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Thu Jul 18, 2002 3:36 pm

looking back through the clouded, cynical eyes of thirty-something maturity, that first road trip doesn't seem like it was such a great idea, but at the time, with all the optimism and foolhardiness a 16 year old can muster, man, i thought i couldn't fail! Summer of 84: Reagan was ranting about the evil empire, KAL 007 hadn't fallen out of the sky yet, MAD was more than just a magazine, and AIDS was still just an appetite suppresant... and I had just acquired my first street legal VW, a Miami Blue 75 Beetle. Springsteen was playing in Toronto, and me and my best bud and our respective first-base or better prospects were endlessly rewinding "Born in The USA" on the tape deck at the time, so a journey to the Big Smoke for a concert seemed like a great idea. Two problems... no cash and no tickets. Wait, no problem! we would drive north of Toronto a week early, pick up work at a summer camp i knew of, work for the week, (well, goof off, as i sold it to the others,) make enough scratch to go to the concert! Yeah! We explain the plan to our respective 'rents, who all agree that a little work won't hurt us, load up the bug, and off we go. The 150 mile trip takes 5 hours, one tire change, and one fan belt replacement, but we get there. Oops... should have called ahead to line up some work, was the thought that went through my head when i saw the confused look on the camp director's face when we presented ourselves. nevertheless, he recovered, allowed that there could be some work in the chow hall, but there were no accomodations.. No problem! We (well, me and my buddy... the girls were growing less enthusiastic as they got deeper into the adventure,) declared that we would go into the nearest town and buy a couple of tents... which we did... sorta. see, the only outfitter in that one-moose town only had one tent in our frugal price range. We returned to the camp, gallantly set up the tent for the girls to sleep in, while the men (uh, that be me and my bud) would rough it in the beetle. All was hunky dory for the first six hours of that night... and then all hell broke loose. Me and best bud woke from snooze in the front seats of the car to the sounds of girlish screams and the sensation of doors being flung open and warm semi-clad young female flesh clinging to our bodies, which was real good up until the point where i began to understand that the screams weren't the sounds of ecstacy...

Thu Jul 18, 2002 3:49 pm

... but sounded something like "bears!! there is a bear out there!!!!" Bears? bears??!!??? BEEEEEARRRRRSSSS!!!!!?????!!!! Turns out the camp dumpster was only about 20 feet away from our campsite, and it was a magnet for local nocturnal wildlife. Okay, that was it! The girls squirmed into the backseat, i turned the key, hit the lights, and saw a large dark form leisurely dismembering the tent that i had invested the last of our cash in, that afternoon. Out of money, out of energy, out of living quarters, with girls screaming and wailing loudly enough to drive me out of my mind, the decision was made to pack it in. We headed for home. I figured we had enough gas to make it, and i was almost right. five miles from home, we coasted to the side of the road in the breaking dawn, and realized that dawn wasn't the only thing breaking. the girls had had enough adventure, never wanted to hear springsteen again, and, as a matter of fact would really prefer not to encounter me or best bud at any time in the forseeable future. These sentiments were tossed over their shoulders as they stomped off down the road. Best bud figured all of this was my fault, and he was "this close" to getting laid... and i had blown it for him. i heard that as he scampered off after the girls, begging forgiveness. Me? well, I stayed with the car, and smiled a little... my VW was the only thing that weekend that hadn't let me down... and didn't leave me. Women and friends come into and out of your life, but no matter how much you screw up, your VW is always there for you.