GEORGE DAWSON - Sent This Picture of a Scamp from Montana

Scamp Fiberglass Travel Trailer

My friends George and Joel are on the camping trail. They sent this picture of a Scamp trailer to me. Every time I see one I have to tell my story of the one we had. 

In 1977 - when Lulu and I sold our newspaper - we were flush with cash. We bought a trailer like this and a 1977 Chevy Chevette - a very tiny car. We decided to make a tour around the USA in our Chevrolet.

The 1977 Chevy Chevette was red and had a 1600cc engine. It also had automatic transmission and no air conditioner. The Scamp was made of fiberglass. It weighed 900 pounds. We towed it with a 1000 pound rated bumper hitch - just three bolts into the bumper.

Drew was just 6 months old - Keith was not even a thought. We took my Dad along because he was 61 and had never seen the Pacific Ocean. So the 4 of us headed west.

We left Tamaqua PA at the end of June. Lulu had AAA make a circle map of the USA highlighting several of the things we wanted to see.

We went thru the follow states in this order - Pennsylvania - Ohio - Indiana - Illinois - Wisconsin - Minnesota - South Dakota - Wyoming - Idaho - Utah - Nevada - California - Nevada - Arizona - New Mexico - Texas - Oklahoma - Missouri - Illinois - Indiana - Ohio - West Virginia - Pennsylvania.

Some of the famous sites we saw were - Notre Dame - Chicago - Wisconsin Dells - The Badlands - Yellowstone Park - Jackson Hole - Salt Lake - Reno - Bill Harrah's Car Collection - San Francisco - Los Angeles - Disneyland - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Meteor Crater - Amarillo - Oklahoma City - St Louis Arch - Columbus OH - and finally back to PA.

We spent 30 nights in a row sleeping in that little egg of a trailer - 4 of us - 2 of the worst snorers in the business - my Dad and I. We ate a lot of McDonald's meals. Dad and Lulu drank a lot of their coffee.

We only owned that trailer for one year - we traded it in on a new bus the next year. We used that bus as a motor home to take many more adventures. This was all 35 years ago - but every time we see one - we vow to buy another and take that trip again. Maybe this time - we will take the grandkids. 

Dad got to go fishing in the Pacific. When I asked him how it was - he said - the same except the shore was on the wrong side of the boat. Five years later - he was dead at 66.

Memories are made of things like this.