Camping – Then and Now…
By Elaine Allen
Most of our stories have been about travel with accommodations like hotels or condos. But one of the first “real vacations” I remember from my childhood (separate from visiting relatives) was going camping. We didn’t do it very often – I don’t think my mom liked it much… Anyway, we’d load up the car and head to the mountains in North Georgia, usually for a day or two.
unknown author via wikimedia commons
Before my dad became a family man, he’d been a part-owner in a cabin on a lake up there – the first time-shares, I guess. He and my mom continued their joint ownership until my arrival – and the teenage years of the children of the other owners. Something about not being able to go when they/we were available.
For whatever reason, the cabin went by the wayside, but we’d still have to make these pilgrimages to the old cabin – and look at it from afar and sometimes walk around it, down to the dock.
It was evidently the site of many happy – or at least recalled and retold – memories, including the one of my parents on their honeymoon, when they’d returned to find some guys in a car, stuck in the driveway.
Like the good citizens they were, my parents helped them get out – and then discovered when they went inside that they’d been robbed. My dad’s “wedding shoes” and lots of fishing equipment is all I remember from the stories. Obviously, there weren’t any electronics…it was 1944 after all!
by Hnhogan via wikimedia commons
But on with our camping – it was always in a tent that was gradually upgraded, along with the addition of sleeping bags, a Coleman lantern and finally, a cook stove – great Father’s Day gifts!
Probably my fondest memory of these times is the wood smoke…and the clean, crisp mountain air. I still love those smells…
When my husband and I first married, we took a trip camping – tent, sleeping bags, etc. When our older son was a year old, we tent camped in the infield at a race – I think it was 24 Hours at Daytona. That was really fun.
And we talked about it, but I don’t think we ever camped again until we bought a pop-up camper. That lasted one trip, although it was to Walt Disney World, the king of all camping spots!
by Korey99 via wikimedia commons
Whether because of our schedules or the fact that we discovered condos, I don’t think the pop-up got used for anything more but backyard play for our boys.
Ever the optimist, I’d continue to buy camping equipment – tents, camp stools, new lanterns that didn’t depend on that mantle-thing that would shatter if you touched the lantern…
We did visit a relative’s camper – it was twenty-something feet long and much more comfortable than a tent or pop-up.
And we dreamed of someday driving across country in a large RV. There are magnificent options now, true homes on wheels and totally out of our price-range. Used is always a possibility, but then another relative bought one of those, and had the transmission go out on one of their first trips…so we reconsidered – maybe that wasn’t such a great idea either.
We talked about renting one, but the cost seems astronomical…and then you have to add gas. So our camping days seemed to have passed us by.
by Jscotthubble via wikimedia commons
Still, the idea of camping lingers in my mind. There’s a romance about the old Airstreams and VW buses, and I’ve heard there’s a huge renaissance of vintage campers – people who travel from one site to another with restored cars, trucks, and trailers.
Perhaps as a part of this vintage resurrection, there’s an interesting camping addition (or maybe we’ve just become aware of it). It’s new small camping trailers – Runaway Campers and Little Guy Teardrop Camping Trailers are a couple of the brand names.
These are small trailers that can be customized to your particular needs and desires. You can get the bare-bones basic shell, or go for the full luxury models with kitchens and wine storage and air conditioning.
by Tarrakener via wikimedia commons
Of course, there are a number of choices in-between. And if you’re especially handy, you can even buy the building plans for less than $40! Some of them are so light you can tow them with a motorcycle…and the stripped-down versions are so cheap you can put them on a credit card…
I don’t know if we’ll ever get around to buying one, but it’s definitely appealing. And they make most “tiny houses” (another appealing idea) seem enormous! I do think there’s some magic in being able to leave on a moment’s notice, stopping where the mood takes you, lingering by a rushing stream or crashing waves. And smelling that wood smoke…
Next: Enjoy Florida State Parks