Sometime probably in 1998, I read the “charter” for the DKF club in great detail.  I knew of Bill Collins; his dedication to vintage Volkswagens and the driving of them, but this text struck a nerve.  Sure I imagined completing my car in a year or two and going to shows with it, but reading about caravans of exclusive oval and split window Beetles being driven all over New England and the rest of country, now that was almost too good to believe.  Fact is, I almost made it to Bill’s 1999 DKF Fall Cruise.  I had finally finished my ‘57 in September of 1999, and was returning from 2 weeks in France the same day the cruise was to leave.  I sheepishly suggested to my wife that maybe I could somehow leave my ’57 at the airport and go right up to the coast of Maine (where the ’99 took place) from Boston when I got in.

“Let me see if I understand this,” my wife said.  “You will gone in Europe, away from your family for over 2 weeks, and you want to go straight from the airport into your VW and up the coast of Maine for another 3 days!?”.

“Uhh, yeah.  I mean no, that would be stupid.  What was I thinking.”
 

So in the summer of 2000, I literally chased Bill Collins across the show fields a few times trying to get info on the cruise.  I had sent in my DKF membership in the fall of 1999, but I never heard back, and the check I sent for my hat and shirt was never cashed.  Folks told me that Bill had been very busy with the Fatherland Tour and the mail was piled high.  But late in the summer, I finally hooked up with Bill and asked him about my application and the cruise.  “Bet I never cashed the check, huh?” he said.  According to my wife he hadn’t (when she balanced the checkbook every month, “who is… ‘Bill Collins’?”).  “Been real busy, sorry.  But you have to go 1500 miles in your car before you can have a shirt and hat anyway” Bill said.  I grinned.  "Well the old odometer rolled to 1800 on the way down here today, is that good enough?” I said.  We made some arrangements for Bill to tear up the check and for me to make payment somehow right there on the show field and a few weeks later I had my hat and shirt. I was in.

Bill had told me that they were going to do Bretton Woods/Mount Washington this fall, but he thought all the rooms were booked at the Mount Washington hotel.  I talked to my wife about it, and she sounded interested.  Bill hails the weekend as: “A weekend away with our wives.  We just all happen to drive old Volkswagens”. Later Bill sent me an e-mail saying that he thought there might be one room left. One Sunday night I called the Mount Washington Hotel and asked if they had any rooms left for Columbus day weekend.  The girl almost laughed at me. “No, we have been booked for almost 2 years, that is the busiest weekend of the year” (for those who don’t know, the first and second week in October are when the legendary New England trees are in their peak fall color.  “Fall Foliage” season is one of the biggest attractions in the area).  I told her that Bill Collins had booked a group of rooms and he thought that there was one still available.  She said she didn’t know anything about that, but I could leave a message  with the group coordinator who would be in in the morning.  I did, but to be safe, I called the Bretton Arms Hotel across the street and booked one of their very last rooms for $190 a night. Sheesh, leaf peeping is big business.

To my surprise, Monday morning, a woman from the hotel called me back.   She said that one room in Bill’s block was indeed available.  I was thrilled, I said “I’ll take it”.  She told me that package included breakfast and dinner, and that the rate was $365 a night, plus applicable state and local taxes.  <gulp> I apprehensively read off my credit card number to her, wondering how I was going to get this one past the spousal approval department.

The complication, besides the expense, was that way earlier in the year, my wife had booked us at a Bed and Breakfast in Vermont for just 2 weekends prior to this.  This weekend was no budget venture either at close to $200 a night.  But the attraction there was that on the Sunday that weekend, the VT VW club was having their show, and was just 80 miles up the road from the Inn.  We went this Inn every year for our anniversary and had talked last year about driving the Oval up if it was done.  It was truly a coincidence, I knew nothing of this show when my wife made the reservation at the Inn.  This was going to be a real tough sell and might put a bit of stress on the old hobby/relationship balance.  Mixing VW hobby with “weekend away with wife” is risky business.. 

