Pop Up Camper

It was the first and only time I remember fainting.

We were on a cross country trip to the west coast to visit my west coast cousins. It was a difficult trip. We, a family of six — parents, me and my three brothers were all travelling by car pulling a pop-up camper.

While we mostly camped, we stayed in a few hotels along the way.

We ended up in Mesa Verde, Colorado. It was August. It was hot. We were to ride on horseback and take a guided tour to see the cliff dwellings. Ancient cliff dwellings built into the side of red cliffs.

I don’t think we wore sunscreen back then. But, that was not my biggest problem. Maybe I hadn’t eaten enough that morning. We all rode in single file led by our guide on our ponies, our horses plodding along in the growing heat on rocky paths, well worn from many, many tours like ours.

Finally we arrived at the cliffs. It was midday or early afternoon, seemed like it must be the hottest part of the day — or was becoming so.

Everything seemed hazy. I was wearing shorts, a sleeveless cotton blouse, and a straw hat with an attached scarf which tied under my chin. I still have a photo of me from that day, sitting on my horse. I remember that sunhat. My mother must at least have made sure I had some kind of head protection from the sun, the heat. Because I don’t think I would have ever purchased such a hat for myself.

I guess it could have been worse without that hat, although it didn’t seem to offer that much protection.

Did I mention I was 12? Had just completed sixth grade and would be starting junior high school in the fall. It was a time of change, of new beginnings. This was supposed to be a grand trip. One, last, major trip before we all got too big for our britches to travel together as a family.

Although my mother was not in the best of moods a lot of the time, which made things more difficult. Later, she would be diagnosed with pernicious anemia — a disease where your body stops producing the enzyme which synthesizes Vitamin B12 — a necessary nutrient needed to sustain life. People used to die from that disease. Later, after she was diagnosed, she would take B12 shots for the rest of her life. It must have been starting back then. She was impatient with us. I’m sure it was a lot, managing four kids and not feeling your best.

I couldn’t wait to get to California. I had always dreamed of going there. Our cousins had moved to Pasadena from Detroit for my uncle’s new job as a sociology professor at USC.

So, I had that to look forward to, but right now, it was damn hot. It was hard to appreciate the tour guide’s words as they sounded muffled, like he was underwater as he explained the life and habits of the cliff dwelling natives. Fact was, I was underwater, or going under which happened rather quickly. I don’t suppose I was still on my horse. I just crumpled. To the ground. It was brief, and I remember a lot of people comforting me, helping me, probably giving me some water.

It was a strange feeling though. Like my body’s attempt to conserve energy, to black out, until it got someplace safe. Put me in the shade, is what they probably did.

We weren’t there much longer. I don’t remember much else about that day. I was just glad to get out of that heat. I think I was embarrassed, for a 12 year old. Nobody else fainted.

The only other time, during that trip anyway, where the heat was oppressive was driving through the desert. Needles, California. We had to go through the desert to get to our destination. No air conditioning in our car, so we had to wake up very early, six am, to drive before it got too hot.

It was exciting, and kind of scary. Would we make it before the car broke down? It turned out not being as bad as I imagined. Then, pretty soon, it began to cool off. We would be with our cousins in a little while, going to Disneyland, to the beach, and to see A Hard Days Night at its premier in LA. That’s another story. I would live to tell the tale, but it was harrowing at the time, even more harrowing than fainting in the desert, or getting stranded in the desert.

I only know I couldn’t breathe. But, for a different reason than being too hot. It wasn’t the heat that was crushing, but the people all around. You’d have thought it was the real Beatles that we were seeing. We got up early-actually in the dark as I recall-for that too I remember, as we had to get in line to get good seats. I just went along with my cousins, my two, favorite girl cousins who I liked to follow around like a little puppy dog. I was so excited to see them. I missed them. Was devastated when they moved and now we were together again.

See, I was an only girl, and they were like my big sisters. Being the only girl in a family with three brothers, I felt pretty ignored. It was good to have my sisters back with me again.