The Camper Book will captivate all those who dream of waving good-bye to the rat race from the window of their own moveable home, be it a camper, RV, travel trailer, camper van, or tiny camper. Not just for placid retirees anymore, camper culture has sprung up among simplicity-seeking millennials, retro-loving “glampers,” sports and movie stars, aging hippies, contract workers, “road-schoolers,” and others. Award-winning journalist Dave Hoekstra hit the road in his own custom camper van, named Bluebird, to explore the history, culture, subcultures, and future of camper life. Traveling and talking his way through US campsites, RV parks, landmarks, and communities, Hoekstra draws out revealing stories from all walks of life—from Americans who are downsizing material goods while upsizing spiritual pursuits to RV enthusiasts such as Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Prine and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon. A modern-day Studs Terkel, Hoekstra provides a delightful mix of oral history, in-depth reporting, and practical information, while photographer Jon Sall’s beautiful color photographs illuminate the unique people, places, and rigs that typify camper life. "Dave is a thoughtful and enchanting writer who makes the people he meets, the places he visits and the history of RVing come to life." — Escapees Dave Hoekstra is the host of the radio program Nocturnal Journal with Dave Hoekstra on WGN-720 AM. A Chicago Sun-Times columnist from 1985 to 2014, he is also the author of The People’s Place , The Supper Club Book , Cougars and Snappers and Loons (Oh My!) , and Ticket to Everywhere and the coauthor of Disco Demolition . Jon Sall has been a professional photographer for over twenty-five years, beginning at the Chicago Sun-Times . He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago and teaches a course in digital storytelling. Jeff Daniels is an actor, musician, playwright, and RV enthusiast. The Camper Book A Celebration Of A Moveable American Dream By Dave Hoekstra, Jan Sall Chicago Review Press Incorporated Copyright © 2018 Dave Hoekstra All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-61373-820-7 Contents FOREWORD BY JEFF DANIELS, PREFACE, SO YOU WANT TO BUY A CAMPER VAN?, Spiritual Camping Flocks, Mi Casa Es Su Casa on Route 66
Carthage, Missouri, All in the Family at Coeur d'Alene
Post Falls, Idaho, No Small Thoughts in Texas
Amarillo, Texas, No Place Like the Beach for the Holidays
Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, Florida, California Camping
San Bernardino, Pismo Beach, and Salinas, California, Americana Musical Chairs, A Great State Fair
Des Moines, Iowa, The Other National Pastime
Milford, New York, On the Road with ... Cubs Manager Joe Maddon, The Traveling Meteorologist
Madison, Wisconsin, Gay-Friendly Ozarks
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Ocean Lakes Stories
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Weird RV Park Concepts, Rough Stuff, RV for One, Please
Great Falls, Montana, Cold Camper Van Blues
Prior Lake, Minnesota, "The Strangeness of Deer Isle"
Deer Isle, Maine, Yes, You Can Camp in the French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana, Tailgating with Tunes, In the Shadow of Graceland
Memphis, Tennessee, A Grand Ol' Resort
Goodlettsville, Tennessee, On the Road with ... John Prine, the Mark Twain of American Songwriting, KOAwesome Live Music
Great Falls, Montana, The Future of the Movement, Desert Tiki
Kingman, Arizona, The Future Is Retro
Bisbee, Arizona, "The Story Is Still Being Written"
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, "We Don't Know Who We Are Yet", POSTSCRIPT, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, SELECTED CAMPGROUNDS, SITES, AND RESORTS, CHAPTER 1 Mi Casa Es Su Casa on Route 66 We began our American camper van journey on June 5, 2016, at the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac, Illinois. That evening we landed at the St. Louis West Historic Route 66 KOA on Old Highway 66 in Eureka, Missouri. Everything was wrong with the Bluebird. The inverter did not work. We blew fuses. We couldn't turn off the ceiling lights. We thought about getting a motel — on our first night. The whole project seemed like a bad idea. We spent much of the next day in Lebanon, Missouri, looking for mechanics and a Ford dealership. We found our footing that night on a rural stretch of Old Route 66 in Carthage. CARTHAGE, MISSOURI Like secrets from a distant dream, ghost buildings punctuate Old Route 66 on the drive from Springfield, Missouri, to Carthage (pop. 14,378), roughly seventy miles west. There are vacant shells of gas stations, forsaken tire shops, and crumbling general stores. Maybe a long time ago an attendant smiled as he pumped your gas. Or beads of sweat rolled down the cold bottle of RC Cola purchased from an upright pop machine. People came and went. Carthage was quite the thing. At the turn of the twentieth century, it was the capital of America's marble industry because of its gray limestone mine. Wild West outlaw Belle St
Carthage, Missouri, All in the Family at Coeur d'Alene
Post Falls, Idaho, No Small Thoughts in Texas
Amarillo, Texas, No Place Like the Beach for the Holidays
Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, Florida, California Camping
San Bernardino, Pismo Beach, and Salinas, California, Americana Musical Chairs, A Great State Fair
Des Moines, Iowa, The Other National Pastime
Milford, New York, On the Road with ... Cubs Manager Joe Maddon, The Traveling Meteorologist
Madison, Wisconsin, Gay-Friendly Ozarks
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Ocean Lakes Stories
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Weird RV Park Concepts, Rough Stuff, RV for One, Please
Great Falls, Montana, Cold Camper Van Blues
Prior Lake, Minnesota, "The Strangeness of Deer Isle"
Deer Isle, Maine, Yes, You Can Camp in the French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana, Tailgating with Tunes, In the Shadow of Graceland
Memphis, Tennessee, A Grand Ol' Resort
Goodlettsville, Tennessee, On the Road with ... John Prine, the Mark Twain of American Songwriting, KOAwesome Live Music
Great Falls, Montana, The Future of the Movement, Desert Tiki
Kingman, Arizona, The Future Is Retro
Bisbee, Arizona, "The Story Is Still Being Written"
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, "We Don't Know Who We Are Yet", POSTSCRIPT, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, SELECTED CAMPGROUNDS, SITES, AND RESORTS, CHAPTER 1 Mi Casa Es Su Casa on Route 66 We began our American camper van journey on June 5, 2016, at the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac, Illinois. That evening we landed at the St. Louis West Historic Route 66 KOA on Old Highway 66 in Eureka, Missouri. Everything was wrong with the Bluebird. The inverter did not work. We blew fuses. We couldn't turn off the ceiling lights. We thought about getting a motel — on our first night. The whole project seemed like a bad idea. We spent much of the next day in Lebanon, Missouri, looking for mechanics and a Ford dealership. We found our footing that night on a rural stretch of Old Route 66 in Carthage. CARTHAGE, MISSOURI Like secrets from a distant dream, ghost buildings punctuate Old Route 66 on the drive from Springfield, Missouri, to Carthage (pop. 14,378), roughly seventy miles west. There are vacant shells of gas stations, forsaken tire shops, and crumbling general stores. Maybe a long time ago an attendant smiled as he pumped your gas. Or beads of sweat rolled down the cold bottle of RC Cola purchased from an upright pop machine. People came and went. Carthage was quite the thing. At the turn of the twentieth century, it was the capital of America's marble industry because of its gray limestone mine. Wild West outlaw Belle St