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!

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.

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.

A long day, a lovely night, then home...

One more night of our trip!  But first we had to travel the long slog down to HWY 2, through Leavenworth, and over Stevens Pass.  It was a beautiful drive, and at our first pit stop we were passed by three vintage trailers leaving the Winthrop rally - one of them an Aloha!

Our biggest concern was getting over the pass - I took it slow and steady, and only got honked at by a couple of jerks.  Sorry jackasses - nowhere to pull over, and I'm not about to blow up my engine so you can get home quicker!  We'll get a transmission cooler installed before next summer, and then we won't have the problem of worrying about the transmission.  We did have to stop just over the pass when the warning light went on, but only had to sit for a few minutes.  It was a lovely view!

Once we got over the pass it was smooth sailing.  We could have easily said "bag it" and headed straight home, but we had our last night paid for at Bay View State Park.  Not to mention, we just weren't ready to go home yet!

So close to home - back by the salt water, familiar smells and familiar plants.  Bay View State Park is quite nice - I can see us going there often for a quick getaway.  Just 25 miles (exactly!) from our doorstep, it's the perfect quiet spot for a relaxing weekend.

Aaaaaahhh.....

So beautiful!

We're discovering quickly that the parks all have very different characters.  This park had a lot of Canadians visiting, and they are friendly and outgoing.  The people next to us were playing the banjo and singing, and it was a very pleasant serenade through the evening.

I took a walk around the park without Syd - as one must do if one wants to take photos, and I found this tool sitting forlornly on a big log in an empty campsite.

I'm sure it will come in handy some day!

Finally we got packed up, and did our first proper sewage dump on the way out of the park.  Oh, the joys of having a toilet!

I'm really glad we have a proper toilet.

Barely an hour later we were home.  It's always good to get back after a few days away - and the first shower is the best few minutes under hot water that ever existed!  Haha.

We can't wait to take the trailer out again soon!

Yakima

HOT!  We are just not used to such heat.  Good thing we didn't have to spend much time in the car!

 We stayed put in Yakima all day and another night.  Our first night in the trailer was good - the bed is comfy and we slept well.  Other than it being so HOT!

Before heading over to Mom & Dad's house, I took Syd on a nice walk while Michael puttered around the trailer.  It was quite nice, but HOT!  There's a nice trail system around the park.  We walked on just a short little bit, but look forward to exploring more of the trails when we visit again in the future.

Did I mention it was HOT?  We headed over to the land of air conditioning for a while in the afternoon, it was quite a relief.  Dad showed off his mutant zucchinis for us.  He let one go on purpose, but the other went wild while they were on a cruise to Alaska.  Crazy!

That's a gardener's nightmare, that is.

Life in a state park is interesting.  People run sprinklers...

The camp host is ready for anything!  At least at this park... he was the only host that actually did anything.

And there was one REALLY unhappy camper...

Poor little thing!  We had a good time sitting around visiting with Mom & Dad.  But a sudden - and I do mean sudden - wind storm came in and we had to dash indoors.  It was quite exciting.  We were very happy for the trailer, vs. a tent.  Heh.

Syd had one last adventure - he was on his tether and went chasing after something in the dark - his collar broke and he was running free for a few minutes!  Fortunately he came back quickly, and didn't get sprayed by a skunk (which Michael had seen just a short time earlier).

Disaster averted.

First trip!

We did it!  We just completed our first trip with the trailer - 858 miles start to finish.  Are we MAD?  Apparently so.

But we survived.    We took everything slow and steady, and tried not to get too stressed out along the way - though there were moments!  The next few days I'll be posting about our trip, as I get my photos uploaded to Flickr and can appropriately document our experience.  I've managed the first day, so here we go...

We were headed to Yakima, so of course it was a bit of a long drive.  Over the mountains and through the woods, yadda yadda yadda.  Which meant stopping often of course.

We're so tiny!  I felt like I was towing a big hulk, and then we stopped at the rest area next to the big boys.  All right then.  A bit of perspective.

One thing we are lacking in our Durango is a transmission cooler.  It took a bit of learning, but now I know how to drive properly to handle the hills and not blow out the engine.  The first day was a bit touchy, however, and we sat a spell at the top of the pass to let things cool down.

Sure was pretty up there!

We cooled off and headed down the east side of the montains - and were really glad not to be heading west!  This horrible traffic backup lasted for MILES!  At least five, if not more...

Yucko.

We finally trundled into the Yakima Sportsmans State Park, in Yakima (of course).  I should mention that on the way in we saw an osprey carrying a fish, which was easily identifiable  by it's fins and tail as it dangled from the osprey's talons.

I managed to back the trailer into our site, and we were good to go for a while.  We had dinner with Mom & Dad - did I mention it was 94 degrees?!!  UGH.  I was sweating just sitting in one place.

The big excitement for the evening was when Syd went barking after some creature in the dark, and dragged our little footstool off to the far side of the campsite... and knocked over the coleman lantern - broken.

He looks so innocent, doesn't he?  Haha.

Getting the hang of this!

Today we had to pick up the trailer after having the bearings packed, and we figured while we were out we should fill up the propane tanks (just across the street).

I'm sure you're just dying to find out how it went.

I didn't crash into anything, and even got my first taste of backing up the trailer!  Oh boy.  When we pulled in to Skagit Farmer's Supply for the propane, there was a large motorhome ahead of us.  I pulled in directly behind them, figuring they would just drive away and we could pull in straight away.

But no.  Motorhome guy insisted he needed to back up to pull his motorhome out the other direction - which meant pulling up alongside of him, then waiting for him to get out of there before maneuvering our way closer to the propane fill-up area.

Which required backing up.

Oh boy!

