Caravan!

Hello folks!  Sorry I've been away so long.  There's just not much going on in trailer land during the nasty weather months.  Michael has been doing some work in the trailer, staining and varnishing most of the wood surfaces.  We've discovered a bit more water damage, but nothing too drastic. And nothing new.  The trailer is well covered and protected from our current (and ongoing) round of nasty weather.  The ceiling project isn't turning out quite as planned, but we'll make it work.  The main point is we bought the trailer to camp in - not turn into a showpiece.  And nothing we've discovered will hinder our camping endeavors!

Our next planned trip is in February, to celebrate Darwin Day.  Darwin's birthday - February 12th.  We've made a tradition of traveling to the coast for Darwin Day, though not last year due to Michael's broken leg.  Never mind that.  This year we hope to go to the Long Beach area, and stay at the Sou'Wester Lodge.

Weather permitting, of course.

In the meantime, here's a video with a caravan in it!  One of my favorite bands - Blur!

Music!

Well look at this will you!  I was just poking around on Youtube, and you know how one thing quickly leads to another...

Right?  You do know how that works?

No matter.  This video by Buck 65 has a TRAILER in it! Ha.  I really like Buck 65 (which would explain why I watched the video in the first place).

Enjoy.

Hidden treasures

I was poking through my ridiculously large collection of photos on Flickr, and came across this one...

Oh hello!  I was more interested in the car when I took this photo, but look at that cute little trailer!  I've no clue what it is.  I took this picture in 2010 at a funky junk yard with a bunch of old cars and other vehicles.  Michael and I stopped one day and walked around - it was a bit eerie to say the least.  We never saw any people, but there was a strange house and people obviously lived there.  Today the yard has been cleared out quite a bit... I wonder if this little trailer is still there?

Actual camping...

I decided to search out more photos of trailers actually being used for camping - not just pretty little show pieces.  While looking for "working" trailers, I came across this little gem, a 1964 Aloha, traveling along the California coast.

Here's a spot I think I'd really like to visit myself!  Westport-Union State Park in California.  But where exactly is it?

{researching}

Aha!  It's in Northern California, between Garberville and Fort Bragg, on Highway 1.  Sure is a beautiful campsite!

Before hitting the open coast our Aloha friend made a stop in the redwoods, spending a night at Humbolt Redwoods State Park.  It looks like such a cozy little trailer!  And another great campsite.  I'd like nothing more than to sit back and relax at either one of these sites and watch the world go by.

We've been talking about a trip down the coast to visit friends and family.  Now that we have our own trailer, there's no real excuse not to go!  We'll have to follow in the wheel ruts of this trailer and many others and plot a course for our travels.

2014?  Very likely.  Once I decide to do something, it tends to happen.

Goodbye, weekend...

Well, here we are again as Sunday night winds down.  It was a fairly quiet weekend here, much appreciated after a few weekends and weeks of craziness.  We drove no further than the shop where we buy most of our meat now, the 3 Sisters Farm shop.  Twice.  Saturday we went to stock up on meat for the next couple of weeks, and then we returned home to a message that they had pig liver for us.  For Michael, that is.  I'll be eating salmon that night!  He's very excited, and we drove back down there today to pick up the pig liver.  For Michael, not me.

Even the girl at the farm store gave us funny looks when we came in to pick up our special order.  Ha!

Anyhow, yesterday on the way home Michael exlaimed "Fly agaric!"

SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!

Oh wow.  I've never seen these little devils in the bright red flesh.

I'm so excited!

But they aren't trailers, are they?  Maybe I should get a little teardrop and paint it like one of these.  That would be cute!  If I were inclined to give our trailer a theme (I'm not), fungus would be high on the list.  Along with clowns, or creepy dolls.  Fortunately for all of you, I'm not inclined to give our trailer a theme.

I did see a cute trailer while out on the dog walk today.  It passed us as we were walking, and I managed to catch the name as it drove by.

Ummm... what was it again?  It was a long walk, and I had to call 911 to report a guy passed out (dead?) on the sidewalk.  We didn't get too close, but it was obvious he needed some sort of assistance.  I see all sorts walking the dog around town these days.

I wracked my brain when I got home, and all I could remember is that it started with a "C" - I think.  I checked a couple of trailer manufacturer lists, and the name that jumped out was Cardinal.  I'm sure that was it!  I don't have a picture of the actual trailer that drove by, but it looked a lot like this ~

That little point in the back is a dead give-a-way.

Cute little thing, isn't it?

Oh dear...

I have been slack in posting, my apologies.  It has been a busy work week for me, with unusually early mornings and distant meetings and ding dang dong I'M TIRED!

I get home and I'm not terribly bothered to do much of anything after I walk the dog.  Enjoy a glass of wine, then blammo. Sleep hits.

