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 We
have had some great times caravanning over the past 25 years.
We've met many wonderful people and visited many great places.
So it comes as no surprise when, at RV shows and around
campfires, people ask what we consider to be the highlights
and funniest things to have happened while on the road.
Our second Wild West Caravan springs to
mind, where we traveled with a couple, Jack and Anne, from
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Jack was a bit of a western nut,
and absolutely loved the southwest USA. Over this part of
the trip, Jack collected cowboy boots - 13 pair to be exact
- and even more cowboy hats. At one of our final stops we
visited the "Cave of the Winds." Jack decided not to go
down into the cave, but waited for us at the entrance. There
wasn't a single store selling cowboy gear anywhere to be
found, but as we came out of the cave there was Jack, grinning
from ear to ear and wearing the biggest cowboy hat I've
ever seen. To this day we still don't know where he got
it.
***
On another caravan to Florida we had 13 units traveling
with us, so we asked everyone to keep their CB radio tuned
to channel seven. One lady, who we'll call Bev, was driving
a large Class A motorhome. Now Bev could wheel that motorhome
around as well, or better, than any man. Only problem was,
she would turn her radio off and just follow the unit ahead,
enjoying the scenery.
On our way south on the I-75, a motorhome
made its way up through our caravan and pulled in front
of Bev. The motorhome traveled many miles with us before
pulling off. Bev, evidently absorbed in the beautiful drive,
followed along and pulled off too. 30 miles down the road,
the RV came to a stop, and of course, so did Bev, who asked
the man "Where are we now?" The man eyed her strangely and
said "I don't know about you, lady, but I'm home." Fortunately,
our tailgunner had seen Bev pull off the interstate and
had followed along, so we soon had her caught up to the
rest of the group. We now number each RV in our caravans
with a bright orange sign. (Page Top)
***
 Our
22-unit caravan was traveling on I-80, heading back to Canada,
when we encountered a road sign which read "Construction
next 30 miles. One lane only. Left lane closed." It had
been a long day, we were tired, and our campground lay ahead
near the end of the construction zone. As we approached
the work zone, an 18-wheeler pulled into our caravan between
the second and third units. We were moving around 50 mph
through the construction zone and had covered about 28 miles
of it when the 18-wheeler turned off. You guessed it - so
did the 20 RVs following behind it. Over our CB came the
tailgunner announcing "You made a wrong turn back there."
It was the first - and still the only - time that we lost
20 RVs at once. After a short delay, the rest of the caravan
arrived at the campground. It certainly made for a lot of
laughs around the evening campfire.
***
We had just left San Diego, California, on our way to Las
Vegas. We had two caravans with a total of 44 RVs. The first
group arrived at the shopping plaza in Barstow, California,
followed an hour later by the second caravan. It was hot
- very hot - and all we wanted to do was get to camp and
turn on the air conditioning.
44 RVs landed at the KOA, where the staff
was ready and parked us very quickly. And almost just as
quickly, 44 RVs clicked on the air conditioning at once
and blew out the electricity for the entire campground.
We had an impromptu potluck supper outside that evening.
***
At our Rally in Southampton, Ontario, we experienced a day
of wind and rain. We were under a tent playing bingo, hiding
from the elements, when I noticed a big pool of water had
collected on the canvas overhead, bulging it. So I asked
one of our RV friends if he could push up on it to force
the water to the ground. Just as he began to push, the wind
shifted and the water came down in force all over our friend.
It looked like he was standing under Niagara Falls. His
wife could not believe her eyes as he just stood there till
the last drop had run off. (Page Top)
***
We visited St. Anthony - the area where the Vikings first
landed - on our first caravan to Newfoundland. They do a
big Viking Feast there, which we all participated in. Since
we had a very large group, one of our caravanners was selected
to take the oath for us to all become honorary Vikings.
You can guess who was nominated - the Wagon Master.
First, I had to become a Newfoundland Fisherman,
which meant pulling on a pair of rubber boots filled with
cold sea water and some other things I'm not sure I want
to know the identity of. Then I had to put on a hat and
lock it on. I was then asked several questions while in
this gear, and of course got the answers all wrong. Ta-da!
I'm now an honorary Newfoundland Fisherman.
Thinking I can now return to the table and
warm my feet, I learned no, now it was time to become an
honorary Viking. Returning back up onto the stage, I had
to stand in a bucket of cold water while people poured ice
cubes in. Of course, several sympathetic souls from our
group offered the ice cubes from their drinks. More questions
followed. "Do you feel like a Viking?" I looked down at
the ice water-filled tub I stood in and answered "No, I
think I've become an Icelander." Wrong answer, I learned,
as more ice was added to the bucket. I then announced I
felt like a Viking, and only then was allowed to get out
of the bucket of ice.
***
Our group was camped in Monument Valley, Utah, and was about
to go on a bus tour of the area. Or at least, that's what
we thought. It turned out that our Navaho guides came in
open-sided jitneys, each vehicle seating about 20 people.
There were no paved roads so we bounced along over rocks
and dry river beds. On return from our afternoon tour of
the valley, we all had to take showers as we all sported
brick red hair from the dust of the valley. (Page
Top)
***
Here comes my wife, Karen, to add her two cents.
As Wagon Masters, we hate to hear someone
knocking on the door in the middle of the night - we always
fear it's an emergency. One night, at about two o'clock,
we were awoken by a sweet caravan member who wanted us to
turn her watch ahead. We had traveled through a time zone
the day before and she didn't want to be late for our morning
departure. We were caravanning across the San Francisco
- Oakland Bay Bridge with about 20 RVs all traveling on
the middle lanes of the six-lane bridge. As navigator, I
instructed M.B. to have everyone move one lane to the left,
as our exit was approaching. M.B. then told everyone to
check their mirrors and move one lane to the left. And everyone
did, except our Wagonmaster who moved one lane to the right.
I stayed calm and repeated the directions. Everyone moved
one more lane to the left, while M.B. moved another lane
to the right. I gave up and simply pointed out the windshield,
and told him where to go. M.B. had to ask the tailgunners
to help block the traffic so he could cross over four lanes.
***
Then there was the time M.B. led the whole caravan the wrong
way down a one-way street. In addition, there was another
time ...
That was a little more than two cents,
so I will cut Karen off right there.
***
People tell us we should write a book about our experiences
with Wagon Trains. Karen and I have traveled across North
America and the best times have always been when we were
with a group of RVers. We do more and see more with a group
than we ever do on our own. We have enjoyed boat cruises,
bus tours, shows in Branson, Las Vegas, Reno, New York,
Niagara Falls and so many other places. We have learned
so much about our country, as well as our neighbors in the
United States and Mexico. Our children have grown up in
motor homes and it has been a great life.
This June we will be at The Rally in Cookstown,
Ontario, June 5 - 8, 2003. Why not come and join us for
four great days of fun and enjoyment?
Until next time, take care and happy RV'ing.
If you would like to get more information
from us or see what we have planned, just send us your e-mail
address to: rvtours@interlog.com (Page
Top)
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