| California Dreaming (On a British Summer's | | | | reconditioned engine. Regrettably our |
| Day!) | | | | problems did not end here and over a number |
| | | | of years a pattern emerged of family holidays |
| As I sit here in my dingy subterranean office | | | | starting out all smiles and I-spy games, only |
| (well almost, there's certainly no window to | | | | to end prematurely on the back of an AA |
| speak of!) I couldn't prevent my mind from | | | | recovery truck. I seem to recall we were on |
| wandering. Initially my thoughts turned | | | | first name terms with some of the AA patrol |
| towards the weather which has been frankly | | | | men. |
| awful for a number of summers now. I can | | | | |
| remember a time when me and my little | | | | I remember one year in particular I was |
| collection of pals would pack a few items | | | | somehow deemed to be responsible enough to be |
| (mainly beer and instant noodles!) and head | | | | left at home whilst my parents went away |
| off on a Friday after work for a spot of | | | | virtually dragging my long suffering sister |
| camping. | | | | with them along with some French student by |
| | | | the name of Gaston or Christophe. Yes! I |
| The summers seemed never ending with sunburn | | | | thought a week of partay-ing for me. Imagine |
| for everyone, due to lack of protection, | | | | my horror when only a few hours later the all |
| which nearly led to another story but I won't | | | | too familiar flashing orange lights of an AA |
| go there! Copious amounts of warm cider (West | | | | truck appeared through the curtains with the |
| Country Lads) were consumed. This usually | | | | smouldering remains of the camper on the |
| resulted in some pretty degenerate behaviour | | | | back. It was quite serious this time as it |
| and got us thrown out of numerous campsites! | | | | had caught fire in the car park of the |
| A record I'm not proud of as you can imagine. | | | | Swansea Leisure Centre. Luckily the plucky |
| | | | French lad had managed to extinguish the |
| I recently tried to recapture these halcyon | | | | flames by using a shaken bottle of lemonade |
| days with my wife but women just don't seem | | | | as an improvised fire extinguisher, (a handy |
| to enjoy the same experiences. You know | | | | tip to remember) thus preventing an inferno. |
| freezing to death at night, unbearably hot by | | | | The poor old camper looked rather forlorn |
| 6am the next morning. Warm lager for | | | | though complete with blackened air intakes |
| breakfast, uneasy silence for the entire 3 | | | | and a melted distributor amongst other things |
| hour journey home, that sort of thing! It | | | | and another holiday had been cruelly cut |
| started me thinking that there must be a more | | | | short. |
| desirable outdoor experience that doesn't | | | | |
| start with attempting to erect a hideously | | | | I'm happy to say though that the latest |
| complicated tent and ends in divorce | | | | generation VW camper is about as far away |
| proceedings. I suddenly had a moment of | | | | from the aforementioned nightmares of |
| clarity and remembered the legend of the | | | | yesteryear as you can get. The California is |
| Volkswagen Camper! | | | | the latest incarnation and having recently |
| | | | checked one out they are the business. With |
| Of course, I should have thought of it before | | | | car-like performance and luxury interiors you |
| especially as I only had to recall my teenage | | | | could happily spend the rest of your days |
| years when after enduring soggy tents and | | | | languishing away in one of these. |
| cold showers my parents finally decided to | | | | |
| invest in a VW Camper. I remember it was a | | | | Some say they don't have the soul of the good |
| 1974 type 2 1.6L , a Devon conversion I think | | | | old air-cooled VW's. True there are a few |
| although no doubt some VW fanatic will | | | | die-hards who spend hours removing rust from |
| correct me on this statement. What I do know | | | | their beloved vans you may encounter many in |
| is that my Stepdad bought it from a lorry | | | | North Devon during the summer months holding |
| driver and the next day several generations | | | | all the traffic up! |
| of my family embarked on a journey of | | | | |
| discovery that ended about ten miles away | | | | However after recounting the above tales I |
| when a few valves in the engine decided that | | | | know which one I'd go for. Don't take my word |
| they had had enough of life. | | | | for it though there are plenty of specialist |
| | | | VW Van centres who will point you in the |
| Luckily my Stepfather was quite mechanically | | | | right direction. |
| minded and we were able to fit a | | | | |