Outrageous Camping Trip Wins Thrifty Car Rental's 'Honeymoon Disasters' Contest

Entries Sought for 2005 Contest

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 20 -- Camping trips, in the best of circumstances, probably don't make the best honeymoons. Add a campsite on an incline and interloping youngsters at a church camp, and it's a surefire recipe for disaster. Cyndy and Roger Wilber of Ravena, NY, had such an extraordinarily bad time, it was enough to crown them grand-prize winners of Thrifty Car Rental's 10th Annual Honeymoon Disasters(R) Contest.

For surviving their postnuptial trauma, the couple will receive roundtrip airfare to a destination of their choice in the continental U.S., three nights hotel accommodations, a four-day car rental from Thrifty Car Rental and $500 spending money. (See www.honeymoondisasters.com for details).

"Don't worry about the honeymoon, we'll take care of everything." Famous last words from the groom's parents to the young couple, short on cash. Following a small reception in a mobile home, Cyndy and Roger were escorted to a tent located behind the cabins of a church summer camp. The groom's dad had pitched the tent on a slope so if it rained, the water would run away from their accommodations (theoretically). Inside was a huge rock in the center of the floor, with cots set up on either side -- not exactly what the newlyweds had in mind for sleeping arrangements! The couple wasted no time folding up the cots and squeezing together two sleeping bags on one side of the rock. Well-wishers from the wedding party set up emergency flares around the tent so that "every shadow could be observed," according to the bride. "Bring on the show!" the onlookers cat-called. It was midnight before the flares finally burned out and the wedding party went home.

Then torrential rains paid a visit. To simplify things, the newlyweds brought the portable toilet inside. In the heat of passion, the toilet got knocked over, soiling their clothes, food, sleeping bags -- everything! As it was still raining, the clever couple decided to harness the forces of nature and strung a rope between two trees to wash their clothes in the rain.

The next morning, Roger and Cyndy awakened to the sounds of children singing. As luck would have it, nobody had warned them that the church camp was still in session! Trapped by the singing von Trapp children, the Wilber's, wrapped only in blankets, were unable to leave their tent until two o'clock in the afternoon.

Once they retrieved their clothes, the car-less newlyweds walked two miles to a country store for much-needed birth control. Under the watchful eye of two little old ladies, the pharmacy had none of the desired items. "No, but we have aspirin," the blushing spinsters offered.

As the porta-potty had contaminated their meager supplies, the couple were forced to eat berries and fish for blue gills using a safety pin suspended from nylon thread unraveled from one of the blankets.

"Eight-and-a-half months later, our son was born," said Cyndy, "thanks to a small town whose idea of birth control was 'aspirin.'" Roger and Cyndy have since been married 34 years.

More than a thousand entries were received in Thrifty Car Rental's 10th Annual Honeymoon Disasters Contest and judged by a panel of Thrifty employees. To enter next year's Honeymoon Disasters contest online for a chance at a second honeymoon, or to read other outrageous entries, visit www.HONEYMOONDISASTERS.com or www.THRIFTY.com . Entries for the 10th Annual contest are accepted through September 30, 2004. Entries may also be mailed to: 2005 Honeymoon Disasters Contest, Thrifty Car Rental, CIMS 1020, PO Box 35250, Tulsa OK 74153-0250. Mailed entries must be postmarked by September 30, 2004.

More honeymoon hijinks from this year's contest:

Amanda and Timothy Brady, Carlisle, AR: After having too much to drink at their wedding reception, the couple overslept and missed their plane. Then there was the flat tire on the way to the airport. When they pulled over to fix it, the newlyweds were held up by a thief who stole their money and wedding rings. Unable to reach Tim's parents for help, the couple hitched a ride. The driver got pulled over by police, and when drugs were discovered, the Brady's spent their honeymoon in jail.

Steven and Raegan Brykman, Los Angeles, CA: The Brykman's month-long honeymoon was hell on wheels thanks to a souped-up VW Westfalia camper that proved more tricky than "tricked out." Camped out near the water's edge on Lake Erie, the camper sank into the sand as a storm approached. Back on the road, the Brykman's realized too late that Steve's electric razor had drained the van's battery. Then there were giant bugs in Louisiana, a faulty air conditioner in the Texas heat and a speeding ticket. The icing on the cake ... when the camper went into a spin on the icy roads of the Big Horn mountains and flipped over. Enough, already!

