Props: vintage radio

One of the things that we learned attending our first vintage trailer rallies this summer was the importance of having the right props. Sure we had seen photo's of trailers with lot's of stuff that matched a specific theme or time period, but it was a surprise to see how plain our Shasta looked at the rallies. After our first rally I dug up a vintage lantern, thermos, table, and folding chairs to take to the Tin Can Tourists NE rally. These were all things we had stowed away in the garage and basement but still not enough compared to most of the trailers at the event.

As we've been on the hunt for just the right props, one found it's way to us after spending 46 years with my Dad. This is a EMUD Rekord JR radio that he purchased in 1963 while stationed in Germany. The color and lines of it's wood case really match the interior of our '63 Shasta perfectly. I also like that while it seems big it doesn't really block the window when it's sitting on the dinette table, it also fits nice on the counter near the sink if we want table space back.

Good Project?

I'm not shopping for another trailer but ran across this while out the other day and it looks pretty interesting. Looks a bit rough around the edges and few generations of marker lights at the back but given it's age perhaps not too bad. I really like the shape. Can anyone can help identify the make?

Fall Camping in Watkin's Glen, NY

A couple of weeks ago we made it out for one last trip this season. We had been holding off putting the Shasta away for the winter as we had hoped to get out sometime, however we didn't expect it would be the second week in October. We ended up back in Watkin's Glen where we went last year in early September. Being there five weeks later proved to have a significant temperature difference, and while we had a great time I wouldn't go any later without heat. We hiked the gorge again this year and stopped at a couple wineries on Seneca Lake. We also spent some time around nearby Corning, NY where we visited with some old friends and checked out how things are changing down there.

Tin Can Tourists: 2009 NE Regional Rally

A few weeks ago we made it to the Tin Can Tourists rally in New York's Finger Lakes region. We were only able to make for the last couple of days during the weekend, but even so it was a great event to be part of. There were about 60 vintage trailers there in varying conditions. It was really interesting to compare trailers that had over-the-top hot rod style restorations to those that were in original condition or restored to be as-original. The owners were also really interesting, quite a diverse group all drawn together by this obsession with old trailers. Having attended the smaller rally earlier in the year we were able to visit with some folks that we knew already and helped us feel not too much like newbies. I'm still digging through my photo's and have been posting to them to a Flickr photoset as I get through them.

Details

Right before the trip to the Adirondacks I got a bunch of things done on the Shasta, here's some photos of the icebox, and interior panel of the main door. Wondering what happened with the broken screen door latch? My seven year old said to just use gorilla glue. I thought there was no way any glue wold hold the nylon roller together but so far it's held up fine. This weekend I've been doing some more stuff to get ready for the Tin Can Tourist Northeast Rally next weekend. Mostly just lots of cleaning and little things, but one nice detail is that I got the original wall sconce back up and working.

Camping in the Adirondacks

Made it back from a 10 day trip camping in the Adirondacks. Similar to last years trip we traveled about 1000 miles and camped in 3 different locations. This year we stayed in a driveway in Tully NY, at Rollin's Pond near the town of Tupper Lake, and at Eighth Lake between the towns of Old Forge and Blue Mountain Lake. It was a pretty wet week as most of the summer has been for all of New York state. Downpours just about every night and at least some rain on most days. Despite the rain we managed to paddle at some of our favorite spots and new to us in the Saint Regis River and a portion of Lower Saint Regis Lake. At the top of the lake is Paul Smiths, now a college but in the late 1800's it was one of the Adirondacks great paddling destinations. You could really feel the history as we paddled up to a dock at Paul Smiths. We saw three other vintage trailers on the trip, a Shasta similar ours that was coming the other way just east of Watertown, and we saw two silverside Scotty's near Eighth Lake. Our Shasta has been working really well, we had one issue with a turn signal and brake light not working but it turned out to be in the wiring of the car not the camper. We found that the icebox needed a new block or two of ice every 2 to 3 days. There's no room for more insulation, so sometime I'm going to see if I can add a layer of insulation to the inside of the door and look into a tighter door gasket.

Campering?

Been doing a lot of "Campering" the last couple of weeks. Campering is my wife's new term for time spent doing something related to the Shasta but not actually camping. So the changes are less dramatic this year than last but here's some of what we've been up to. The icebox is completely refinished, re-insulated, and installed, it looks awesome but the real test is does it stay cold. Refinished the interior wood panel on the main door, the bottom 10" or so was the only part that was water damaged badly so I cut that out and pieced in an aluminum kick plate-like detail. Added a shelf in the tall closet so that we can get individual clothes bins out without taking all four out in order to get to the one on the bottom. Replaced the mirror with a new piece of glass, the old one was fogged beyond being nice and vintage-like. Added an easily removable rail to the upper bunk, one of the kids actually rolled off and fell to the floor in the middle of the night giving us quite the scare on the last trip. Polished and installed the outside grab handle by the door, it's badly pitted but will do. Greased the wheel bearings. And finally, I somehow managed to break the catch that holds the screen door closed tonight. (I need to figure out how to fix this in the next 14 hours or so.)

Heading to the Adirondacks for a week of actual camping tomorrow!