We took a multi-family camping trip back in 1997 to Rocky Mountain NP, a place our family had camped in 1984. If you haven't been, I recommend that you go because it is a beautiful area. We were a large group - there were 14 kids among the three families, and everyone had a good time, despite the almost non-stop rain.
A day before the trip was over, one of the kids broke his leg while horsing around with the others. We got him casted and he did just fine. Then, as we left the park the next day to return home, our car's brakes went, and we made it into a service station in Estes Park with smoke billowing from the wheels. After assuring the other families that they should not wait for us, we spent the next 6.5 hours visiting EVERY little souvenir store in town.
Once the brakes were fixed, we decided to get to at least Cheyenne, WY that evening, which we did. The next morning we gassed up the car and, as we pulled away from the pumps, the car died. We got towed, with all 6 of us in the car and the pop-up trailer still attached, to another service station about a mile away. After another 5+ hours we were 'back on the road again'. What was the problem? There was water in the gas stations tanks, so they had to drop our gas tank and drain it.
Well, anxious to make some good time, we headed east and were soon in Nebraska on I-80. As it got dark, it also got rainy, and quite windy. It began to gust out of the south, at one point tipping a semi-trailer over into the median. We decided to get off the road at the next exit with a motel and call it a night.
As we drove on, the gusts turned into a constant high speed wind. I noticed something in the rearview mirror and said "Hey, it looks like I see headlights between the pop-up roof and the pop-up". I no sooner had that out of my mouth when the entire roof blew off and was whipped across the Interstate into a cow pasture, miraculously missing any vehicles, I think.
I pulled over, got out to inspect the trailer, and found most everything still there. The rolled up sleeping bags looked like little upside-down tornados, as their insides were sucked up by the wind. My wife and I were able to get a tarp over the now topless pop-up, and we limped to the next town where we found a room, dragged ourselves inside and slept like the dead.
Once home in Chicago, we all posed in the new 'convertible' camper for posterity. I may yet send this story to Reader's Digest, but they'd probably not believe it.
I hope I didn't go too long
Ken
A day before the trip was over, one of the kids broke his leg while horsing around with the others. We got him casted and he did just fine. Then, as we left the park the next day to return home, our car's brakes went, and we made it into a service station in Estes Park with smoke billowing from the wheels. After assuring the other families that they should not wait for us, we spent the next 6.5 hours visiting EVERY little souvenir store in town.
Once the brakes were fixed, we decided to get to at least Cheyenne, WY that evening, which we did. The next morning we gassed up the car and, as we pulled away from the pumps, the car died. We got towed, with all 6 of us in the car and the pop-up trailer still attached, to another service station about a mile away. After another 5+ hours we were 'back on the road again'. What was the problem? There was water in the gas stations tanks, so they had to drop our gas tank and drain it.
Well, anxious to make some good time, we headed east and were soon in Nebraska on I-80. As it got dark, it also got rainy, and quite windy. It began to gust out of the south, at one point tipping a semi-trailer over into the median. We decided to get off the road at the next exit with a motel and call it a night.
As we drove on, the gusts turned into a constant high speed wind. I noticed something in the rearview mirror and said "Hey, it looks like I see headlights between the pop-up roof and the pop-up". I no sooner had that out of my mouth when the entire roof blew off and was whipped across the Interstate into a cow pasture, miraculously missing any vehicles, I think.
I pulled over, got out to inspect the trailer, and found most everything still there. The rolled up sleeping bags looked like little upside-down tornados, as their insides were sucked up by the wind. My wife and I were able to get a tarp over the now topless pop-up, and we limped to the next town where we found a room, dragged ourselves inside and slept like the dead.
Once home in Chicago, we all posed in the new 'convertible' camper for posterity. I may yet send this story to Reader's Digest, but they'd probably not believe it.
I hope I didn't go too long
Ken
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