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Adventures
in our EuroVan Camper |
VWs and Camping
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Camping
and Exploring
Adventures
in
our Volkswagens
Camping is a way of life for us. We grew up with a love of the
outdoor life, and a desire to see and experience new places.
Volkswagens have played a major part in our adventures.
While I was still single, I acquired a '56 VW Beetle. The urge
to travel overcame me and decided to try for California. I
removed the passenger and rear seat and created a mini motor
home, complete with a narrow bunk and all the amenities needed
for roughing it in style. In March of 1957, I left my home town,
North Bay, Ontario, and headed west. |
Along
Route 66
- somewhere in New Mexico, May '57
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I had a tent with me, but ended up using the bunk in the Beetle and
didn't need the tent. This was really the beginning of a long and
enjoyable relationship with Volkswagen campers. The '56 got me to the
Pacific and back. Highlights of the trip - returning to the East on
Route 66; the beetle attracted a lot of attention. Total distance
traveled was 16,000 kilometers - with a cost for fuel and one oil change
at Daly City VW in the San Francisco area = $99.00! |
It didn't take long to figure out that three people, even if one
of them is small, can't fit in a VW Beetle camper conversion.
For several years, Jackie and I slept in a tent constructed from
a Sabre Jet wing cover and our son Denny slept in our '67
Beetle. It was time to look at alternatives. We never considered
a VW van prior to 1968. Pre 1968 VW vans were not long distance
runners with their gear box axles and resulting high rev
engines. In 1968 Volkswagen made a major change in their van.
The '68 showed great promise. We bought a new '68 window van and
converted it to a camper.
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In
the summer of 1968 we did our first camping trip in the
recently converted window van |
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Camping
at the Pinery provincial Park, Ontario,
July,
1967 |
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We used our '68 VW camper for six years, traveling and
exploring Ontario and the East coast as far south as Key West.
After the first long trip, we investigated the possibility of
adding more space, as well as having a base to explore from.
We heard about Westfalia tents, but we didn't have a Westfalia,
so we made our own tent using a heavy duty dining tent. With a
little cutting and sewing, we soon had an add-on for our
camper. While parked, the tent was attached to the van with a
weather proof link. In a few minutes, we could disconnect the
tent and explore. It was no longer necessary to pack up
everything to go on a day trip. |
Tilden
Lake, Ontario, 1973 |
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Tilden
Lake
and our 74 Westy with home made side tent and extra
sleeping quarters.
In 1984, we spotted a Vanagon Westy at the
local VW dealer. (we now lived in Mississauga, Ontario) Time
to upgrade. Bigger engine, much better road manners, a real
long distance runner. It wasn't hard to sell the '74, even
with all the kilometers on the odometer. The purchaser
wouldn't buy without the tent thrown in, so we said goodbye to
our faithful homemade side tent and bought a European style
tent that we modified to fit our new '84. The 1984 Westy
covered a lot of territory. It crossed North America three
times, including a side trip to Alaska. Its wheels touched the
Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean. It made it to the Arctic
Circle on the way to Inuvik, North West Territories. |
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After years of not being able to stand up in our camper, we
succumbed to the lure of a brand new 1974 Westfalia. Our '68
had served us well, but it was showing the results of many
kilometres of travel. Best of all, our tent worked on the new
van. We had more space than we knew what to do with. The '74
also had much improved performance and we could now exceed 80
kph in a strong
head wind. With this VW we made many trips up and down the
eastern side of North America, including our winter visits to
Florida.
Banff
National Park, Alberta, Canada, 1987
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[ EuroVan Camper Trips ] [ The end of our EVC ]
Historical note: This was written while we still had the Eurovan.
Today
we explore in our 1995 EuroVan Camper. This is definitely
the vehicle for travel. None of the other VWs come even
close.
We now live on Vancouver Island and have a whole new world
to explore. In the past 6 years, we have covered 160,000
kilometers, from Alaska to Mexico, most western States and
Provinces, and three times across the continent.
For
an update on our travels, go to our
map
page. Where will
we go next? The fun is in the planning, in the anticipation,
and yes, in the doing. . .
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The '84 Westy traveled 290,000 kilometers in the 10 years we
had her. This was the VW that took us many places. It was a
sad day when we sold her.
Long Point Provincial
Park,
Ontario, 1992
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Englishman
River Falls Provincial Park,
Vancouver
Island - Summer, 1997
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French
Beach
Provincial
Park,
Vancouver
Island,
May
1998
To
see some other camping enhancements we've done
go
here.
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Travels
in our EuroVan Camper
1996
- 2002 Click
on the picture.
Our EuroVan camper was the ideal way for us to travel and explore
North America. We covered a lot of ground. Some of our longer trips
are described
here.
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On
the beach at Daytona, heading for Fort Wilderness
Campground in Disney World, November 1998
Visit
our
EuroVan Camper Trips page
for
maps and picture.
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updated
on December 22, 2016 |
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