96 Born In The USA

Of the many places to camp on Vancouver Island none had more charm and allurement then the many spots along the Cowichan River. Over the years this must have been one of our most favorite places to spend a long weekend, or any weekend for that matter.

There was one particular spot where the narrow sandy lane in was only known by a few and the first one there, had a piece of paradise on a secluded gravel bar by the river bank. The beauty of this secluded spot was that when the stars came out they just hung there by the thousand, like so many grapes ready to pluck.

This particular week end Tom and Dorsia Harter had decided to go camping with Sandy and I. We arrived at the river a little later then we had planned and our secluded spot had already been taken. I was somewhat disappointed but decided to make the best of the situation, even if paradise was lost, at least for that weekend.

What to do now? Make the best of it, which turned out to be the worst of it, as the spot we finally chose was not far from a group of beer drinking partiers. My mistake was that I did not realize the full folly of my choice until we had set up the tent trailer and had bedded down for the night. I kept thinking I should get up and move to a quieter location, but that meant taking down the tent trailer, what a hassle, after having turned in for the night. It was at this point that I realized that the speakers, sitting on the hood of one of the partiers pickup, and cranked to full volume, were there to stay.

I rolled over thinking that at anytime the party would end and all would be peace and quiet, but that was wishful thinking. Try going to sleep with what sounds like the beat of African drums pounding in your head. By morning, “Born In the USA” by Bruce Springsteen was totally burned into our brains. And it wasn’t until five thirty that morning that Bruce Springsteen and his band along with a dozen other rockers finally faded into the distance as the guy with the pickup slowly drove off, leaving his buddies to sleep it off, and yours truly and company to finally get a few minutes of sleep.

One negative experience cannot erase all of the good times we had camping along the Cowichan River, or all the fun we had when we used to tube down the river on inner tube rafts. Those were the days I will always remember and cherish in my book of memories.