on 7/2/01 4:29 PM, PSavage at psavage@SABER.NET wrote:

> Arriving first, even ahead of yours truly--who was still dragging
> a Webber BBQ & 55 gallon tub of charcoal across the orchard--
> Robert & Karen Zezoff of Folsom, with their well mannered, tow headed son, &
> sleek dog, Hero, were first to arrive Hendy Woods
> State Park. Their ruby red Westy proved very photogenic!
> Robert threatened to bring a couple of inmates from Folsom Prison,
> but apparantly didn't have room with all the dog chews aboard.
>
> Phil Baird from Bakersfield arrived soon after, with the biggest & best
> looking CB antenna installation seen yet on a Westy!  Phil camped one
> nite with us, then continued north on his mini-vacation loop which (sigh)
> eventually took him south down beautiful, cool coast Hy 1.
>
> Mike Miller of Sacramento, "Still Perfect After All These Years"
> (according to his t-shirt), pulled in shortly & *never missed a beat--
> he's incorrigible!  Mike claims to have streaked his hair with silver dye
> for a distinguished look--& I admit, with his impressive gold neckchain,
> "Still Perfect" t-shirt, & silver temples, he does look
> very--incorrigible.
> Mike managed to have a (borrowed) blond at his elbow every time I aimed a
> camera his direction.
> Big thanks, Mike, for battling the on-line state park reservation system
> & collecting "the gate."  Both thankless jobs & much appreciated!
> (You should have brought your clarinet & played a Dixiland duet with Joel.)
> Mike made camp in bachelor quarters, along with Paul Henderson
> of the Bay Area, enroute to Orcas Island  & Victoria,  BC.  I met
> Paul last October at the Bay Area Tailgate Party--so it was a reunion,
> of sorts--more so, since Paul, an erudite world traveler, lurks, but seldom
> posts to the list.  (Unlike Miller.)  Let's hear from
> you, Paul!
>
> Tho I'd yet to meet Donna Stewart of Tracy in person, we've become
> email friends in the year I've been on the list, so I was overjoyed when
> I saw her pretty blue Vanagon pull in, with handsome boyfriend Dave,
> in radical chic camo, riding shotgun.
> Donna & Dave left Saturday, planning a slow crawl thru local brew pubs on way
> back to the Central Valley.
> Donna's Dad, a Vanagon afficianado, owns a vintage orange bus with
> original orange plaid (!) upholstery.  Now that Donna's Vangon knows the way
> to Mendocino, I hope to see her more often, for we have
> much in common, including a love of Navajo & Zuni jewelery & SW desert camping
> & exploration.
>
> Susan Ames & dog Bogie arrived in a good looking burgundy Westy with Delaware
> plates.  Susan's moved recently to Sonoma county &
> seems happy to be out of Delaware.  She scored a cute cottage up a winding,
> wooded country road, where she tends a small vege garden
> & shares a wading pool with Bogie on hot afternoons.
> Susan camped with us one nite, then left reluctantly for Oregon, where
> a family medical cricis awaits her.  Good luck Susan!
>
> By the time Paul Rogers, & fun loving girlfriend Chris, arrived in their
> good looking '85 brown Wolfsburg Westy (identical to mine)--I knew this
> campout was  On  The  Level!
> Paul, a tanned & handsome building contractor from the Bay Area, immediately
> jacked up his van & got out his level!  These volks,
> now famous for their Beer Butt Chicken, had *all* the good stuff!  Really
> look forward to seeing these volks again soon.
>
> Walter & Naomi Balm of Berkeley, with newborn son & three other
> storybook kids, set up camp beside their Vanagon & had a hammock swinging in
> shorter time than it took for most of us to pop our
> tops.
> I always enjoy an opportunity to see these volks, whom I also met at
> the Bay Area Tailgate party.  Walter has a big smile & never looses his
> cool or his patience.
> Naomi is a wonder, successfully combining motherhood & pursuit of a doctoral
> at UC Berkely in (?) nuclear physics.  Walter & family
> stayed on at Hendy Woods Sunday nite & will leave today for Berkeley.
>
> Al Knoll, AKA Pensioner, arrived from Sacramento on his BMW motorcycle, the
> blue brick.  Al's a little like Mr Wizzard meets the
> encyclopedia Brittanica.
> He's also a hell of nice guy, with the smallest bird binoculars I've yet seen.
> And who but Al carries sour dough starter in his kit
> bag!
> Al even brought me a spare oil plug as a gift for Basecamp.
>
> Al whipped up a batch of lick smacking BBQ sauce, marinated a ton
> of chicken, & turned out round after round of high-brown thighs,
> while the rest of us swilled vodka tonics & wolfed shrimp & salsa.
