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Camper Travel 1974-1975Camper Travel 1974-1975
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Camper Travel 1974-1975

May 1974 - May 1975
On a 13-month journey from North America through Central & South America, back to our starting point in NYC. Our means of transportation was a model 1972 VW Westfalia camper with a 1700cc engine and pop-up top. Total miles 37,492. Read more
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  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 1 - New York - Pennsylvania

    May 1, 1974 in the United States

    (Ursula) Today begins an exciting part of our lives.

    Our car is a 1972 WV Westfalia Camper. The crew is my husband Heinz (29), me-Ursula (25), and my twin brother Wally.

    We are starting a journey through North, Central, and South America, following more or less what’s called the Pan-American Highway. After this journey, we plan to live in New Zealand, where Heinz has a job promised in Christchurch.

    Today’s departure from Queens was a little later than planned. Our tiny apartment looked so peaceful, friendly, and clean when I made the last rounds and locked the front door.

    With a fully packed camper (Heinz stowed everything neatly and securely), we crossed the ever-so-spectacular Queensboro Bridge and stopped at Bucherer Jewelers on 5th Avenue to say our last goodbyes to our Swiss friends.

    It was a bright, sunny day. The streets of Manhattan were crowded as usual as we drove in the direction of the Lincoln Tunnel. The farewell from NYC could not have been more typical. Over on the New Jersey side, we stopped for a moment and enjoyed the spectacular view of Manhattan with the newly erected World Trade Center one last time. It was an emotional moment!

    Route 80 then took us in the direction of Chicago. We drove through the Pennsylvania Dutch country and found a campground for our first overnight stay.

    My twin brother Wally and I are a quarter century old today. We celebrate this occasion by sharing a bottle of Lancers Rosé with dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 2 - Indiana - Illinois

    May 2, 1974 in the United States

    Our goal is to reach the Northern regions of Canada swiftly and commence our journey southward. Allotting about an hour each morning for road preparations, Wally and I have opted to forego shaving, allowing our beards to grow in order to streamline our routine.

    Unfortunately, my Bulova watch seems to be missing; it might have been left behind in a restroom along our route.

    Despite the sheepskin padding beneath him, Wally experienced some cold discomfort in his folding bed within the pop-up section last night. We'll need to explore a warmer sleep system for him.

    Adjusting to our compact living space, we occasionally share a chuckle as we navigate between the front seats and the back.

    During Wally's evening dishwashing duties, two raccoons approached him, indulging in bread and fig biscuits from his hand.

    Today marked the first instance of turning the clock back by one hour as we crossed into Indiana.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 3 - Chicago

    May 3, 1974 in the United States

    (Ursula). Navigating through seemingly boundless industrial zones, we reached Chicago in the early afternoon. To my surprise, the city appeared remarkably clean, defying my preconceived notion of it being dirty.

    The expanse of Lake Michigan seemed vast, resembling an endless ocean.

    Chicago boasted numerous skyscrapers lining the lakeshore. The newly constructed Sears Tower, standing tall with 110 floors, left a striking impression, although the observation deck was regrettably closed.

    The residential neighborhoods we glimpsed appeared well-kept. While delving into more city details would have been intriguing, our eagerness to move on prevailed.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 4 - Wisconsin - Minnesota

    May 4, 1974 in the United States

    The campsites in the US are excellent. It's lovely to shower warm in the morning when it's cold outside. Ursula blow-dried her long hair using the wall-mounted hand dryer.

    The camper needed a wash today. I wasn't especially pleased with Wally cleaning the windshield. He used the wrong side of the kitchen sponge and scratched the glass.

    We started late today but were progressing well on these smooth roads.

    We passed Milwaukee, which we had imagined to be much smaller. Seeing it only from the highway, Minneapolis seemed a pretty nice town. A very tall building was towering over the downtown area.

    We are giving Wally the keys to our camper for the first time. He is an excellent driver and also a car mechanic by trade.

    The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel entertain us with their music. Driving into a beautiful sunset, we are approaching the Canadian border.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 5 - Crossing into Manitoba, Canada

    May 5, 1974 in Canada

    The first border crossing couldn't handle our Swiss passports and directed us to a more prevalent one four miles East. Everything went smoothly there - Welcome to Canada!

    The road was a single lane with oncoming traffic until we turned West onto the #1 Trans-Canada Highway. It feels noticeably colder up there in the North.

    The landscape is also different - completely flat as far as the eye can see—mainly agriculture and occasional cattle farms.

    Toward the evening, we found an excellent place to stay near a group of trees in the middle of a large field between Winnipeg and Regina. I dug a 2-feet deep fire pit to minimize the fire risk and placed rocks around as a shield from the strong wind.

    We grilled steaks and fried green beans in butter for dinner. The temperature dropped rapidly as night came upon us, and we were glad to have a cozy fire pit to sit around.

    We decided to keep the pop-up roof closed tonight. Poor Wally had to squeeze in between me and Ursula. But in the morning, we knew it had been a good decision when all the windows had a coat of ice on the inside!    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 6 - Saskatchewan

    May 6, 1974 in Canada

    Ursula didn't have a driver's license yet and was riding along in the back seat. So, when the landscape looked boring, she kept busy tidying things up in the camper and even cleaned windows! She tried writing too, but that didn't work well because of motion sickness.

    The scenery hasn't changed much since yesterday. The provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are incredibly flat. Being from Switzerland, we were not used to seeing mostly the sky.

