camping coast to coast, all starting with that little VW Campervan.

Submitted by David Merritt of Colorado as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest.

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