5. CAMPING:

          Around the time I was 4 years old we started camping on my father's vacations. We originally borrowed an old wall tent from my Uncle Gordon Douglas. In the beginning we slept on air mattresses on the ground. There was no floor in the tent; we put down plastic sheets on the ground to keep the cold out.

                                Mom and me at our campsite

          One particularly cold night, I crawled in to sleep with my mother. At some point during the night I wet the bed and she asked me why I peed on her. I thought my response was pretty logical at the time, "I didn't see you."

          My parents bought a new wall tent of our own and we continued camping every summer at Caroga Lake State Campsite. We eventually got folding cots and more equipment so that it was fairly comfortable. We had a tarp off the front of the tent and would enclose it in clear plastic so that we had an area to sit in or eat in when it was raining so we weren't confined to the tent. It was always a big production to go camping. My father would put racks on the roof of the car and load as much stuff as possible on them. The trunk would be loaded too. Once we picked our site we would set up the tent, dig a trench around it for water runoff when it rained, hang a clothesline, and chop wood. When we first started camping we would stop at the ice house in Caroga Lake and you could put money in a slot and out would come a big chunk of ice. We used the ice to keep food cold by putting it in a washtub and burying it in the ground. Modern coolers made it much easier to keep stuff, but still required ice. The campsite did not have electrical power for refrigerators. There were no water hook-ups either. Water spigots were placed throughout the campsite and we'd have to take a bucket and haul water back to our site for drinking or washing. Water had to be heated on a Coleman stove or over the fireplace.

          Those were real good times, particularly sitting around a campfire at night. It was good family time. Originally, there were all kinds of peddlers who came through the campsite. They sold newspapers, wood, milk, and baked goods. It was pretty neat, but the state eventually stopped it. I enjoyed exploring the campground, playing in the woods, and swimming. When I became a teenager I would hang around the beach at night listening to an AM radio. In those days everything was on AM radio. You could get top 40 stations like WTRY or WPTR. At night you could get stations like WKBW in Buffalo and even stations from as far away as Chicago. There are a couple of songs that always remind me of camping for some reason. One is "Light My Fire" by the Doors and another is "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan.

          We would actually look forward to a rainy day because it meant a trip into Gloversville. Sometimes my parents would do laundry in the Laundromat and we'd shop on Main Street in Gloversville. At the time there were stores like Newberry's and McClellan's. If I had money I would buy a toy or a model car to build. Comic books were a big part of camping too. We would scour the campgrounds for bottles. At that time soda came in glass bottles and there was 2 cents deposit on each one. We'd gather them up and take them to the little store just outside the campsite near the picnic area. We'd collect our windfall then buy either candy or comic books. Comic books were 10 cents or 12 cents at the time. I used to like Superman, Batman, Justice League of America, Legion of Super Heroes, and of course Archie.

          We would enjoy walks around the campground. It was fun seeing other people's setups and people were always friendly. We would go down to the lake in the evening and sit and watch the sun go down. Many times we got creamsicles from the little store and enjoyed them while watching the sun set. My mother's sister Kathy would come camping with us sometimes. She was our aunt, but was only a few years older than us so she was more like a cousin.

          By far, the biggest thrill of the camping vacation was a trip to Sherman's Amusement Park. The State Campsite was on East Caroga Lake and Sherman's was on West Caroga Lake. It was a jumping place, with lots of lights and sounds. When you first walked in there was a small building where you could buy ice cream or Sherman's famous yellow popcorn. There was a monkey in a cage there named Trixy. To the right was a picnic area and to the left was the huge restaurant and dance hall. Straight ahead was the midway which was what captured our attention. There was a Tilt-a-Whirl and a Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel was a favorite because it overlooked the lake and when you came over the top it looked like you were going to fly out over the water. Getting stopped on top made for a great view of the whole park and the lake. There was also The Whip and the bumper cars. The penny arcade was full of all kinds of games and entertainment. I had forgotten the boat ride, but recently saw a picture that reminded me. It was a kiddie ride, with boats that went around and around in a big tank of water. I thought they were so cool when I was a kid. In later years they added "Midget Racers" which were gasoline engine go-karts on a track.

                                Sherman's Amusement Park

          Across the road from Sherman's was Willie's Pizza, another great hang-out for older kids. The jukebox was set up so you could play it from outside. It was a place to see and be seen, listen to music and eat pizza.

          Eventually my Uncle Everett and Aunt Marion Dingman (my father's sister) started camping as well, with their children, my cousins, Ken and Jeanie. Then my Uncle Kenny (my father's brother) and Aunt Doris Cook started camping with us too. Their kids were Larry, Russell, Alan, and Patty. It was really great fun when we were all together. We'd have pot luck dinners and we'd play cards or Yahtzee. My Uncle Kenny bought an Apache folding camper and it wasn't long before my parents bought a Jayco camper and Uncle Everett bought a Nimrod camper. The campers made things much easier; just back it on the site and crank it up. We would still hang a tarp off the front of the camper to provide more living space.

          Across from the entrance to the State Campsite was Morris' store. They made homemade cinnamon donuts that were to die for. They'd make them fresh each morning and their exhaust fans would carry the aroma into the campsite. It would be hard to resist walking up and getting a bag. The store was a good place to pick up the essentials like milk or bread too.

          In addition to our two week camping vacation the first two weeks in August we also picnicked at the campsite frequently. We often went with Frank and Eva Graham (my mother's half-sister) and their kids, Frankie, Diana, and Belinda. It used to cost 50 cents for day use at the campsite.

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