GEORGE AUERBACH'S TEEN CARAVAN
In 1981, I spent a large part of the summer riding on a bus from Detroit to Los Angeles and back! After spending the three previous summers at Camp Tamarack in Ortonville, MI, my folks came across a new and novel way to ditch me for the summer. This particular trip was sponsored by an outfit called "George Auerbach's Teen Caravan," which was based in Toronto. I can't find a single word about this group on the net, so this should be a first on this topic. We saw all sorts of cool stuff along the way, and I had a rockin' good time considering I had to ride around with a bunch of Canadians all summer.
Ole' Bessie, our home away from home.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP--1981
Just found our itinerary! Here are all the places we went, and the people we went with:
08/06/81--Travel from Windsor to Detroit. Spend night at creepy sounding "House of David" campground in Benton Harbor, MI (was even creepier in person)!
Getting ready to grill our weenies.
Bunking up for the night at the House o' David.
UPDATE: This is totally fascinating stuff. Apparently, House of David was some sort of religious group that sponsored one hell of a ball team! Since George loved baseball, I am not surprised we stayed here. I remember the camp was on an old baseball field with period ads from the '50s still hanging on the fences.
08/07/81--Lunch from the world's largest IGA in Effingham, IL. Spent the night at the Top Notch campground in Eureka, MO.
08/08/81--Visit St. Louis Arch and Busch Stadium. Dinner on the riverboat next to the Arch (McDonalds), and then on to the Checkerdome to catch a rodeo. Former camper Joel Hersh pointed out that our campground in St. Louis was right by Times Beach, MO. Maybe that is why I turned out the way I did!
George on the grass at Busch Stadium.
Sign in front of the arch.
View of the river from the St. Louis arch.
08/09/81--Spent the night at Gray's Ranch on the "Grand Lake O' The Cherokee" in some unnamed state.
08/10/81--Lunch and laundry in Tulsa. Hot dogs for din-din at KOA in Oklahoma City.
Rich Krakower and one of our "adult" supervisors.
The old gang in front of some building somewhere.
(To see pictures taken by the camera around Erika's neck, click
here).
08/11/81--A rainy day spent at Palo Duro State Park in Texas.
08/12/81--Flooded out in Palo Duro. One tent collapses and heads down the hill. Catch a baseball game and some sleep in Albuquerque.
The most important meal of the day.
08/13/81--Spend the day at the Albuquerque KOA.
Sheri B. and pals heading off to breakfast.
Fern Mondrow looking like she needs some coffee!
08/14/81--Holbrook, AZ and the KOA is our destination for this day.
Outta site cave paintings in New Mexico.
08/15/81--Visit the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Spend the night in Flagstaff.
Erika Fuller and Michelle Rosen hanging out in the petrified forest.
08/16/81--Spend the day at the Grand Canyon. Drive thru the night and wake up in Los Angeles.
Some big canyon somewhere.
08/17/81--Arrive in Newport Beach at the Featherly Regional Park.
UPDATE--Avid reader Bob Allen points out that Featherly Park is a county-owned park inland at Anaheim, about 10 miles from Disneyland.
08/18/81--Visit Universal Studios and catch a ball game in Anaheim.
Michelle and Howard Bisgeier at Universal Studios.
Someone is clearly on the wrong side of this picture.
08/19/81--Tour UCLA and spend the rest of the day on the beach in Santa Monica.
08/20/81--Disneyland day. This I remember. Leave Cali and head for Vegas.
Shelley Barenick standing on the corner of Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.
Erika and her snazzy shades on the bus.
08/21/81--$2.99 breakfast at the Silverbird Casino. Head off to Circus Circus for the evening.
08/22/81--Arrive in Zion Nat'l Park (Utah).
08/23/81--Bryce Canyon and the KOA in Green River, UT.
The crazy hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
08/24/81--Treacherous bus trip thru Rockies. Arrive at Chief Hosa Camp in Colorado.
08/25/81--Spend the day in Denver.
08/26/81--Set up tents at Cutty's Campground in N. Platte, Nebraska.
08/27/81--Catch a ball game and head to Chicago.
08/28-29/81--Two days in Chicago at the lovely Essex Inn.
Catch yet another ball game (White Sox this time).
The south side of Chicago (the baddest part of town).
This was almost the end of the line for me.
08/30/81--Bus arrives in Jackson, MI.
For some reason my folks can't remember, I am picked up here, and whisked off to some undisclosed location for debriefing.
Clink on the links below for more Teen Caravan content:
Here's a list of campers not pictured from the '81 So Cal trip:
Bobby Cooper, Karen Cooper, Stephen Enchin, Greg Fishman, Michele Gorman, Bonnylyn Greenspoon, Robbie Gryfe, Lisa Jubas, David Kroach, Gary Labovitz, Lesley Perlman, Jeff Rechtshaffen, Rob Resnick, Brahm Satov, Evan Shear, Adam Sherman, Todd Shulman, Jeff Unger, Mitchell Winemaker, Karen Wolff, Lorne Zacks, and Kenny Miller.
