One time, (when Helen was in the shop, naturally), I had the chance to go on a company camping trip. I rented a 2017 Toyota RAV-4. I tried making camp near the lake, but was told I had to move back further. I said forget it and slept in the back of the truck that night.
That’s about how we do it now. Big annoying tent, cooler, trunk jammed with gear. Just a different era of automobile to get us there. I am at least not the pot-gutted dad looking completely lost and out of place.
That looks like the Arches National Park campground. Want to talk about differences in camping between 1967 and 2018? Look at National Park visitation numbers, realize that the parks haven’t grown since then, then run a rough estimate of the odds of landing a nice campsite like the one pictured. That era is over, mentally prepare yourself for a crowded stressful Disneyland-like experience instead.
Unfortunately, for Arches and Zion there is no off season anymore. It was berzerkers on a Wednesday in March, and there are plans to put a daily cap on visitors in Zion.
“That era is over, mentally prepare yourself for a crowded stressful Disneyland-like experience instead.”
On July 4th, 2015, I entered Yosemite National Park at 9 AM from the East side (Behind the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where NO ONE lives). There were about ten people in line, so we had to wait about four minutes before we paid and continued on.
We then drove through the park to the southern exit (the one headed to Fresno). Since we were headed against traffic, we made good time, but saw ALL the parking lots were full to capacity. Outside the Entrance, there was a two mile long line of cars backed up on California Hi-way 41, all waiting to enter the Park.
To be fair, the 4th fell on a Saturday that year, so that’s probably worse case. But yes, the restful days of yore are long gone…
This past summer we visited Devils Tower, which is usually so crowded in the summer that it’s hard to find parking. We got there at 8 a.m. when it opened, and hiked the 3-mi. Red Beds Trail that goes around the perimeter. We had that trail almost completely to ourselves — it was peaceful and beautiful. When we got back to the parking lot, it was overflowing, crowded and full of pushy people. The difference between those two experiences was startling.
We learned a good lesson about visiting popular National Parks: 95% of the crowds never set foot on an actual trail (or at least don’t go more than a stone’s throw of the parking lot), and the vast majority of the crowds aren’t morning people.
I had the exact same experience at the Diamond Head trail In Oahu this summer. We arrived at 7 AM and the parking lot was 50% full. When we left 90 minutes later, it was full and completely crazy.
DougD
Posted December 13, 2018 at 1:21 PM
Nothing like Anahola granola for breakfast on top of Diamond Head after you watch the sun come up 🙂
We got our butts kicked by a little Japanese granny on all those stairs though, she was awesome..
Here’s the location (Vasquez Rocks) if you ever care to go. Beware, the overall website I linked to is a deep dive as far as roadside sightseeing is concerned, so be ready 🙂
The first time my dad ever went camping (since WW2) was with me in his ’65 Opel Kadett, in the southern Appalachians. It came from a Buick dealer, but it was no Wildcat.
And it was not a very happy trip, for me anyway. I was a Boy Scout, and my dad left it to me to do absolutely everything: plan and cook the meals, set up the tent and his cot, clean up, pack up, etc. while he read. Paul, is supper ready yet?
Wow, that’s quite a shot! If the models were more groomed and the cars a bit more staged (no detritus on the dash), this could be a Buick promotional image from the 1960s. The Wildcat family having fun in the wild, courtesy of Buick!
Not bad, in 1967 the D family would have been camping with the 1960 Pontiac.
I think off-off season would be the time for camping at Arches. We were there in March once and it was crowded enough and warm enough. I asked one of the Rangers “What’s it like here in the summer?” and she said “Don’t come here in the summer.” 🙂
The red one is a 67 and the white a 66. Both stunning rigs with plenty of truck space for all you’ll need to camp for a week! I hope whatever one that guy is driving has the Comfort-Tilt. My choice would be the 67. if I had a time machine, i’d go back, buy a new first gen Bronco for camping, keep it “uncut”, clean and sell it today for big bucks
So what had changed in USA in past 50 years that most folks(men) don’t drive cars anymore and switched to Trucks?does it have something to do with married men loosing their power as alpha males in their house and in order to feel better about their manhood they drive big trucks?
I’m going to be blunt. Fair warning. 50 years ago, most every car had a hood that stuck out in front of you like a honeymoon hard on. That’s kind of why men in a VW were viewed in a different light. As the phallic effect of the hood went south, something need to take its place. Enter the puffed up pickup. It’s all about morning wood.
Since gender tropes are already brought into the fold, the curveball answer is cars back then were manlier than cars today. What does a 1967 Buick have more in common with? A BMC Mini, or a F150 platinum? Now how about a 2018 Buick sedan?
