In May of 1980 my family, which consisted of my step-dad, my mom, me (age 16), my sisters (age 11 & 12) and my brother (age 10) and our half chow/half German Shepherd had moved to Odessa, Texas where the oilfield was booming. We had one day to find somewhere to live because our only transportation was my step-dad's pickup, which carried his Lincoln welder which supported the family. In other words, he had to take that truck to work every day, so we had to find a place and find it fast before he had to start at work. After unsuccessfully checking for apartments, houses, trailers and hotel rooms within a decent distance from his job, we heard that the new arrivals, like us, were being sent the way of campgrounds in the area. We didn't have a trailer, but we did have a tent, very similar to the above picture.
Honestly, now I think I would go bonkers, but back then I don't remember it really being so much of a big deal. In May it was hot, but not outrageously so, and the KOA that we ended up at had a pool, an air-conditioned game room and a snack bar and we just looked at it as an extended camping trip. Just the year before , we'd traipsed across the country for a year in a travel trailer, following the work, so we were used to minimal accomodations. During the day we swam, played at the arcade, hung out at the snack bar and just basically did what kids did back in the pre-gaming system days. We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the day since school was still in session for the "regular" kids. I did travel some during the week to Artesia, New Mexico to finish up my junior year in high school, while living with family friends, so that gave me the break that my younger siblings did not have.
Within a few weeks a very small trailer became available in the trailer park right across the highway from where my step-dad worked and my mom jumped at the chance to get out of the tent. Actually the trailer was a step down in our opinion because we lost use of the pool and game room, but we were living in a trailer park where there were other kids and we met and made friends there very quickly. Many of them were in the same shape as us, with dads working across the highway and having just moved from out of state, not knowing anyone. Many were without transportation as well, but after the paychecks started coming regularly, that all changed. Oh, how it changed------ (to be continued)
Honestly, now I think I would go bonkers, but back then I don't remember it really being so much of a big deal. In May it was hot, but not outrageously so, and the KOA that we ended up at had a pool, an air-conditioned game room and a snack bar and we just looked at it as an extended camping trip. Just the year before , we'd traipsed across the country for a year in a travel trailer, following the work, so we were used to minimal accomodations. During the day we swam, played at the arcade, hung out at the snack bar and just basically did what kids did back in the pre-gaming system days. We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the day since school was still in session for the "regular" kids. I did travel some during the week to Artesia, New Mexico to finish up my junior year in high school, while living with family friends, so that gave me the break that my younger siblings did not have.
Within a few weeks a very small trailer became available in the trailer park right across the highway from where my step-dad worked and my mom jumped at the chance to get out of the tent. Actually the trailer was a step down in our opinion because we lost use of the pool and game room, but we were living in a trailer park where there were other kids and we met and made friends there very quickly. Many of them were in the same shape as us, with dads working across the highway and having just moved from out of state, not knowing anyone. Many were without transportation as well, but after the paychecks started coming regularly, that all changed. Oh, how it changed------ (to be continued)
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