Hello, This camping photo looks like the areas surrounding the Salton Sea in Southeast California. It is as barren as one would want in the dry desert areas. We have all seen the Salton Sea as a backdrop in various movies and TV shows, as well as reading about the area in some mystery books. It certainly has gone through many phases and it is on the edge of drying up due to the shortages in the feeder waters. My wife's dad always wanted to tow his different outboard motorboat(s) and go camping for a week prior to school starting in September. So, they trudged out there for almost every summer since 1956. The one thing my wife did not like about the Salton Sea was that it smelled when the land locked lake receded due to evaporation. It was worst than low tide in the ocean shorelines and smelling the left over stuff floating or just drying up on the barren sand. But, for So Cal campers, it was a place to go and my wife’s family made it a destination spot in the 56-61 timeline. Her dad was always trying to get the whole family involved in activities. Then, he bought a series of small boats/outboard motor to be towed by their 1959 Chevy 4 door wagon. Three kids in the back seat, the remaining area behind them packed full of “stuff.” and sometimes the roof rack was also stuffed with stuff to last the whole number of days. The girls were approaching high school and now, it was becoming a chore. But, as a family, they endured the torture. The little brother was in muddy heaven with plenty of wide open dirt and mud to explore. My wife said that they always wanted to be near some other families with kids. But, the dad wanted to be at a spot alone. He wanted to shoot his shotguns, just to shoot them. If and when another family drove into the small tire track area, he got his shot gun out and started shooting out into the lake. Then the other family instantly drove away. Ha! Jnaki Note: When I found out that the 1959 Chevy wagon was their main transportation, I thought I could make three of the same version for each of the adult kids, to remember their camping adventures. I made the mistake of finishing one of the station wagons in two coats of white before the word came down from the pedestal that it was not white but a light pinkish color. (So, back to the disassembly and sanding board.) The final models were pre-approved before the final finishing touches were put on. The big canoe bit the dust and turned into the family’s orange, canvas tent, that in reality, was so heavy when folded. Here it is in the early, rough stage of the project. What I thought was ready for some detailing. Note 2: Refugio State Beach in the Santa Barbara area... Many years later our son liked camping, so we borrowed the orange canvas tent that had been stored away since 1960. We had to set it up in our backyard for almost a week of “airing” out the odors of odd canvas smells and storage. It still was a little on the bad odor side, but at the time, it was the only tent we could afford, so, smells or not, we went camping in the Mammoth Lakes national forest area off of Highway 395 for a week. Mammoth Lakes camping area... People have odd feelings about any kinds of new technology, but this 50s canvas tent was heavy, took on the old canvas smell and was hard to clean inside/outside. The poles were heavy and not the easiest to use to pop up the tent. If the tent stakes came out accidently, the whole tent collapsed. But, we endured. Several years later, we got a newer technology nylon pop up tent that would sleep 4 people comfortably, had a rain fly to keep the moisture from dripping on our faces at night and three long telescoping rods to pop up the tent anytime, anywhere. The seams were sealed and no water could get inside. If one place was not the right spot after placing the tent, the whole “put together” tent could be lifted up and moved to the “right” spot. It was thinner material, but warmer inside when we slept at night. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