Only by promising my wife that I would sell off some cherished early VW parts to fund the DKF cruise weekend did she agree.  “You really want to do this?” she asked.  “Yeah, I really think it is a once in a lifetime chance…”  I took some pics of some early VW parts that I had been hoarding in the loft, put up a quick webpage, a message or two on some newsgroups/newslists, and in just 4 days, I had “raised” over $800.  The confirmation of the first days stay deposit came in the mail.  With all the taxes and stuff: $430 a night.  Yikes!

The weekend in Vermont was wonderful, in spite of a bit of a long drive on Sunday. My wife’s wonderful parents agreed to keep our kids at their place for both weekends.  Just a couple weeks before the event, I found that I had to fly to Phoenix for a few days early in the week not returning until midnight on Wednesday. This left me with just Thursday evening to prep the car.  Nothing like a little stress before a “relaxing” weekend.

Fortunately I had given the car a rigorous once over before the VT trip, and it was running very well.  Nonetheless, I changed the oil and just gave everything a quick check.  I loaded up my usually “support” kit and a small tool box.  A couple suitcases in the back seat, and we were ready to go.

The pictures below showcase the weekend.  The VWs truly saw all kinds of weather, from bright sunny skies, to rain, to snow.  A few of the participants with dangling heater box cables had wished they had made some repairs before the drive.  But my wife said she had a truly wonderful time, and so did I.  By far, the neatest “VW Event Weekend” ever (so far).  I am definitely putting this one on the calendar every year!

I wonder if the hotel management has noticed the 20 brown spots that have invariably formed on the on the lawn after 20 aircooled VWs parked there. 

The Mt. Washington Hotel was built right after the turn of the century (the 19th one, that is....)

Bill's Heb still sported "Great Race" decals on both doors...

I know to Rocky mountainers, 6288.176 feet (to be exact) may not seem all that high.  But this is the highest peak in New England, and due to the weather extremes, the treeline stops around 5000' (this in contrast to Mount Mitchell in NC, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi, whose summit at 6,684' is  covered with trees).  Mt. Washington is best known for it's extreme weather with snow fall recorded in every month of the year, average of 104 days a year with hurricane force winds and the highest recorded surface wind in history at 231 mph (thanks Bill for those "neat to know and tell" facts you made us all dig up for the scavenger hunt.  I'm using them already!!) .  In winter, the summit resembles a martian landscape.

It may look like the weather observatory building behind is actually higher in elevation, but it is not. 

Bill Sylvestri's '50 can be seen ahead of the Jeep in front of me.

Steve Hammond was the first to sacrifice clean hands as soon as parts, tools and a mondo box of "shop towels" appeared....

My wife left this whole parking lot experience with a "how many VW enthusiasts does it take to change a Judson" joke or two.  Bill's Heb also had a dead plug on return to the bottom of the road.  Loren pinpointed that in about 50 seconds, and swapped a new one in, after he finished his beer.  Later in the day Bill started taking some ribbing about having his cars better prepped before taking 6 of them out for a 3 day weekend next time.

Dick Christensen looking on.

Dave Haviland, who  was staying down the road at another Hotel put all our fears to rest when he arrived to have breakfast with us.  "Don't worry, they didn't put anything on the road" (ie.: salt or sand) .  Despite, Humberto still looked kind of pale at breakfast.

Almost to MA, we passed Humberto in the Zwitter.  He had left the Hotel a full 45 minutes before us.  But I can't give him grief about having a "trailer queen" anymore.  But Humberto, those "Barbie" sheets covering the back seats really clash with the wool upholstery....

Hats off to Bill and his wife Connie for a wonderful weekend.  Man can that guy plan and execute and event, right down to printed name tags for every one with make and color of VW!!   If you ever get a chance to participate in one of these events, I highly recommend it.  It is serious fun with a lot of camaraderie (and a bit of food and drink too).