Michael and Victoria Coyne, Elgin, IL: This couple was delighted with the weekend stay at a plush hotel they received as a wedding gift. They just didn't expect to have to share it! Victoria's Mom and Dad came up for cocktails, enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner for four in the room and then commandeered the hot tub. The newlyweds fell asleep on the sofa, while the in-laws took the king-size bed. Whose honeymoon was it?!

Charles and Linda Eyer, East Stroudsburg, PA: Be suspicious of fraternity brothers offering honeymoon advice. The rental house in St. Croix was on the beach -- if you didn't mind the 60-foot drop off the cliff to get there. The pool had an algae problem and the air conditioner was on the fritz. The stove had an electrical problem that shocked them every time they tried to cook. And "full use of the owner's car" would have been okay, except the jalopy only made right turns.

Mark and Nili Herskovitz, Passaic, NJ: Running low on cash, the groom dropped his bride off at the remote tropical beach while he went in search of an ATM. Hours later, the groom returned to find his sleeping wife severely sunburned. Seeking to soothe her burns with Noxzema, the cream only made the burns penetrate her skin more deeply. Mark had to call the paramedics when Nili collapsed in the shower. The bride didn't appreciate having her picture taken in the ambulance. "It's for our grandchildren," Mark told her.

Firoze and Nargis Gaslightwala, Shawnee, KS: What are the odds? The newlyweds had just reached their cabin at an animal safari near Madras, India, when they heard gun shots and people running. Seconds later, India's-Most- Wanted, armed with rifle and sword, broke down the door and held Nargis hostage. Hours later (and after 10 years of eluding the authorities), the criminal freed the bride and surrendered. Wasting no time, the newlyweds took the first plane home.

Timothy and Paula Kent, Isanti, MN: After a minor squabble, the Kent's made it to the airport late. Paula boarded the plane while Tim hot-tailed it to the restroom. When the plane took off without her husband, Paula enjoyed a couple of days solo in Mexico. Assuming her husband was still upset about their argument, Paula flew home. Their planes must have crossed paths in the air. Tim enjoyed three days in Mexico by himself. Guess they must have patched things up, as the couple has been married over 18 years and have five daughters. They have since made it a policy not to take long trips together.

Richard Pace, Winchester, KY: When Richard drank too much on the couple's wedding night and fell asleep in the hotel room, the bride walked down to the pool to relax. Waking up to find his wife gone, the groom, naked, peeked out the door to find out if she'd gone to the ice machine. Unfortunately, he leaned into the hall too far, and the door closed behind him, locking him out of the room. Luckily, the bride was the first to find him hiding behind the ice machine. "I can only imagine what the security cameras caught on tape," she said.

Miles and Marie Prunier, Putnam, CT: To save money, this couple opted to stay at a youth hostel in Martha's Vineyard. It sounded romantic, until they realized the co-ed facilities meant bunkbeds in separate rooms. After a dinner of apples and crackers (the nearest restaurant was six miles away, and they had only bicycles for transportation), Marie settled into her sleeping bag for some much-needed shut-eye, only to find she wasn't sleeping alone. In addition to the loud teenagers sharing her room, there was a bee in her sleeping bag that stung her twice.

Philip and Roseanne Swain, Concord, MA: Philip, a young attorney in Chicago, wasn't sweating his first jury trial -- until it got postponed and spilled over into the couple's wedding and honeymoon plans. After flying to New York for the wedding, Philip returned to Chicago with his bride to wrap up the trial. Roseanne, ever-patient, spent the next two weeks in the courtroom with her husband, forgoing their Hawaiian honeymoon. The groom won the trial, but the client, displeased with the monetary award, refused to pay the bill. Fortunately, the Swain's didn't end up in divorce court! They have been married 13 years.

Thrifty Car Rental is a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. . Together with its corporately owned locations and those of its franchise owners, the Thrifty brand operates more than 1,100 locations in 64 countries.