The “Life Is Sacred” Winnebago
I know this isn’t actually a Winnebago. It’s a Pace Arrow. But….like Kleenex relates to all things tissue, anything on wheels that acts as a mobile hotel room is – in my world – a Winnebago.
So… 
I have passed this Winnebago a million times.
It’s on my bike route. The one I ride on when I can coax my lazy ass into straddling a thinly padded peice of metal for an hour and fighting tourists who wander aimlessly across traffic as if their vacation dream destination is devoid of motorized vehicles.
It is parked on the side of the road every day. It leaves at night then reappears the next day, often in a slightly different spot but always there.
A rolling billboard espousing a whole bunch of things in the form of bumper stickers and handwritten declarations on salt encrusted windows. I have yet to see a driver or passengers or human form of any kind lurking about who may want to take these declarations one step further and shout them out to passersby who may unable to read bumper-sticker English which is often hard to decipher even if you CAN read it. I have often thought about parking myself across the street until someone actually moves it in order to solve the mystery. Thankfully, that feeling passes.
Yesterday, I got up the nerve to actually approach it and take a few pics. It made me feel odd, like some sort of recreational vehicle voyeur. Although I know humans actually drive this thing around and it’s not a coastal version of crop circles, I never actually thought about who those humans might be.
My conclusions:
There is at least one kid. Notice the tiny pink tennies in the windshield.
They like fruit. See papaya on passenger side.
They/he/she does not have a green thumb as evidenced by the dying plant in a corning-ware dish.
They are mildly modest. See small towels hanging from the roof in an effort to keep people like me from invading any modicum of privacy they may hope to have even though they are parked in one of the busiest tourist areas on the Monterey Peninsula.
They must be Buddhists??
Aging Hippies who drag their poor unfortunate kid from pillar to post in order to show them an alternative lifestyle?
I hope they have lots of money for therapy when the kids gets older or they’ve pushed it into acting which is fodder for lots of angst ridden, tortured soul movie roles which means a constant flow of income.
What really throws me, though, is the bumper sticker displayed prominently on the back of this gas-guzzling behemoth.
Final observations:
Who should we wage peace against, exactly? “Waging” denotes an action or battle of some kind which sorta seems aggressive to me.
Hmmm. Treehugger. What sort of mpg does one get on an ancient Winnebago??
I love trees too. I also sorta love my car but pollution has an adverse effect on plant life so perhaps these folks should consider getting a Prius or at least something smaller and more fuel efficient like a Cadillac Escalade?
Maybe this thing runs on some sort of bio-fuel?
If so, why not get a bumper sticker that says that or paint it on the back next to All Life Is Sacred?
Gotta tell ya, I know a guy who has one of these and it runs off used vegetable oil. I hear it smells like Kung Pao Chicken even if it’s not actually running.
I didn’t smell Kung Pao Chicken.
ok, I am so glad I am not the only one who has a thing for this God aweful”smells like fried a$$” vehicle. I run past it everyday and I am telling you, they must fry who knows what in there. I have to refrain from gagging its that bad. Maybe they just want Spanish Bay, ocean front property as their address? This may call for some of our sleuth work…what do you say?
Jen,
Already sleuthed! See my reply to Kitty.
One of our more “colorful” neighbors. But… is the smell Kung Pao Chicken?? I think Keane Mattham’s Winnebago was partial to vegetable oil from Chinese restaurants (according to Sharon who did her fair share of “grease vat diving” on her journey accross country with him). I venture to guess that this woman is vegetarian so next time you take a run, stop by and turn her on to your newest vegetable diet!!
Damn Julie, There goes my next vacation idea. Guess we will have to use a station wagon instead.
Dan,
Make sure it’s a Country Squire. You know, the one with wood on the side with the seats in the back that face backwards, kay??
Always wanted one of those when we were growing up but, alas, dad would only spring for the utility version.
I have a small RV that gets 26 mpg. We would liked to have had a large one, but couldn’t deal with the carbon footprint.
If this if the family’s home, they are probably consuming less energy overall than if they had a house, though, right?
Kitty, Nope. Not a family home. I would never, ever poke fun at someone’s misfortune if that were the case. I got some facts before I hit the “post it” button. Not a family, but an eccentric woman (pink tennies must be hers) who is making a statement. There are miles and miles of pristine coastline in Big Sur where people can live in cardboard boxes if they want (some do by choice!!) so this lady could live out her days with a zillion dollar view, unencumbered by picuture-snappin’ tourists if she wanted….but instead, she parks 200 yrds from the… Read more »
Oh no, I didn’t think you were poking fun at misfortune.
They should move that eyesore, though.
Sometimes I re-read stuff I write and feel like an ass! Fortunately, it passes after I realize that my angst gave me something else to write about!
If they move this thing….I might actually miss it. What would I secretly curse as I try to avoid it on the bike trail? It would have to rbe eplace by something else. Like…say…a giant crucifix with a banner across the front denouncing the use of condoms in third world countries. Now THAT’S what I call blog fodder!