In June of 1981 my mother flew to Florida to drive west with the four kids and me. My husband hooked a 31’ Airstream to the back of our Chevy van and drove it to the entrance of the Florida Turnpike. After switching cars we started on our journey. I had never pulled anything before so it took a few miles before I began to feel even a little bit comfortable. I gained confidence as we went along but was still apprehensive about stopping at the first KOA we had reserved. Knowing I would never be able to back that huge rig into a spot I had pre-planned our reservations so that we would have pull-through campsites each night. The full-size van and Airstream were quite a long package. However, the first major mistake I made on the trip had nothing to do with parking. The van had been outfitted with engine coolers and other mechanic and electrical upgrades to handle the weight of the trailer, it didn't dawn on us that the cruise control was not meant to handle such a load. We were on the road maybe an hour before I burned out the cruise control. Luckily for we novice trailer-travelers, the rest areas on the turnpike were well equipped for long rigs and we were able to stop and go with ease. The turnpike does seem to go on forever but mom and I went over our itinerary and talked for hours while the kids played games or watched TV as we drove along. In the early 80's it was quite a novelty to have a van with a televsion. The TV was tiny and only black and white and didn't have great reception but it did serve as a distraction to road weary kids whenever we were near enough to a town to pick up a station. The first night we were able to pull straight into our campsite and mom cooked our first dinner on the tiny stove inside the trailer. We were in the panhandle of Florida and the tall trees were draping with moss and their lovely pine smell was strong in the air. The evening was cool and comfortable. Chandra and Jackie shared a bunk as did my Mom and Carrie Star. Chucky spread a sleeping bag out on the floor in the aisle between the tiny bunks and I shared the sofa with the doberman. Stormy, who loved to travel, was curled up in the front window without a care in the world.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Heading West - Day 1
In June of 1981 my mother flew to Florida to drive west with the four kids and me. My husband hooked a 31’ Airstream to the back of our Chevy van and drove it to the entrance of the Florida Turnpike. After switching cars we started on our journey. I had never pulled anything before so it took a few miles before I began to feel even a little bit comfortable. I gained confidence as we went along but was still apprehensive about stopping at the first KOA we had reserved. Knowing I would never be able to back that huge rig into a spot I had pre-planned our reservations so that we would have pull-through campsites each night. The full-size van and Airstream were quite a long package. However, the first major mistake I made on the trip had nothing to do with parking. The van had been outfitted with engine coolers and other mechanic and electrical upgrades to handle the weight of the trailer, it didn't dawn on us that the cruise control was not meant to handle such a load. We were on the road maybe an hour before I burned out the cruise control. Luckily for we novice trailer-travelers, the rest areas on the turnpike were well equipped for long rigs and we were able to stop and go with ease. The turnpike does seem to go on forever but mom and I went over our itinerary and talked for hours while the kids played games or watched TV as we drove along. In the early 80's it was quite a novelty to have a van with a televsion. The TV was tiny and only black and white and didn't have great reception but it did serve as a distraction to road weary kids whenever we were near enough to a town to pick up a station. The first night we were able to pull straight into our campsite and mom cooked our first dinner on the tiny stove inside the trailer. We were in the panhandle of Florida and the tall trees were draping with moss and their lovely pine smell was strong in the air. The evening was cool and comfortable. Chandra and Jackie shared a bunk as did my Mom and Carrie Star. Chucky spread a sleeping bag out on the floor in the aisle between the tiny bunks and I shared the sofa with the doberman. Stormy, who loved to travel, was curled up in the front window without a care in the world.
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