[tcb] Re: havasu
- From: a riggs <redvan71@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:59:57 -0800 (PST)
Wow, Gerald -
I'd like permission to use your "essay" in our newsletter, too. (with
appropriate credits, etc.)
You might have to start charging!
Allan
--- "Gerald V. Livingston II" <gerald.tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 20:15:58 -0800 (PST) sammie smith
> <bugcollections@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > OK, you guys have me thinking about Havasu; and this from someone who
> > just drove to LA and back 4 weeks ago. Have never been. How is it?
> How
> > many busses? How good is the swap area? Is it worth driving 1,500
> miles?
> > (3,000 round trip.) And any other input anyone wishes to give that
> would
> > help me decide.
>
> Yeah, I was sorta hoping someone would say something about what this
> show
> is like. I've always wondered and was thinking about ... Oh, waitaminit
> ...
> I guess *I* should be the one speaking up huh?
>
> BBB is the first VW campout-show I attended. 2007 will be my 6th year.
> It
> was also the first "big" (100+ vehicles) show I attended and the first
> that
> didn't have regular judging.
>
> In 2002 with (very little) prompting from the Buskatiers I got in my '69
> Beetle that would NEVER make it all the way to AZ. I drove up to
> Oklahoma
> City and pulled up in front of the house of someone I had never met in
> real
> life. They showed me around, fed me, and parked me in front of their
> computer when they went off to bed (since they both had to work the
> following day) at around 10 PM. At about 2 AM two VW Buses from Kansas
> and
> Nebraska pulled up. Art and his wife got back out of bed and made sure
> everyone got hot coffee. Talked a while then I piled into one of the
> Buses
> with two of the midwesterners and the other two hopped in the other bus.
> We
> headed for I-40 determined to make it to Havasu in one shot. I left my
> bug
> parked there, at the home of someone I had never met, and wasn't worried
> about it at all.
>
> The best laid plans ... From OKC we drove through the day and then
> through
> most of the next night. At Flagstaff everybody was too tired to see
> straight so we pulled into a truck stop to take a nap. Note, "napping"
> in a
> bus when the temperature drops to 5 degrees is WAY too cool for my
> taste.
> When the sun started peeking out we headed out again and made it to
> Havasu
> that afternoon.
>
> Now, this was at the old location for the show. No ground cover and the
> wind off the lake never *EVER* stopped blowing. Plus temps were in the
> 30's
> at night and the 50's or 60's during the day.
>
> I was there with nothing but me, a few $$$, and a sleeping bag.
>
> And that's where the PEOPLE make this show SHINE. Someone will find you
> a
> place to bunk, usually a "spare bus" that one of the locals has brought
> down. If you made it to the show you won't go hungry either. It seems
> like
> everybody that cooks, cooks extra.
>
> I had a blast. We drove back to OKC (in warmer weather by Sunday) via
> the
> Hoover dam, just kickin back and relaxing.
>
> I haven't missed a year since then. 2007 will be my 6th year to go.
>
> In 2003 I took a Greyhound bus to Tulsa to be co-pilot for a young lady
> and
> her two children because she had been wanting to go but didn't feel safe
> making the trip alone -- so she invites an old long-hair who she's never
> met to be her co-pilot. The weather was a little warmer for that drive
> and
> with the show now at it's new (and current) location it was much nicer
> AT
> the show too.
>
> In 2004 I had the Chevy -- and I had bought the Riviera, sight unseen,
> in
> Concord, CA, off of a Samba advert. I also had a tow-bar that I had
> bought
> at the Jerome show in September 2003. I drove the 700 miles PAST Havasu
> to
> pick up the Rivi and thus began the tow-camper adventures. Total driving
> mileage was over 4000 that year for the trip. I dragged it back to
> Havasu
> for the show and was there for the first time with my OWN Bus.
