Busted-Up Ford

We spent Sunday night car-camping in the Quehanna Wild Area. We usually bring along two tents, one each for my husband and myself. Last year, I bought a new tent and used it just once. It's bigger and more high-tech than the one I've been camping out with regularly. And so I was really looking forward to using it on Sunday night.

Our weather on Sunday had been just spectacular, a day perfect for a very, very long walk into the wild; but we were really beat by the time we were done. So we drove to a favorite car-camp spot and relaxed, had some things to eat and drink, and waited until just before dark to set up our tents. Imagine my surprise when I got out my new tent and couldn't set it up because I'd forgotten to bring the tent poles! (This is something that has never happened to me before and I swear will NEVER happen to me again.)

My husband's tent wasn't really big enough for us both. So we compromised, and spent Sunday night sleeping out low-tech, just like we used to in the old days before we had any real gear. We tossed our sleeping bags and pads onto a ground sheet, and slept out under the open sky.

It was a clear night and we were treated to a fantastic star show. And I even saw a shooting star in the middle of the night. Every time I opened my eyes, I was looking at a night-sky tapestry that would just about blow your mind. It was cool overnight, and the temps fell a few degrees below freezing, but we were OK. And there was a light breeze, so our gear didn't even get damp.

One of the benefits of sleeping out without a tent is that you don't have to lollygag around in the morning taking your tent down and drying things out and packing your gear away. So we were up out of our bags by 6:30, and by 7:15, we were in the car and leaving Quehanna, heading for the Sproul State Forest.

We had done plenty of hiking the day before, so we decided we'd just do a short hike on this day. So we walked down the hill past the ruins of an old Ford Fairlane; it's been there ever since I can remember. I've enjoyed watching (and documenting) its crumble into dust. It's a memento mori of sorts, this busted-up Ford, a symbol of man's technology wasting in the wilderness. Rust, as they say, never sleeps. And there was plenty of rust to be had.

So we spent a few hours in Sproul, a few hours we wouldn't have had if we hadn't gotten up extra-early. And so in some strange, roundabout way, I consider the night sky, the Sproul hike, and a visit with this favorite old Ford my reward for forgetting my tent poles. Isn't it funny how life sometimes rewards the incompetent? And on some days, that group even includes me . . .

This car is old and ruined now, but I bet that in its day, it was really a sweet ride. For myself, I'd be tempted to get in and go for a spin. Watch out for me! You never know how fast I'll go or how wildly I'll drive this thing. Beep-beep! Stand back!! The tune for the day is Jan and Dean, with Little Old Lady from Pasadena.

Bonus: here's a Blip from last May where I spun myself quite a yarn about the same car.