Tonight I wanted to break through that slackness and post something.  But what?!! We're not planning any trips soon, so nothing to write about there.  Michael has been working on the staining/varnishing again, so we will soon have photos of the progress.  But at the moment the trailer is in a bit of a state.  The first section is finished, and it looks great!

But nothing to look at.  I can take a picture or two this weekend.

So what.

What?

I saw some freaky mushrooms the other day.  It's been a good year for fungi, as we've had A LOT of rain.  But I've never seen anything like this...

Bizarre.  But I love it!

I'll keep you posted when I find out what it is.

1967

I saw a license plate that just said 1967.  It was a California plate, but that's easily cropped out.   1967... it was a good year, seeing as they made our trailer!  Haha

Running on not much more than steam tonight.

Have to get up a little early tomorrow, so we can get to the farmer's market in Anacortes.  We want to get some chickens!  Our freezer is looking a little empty.  Not live chickens - dead ones that we can eat.  Yumm!

Not Closed!

I am happy to report that despite the federal government shutdown, there are still plenty of places that one can go camping here in the states.  Each state has a network of state parks, and Washington has some of the best.  I will admit I'm very biased, as I have very little experience with parks outside of Washington.  I'm hoping to remedy that now that we've got the trailer, but for the time being I'll stick with the parks I know.

Here on Whidbey Island, we have four state parks with camping - South Whidbey, Fort Casey, Fort Ebey, and Deception Pass.  One park, Joseph Whidbey, doesn't have camping but has a few nice trails.  That's quite a collection of parks on our island!

Washington State Parks require a Discover Pass for access.  For just $30 a year, you can access any park as a day visitor without further charge.  If you don't have the pass, it's $10 per day.  I am more than happy to pay that $30 fee to support our parks.  I also pay the extra $5 on my vehicle license when I renew.  $35 is a very small price to pay for unlimited access to our parks.  Overnight camping is an additional fee, and the cost varies from park to park.  Not free like some federal lands, but still much cheaper than an hotel!

Let's take a look at Fort Casey today, shall we?  Fort Casey is a WWII fort, built to protect Seattle and the rest of Puget Sound from Japanese invasion.  The extensive bunker system still stands, as does an historic lighthouse.

The old fort is quite spectacular, and ripe for exploration.  Be sure to bring a flashlight!

The campground is rather small, and one of the few first come, first serve campgrounds in the state park system.  If you're looking to visit in the off season, then this is the place for you!  There are beaches and trails to explore, and this are is also very bicycle friendly.  Note the resident deer in the background!

And the dear young man in the foreground.  That's my kid, several years ago.

Should you wish to visit Fort Casey in the off season, you'll experience a low key, relaxing visit.  This is the opposite of summer.

You'll have the park to yourself, and the town of Coupeville is just a hop, skip, and jump away.  Good coffee, good food, and cute shops.

It's a great destination.  We're just lucky we live a few minutes away!  If you want to visit and would like more local recommendations, let me know.

Closed

I suppose it's best this happened in the off season, but damn.  All national parks, monuments, and other federal lands are CLOSED.

Will there be any security to ensure poachers don't come in and decimate the wildlife?  Signs are swell, but people who don't care won't stop when they know nobody is looking.  Especially if they're hungry.

It makes me sad.  And angry.  There is no valid argument for this.  None.  A small group of pissy bastards are holding this country hostage because they don't want people to have access to health care.  The irony - their tantrum does nothing to stop the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  People I know will have health care for pretty much the first time ever, and it will make a huge difference to their lives.  Who was the "brilliant" fellow that tied health care to employment in the first place?  Maybe it worked all right a long time ago, but no more.

One of the library regulars was in tonight, and he had just come from the Navy Commissary.  He told me it was closing, and it was "like the L.A. riots in there!"  They stayed open today so they could get rid of as much perishable food as possible.  I imagine the Navy Exchange will be closed too.  This means all of the military families will have to shop in the "civilian" stores like Safeway and Wal-mart and Radio Shack.  Ironically, the city could see a boost in tax revenues if the shutdown goes on for more than a few days.

If you're inclined to travel this time of year, get out and support your state parks.  And if you're out and about, be sure to document the effects of the shutdown.  It could get interesting.  We're hunkering down for a while due to yucky weather and working on the trailer.  Our next planned trip is in February, to celebrate Darwin Day.  Most likely we will stay at the Sou'wester Lodge and Campground.  It's going to be a long time waiting to go!

Sigh...

Twins!

After quite a bit of searching of the interwebs, Michael and I had pretty much decided there were no other trailers just like ours.  Every other Aloha we came across was different - the door in a different place, no bunk hump - just different.  Our somewhat joking theory was that the workers at the Aloha factory came to work every day and said, "where should we put the door today?!"