Hip height I buy, ease of ingress I somewhat do(I’ve entered a few recently however and found not ALL crossovers are better in this regard), but road view is BS. That once real advantage became moot once SUVs and minivans cluttered the roads. It’s definitely incentive for sedan owners to literally move up, but you get the same road view you did back when everyone else had low cars (except trucks have 50-state legal tinted glass you can’t see forward through, unlike sedans)
I’d say that the 67 Wildcat is closer to the F-150 Platinum. The Wildcat is really just a lengthend, over chromed, big engined, gaudy version of a Lesabre. I prefer the cleaner look and much lower cost of a base F-150 as I do of my 67 LeSabre.
Trucks were ‘working class’ vehicles until 70’s. Some suburbs banned them from parking and still do.
But also, trucks are the “full sized family cars” of today. Old style full size cars like Crown Vic, Marquis, and LeSabre were labeled “old man’s cars” by Boomers and younger, and went out of style. Average suburbanite wants a ‘truck’ to fit in.
Dad shaving by our ’65 Impala Wagon with rooftop luggage carrier, camping in the California desert. He did switch to a ’69 Dodge A-108 Sportsman van as our desert camping adventures went further off paved roads.
My favorite part is that your father is out in the middle of friggin nowhere and he is – shaving. I skip shaving every chance I get, usually not more than twice a week unless clients or a court appearance forces me to. Of course there are pictures of my own father from that era wearing a tie at a family christmas get together. That generation kept themselves presentable, that’s for certain.
Some of us were squired about in the country instead.
One time, (when Helen was in the shop, naturally), I had the chance to go on a company camping trip. I rented a 2017 Toyota RAV-4. I tried making camp near the lake, but was told I had to move back further. I said forget it and slept in the back of the truck that night.
That’s about how we do it now. Big annoying tent, cooler, trunk jammed with gear. Just a different era of automobile to get us there. I am at least not the pot-gutted dad looking completely lost and out of place.
That looks like the Arches National Park campground. Want to talk about differences in camping between 1967 and 2018? Look at National Park visitation numbers, realize that the parks haven’t grown since then, then run a rough estimate of the odds of landing a nice campsite like the one pictured. That era is over, mentally prepare yourself for a crowded stressful Disneyland-like experience instead.
That’s why we don’t go to places like that, except in the off-off season.
Unfortunately, for Arches and Zion there is no off season anymore. It was berzerkers on a Wednesday in March, and there are plans to put a daily cap on visitors in Zion.
It ‘s getting harder to hit ’em where they ain’t.
“That era is over, mentally prepare yourself for a crowded stressful Disneyland-like experience instead.”
On July 4th, 2015, I entered Yosemite National Park at 9 AM from the East side (Behind the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where NO ONE lives). There were about ten people in line, so we had to wait about four minutes before we paid and continued on.
We then drove through the park to the southern exit (the one headed to Fresno). Since we were headed against traffic, we made good time, but saw ALL the parking lots were full to capacity. Outside the Entrance, there was a two mile long line of cars backed up on California Hi-way 41, all waiting to enter the Park.
To be fair, the 4th fell on a Saturday that year, so that’s probably worse case. But yes, the restful days of yore are long gone…
This past summer we visited Devils Tower, which is usually so crowded in the summer that it’s hard to find parking. We got there at 8 a.m. when it opened, and hiked the 3-mi. Red Beds Trail that goes around the perimeter. We had that trail almost completely to ourselves — it was peaceful and beautiful. When we got back to the parking lot, it was overflowing, crowded and full of pushy people. The difference between those two experiences was startling.
We learned a good lesson about visiting popular National Parks: 95% of the crowds never set foot on an actual trail (or at least don’t go more than a stone’s throw of the parking lot), and the vast majority of the crowds aren’t morning people.
Eric703-
I had the exact same experience at the Diamond Head trail In Oahu this summer. We arrived at 7 AM and the parking lot was 50% full. When we left 90 minutes later, it was full and completely crazy.
Nothing like Anahola granola for breakfast on top of Diamond Head after you watch the sun come up 🙂
We got our butts kicked by a little Japanese granny on all those stairs though, she was awesome..
There’s an area in Prescott, Arizona that looks very, very much like that, too. Similar vegetation, too.
Looks like the set of Star Trek.
Here’s the location (Vasquez Rocks) if you ever care to go. Beware, the overall website I linked to is a deep dive as far as roadside sightseeing is concerned, so be ready 🙂
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/8586
That’s what I noticed. Granite Dells.
