4x4 TRAILS & STORIES CAMP SYNCRO PHOTOS SYNCRONAUTS RESOURCES
Camp Syncro 2004
Camp Syncro for 2004 was at the beautiful Molas Lake Campground at 10,800 ft. elevation, about five miles south of Silverton. We occupied several sites which were the most remote of the campground and had direct access to the lakeshore.
The sites & the campground proved just the right in several ways. We were close enough to town to go in for supplies, gas, or laundry when needed, but far enough away to be able to imagine that there wasn’t a town for 50 miles. Our sites were the right size for our cozy group while still providing participants with some degree of privacy. Camp Syncro was our staging area for the start of each day’s trips, a place for repairs, and most importantly a place to get to know some fellow Syncronauts.
Sunday at Camp Syncro was a time for everyone to meet people that they’d only known through email before. Some may be a little anxious over the idea of spending a week with people they really don’t know only based on the common bond of having the same vehicle. Is that crazy? Maybe, but it keeps on working out with Safari after Safari resulting in building friendships, helping each other, and learning something from others. Somehow it just works. At the Colorado event we had people like Paul Connely who is new to Syncros, had never been to any other “Vanagon” event ,and had never met any of the other people on the trip. How did it turn out for Paul? He wrote “The people were great, the campsite was great …” I think sometimes there’s just something about the comradely at Camp Syncro that’s special.
I’d guess that Paul has good reason to say that about the people at Syncro Safari. His van had the water pump fail on the way back to camp from Engineer Pass on Monday and so it needed repair on Tuesday. Several Syncronauts pitched in an gave Paul a lot of help. It turned out he really needed it too, as this particular water pump seemed as if it was welded in! After numerous attempts at numerous angles with numerous tools, the right combination of tools and technique was finally achieved and the bolts were wrenched loose! It’s funny how changing a water pump in your own driveway would be just plain bad, but is made so much better by doing it at Camp Syncro with a couple other Syncronauts!
Since this year’s Camp Syncro was on the shores of Molas Lake, we were afforded the opportunity of doing a little fishing, and did just that, very little fishing. While there were a lot of fish that could be seen jumping frequently, fishing just wasn’t on the agenda for most. Matt & Jeremie tried for a little while, but didn’t land any. The lake also allowed us to do a little peaceful kayaking on the inflatable kayaks I brought. The lake was still and quiet, surrounded by the backdrop of mountains in the distance and by the jumping of trout a few feet from the boat.
An exciting time for me at Camp Syncro was when we were “repairing” the undercarriage protection frame from my van. I say “repairing” because what we were basically doing was smashing it under the weight of one Syncro, three men, and a boy! Our “repair” was just right though and now it’s as straight as I could ask for!
The sites & the campground proved just the right in several ways. We were close enough to town to go in for supplies, gas, or laundry when needed, but far enough away to be able to imagine that there wasn’t a town for 50 miles. Our sites were the right size for our cozy group while still providing participants with some degree of privacy. Camp Syncro was our staging area for the start of each day’s trips, a place for repairs, and most importantly a place to get to know some fellow Syncronauts.
Sunday at Camp Syncro was a time for everyone to meet people that they’d only known through email before. Some may be a little anxious over the idea of spending a week with people they really don’t know only based on the common bond of having the same vehicle. Is that crazy? Maybe, but it keeps on working out with Safari after Safari resulting in building friendships, helping each other, and learning something from others. Somehow it just works. At the Colorado event we had people like Paul Connely who is new to Syncros, had never been to any other “Vanagon” event ,and had never met any of the other people on the trip. How did it turn out for Paul? He wrote “The people were great, the campsite was great …” I think sometimes there’s just something about the comradely at Camp Syncro that’s special.
I’d guess that Paul has good reason to say that about the people at Syncro Safari. His van had the water pump fail on the way back to camp from Engineer Pass on Monday and so it needed repair on Tuesday. Several Syncronauts pitched in an gave Paul a lot of help. It turned out he really needed it too, as this particular water pump seemed as if it was welded in! After numerous attempts at numerous angles with numerous tools, the right combination of tools and technique was finally achieved and the bolts were wrenched loose! It’s funny how changing a water pump in your own driveway would be just plain bad, but is made so much better by doing it at Camp Syncro with a couple other Syncronauts!
Since this year’s Camp Syncro was on the shores of Molas Lake, we were afforded the opportunity of doing a little fishing, and did just that, very little fishing. While there were a lot of fish that could be seen jumping frequently, fishing just wasn’t on the agenda for most. Matt & Jeremie tried for a little while, but didn’t land any. The lake also allowed us to do a little peaceful kayaking on the inflatable kayaks I brought. The lake was still and quiet, surrounded by the backdrop of mountains in the distance and by the jumping of trout a few feet from the boat.
An exciting time for me at Camp Syncro was when we were “repairing” the undercarriage protection frame from my van. I say “repairing” because what we were basically doing was smashing it under the weight of one Syncro, three men, and a boy! Our “repair” was just right though and now it’s as straight as I could ask for!
One of the most special times at Camp Syncro is around the campfires. Sometimes it’s stories about the day’s events, sometimes it’s stories from days gone by, sometimes it’s fun and goofy things with the kids, and sometimes it’s music and song. Yes, we sang and I loved it! Here’s a part of a tune that Serge and Claire made up to the tune of “Feelin’ Groovy”
Feelin' Groovy
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make your Syncro la-ast
Just kicking down a couple o’ stones
Looking for mud and feelin’ groovy
Doot-in’ doo-doo,
Feelin’ groovy
Speed up, you move too slow
You got to make your Syncro go-o
Just kicking up a bit o’ dust
Looking for rocks and feelin’ groovy
Doot-in’ doo-doo,
Feelin’ groovy
You got to make your Syncro la-ast
Just kicking down a couple o’ stones
Looking for mud and feelin’ groovy
Doot-in’ doo-doo,
Feelin’ groovy
Speed up, you move too slow
You got to make your Syncro go-o
Just kicking up a bit o’ dust
Looking for rocks and feelin’ groovy
Doot-in’ doo-doo,
Feelin’ groovy