> Al shared some jealously guarded favorite camping spots & stealth camping
> techniques--even demonstrating his well-honed (&
> convincing) geezer's approach to *no fee camping.
> Thanks, Al--you went above & beyond the call of duty!
>
> Dan Schnmitz, whose newest Westy's retropfit is underway in his Bay View
> driveway, made a dashing entrance Saturday evening--behind
> the wheel of a *gorgeous blue Porche convertible.
> A lover of Shakespeare & technical writer for Genentec, Dan graces
> the list with many worthy technical posts.  I enjoyed details of his most
> recent trip to France.
> Dan's borrowed tent went up quickly in shared co-ed quarters--with yours
> truly, & Carol Sheerin & Joel of San Rafael, & Al Knoll.
>
> When I spotted Carol Sheerin's smart '87 white Westy pull in, I quickly
> (if reluctantly) abandoned my vodka tonic to greet them, only to discover she
> & clarinet-playing partner, Joel, would be our first
> list *recruits!
> Not three minutes into our conversation, Carol begged me to sniff
> her rear heater!  Next thing I knew, we were sharing a camp site.
> She soon had a crash course in Vanagon maintenance & eventually
> Al took her Westy for a test drive & pronounced it A-OK.
> No doubt Carol will sign on shortly & introduce herself to the list--
> after she's loaded up on Mann filters & gaffer's duct tape, that is.
> Welcome Carol & Joel!
>
> Our handsome, dedicated surfer Chris Radcliffe, & his pristine blue
> Westy, finally showed from Redwood City Saturday evening--despite Chris having
> only *just flown home from a Phoenix business trip
> hours before.  What a trooper.
> I met Chris last October at the Tailgate Party, & would have been
> *sorely disappointed had he not made the campout.
> I'll send my few digi pics to Chris to combine with his.  My camera battery
> died too quickly, leaving me with an incomplete record.
> Perhaps a disguised blessing.
>
> Steve Schwenk finally arrived Saturday with his 7 yr old twins, Sam
> & Emily, in tow.  (No doubt Steve found it wrenching to tear himself
> away from his email...)
> Steve was last seen palming a wriggling, bloody-stumped lizzard's tail
> in one hand & a bottle of super glue in the other.
> The plushly appointed interior of Steve's white syncro brings to mind
> a tasteful Taos hotel room, complete with Navajo rugs & mood lighting.
>
> The anchient redwood groves, meandering paths thru shafts
> of mellow sunlight on moss & fern, are always thrilling--even to
> yours truly, who lives in the redwoods!
> I wandered for what must have been hours in company with Paul Hendersen & Al
> Knoll.  When we reached the river's rocky shore,
> imagine our delight to discover hundreds of dime size gray toads,
> hopping here & there between stones underfoot.
>
> *Thirteen List member's turned up, out of *sixteen confirmed.
> John Wessels & family didn't appear & since no email--I hope all's
> well & you volks didn't break down enroute.
> Steve Blackham & wife, from Utah, cancelled last minute due to
> family medical emergency.
> Les from Arcata, ditto, due to symphony orchestra rehersal conflict.
> So that's the report from La Capitana.  Let's do it again real soon!
> Cheers,
> Phaedra
>
> Some emails to below campers were returned as undeliverable.
> If you didn't receive your camper's email list, here 'tis below.
>
> ****************************************************
>> Hope everyone enjoyed a safe the trip home--
>> Here's the requested list of your fellow campers.
>> Great good fun to see you all in the redwoods!
>> Cheers,
>> Phaedra
>>
>> Susan Ames
>> heathers@udel.edu
>>
>> Chris Radcliffe
>> chris_radcliffe@mindspring.com
>>
>> Dan Schmitz
>> djs@gene.COM
>>
>> Donna Stewart
>> DStewart@chrm.com
>>
>> Paul Rogers
>> WOGNACIOUS@aol.com
>>
>> Walter Balm
>> wbalm@yahoo.com
>>
>> Robert Zezoff
>> shilohz@jps.net
>>
>> Mike Miller
>> mwmiller@cwnet.com
>>
>> Pensioner/Al Knoll
>> al_knoll@pacbell.net
>>
>> Steve Schwenk
>> steve@syncro.org
>>
>> Paul Henderson
>> paulh@microweb.com
>>
>> Carol Sheerin
>> ladycarols@aol.com
>>
>> Phil Baird
>> mypactor@pacbell.net
>>
>> Phaedra Savage
>> psavage@saber.net
>>
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>
I missed al's stealth camping hints.  And I need them as I'm probably going
on a jaunt down [or up] the coast in a few days.

Mike