It was 1967, after all.

The summer of love and all that went with it.

Sex, drugs, and random trailer design, baby!

If you're a trailer geek, you may know that it's difficult for vintage trailer owners to stay away from Craigslist.

"Let's just see what's out there..."

"We have our trailer, but let's take a look at what other [fill in the blank trailer make] are for sale now..."

"Wow, I'm so glad we found our trailer!  We got a great deal!"

"OUR TRAILER IS THE BEST TRAILER EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

You know how it goes.

You don't?

I suppose I'll take the hits for you, spend the time trolling Craigslist.  But if you've got something other than an Aloha, well - tough luck.  You'll have to do your own trolling.

Tonight started out like any other night.  It had been a while since I checked the listings, and I ventured a little further afield than usual.  I started poking around on the Portland Craigslist site, saw a few Aloha trailers, and then BAM!

What's this then?  A 1967 Aloha that has the same shape as ours!  Okay, that's nice - but where is the door?

Now we're talking.

Why on earth did somebody paint over that fiberglass panel in the front?  You can see the paint wearing off in that picture above.  Nobody painted OUR TRAILER.  We have a front window cover too.

How about the inside - let's make a comparison of that.

Not quite the same angle, but check this out...

Trust me, it's exactly the same.  Though we have the original stove, and I'm pretty sure that aqua beast is new.  Or powder coated.  But the metal back splash and effort to block bacon grease is identical.

So yeah.  It's essentially the same trailer, though we do seem to have more vents than the one that is for sale.

That means WE HAVE THE BEST TRAILER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!

EVER!

Art!

Our dear friend Christine did  a great rendition of our trailer today!  She also did a couple of others - and will be happy to do a custom job or YOUR trailer if you want!

Or a tiki.  Or a Sasquatch.  Or kitchen towels and potholders.  Shameless promotion?  Of course.  She's an artist that deserves support.

That's a nice one!

So is that!

Check out more of her art HERE!

Enjoy...

I suppose you're wondering what's become of our trailer, now that the dark season is settling in on us.  You do?  Great - because I'm going to tell you!

You probably know that the trailer we bought doesn't actually need a lot of work.  We just weren't ready to take on something like this, for instance.

A bit drafty.

And I'm afraid the local contingent of transients might decide to take up residence, since there's no good way to lock that sucker up.  Sad, but that is becoming a real concern around here these days.  Lots of homeless people moving into the area, and they will be looking for shelter.

Instead, we bought something that doesn't need much work.  It has a few small flaws - chipped paint here and there, slight water damage in a couple of spots.  But overall road ready and in pretty darn good shape considering its age.

Michael has started staining and varnishing the wood inside the trailer.  This will be the biggest job that needs to be done.

Amazingly, the wood surfaces in the trailer have never been touched.  So far the work Michael has done looks great!  It's going to really warm up the interior.  We're planning to remove the white vinyl cover on the ceiling to free up more of the wood surface.

One odd thing that had to go was a plastic track for a curtain to block the back sleeping area.  It was in two segments, and whoever attached it to the ceiling got a bit carried away.

Oh crap!  We're screwed!

What the hell?  Who needs to put in that many screws to hold up a flimsy plastic bit?  Weird.  Anyhow, it's gone now - and that's the white ceiling cover that will be heading out as well.

Buh-bye!

It's going to be a long few weeks of toxic fumes.  But the trailer is going to be beautiful when we're finished!  The next step will be new cushion covers and curtains.  And then we'll be pretty much done!  Not just road worthy, but attractive to boot.  Once we get the wood finished, we'll be able to install our tiki guys!  A trailer-warming gift from our friend Christine.  I'll report back with a picture of the art installed once we finish.

There's actually a lot going on around here, besides the trailer.  Nolan briefly made an appearance before heading back to Bellingham for school.  He spent the summer in Yellowstone and I just happen to have his photos on my computer.  I'll post some of them soon.  Anyhow, we're always happy to have him around, even if it's just for a photo-op with the dog.

Work is super busy right now, and will continue to be busy through the end of the year.  I start to cycle out of a couple of committees then, and that will help the load a bit.

I'm ready for a vacation again.

Trailer, trailer... it's all the same!

I've noticed that in my search for vintage trailer information, I often stumble upon movie trailers.  Darn you homonyms!

Tonight I did a search for 1967 vintage trailer advertisements.  Just like that - no quote marks.

Oh my.   This turns out to have nothing to do with travel trailers (or trailer parks).

Indeed, it appears to be a very strong moral lesson aimed particularly at young ladies of a certain age.  Watch the amusing and somewhat disturbing movie TRAILER...

