California Hillbilly Story

This here is a hillbilly motor home (with Marty standing in front of it) and this here is the story of the hillbilly motor home.

Over xmas break, we were heading to Yosemite to do some snow shoeing and sledding. On the way, we stopped at the gas station just outside the park. When we drove up to the gas station we were awed at the fine piece of machinery in this pic.... a circa 1972 motor home, also known as a rolling turd. It was such a hillbilly vehicle that we were hysterical. Little did we know that this was just the beginning......

We went into the gas station and while we were standing around waiting to pay for some stuff, a real live hillbilly walked up to us and asked us, "Wher'd ya'all get them A-dult snow bibs?". Our response, "Walmart" - since we were pretty sure he had never heard of Cabela's. His response...."thems all out of thems now". Our response...."we got them a couple years ago." His response.... "yea, I guess you just wear 'em til theeeer all ripped up."

We walked out of the gas station giggling.

As we were leaving, the hillbilly from the gas station approached the motor home and discovered that his kids had locked him out. He screams into the motor home...."if you kids want to go to the snow, you better unlock that door and let your daddy in." In he goes and they drive away. But not before leaving puddles of fluid and oil where the motor home was parked.

We thought that was the last of our encounter with Califonia Hillbillies....but that was just the beginning.

Off we go to Yosemite. And as soon as we pull into the park....there is the rolling turd parked in the first parking lot we come to. This time there are 2 adults (or as he called then A-dults) and three kids milling about and no one is wearing anything that matches or fits. Gloves don't match, hats and jackets too small or too big, etc. Plus they are playing in the dirty snow plowed to the the side of the road. We giggle again and are amused at finding such a rare breed of people in California. And at this time we decide it is time to call Chris' Uncle Dave in Kentucky to report this hillbilly sighting! But....no cell service available....DARN!

So off we go again thinking this is the last of the hillbillies. We spend the better part of the day snowshoeing and sledding. At about 4 pm we head back to the trucks to have some lunch. As we are standing around and eating our sandwiches, up drives the rolling turd! And there is a person looking out of every window - it looked like something out of a Chevy Chase Vacation movie. They pulled into an iced over parking lot, sliding all over the place because they did not have chains or snow tires. They finally came to a stop - pretty much right in the middle of the parking lot - because they couldn't get the turd to roll anymore. They all jumped out of the motor home - 2 men, 5 kids and a woman - and started stuffing branches under the wheels to prevent it from sliding out of the parking lot or into another vehicle.

At this point, there are uncontrollable giggles from us and the kids. And Drew is screaming...."there are the hillbillies!!!!"

They proceed to take off two sleds that are bungee corded to the back of the rolling turd. These sleds look like they are from the Depression Era. If my mom were there, she would have stole them and sold them on eBay!

They drag their sleds by us on their way to a hill and talk to Jim a little. (We are certain they did not recognize us from the gas station). One of the men asked Jim if the ski resort up the road was closed. Well.... there was no ski resport up the road....it is a one hour drive all the way across the park AND it was open. We think he saw the sign in the parking lot that said "nordic ski area" and he thought it meant downhill skiing. When Jim informed him about the location and status of the REAL ski area, he said it was too bad because he wanted to bring the sleds to the ski slopes.... HELLO - what if every YAHOO with sleds brought them to the ski area..... a little dangerous!!!! He seemed really disappointed when Jim told him that ski resorts do not allow sleds to go down the slopes with the skiiers!!

Once they were sledding, it allowed us the opportunity to check out the rolling turd. We discovered:

* the back tail light was duct taped on -- in true hillbilly fashion
* the left side had been "egged"
* there was a sleeping bag hanging out of the window in the sleeping area above the cab of the truck
* there was a straw hat on the dashboard embroidered with "Cabo San Lucas"

We left the happy hillbilly family sledding down a hill and across a road..... We have wondered since how they got out of the iced over parking lot!