    In Regina, we refueled and ate a McDonald's Hamburger for lunch. The manager noticed our NY plates and came over to chat, complaining and going on and on about how stupid the Canadians were. We couldn't figure out what ticked him off and said our goodbyes.

    While at the campground that evening, I tried to catch a wild duck for dinner but failed miserably, and we were stuck with fried potatoes and sausage.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 8 Edmonton & North

    May 8, 1974 in Canada

    Edmonton provided the opportunity for food shopping, personal hygiene, and washing clothes. We are now in the Province of Alberta.

    Soon, we headed North-West on Route 43. And with that, the scenery finally changed from flat. The terrain became hilly, and we saw trees again.

    In the evening, we wrote letters and postcards.

    People are a bit confused by our New York plates in combination with the Swiss Flag painted on the wheel cover of the spare tire. New Yorkers associated with the Red Cross?

    We continued on Route #43 and #35 North.

    Huga-Chagga, Huga-Chagga, was the blaring music from our radio. The stupid melody reminded us of the last weekend in New York, camping with our Swiss friends at Wildwood State Park on Long Island.

    Soon we entered a Provincial Park 60 miles north of Peace River. Lots of mosquitoes swarmed around, trying to suck our blood.

    Chef Ursula prepared a nice Pot-au-Feu, and we shared the last bottle of Lancers Rosé while watching a beautiful sunset around 11 PM! Daylight is much longer in the North, and the nights are less dark. Ursula was freezing. We wrapped her up in a blanket like an Indian Squaw baby.

    Strong headwinds lifted the camper roof 1.5 inches off the normal position while driving. Our mechanic, Wally, tied it down with two crisscrossing rubber straps - problem solved. His expertise as a car mechanic was required today for the first time. The tires had to be rotated, and the front wheel alignment needed adjusting.

    I managed to mess up the door lock, but it was an easy fix for Wally. He expressed that he was pretty happy with me overall (laughing)!    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 9 - Northwest Territories

    May 10, 1974 in Canada

    Today, we crossed the Peace River and refueled at a gas station where Wally was promptly offered a job as a car mechanic. That was flattering. We aimed to reach Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories within a few days. Our journey continued on Route #35 North toward Hay River and the Great Slave Lake.

    The terrain became more hilly. Shrubs and small trees changed to dense pine forests, exactly how I had always imagined the Canadian wilderness. We were expecting to see Bears and Moose around every corner. The camper was covered in mud from driving on gravel and dirt. Unfortunately, it wasn’t cake frosting!

    Toward evening, we arrived at the Alexandra & Luise waterfalls and found a refuge log cabin to stay for the night. The cabin’s stove kept us nice and warm. Later that evening, travelers Igor & Carol from Fairbanks, Alaska, joined us. From chatting with them, we learned that the road to Yellowknife was closed as the ice on the Great Slave Lake started breaking. Bummer - we need to come up with a plan B.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 10 - North to the Arctic Circle

    May 11, 1974 in Canada

    (Ursula) I was allowed to lie down in Wally's hammock for a while. It was so warm and cuddly. Then we took a "luxury" shower behind the cabin, which required teamwork. Person #1, taking the shower, was standing on the ice-covered ground. Person #2 stood on a table with a bucket of warm water and slowly poured it over the naked body below. You do what you have to do!

    After lunch, we wrote letters, drove to Hay River, stocked up on food, and continued to Fort Smith and Wood Buffalo Park. This park, located in the Northwest Territories, is more significant than Switzerland. On the way there, we drove under a rainbow. What a coincidence; we interpreted it as a sign of luck!

    A little further, Ursula was allowed to drive for the first time. There was no traffic, and she had the entire width of the road to navigate, so it wasn't a problem.

    We sighted a few Buffalos along the road. They were shy and disappeared quickly into the dense forest. Occasionally we also spotted Indians. They lived in tents or make-shift huts next to wooden salmon racks.

    We camped on the Little Buffalo River, where you would expect Indians to lurk behind every tree.    Read more

  • TravelerCamper Travel 1974-1975

    Day 11 - Fort Smith

    May 12, 1974 in Canada

    After a few miles of driving, Wally felt something wasn’t right with the engine. It was running OK but with diminished power. He found an exhaust valve with almost zero clearance that had overheated. He adjusted it properly and wants to have it checked by a VW dealer at the next opportunity.

    We refueled in Fort Smith and obtained information about the Wood Buffalo Park we would visit next. The Park Office was marked “Closed on Saturdays,” but by pure luck, the Fire Warden pulled up in his truck and let us in. He was accommodating and gave us the maps and information we needed.

    He confirmed that it was too dangerous for us to drive further North. Oh well, at least we managed to reach the Arctic Circle!

    The warden’s fire brigade consisted of 50 people, several small planes, and helicopters. In addition, they operate many observation towers throughout the Park and look for smoke. Everyone is connected via radio. Most fires are caused by lightning, the warden remarked.

    By the end of the day, we were in Wood Buffalo Park and camped on Pine Lake, which was still partially frozen. We were surrounded by complete wilderness and heard only the crackle of the grill fire, the wind, and some birds chirping.

    It was 10:30 PM, and the sun had just set. It looked like a twilight zone. Our dinner that evening was grilled pork chops with cabbage and potatoes. The hot tea tasted delicious and warmed our cold hands.    Read more

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