Page 140 - REALLY What A time Book IX

REALLY SO WHAT
What A Time

VACATIONS AND CAMPING

Today it’s only a couple of hours to travel from Fairlington to
Sherando Lake, unless your held up in the beltway traffic or
along the US 29 corridor towards Charlottesville. Back then it
was a different trip.

Our ’38 Pontiac packed with all the camping gear my folks had
used a decade earlier. The cast iron tent poles and spider
infrastructure fit on the back seat floor, with the heavy canvas
tent, Army/Navy air mattress, and mummy bags. Our suit
cases, ‘American’ camp stove, pots and pans, utensils and
aluminum dishes, all snug, fit together as a unit, and a small gas
can for ‘white’ gas fit in the luggage compartment. Canned
food and other items were stuck here and there.
It’s about 180 – 200 miles to Sherando Lake. It would be a
days trip. Leave around 9’ish stop several times, gas, lunch
and toilet stops, arriving around 4’ish.

There were two important stops that I can remember, and one
I wish not to.
Outside of Charlottesville the two lane mountain road, US 29
climbs up the mountain to the top where the Skyline Drive
and Blue Ridge Parkway intersect. Climbing that mountain
took it’s toll on the car. It would always overheat, meaning
we’d stop and let it cool down. There was a Mountain spring
on the hillside where we stopped, with other cars to cool down
and refill the radiator. Pop had a canvas radiator bag they kept
especially for the occasion. After, cooling down Pop would fill
the radiator with water before continuing up the hill.

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