Right-stuff Lodging Comes Large And Small, Fast And Slow, Surface AndAirborne
They come from near, they come from far, many by air, even more by car — andbus, camper, motorhome, motorcycle and any other form of conveyance that willget these diverse travelers to their common destination: Oshkosh.
And once on the grounds, they all share an address that seems to double thepopulation of the city, all to camp close to the planes they love and watch theflying they crave. These are the hardiest souls of the EAA AirVentureexperience, the campers.
Now if you love the smell of avgas in the morning, if you covet the sound ofairplane engines as your wake-up call, or the sight of wings rocking in themorning breeze only feet from your accommodations, you might find the camping atOshkosh the perfect enhancement to your AirVenture experience.
"It’s just the best," said 11-year Camp Scholler veteran TerrieDishman, as she emerged from one of the camp’s general stores Saturday, a bag ofsupplies in hand. "We look forward to this so much each year that we startplanning for the next trip when we leave."
Every walk of life exists in Camp Scholler, Paul’s Woods, the North Forty,Ultralights Vintage Aircraft, the South Acres. Doctors, lawyers, engineers,executives, laborers, sales people, the odd writer and photographer, and, ofcourse, pilots — lots of pilots.
The Comforts Of Home, The Convenience Of An Airshow Out The Tent Flap
Most of the people are warm and hospitable, the grounds are generallyimpeccable, and almost everything you might need to survive the convention isavailable inside the perimeter fence.
The stores make it possible to stock up on ice and snacks; milk, bread andcereal; charcoal, lighter fluid, even disposable grills. Don’t feel inclined tocook? Then the campground and showground offer snack bars, cafeterias, pizza andburger grills.
Of course, all these conveniences can’t erase the sundry irritations that canmake camping life, well, challenging.
Soggy, Soggy Night
Wisconsin’s unusually wet July made some areas of the camps much damper thanusual, and the rainstorm of Friday night didn’t help.
But most of the tens of thousands of campers seemed to be bearing up well theday after, if maybe a little soggy.
"We got a little damp last night," said Doris Opp, as she did somehousekeeping around the tiny pup tent she’s sharing with her husband, Pinky.With about 25 Oshkosh visits under their belts, the Opps have their camp kitpared down to the point that it fits under the boot of their pristine 1926Bugatti Model 37 replicar for extended travel from their home in Bethalto, Ill."We don’t lack for anything here," said Pinky. "Buses to theflight line, stores, places to eat; it’s all here."
Likewise, Al Tangen couldn’t find much to complain about, even after therain, as he stretched out in a hammock strung behind his flat-bed-turned-campertruck. "The rain didn’t get deep enough to get to me," he said.
If The Buzz Bites, Swat It
And then there are those things that just can’t help but bug people, like,well, the bugs: a bumper mosquito crop — and we’re not talking a de Havillandbomber, here. Except for Tangen: "I’m from Wisconsin, so I knew to expectthe swarms."
Coloradan Bob Armstrong didn’t have any Oshkosh experience to help himprepare for his first visit to AirVenture, and by Saturday morning, he’d hadmore than his fair share of bug bites at his tent site in Paul’s Woods. Hissolution: Pop the tent atop his Taurus and move to another spot a little lessdamp.
"I decided to move before the mosquitoes carried me off," he said."And over here, my tent may have a chance to dry out before I pack itaway."
There Goes The Neighborhood
But not everything that bugs campers is small and aerial; some of theirritations walk upright on two legs. Generators running too late;into-the-dawn, by-the-campfire hangar-flying sessions, even simple snoring inthe tent next door are recurring peeves for some campers. And it was a noisygenerator that prompted Michiganers Joanie and Wayne Cleveland to move theirhuge fifth-wheel camper-trailer a half-dozen rows away from the offendingneighbor. "You get some who just can’t read the hours signs," Joanielamented.
Watching Wayne maneuver the hulking rig into a new camping space madeArmstrong’s use of his car roof to move his tent look simple by comparison.
But of all the ways to camp at Oshkosh, the purest seems always to be toarrive by air and camp under or near the wing, like so many thousands on thefield.
Oshkosh, Wingabago Style
The tough and ready stuff a minimal amount of gear into a tiny shelf and makedo. Others, like the Penders of Midlothian, Texas, bring all the comforts theyneed in the huge interior volume of their 1942 V-77 Gull Wing Stinson. Parked inthe Vintage Airplanes campground, the towering Stinson made a perfect supportfor a big rope hammock. A tent, though, was nowhere in sight.
"We didn’t know we could camp right here with the airplane, so we loadedup and carried our stuff over to the main [Scholler] campground," explainedLezlie Pender, as he cleaned and preened the big bird and a clutch of kids lazedin the shade of the big wing.
"It’s our first time; we’ll know better next year," she added.
My personal vote for the king of the air campers is an ultralight pilot fromMinnesota who flies his Titan Tornado in each year while friends tow hisAirstream trailer to the Farm at the south end of the airport. There, with hiscappuccino machine, a stove at the ready, and a dry bed, Al, as we’ll call him,doesn’t want for any of the creature comforts of home.
And his shiny, silvery digs serve as a haven for neighboring campers homesickfor some of the comforts they left behind. And Al enjoys playing the hospitablehost for a stream of repeat visitors every year.
"The idea is to come, have fun, be comfortable and fly," Al oncetold me. "It doesn’t matter what it takes to make you happy, as long asyou’re having fun along they way."