>
> ---SIDEBAR---
>
> In May of that year I hooked up the Rivi to the tow-bar and dragged it
> to
> the first Texas VW Classic. I got both my Mom and Dad to go with me and
> they had a great time. Mom drove down from Alabama to go on the trip. A
> few
> months later I got my Dad to go with me to the infamous Chigger Fest.
> Then
> in October I towed the Rivi to West Virginia to attend John Brown's
> Buses
> and Mom traveled with me on that trip.
>
> In June 2005 they both died. But we had a GREAT last year with the
> non-running Riviera.
>
> ---END SIDEBAR---
>
> And, backing up, In January 2005 I attended BBB once again. Towed the
> Riviera from the house and worked on it for a few hours in Ronnie's shop
> (Ronnie owns http://www.type2parts.com -- if anything breaks on your
> trip
> he should have a replacement). I actually started the Rivi for the first
> time there at BBB 2005.
>
> And the number of attendees keeps going up each year. In 2005 there were
> almost 200 registered campers.
>
> 2006 was BBB-X. I got there a day early and helped stuff the "goody
> bags"
> Thursday night. We stuffed over 200. The gates opened early Friday. By
> Saturday morning all of the registration material (goody bags,
> show-magnets, registration forms) were gone. The final guess was over
> 300
> campers in attendance. By mid-morning Saturday all of the raffle tickets
> had been sold out and they were raiding the local Wal-Mart to buy more.
> Absolutely AWESOME..
>
> Don't come looking for a trophy. What "prizes" there are are awarded to
> Buses selected by the organizers. They try not to pick the same vehicles
> every year and their choices are more along the lines of "wow, that's
> neat"
> or "no way, that can't be the same rustbucket that was here last year!"
> or
> "look, Mom - Dad - 4 kids, loaded in the Westy and drove 1000 miles,
> cool".
>
> One of the big deals at Havasu is the RAFFLE! The proceeds from the show
> go
> to Arizona children's charities and they get some big name companies to
> donate some very cool shit. They also raffle off an engine and a
> transmission each year. New engine built by club members from all new
> parts, transmission usually donated by Rancho.
>
> There's good info on the itenerary at http://www.busesbythebridge.com.
>
> There's more info in two threads on TheSamba.Com
>
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=191814
>
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=208204
>
>
> I'm trying to get there a little earlier each year so I can camp out and
> get a day or two of rest then help set up the show. On Sunday I stay
> until
> the park is empty in case there's any help needed on cleanup. There
> generally isn't because the attendees are good about policing
> themselves.
>
> Depending on when I get on the road I generally stay under 60 on the way
> over there. Coming home I stay AT 50.
>
> I take 190 across until it forces me back on to I-10 just before Fort
> Stockton. This route avoids driving through Houston and San Antonio.
>
> In 2006 I I got back off of I-10 at Fort Stockton and went north, up
> through Carlsbad then across through Alomogordo. I don't think I'll do
> that
> this year unless I can be SURE the weather is good. That way goes WAY up
> into the mountains and I am definitely not rigged for driving in ice and
> snow. I got LUCKY this year when I did it. It only bypasses El Paso
> anyway.
> White Sands Missile Range forces you to go all the way back down to I-10
> or
> way north to 380 to get around.
>
> If you take the I-10 route and you happen to enjoy occasional use of
> "recreational pharmaceuticals" *LEAVE THEM AT HOME*. You will pass
> through
> a border patrol checkpoint traveling both directions on I-10 and also on
> I-25 headed south from Alomorgodo if you go that way. It can only be
> (easily) avoided by going north and using I-40 or US 380 to travel west.
> There is good chance the BP will ask to run the dog around your vehicle
> simply because it is what it is. I've had that happen once.
>
> For 2007 I'm planning to try to leave at midnight the night of Sunday
> the
> 7th/Monday the 8th. If you're planning to stay at a hotel, the host
> hotels
> are probably all booked by now. Call around NOW to see if you can find
> another. Call Ronnie (get his number from his website) and he can
> probably
> help look.
>
> OK, I'm done for now.
>
=== message truncated ===
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