How the Red Baron’s Westy came about.
It all started in the summer of 1991 when after 35 years of service with a major aerospace company, I started to realize that things were getting a little sticky in the aviation industry and it might just be the right time to cash out. So, my wife and I decided to take a late summer vacation down in the Blue Ridge Mountains and sort out the options for retirement.
I pulled out the rear seat from our ‘89 Dodge Turbo Caravan, packed it up with a tent and other essential camping gear and off we went to the Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We took the Blue Ridge Parkway heading for the Big Meadow Campground. Upon arrival we found the campground full but were told that space was available at the Lewis Mountain Campground further down the Parkway.
We got to Lewis Mountain late that afternoon and got one of the remaining sites, unloaded our gear and started to set up the tent. What I found was that the ground of our site was so hard that pounding the tent stakes into it was a real effort. I was still pounding in the hardpan soil when a couple in a nice light blue ‘84 Westfalia with Texas plates pulled into the adjacent site.
Now get this: Here I am sweating and swatting flies pounding in those tent stakes while the guy in the Westy pops up the roof and said to his wife, “I’m going to clean up and you can start dinner while I’m gone”, which she did in the Westy’s little kitchen. All the time this was going on we watched in amazement until my wife said, “You better get that tent up soon or we’ll be sleeping under the stars with all the park critters.”
Well, that did it and I said to her: “We should get one of those Westies when I retire ( which I did the following month ). It sure beats this tent stuff and sleeping on the ground.” and that started almost a year long search for a late model Westfalia in good condition.
Stay tuned on how we found our ‘87 Westy.