I actually did much better than expected the first time out, and the propane filling guy was very patient.  Heck, he was getting paid to stand there and wait!  Michael is very good at directing, though after he said "other way" about five times in a row I lost track of which "other way" he meant.  Good thing we get along so well!

While we were waiting, I noticed somebody stopped at the light taking a picture of our trailer with their phone.  Then, while I was inside paying for the propane Michael gave a little tour of the trailer to the guy that came up after us to fill a propane tank.  I think this attention is something we're going to have to get used to...

Here's the very exciting moment of propane filling ~

Wow.  Look at that, will you?!!

And here's the first of our trailer admirers - El Sticko.  He was quite impressed with the trailer, and very happy that I didn't run him down.

Now we're ready to really get ready for our first trip.  Leaving in six days!

Tuesday Treasures

1967.

It was a good year, so I hear.  The summer of love and all.  I was only two, so I don't have much in the way of memories of that year.  I probably had a favorite teddy bear, and played with some toys.

But lots of people were making memories with their trailers.  It was the year our trailer was built, and plenty of people were out and about having fun with trailers of their own.


Hook 'em up and hit the road!

Leona had a good time in 1967.  She got out, saw some mountains, and stood near some snow.

 

Leona's trailer, parked in front of her house presumably!  Is that an airplane shadow?


And how about some camping in sunglasses style?

How did they fit all of those people into that trailer?!!!!

Yeah, I know...

I've been obsessed with this trailer.  It's hard not to be!

The more time we spend in it, the happier we are.  The trailer appears to be mostly original, with only the slightest of modifications (crappy flourescent light, anyone?).  Almost zero restoration - just well taken care of!

What a score.

And that means we aren't going to do too much to it.  A bit of cleaning.  Oiling the wood, but no paint.  Lots of touch up work, some new cushion covers and curtains.  But not much otherwise!

We're very excited to both get to work on this trailer and start taking it out on camping adventures.  Soon!

Decompression...

Today I was exhausted.  It's been a bit of a whirlwind, these last three weeks.  From the moment we (I) decided we should get a trailer, to the moment we pulled into home last night was a very quick, intense, STRESSFUL crazy time.

Would I change it in any way?  No.  Well - I'd skip that whole U-Haul debacle.  But it's done and I survived my encounter with a parallel dimension.

The important thing is the trailer is home.  We can deal with any little things now without having to run around too much.  I'm just glad this trailer wasn't too far away!  We can now decompress, and learn all the little nooks and crannies and idiosyncrasies of the trailer before we take it out.

Not to mention, our dog Syd needs to get comfortable in the trailer!

He's not quite sure what to make of it, but was happy enough to hang out with us this evening while we were out there poking around.  He'll have an opportunity to spend a lot of time in the trailer while we're out there, so by the time we actually go somewhere he'll associate it as an offshoot of home.  We can tether him to the trailer hitch.  That will be a good thing.

 He tried to claim a bed, but no.  That one's taken Syd!

Don't worry Syd!  It will seem like home in no time!

Home at last

I'm in a bit of shock at the moment, but it seems that we actually managed to get our new trailer home!  The trip wasn't without a bit of stress - something I'm getting used to these days.

The electrics on our Durango were rewired and working fine, and when we hooked up the trailer everything worked - sort of.  If you held the connection just so.  Every light worked, but  unfortunately the connection was just a bit dodgy and my guess is the first pebble we drove over knocked it loose.  What it left NOT working were the taillights - of course.

Did I mention it was pouring rain today?

Figures.  The one thing that shortens daylight and otherwise makes driving a bit stressful decided to show up the first time I towed a trailer.  Thanks rain, at least you're watering my garden!

Anyhow, we got the trailer hooked up and ready to roll - and headed for our first stop just a mile or so away.  The Shell station, to add air to the tires and check the lights.

Oh.

The lights.  The lights that we got to work just fine when we were sitting in one spot, but which decided to stop working the minute we ran over a pebble.  See!  They're working!

And then they stopped.  Probably two seconds after we started driving.  We knew this was probably the case, but we started for home - it was still light and we wanted to get home as quickly as we could!

We also forgot to put the temporary towing mirrors on (too excited), so I didn't have the best visibility.  We drove quite a ways, but it kept getting darker and darker and eventually somebody flashed us to let us know out lights were out.  We made it to our exit from I-5, and stopped on the shoulder to try and straighten things out.  It was raining, and quickly became clear that the only way to keep the lights on was for Michael to hold the connection in place.  Since it wouldn't be acceptable for him to ride on the hitch, we had to come up with another solution.

HAZARD LIGHTS!

We drove the rest of the way home (as it got darker, and darker) with the hazard lights on.  The brake lights worked too, and so did the turn signals (as long as the hazards weren't on).  Michael coached me on when to switch the hazards on and off, and provided general driving tips.  He's really good with things like that.

And it was still raining like mad.

We finally pulled into our front yard, and I was able to sigh a HUGE sigh of relief.  Michael will be able to fix the electric connection easily.

I'm exhausted.

THREE WEEKS UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR YELLOWSTONE.

The big hitch switch

Which hitch?  This hitch switched out without a glitch.

This hitch didn't fit the fitting on our Durango, and we wanted to upgrade to modern towing technology, so away it went!  We upgraded to this lovely hitch kit.

And we'll be able to tow anything we can possibly dream of!  Not to mention, should somebody rear-end me I'll be in great shape.  They won't!

We had the trailer towing electrical rewired today too - that should take care of everything!  Turns out there was an issue in "THE MODULE."  It has been fixed now.  Our plan is to pick the trailer up on Wednesday and bring it home.

Syd is wondering what the big deal is.

He has yet to learn how this adventure will improve his life.