Yep. We go to Prescott a lot to visit the in-laws, and often drive through this area.
The first time my dad ever went camping (since WW2) was with me in his ’65 Opel Kadett, in the southern Appalachians. It came from a Buick dealer, but it was no Wildcat.
And it was not a very happy trip, for me anyway. I was a Boy Scout, and my dad left it to me to do absolutely everything: plan and cook the meals, set up the tent and his cot, clean up, pack up, etc. while he read. Paul, is supper ready yet?
And no, we didn’t go fishing.
Our first and last camping trip. 🙂
It just occurred to me that these folks are the Not-Niedermeyers. Actually, they would need to have a Travco motor home to fully qualify.
Wow, that’s quite a shot! If the models were more groomed and the cars a bit more staged (no detritus on the dash), this could be a Buick promotional image from the 1960s. The Wildcat family having fun in the wild, courtesy of Buick!
Not bad, in 1967 the D family would have been camping with the 1960 Pontiac.
I think off-off season would be the time for camping at Arches. We were there in March once and it was crowded enough and warm enough. I asked one of the Rangers “What’s it like here in the summer?” and she said “Don’t come here in the summer.” 🙂
This is how I would be camping in 1967 if I were somehow alive back then!
The red one is a 67 and the white a 66. Both stunning rigs with plenty of truck space for all you’ll need to camp for a week! I hope whatever one that guy is driving has the Comfort-Tilt. My choice would be the 67. if I had a time machine, i’d go back, buy a new first gen Bronco for camping, keep it “uncut”, clean and sell it today for big bucks
Trunk space – darn trucks!
So what had changed in USA in past 50 years that most folks(men) don’t drive cars anymore and switched to Trucks?does it have something to do with married men loosing their power as alpha males in their house and in order to feel better about their manhood they drive big trucks?
So what had changed in USA in past 50 years that most folks(men) don’t drive cars anymore and switched to Trucks?
H-point:
http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=15364
And it probably equally effects men and women although men are on average taller.
I’m going to be blunt. Fair warning. 50 years ago, most every car had a hood that stuck out in front of you like a honeymoon hard on. That’s kind of why men in a VW were viewed in a different light. As the phallic effect of the hood went south, something need to take its place. Enter the puffed up pickup. It’s all about morning wood.
It’s far more complicated than that.
I would say though that the “alpha male in the household” theory seems pretty far off the mark to me.
Since gender tropes are already brought into the fold, the curveball answer is cars back then were manlier than cars today. What does a 1967 Buick have more in common with? A BMC Mini, or a F150 platinum? Now how about a 2018 Buick sedan?
Hip height I buy, ease of ingress I somewhat do(I’ve entered a few recently however and found not ALL crossovers are better in this regard), but road view is BS. That once real advantage became moot once SUVs and minivans cluttered the roads. It’s definitely incentive for sedan owners to literally move up, but you get the same road view you did back when everyone else had low cars (except trucks have 50-state legal tinted glass you can’t see forward through, unlike sedans)
I’d say that the 67 Wildcat is closer to the F-150 Platinum. The Wildcat is really just a lengthend, over chromed, big engined, gaudy version of a Lesabre. I prefer the cleaner look and much lower cost of a base F-150 as I do of my 67 LeSabre.
Yes, all of that. And look at how the makers fetishize work, which responds to the current insecurities of employment.
About the same time (perhaps a year or two later, based on boys’ haircuts):
Ha! Made me think of my mother, when anyone mentioned camping or RVs etc…”That’s what God made Holiday Inns for!”.
Trucks were ‘working class’ vehicles until 70’s. Some suburbs banned them from parking and still do.
But also, trucks are the “full sized family cars” of today. Old style full size cars like Crown Vic, Marquis, and LeSabre were labeled “old man’s cars” by Boomers and younger, and went out of style. Average suburbanite wants a ‘truck’ to fit in.
Dad shaving by our ’65 Impala Wagon with rooftop luggage carrier, camping in the California desert. He did switch to a ’69 Dodge A-108 Sportsman van as our desert camping adventures went further off paved roads.
My favorite part is that your father is out in the middle of friggin nowhere and he is – shaving. I skip shaving every chance I get, usually not more than twice a week unless clients or a court appearance forces me to. Of course there are pictures of my own father from that era wearing a tie at a family christmas get together. That generation kept themselves presentable, that’s for certain.
If Buick wants to ever graduate from it geezer image, it needs to reintroduce the Wildcat name. It’s just the jelly on the toast.