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Monday, April 24, 2006

1977 Chevrolet Chevette Pulling Scamp Trailer


It seems like yesterday that we pulled this cute little 980 pound Scamp travel trailer 7000 miles from PA to CA and back. We did it from Jun 25th to July 25th. We spent 30 straight nights in the trailer - a family of 4. This was before Walmarts - so we stayed in campgrounds every night. We averaged 23.6  MPG pulling it with the little 1600 cc engine and automatic transmission. By the way - we did not have any air conditioning in the Chevette. Imagine that in Las Vegas in July. Both the car and trailer were brand new. The car cost $2400 and the trailer cost $2200. It was a great trip - that Chevette pulled like a champ through Donner Pass.

The picture was taken in the Badlands. Note the GE Carry Cool air conditioner in the window that we bought in South Bend for $129.

During the trip - my father was 61 years old. He always wanted to fish in the Pacific before he died. He did and died 5 years later from Miner's Asthma - Black Lung. Son Drew was 5 months old - and wife Nancy was 23. They both later earned their doctor's degrees. Keith would be born 13 months later. I was 29 and just finished my 7th year of teaching. We had just sold our weekly newspaper - The Tamaqua Paper - and bought the new car and trailer with cash. I would trade everything to go back in time to then - do it all over - and be in the hot little Chevette in 100 plus temperature in Nevada. Man - we were alive.

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