{"id":2285,"date":"2023-10-06T01:27:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T01:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2285"},"modified":"2023-09-16T12:59:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T12:59:54","slug":"chap-20-on-becoming-a-caravan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2285","title":{"rendered":"Chap. 20 – On Becoming a Caravan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Becoming a Caravan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Indeed, Peaches and Sunshine were following right behind us.  At the Arizona border Peaches pulled up alongside, leaning way over, almost onto Sunshine\u2019s lap, he was shouting out the passenger window, \u201cLook over there!  Look over there!\u201d pointing with his right index finger out Sunshine\u2019s window.  At first, we didn\u2019t know what he\u2019s pointing at.  Then he pulled in front of us and Sunshine started pointing out the window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cIt\u2019s an RV Park,\u201d Max said, \u201cthey must want to stop here.\u201d   But this was no ordinary RV Park.  It just kept on going and going for three miles to the next exit with hundreds, if not thousands, of RVs.  So, of course, we followed Peaches off the exit ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Then a big debate.  We were planning on going straight through to Tucson, and though it was mid-afternoon, we weren\u2019t ready to call it a day, so let\u2019s not pay the $80 the guy at the gate wants.  \u201cNo,\u201d Steve argued, \u201cthis is a must<\/em> stop.  If we can win over the RV crowd, we can win over America.  Skip would want us to.  Let\u2019s go for it!  Remember how they liked us at that Candlestick Park?  Even if this one is filled with Rednecks, I\u2019m such a great lawyer, winning over juries, watch me, \u2018the great persuader\u2019 in action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNo,\u201d Rocky said, \u201cLeave it to me.  The universal language is \u2018What is Fun\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Thank goodness (most of us were thinking) no horns honked when we went down a row to the far end of the campgrounds.  We figured we\u2019d do better by starting off hiding the Land Yacht.  Sunshine said, \u201cOhh, nooo – everybody loves everybody at these places, don\u2019t worry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So under a clear sky, but surrounded by concrete, nary a tree or a bush or patch of grass in sight, we set up our grill, pulled out the lawn chairs, washed some vegetables, began shish-kabobing, and waited to see what would develop.  Our immediate neighbors did admire our colors and asked what part of Minnesota we were from and how we all knew each other.  We asked which part of Arkansas they were from and where they were heading.  \u201cHollywood,\u201d they said, \u201cwe\u2019ve heard the mansions are fabulous.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Patty asked if they minded being filmed as we talked, \u201cYou\u2019re such nice people,\u201d Patty said to them, \u201cand we\u2019re making a movie about how great America is.\u201d  They were flattered to be included. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     But some other fellow RVers at the park started out not so friendly.  A couple tall guys, looking 30ish, seeming too young to be RVers, with baseball caps on backwards, were walking down the row in our direction.  They could have been twins, both with crew cuts, both holding Budweisers.  \u201cGot any weed we can buy?\u201d one of them asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWatch out.  They could be narcs,\u201d Peaches said under his breath, grin gone.  We said we didn\u2019t have any. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhat?  Hippies without pot?\u201d the other new arrival remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cHippies?!\u201d Rocky retorted, looking pretty tough in his jean jacket and aviator glasses, \u201cGrow some fucking hair.  You guys look like rejects from a Hollywood casting call for \u2018Back to the \u201850s\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhat the heck, you lookin\u2019 for a fight ol\u2019 man?\u201d the first one said, clenching his fist.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cCome on,\u201d the lady from Arkansas said, \u201ceither be sociable or move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cOh, we can be sociable all right,\u201d the guy said, unclenching his fist.  \u201cWhat are you guys?  Some kinda travelin\u2019 hippy-political circus act?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cCareful what you say next,\u201d Patty jumped in, pulling her video camera out of her holster.  \u201cWe\u2019re making a movie about good guys and bad guys in America.  Which do you want to be?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cSo what does it take to be a \u2018good guy\u2019?  Do you have to feel the Bern?\u201d one of the indistinguishable two asked, pointing to one of our bumper stickers.  \u201cI\u2019m from Trump country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYou\u2019re kidding me,\u201d Rocky said.  \u201cI\u2019d never have guessed.  