# First time camping in our '66 Apache Eagle popup



## bruceg (Oct 5, 2009)

We made our first trip out with the Apache Eagle. Pics are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sred...14945&authkey=Gv1sRgCMqM1afapbnLYA&feat=email

We pulled the Eagle out of the garage and I decided to open it up to make it easier to load. Well, I forgot how to open it up, and struggled with it for a while. Couldn't open up the left bed end. I reached a point where I was ready to put it back in the garage and just use our tents, but figured I'd mess around a little more. We finally figured it out and got it open. We loaded it up with our camping gear, backpacks, sleeping bags, canvas, awning, chairs, camping storage box. Couldn't close it. The plastic storage box was a little too high. We popped the box in the car and were good to go!

We popped one of our three beagles in the car (we decided Nicholas was the designated camp beagle), said our goodbyes to my wife, and off we went. We picked up my son's friend, loaded his stuff up, then off to Publix for groceries. Grocery shopping was quick, we picked up some ice while in the store, headed out and loaded up our coolers. Then off we went!

Red Top Mountain State Park is just a short ride from us, so we made it there in no time. We opened up the camper and put the canvas up. Tied the canvas where it's supposed to tie, clipped it where it clipped. I forgot to push the central support stay all the way up, so my pictures are of a camper with a sagging roof. No, the roof doesn't really sag, I just didn't snap new pictures after pushing the central support all the way up.

I went to zip the door closed. It zipped a little further than the last time I had it up. Then I pulled the canvas tighter and zipped further. Then I put my thumb through my nice, new screen just replaced and resewn two weeks ago. But duct tape to the rescue! (I'll do a better patch next time out). We got the door zipped a good way down, still have more stretching to do - but are much closer to getting it zipped.

My son lives on frozen pizza, so we put a disposable aluminum cake tin in the dutch oven, put the single serve pizza on top of that, then closed the lid. The frozen pizzas cooked to perfection in the dutch oven, and my son was happy. Breakfast was sausage, eggs, toast and hot chocolate or coffee. The coffee over the fire was great! Lunch was grilled American cheese or grilled Pepperjack cheese sandwiches. Dinner was cubed steak on toast and potatoes from the frying pan. My son is a nut for Grand's Biscuits - so I made them in the dutch oven, using the upside-down cake tins to keep them off the bottom. Breakfast Sunday was Orange Rolls cooked in the - you guessed it. Along with coffee percolated over the fire and hot chocolate. We had some left over eggs, so my son's friend and Nicholas had hard-boiled eggs.

We had fun doing some hiking. We saw a get-together of the Georgia Opel Club, and checked out some cool Opel GTs, an Opel Manta and an Opel Sportwagon. All very cool cars. We snapped pics, as my wife really liked them.

Now I want to spend a little time working on a few dents on the camper. The camper was fun, easy to tow (even with a Corolla with two kids, a dog and camping supplies). It was comfortable. I slept well, and my son slept well.

This is the most he has walked since his back surgery - so when we got home he jumped in the tub for a long hot soak, and then went to bed. But he had a great time. I really enjoyed sitting up late by the campfire talking with him, and he had a great time camping, playing mini-golf, swimming and hanging out with his friend. He also did well helping set up the camper, take down the camper and doing dishes.

We're already starting to plan our next trip.


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## Lonnie in the mountains (Oct 5, 2009)

You are doing it right! Looks like a great time was had by all.
Great story!


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## produnker (Oct 5, 2009)

Great job DAD   Hope your son does well with his back. But I guess thats a no-brainer with you around to help.


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## Paymaster (Oct 6, 2009)

Great pics! I am a big time Red Top Mountain fan! My family camps there often. Most of my family will be there for Thanksgiving with about 7 RV's. We had 40-45 folks there for Thanksgiving last year.


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## earl (Oct 7, 2009)

It is said that those kind of days get added back on to your life. Good stuff !!


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## SmokyMtnSmoke (Oct 7, 2009)

Lonnie in the mountains said:


> You are doing it right! Looks like a great time was had by all.
> Great story!



Ditto!


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## injun joe (Oct 7, 2009)

Bruce , that is awesome. When I was 10 or so, my dad did some tree work for a fella that he worked with at the Phone Co, and the guy gave him a '66 Apache for it. The canvas was shot and we had to drag a big tarp over it every time we used it. Our favorites places were Winfield Scott and Hard Labor Creek. We took a trip to Wash. D.C. in it (all 5 of us). It was hilarious.We stopped to camp at a fancy campground near Arlington and Dad made us wait till dark to set up the Apache. Thanks for the memories.


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## bruceg (Oct 9, 2009)

Injun Joe - that is cool! There is still a group of people that enjoy old Apache campers. One of the forums is apachepopups.net    - the For Sale section has new posts daily  from Apache enthusiasts scouring e-bay and Craigslist or posting their own.

Mine only cost $305 bucks. Then another $350 to get the canvas repaired, screens replaced and new zippers for the screens. Also got seams repaired. 

Not a bad amount to get me and my son up off the ground and back to camping again. 

I really like the Eagle. It is simply a box with 2 beds and a canvas tent. No sink. No stove. No fancy stuff. Some day in the future I might consider looking for a hardsided Mesa, but for now the softsided Eagle does me just fine.


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