This is a picture I took of my dad getting the trailer ready for the trip back home to Pittsburgh from Pymatuning lake after 2 weeks of family camping at the Linesville campground ( that campground was erased from the earth by a tornado about 15 years after that picture was taken. )
The station-wagon was a full size 1970 Chevy ( I think it was the Biscane model. I know it was not the impala model ). Dad custom ordered it with the 350 cubic inch displacement 250 HP engine, no AC, no third row seat. The back could both open like a door, or fold down, the window could rool up or down but only from using an outdide center located crank with 2 piece folding handle that would store as half length.
We would travel at 56 MPH with all windows open some, including the back window opened some, and the front small triangle air catchers. Dad would tell us how much to crank up or down the back window to regulate the air flow through the back. The last kid in back would reach outside the back while the vehicle was moving to partially rool or up or down the window. Once without the trailer on, it started to rain and we were in slow moving traffic. My brother Jeff rooled up the back window as much as he could ( with the manual crank outside ) and had rooled it up too much and could not get his head bank in. The family in the vehicle behind us could not stop laughing.
Mom would bring a small cooler up front with frozen water bottles and wet washcloths for the youngest kids.
Some sleeping-bags and clothes would be in big plastic bags and tied up under the boat on the station wagon roof.
The 5.5 HP Ted McWilliams 2 stroke outboard usually went in the trunk, with the 12 Volt electritrooling motor.
The red round remote fuel with quick-connnect hose with inline squeeze primer pump, and a spare 12 Volt car battery and charger, rode in the trailer.
Dad made the trailer from a used U-Hall trailer he bought, and put plywood mid shelf and side doors, and roof with closed eye bolts for tying things down.
Later years we also put an 18 ft Grumman aluminum canoe and a small Sears plastic one person sailboat on top of that trailer, and still managed to tie all the kids bicycles along side those 2 boats.
Inside the trailer was a big tent, a kitchen tent, 2 pop-tents that each slept 2 kids, some sleeping bags, folding aluminum table, folding chairs, big cooler chest, 5 gallon water container with push to dispense bottom side valve, plastic wash pan, Coleman white gasoline 2 burner stove and lanterns, fishing equiptment, clothes, some food, extra heavy iron rod tent-pegs, sail for canoe and side centerboards, rudder, sail for small sailboat, paddles for sailboats, oars for row-boat, and everything else needed for 2 weeks of camping.
Dad always drove, one of the youngest sat between Dad and Mom.
Total of Dad, Mom, their 7 kids, and one neighbor kid would all sit in that vehicle for 2 + hours each way. The kids would take turns about who sat where, and sometimes changed locations while the vehicle was moving.
And we would have family relatives come and camp through those 2 weeks in adjacent camp spots.
Plenty of good times and memories. Mom did not like it though. Especially when it rained and camp got muddy.
The station-wagon was a full size 1970 Chevy ( I think it was the Biscane model. I know it was not the impala model ). Dad custom ordered it with the 350 cubic inch displacement 250 HP engine, no AC, no third row seat. The back could both open like a door, or fold down, the window could rool up or down but only from using an outdide center located crank with 2 piece folding handle that would store as half length.
We would travel at 56 MPH with all windows open some, including the back window opened some, and the front small triangle air catchers. Dad would tell us how much to crank up or down the back window to regulate the air flow through the back. The last kid in back would reach outside the back while the vehicle was moving to partially rool or up or down the window. Once without the trailer on, it started to rain and we were in slow moving traffic. My brother Jeff rooled up the back window as much as he could ( with the manual crank outside ) and had rooled it up too much and could not get his head bank in. The family in the vehicle behind us could not stop laughing.
Mom would bring a small cooler up front with frozen water bottles and wet washcloths for the youngest kids.
Some sleeping-bags and clothes would be in big plastic bags and tied up under the boat on the station wagon roof.
The 5.5 HP Ted McWilliams 2 stroke outboard usually went in the trunk, with the 12 Volt electritrooling motor.
The red round remote fuel with quick-connnect hose with inline squeeze primer pump, and a spare 12 Volt car battery and charger, rode in the trailer.
Dad made the trailer from a used U-Hall trailer he bought, and put plywood mid shelf and side doors, and roof with closed eye bolts for tying things down.
Later years we also put an 18 ft Grumman aluminum canoe and a small Sears plastic one person sailboat on top of that trailer, and still managed to tie all the kids bicycles along side those 2 boats.
Inside the trailer was a big tent, a kitchen tent, 2 pop-tents that each slept 2 kids, some sleeping bags, folding aluminum table, folding chairs, big cooler chest, 5 gallon water container with push to dispense bottom side valve, plastic wash pan, Coleman white gasoline 2 burner stove and lanterns, fishing equiptment, clothes, some food, extra heavy iron rod tent-pegs, sail for canoe and side centerboards, rudder, sail for small sailboat, paddles for sailboats, oars for row-boat, and everything else needed for 2 weeks of camping.
Dad always drove, one of the youngest sat between Dad and Mom.
Total of Dad, Mom, their 7 kids, and one neighbor kid would all sit in that vehicle for 2 + hours each way. The kids would take turns about who sat where, and sometimes changed locations while the vehicle was moving.
And we would have family relatives come and camp through those 2 weeks in adjacent camp spots.
Plenty of good times and memories. Mom did not like it though. Especially when it rained and camp got muddy.
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