Thought for sure if you were old enough to vote in 2020, you\u2019d have been a socialist for Bernie, or at least a fem for Hillary.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     That brought a chuckle from the other tall one, \u201cYeah, my buddy Austin here, a fem! A fem for Hillary.  Ha-ha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Laughing with them, Rocky asked \u201cWanna couple beers?\u201d popping three Sierra Nevadas.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cAnd by the way,\u201d the lady from Arkansas said, \u201cno dissing Hillary if you stick around.  Pull up a couple chairs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhat are you guys driving?  Where you parked?\u201d  Sunshine asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNext row over,\u201d the one apparently named Austin answered.  \u201cBut we were surrounded by Trump-types, so we\u2019re looking for a new space.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cOkay,\u201d Patty said, \u201cour movie is a blend of politics and \u2018what is fun.\u2019  So you guys like walking around starting fights for fun?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cRoll your camera, sweetie, and I\u2019ll tell you what fun is.  Call me Tex.  Austin here\u2019s my sidekick.  We\u2019re writing a book about how to meet strangers.  We always start nice, like \u2018Hey, that\u2019s a great set of cowboy boots you got on\u2019 (pointing to Patty\u2019s footwear), but Christ, lookin\u2019 for a little smoke wasn\u2019t meant to start a fight.  Just your buddy here, apparently doesn\u2019t like being called a hippie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cFuck you,\u201d Rocky said with a smile.  \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure you were going to take the Hollywood reject comment as a joke or not.  I could have called you worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Later that evening Rocky and Steve decided to walk over to the next row.  Nobody knew where Huck was.  Max and Patty stayed back.  The guys who called themselves Tex and Austin were sitting with a half-dozen grown-ups and a half-dozen kids at a couple portable picnic tables set up in an empty parking space.  We were introduced as \u201cthe hippies from the next row over, but hey \u2013 they know what fun is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cGrab some beers out of the cooler,\u201d somebody said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rocky got everybody laughing right away, and poked some fun in Tex and Austin\u2019s direction, asking, \u201cSo what happens when a bunch of hippies meet a bunch of rednecks?\u201d  That got some chuckles, and then he answered his own question, \u201cI was a Golden Gloves boxer who loved beating the shit out of Rednecks.  Your two goons show up.  Us Hippies<\/u><\/em> picked the fight.  The Rednecks turn into pansies, flash the peace sign.  And, hey, everybody agrees to get stoned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Before we headed back to our row, Steve did get in one defense of liberalism which at least one person seemed to agree with.  \u201cA conservative,\u201d Steve said, \u201cis someone who mostly sees the things that are going good; a liberal is someone who thinks we need to make some changes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell then, call me a liberal,\u201d one of them said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The next morning in our concrete Shangri-la, fixing breakfast, we learned what had become of Huck.  Tapping his foot, bobbing his head, he told us Sunshine had corralled him into going for a walk to the soda machines, pushed him gently up against one, came chest to chest, and said, \u201cWanna make it with me?\u201d  Best way to describe Sunshine – \u201cbubbly\u201d – bubbly in spirit and looks, with no bra.  She was always in short cut-offs, oftentimes shoeless.  Everybody noticed her nice legs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Huck continued, \u201cWhat about Peaches? I asked her, and guess what she said? \u2013 \u2018Oh, he\u2019s probably trying to make it with some lady down the row if your friend Patty isn\u2019t available.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cJust like I suspected,\u201d Patty said, \u201ctwo no-goods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     As we were packing up, Sunshine and Peaches came over and said they\u2019d decided to stick around longer and would maybe catch up with us again in Santa Fe \u2013 they would skip Tucson.  We said good-bye to our Arkansas neighbors and promised to send them a video of the movie when it was done \u2013 \u201cand by the way, if you stay somewhere where they have the internet, look us up.\u201d   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 20 On Becoming a Caravan      Indeed, Peaches and Sunshine were following right behind us.  At the Arizona border Peaches pulled up alongside, leaning way over, almost onto Sunshine\u2019s lap, he was shouting out the passenger window, \u201cLook over … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2285"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285\/revisions\/2601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}