AND LET THAT BE A LESSON TO YOU!

I was really looking for something more along these lines... honest!

Honest.

Oyster Run, not so fun...

Well, it wasn't ALL bad.  Despite the rather crappy weather we still managed to enjoy ourselves, eat a good lunch, and do a bit of people watching.

In case you don't know, the Oyster Run is the largest motorcycle run held in the Pacific Northwest, and it's always held the 4th Sunday of September in Anacortes, Washington.  Usually the weather is great, and they get well over 30,000 bikers in town!  Such a spectacle.  Unfortunately this year a big weather front moved through - high winds and plenty of rain on the motorcycle parade.  By the time we got there, the rain was falling full bore and lots of the bikers were heading out.  Can't say that I blame them!

We saw all kinds of fun things, and do not fear - before the day was over we spotted an old trailer or two, on our way home.

We kicked off our fun at the Brown Lantern, with a drink and a bit of biker watching.  This fellow posed when he saw I was taking a photo, and then proceeded to show us that he had not broken his leg, but had lost two toes in a motorcycle accident.  Look closely!

Ouch!

These two were out advertising a nearby bar.  They might look silly, but at least they had something to keep their heads dry!

A typical dog altercation at a public event - leave them at home, people!  We never bring Syd out to something like this.  It just seems like it would be torture for most dogs.  Too much going on, food everywhere, and other dogs to drive them nuts!  Not to mention I'd like to enjoy the event, not spend the time dog wrangling!

Down on his knees to pray?  No - just down on his knees in a puddle.  Bummer.

Normally I take a lot of close up shots like this one, but there just weren't that many bikes to look at this year!  And they were all wet.

Did I mention the bikes were lacking in numbers this year?  Badly?  Looks like a ghost town down there!

That's really kind of sad.  A lot of bikers probably stayed home to watch football instead.

We saw this great kitty on our way back to the car.  I'm sure it was happy there were less noisy bikes this year.

But where are the trailers?  Where are the trailers you ask!  Never fear, I'm getting to that - we didn't see them until we were on the way home.  If you take one of the lesser traveled roads, you pass a little trailer park that in all honesty is a bit depressing.  It looks like people are living there permanently, and the condition of everything really isn't very good.  There's quite a variety of trailer types, sizes, and shapes.

That appears to be a Kit Companion, year unknown (1960's?) in the lower photo.  Close to the lakefront, and conveniently located next to the dumpster and porta-loo!

You can see the rest of my photos from the day here:  Oyster Run, not so fun...

If you are so compelled.  Cheers!

Eye candy

Today was a big day - I hosted an author brunch event for teen summer reading winners, and in the afternoon we had a panel even open to the public.  It all went really well, but last night I slept poorly - waking often and having strange dreams.  Needless to say I'm a bit on the tired side tonight.  And my feet hurt!

I've decided to post a bit of eye candy tonight.  As you might guess, the logical step beyond a vintage trailer is to of course add a vintage towing vehicle!  Or vice versa, if you're somebody who started with the cars.  It's going to be a good long while before we can add a car, but it's fun to look!

Why not start with this lovely procession of cars and trailers passing by?  They could almost pass for a picture from the past, if it weren't for those two modern lurkers in the rear!

Ooooh, look at this pair!  A 1956 Chevy and a Serro Scotty trailer.

Here's a cute little trailer and a nice truck!

And our last photo for the evening - a Studebaker pickup and a 1961 Winnebago trailer.  The best thing about this photo?  They're CAMPING.  In a campground!

Oh.  Now that I look at the other pictures along with it, it's still a trailer rally of some sort.  But they're CAMPING!

Enjoy the sights... see you soon!

Batten down the hatches!

Summer is over, and autumn is arriving with a big WHOOSH!  At least, that's what the weather people are telling us.

Rain and wind on the horizon for us (a little bit of rain has already made landfall).  After the rain of a few days ago, we decided we'd better get the trailer ready for the impending weather.

The water tends to pool up around that taller vent thing, and we don't want it sitting on the roof for any length of time.  The trailer shows signs of minor water leakage from the past, but fortunately previous owners didn't let it get out of hand and made efforts to STOP the leakage.  That said, Michael and our friend Glenn got the cover pulled over the trailer yesterday, and Michael finished tying it down today.  The fellow we bought the trailer from was kind enough to give us the cover tarp as part of the deal - YAY!  I'm just glad it isn't a blue tarp...

While exploring what came with the trailer, we discovered an awning that was actually in really good condition - probably because nobody ever used it!  From what I can tell it doesn't fit into the awning rail, and well - it looks tacky.  Not exactly vintage looking!

Oh well.  We'll get something eventually.  No rush for an awning, now that summer is over.