Gary Veeder: From Key West to the Yukon |
| Angela White | Tuesday, 23 June, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Gary Veeder has taken his Northern Lite from Key West to the Yukon to Maine. His advice to those who have not yet taken the plunge into truck camping is simple, "Don't wait".  When we found out that Gary and Pam Veeder had crossed the United States three times, been to the Arctic Circle, and traveled to most of the Canadian Provinces, we just couldn’t resist getting their story for Truck Camper Magazine. After RVing for forty-two years, their friends just ask, “Where are you going this time?” As it turns out, they travel long and far, and still have so much to see.
TCM: How did you get started in RVing? Gary: We started early on with what was called a cold water flat camper, a travel trailer with an icebox and no hot water heater. We bought that trailer in partnership with my brother in 1967 when my daughter was about a year old. We quickly learned that we really liked the RV lifestyle. Our first truck camper was an Open Road. We had a great time with that camper, but it got to be too tight with two kids. So we moved into two Class Cs, and then two Class As. We went back to a truck camper when we purchased a Coachman for $400. Then we traded in that camper for $1,799 on a Sunline truck camper. After I picked myself up off the ground with the trade-in, I said, “That’ll be good.” TCM: That was a good deal. So why did you go back to a truck camper after owning two Class A motorhomes? Gary: There are a couple of reasons we went back to a truck camper. First, we do not want to travel at greater expense or make reservations at campgrounds. We can also take the camper off our truck and drive around. And we can park in cities if there isn’t a width or height restriction. We don’t make campground reservations because we like to play things by ear and keep our schedule flexible. Most campgrounds have a little spot that larger rigs can't get into that our truck camper can. There have only been two times that we haven’t been able to get into a campground. Once we just went to a parking lot and the other time we went to a truck stop. TCM: After forty-two years of RVing, is camping still fresh and exciting? Gary: Even though we’ve traveled 70,000 miles around the country, we always see something new. There is ten times more that I want to see and I hope to continue to do this for as long as possible. The exciting moments come at the most unexpected times. For example, one time we were in Iowa and there was a tractor in a field. In New York our tractor implements aren’t that big. So, I backed up and went into the field, camper and all. When the farmer looked at me, I said, “I have to look at this. I don’t believe the size of it!” It was a quad-tractor that was twice my height. It was the width of thirty-two rows, which is sixty-four feet wide. It looked like a Sherman tank going down the field. So, the farmer and I talked for a while. Truck camping in out of the way places is something that I’ll never get tired of doing. Another unpredictable moment was when we wandered onto the Salt Flats in Utah. We went thirty-eight miles down the road and saw people on their bellies. We were figuring they couldn’t have died here because there were cars and campers. Being as reserved as I am, I went up to them and said, “What are you doing?” They replied, “Don’t you know about the crystals here? If you dig down, there are crystals with an orange pea in the middle.” So, I went back into camper and got a big serving spoon, because that’s what I had, and I started digging. Some were big crystals the size of a bowling balls, which I didn't find, and others were small like the size of your finger. Right in the middle of these crystals are little bitty “bb” sized orange mineral. And that was it for the day. We were quite a mess. TCM: I’ve never heard of that. Did you keep one? Gary: Yeah, of course. TCM: Tell us what do you like to do when you go out truck camping. Gary: We like to go to bluegrass festivals, we fish in Key West, and we go to fairs, especially agricultural fairs. I also take the banjo out with me, even though I’m not the greatest. It’s not a girl magnet. TCM: That’s funny. So how did you decide on a Northern Lite? Gary: We thought the Northern Lite was a superbly well-built camper with its fiberglass boat-like design. It has no seams on the roof except for hatches and the inside utilizes as much storage as possible. We’ve also found that the Northern Lite is an acoustic wonder. When we go into the Northern Lite, we can’t hear a thing on the outside. It was probably a little more expensive than we wanted to spend at the time, but we couldn’t say no. Another great thing about the camper is, after eight years, it still looks like new. It sits out all year not covered. Of course, the camper doesn’t really sit still. And Northern Lite the company has been great. Any questions we’ve had, they’ve answered. We’ve talked to them on the phone and they couldn’t be better! TCM: You’ve been to all fifty states and most of the Canadian provinces. What places would you recommend to a newbie truck camper? Gary: I would have to say Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. That whole area is really beautiful. What I like about Bryce Canyon in Utah is that you can get personal with it. We have walked down and around that whole canyon. It’s an awesome experience. I would also recommend Banff and Lake Louise in Western Canada. The Grand Tetons in Northern Wyoming are great. That area is amazing. TCM: What places are you return to on a regular basis and what is it about those places keeps drawing you back? Gary: Popham Beach in Maine keeps drawing us back because of the ocean. The beach there is six miles long of sand and there are very few people. On 4th of July weekend. the state beach is crowded, but the rest of it is not. If we pass fifty people on the 4th of July, it’s a lot. We’re drawn back there every year. TCM: What has been your most memorable truck camping trip? Gary: That would be when we went to the Yukon. The scenery is just wonderful. One turn after another just gives you more. When you come into the Rockies in the United States you’re already on an elevated plateau. The Canadian Rockies seem to rise majestically, so the mountains seem that much more massive. And there is wildlife galore. We have a joke that Canada hires Longhorn sheep that just sit there on the side of the road. In the Yukon, camping is a lot more rustic, which is fine. In the campgrounds, we often had water and electric, and sometimes sewer. There is no cell coverage in the upper Yukon, very few people, and no television reception. There’s a magazine called The Milepost that tells you where everything is up there. For example, it says that diesel is at milepost 110. Well, one of the things we weren’t prepared for was that the diesel station didn’t open until the end of June. We didn’t realize the season was so short up there. We weren’t expecting that! So, whenever we passed a station we filled up, even if we were not ready for it. Luckily, we never got stuck without fuel. It’s 10,000 miles round-trip to the Yukon and back to New York the way we went. It’s really amazing when we look at a map that Idaho is half way to the Yukon from our house. The biggest thing, especially for my wife, is that the Yukon roads have severe drop-offs. It’s like their language up there does not include the words, “guard rails”. They also have very narrow dirt roads. When we got home, I read that one of the roads we went on, The Cassier Highway, is one of the worst ten roads in North America. We took the Alcan Highway back. TCM: Any advice for people who are just starting out with their very first truck camper? Gary: If you don’t have a lot of time to go camping, stay local. In the beginning I was working eighty hours a week with my own business. When we had a long weekend, I would rush half of my time driving somewhere and half of the time driving back. We didn’t have time to stop and smell the roses. My advice is to stop and smell the roses, even if it’s close to home. I would also advise people who are new to truck camping to practice using their camper before going out on a trip. Take your camper off and on a few times at home. Hook it up to water and electric and make sure everything works. With the camper on the truck, drive it around a parking lot and practice backing up. TCM: Where do you think you’ll go next? Gary: In just a little bit, we’ll be in Maine. And in the winter, we spend two months down in Key West at Mile Marker 3. Newfoundland and Labrador are on our list. Then we will have been to all the Canadian provinces. We couldn’t go there before because we had a cocker spaniel and there is an eighteen hour ferry. The dogs have to stay in the camper and were not allowed to go down and walk him. TCM: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Gary: Do it. Don’t wait. I’ve had too many friends who have waited and now its too late. TCM: Thanks for the interview Gary. And keep in touch with your adventures. Gary: I will.
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