Here is a quick fun update: Midge has a little spread in the latest Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine! I KNOW. I’m as surprised as you. I think she is glorious, but there are so many more beautiful Airstream examples out there. If you are not familiar with the magazine, it is a great resource for vintage camper information and rallies, and it is a beautifully produced bi-monthly magazine. Check it out!
Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine – Airstream Edition
Midge’s Article
A Sky Blue Sky reflected in Midge.
This blog post is to catch you up on what’s been happening around here since last Fall. We have been busy!
First of all, we had a great trip to Pagosa Springs in October with the Tin Can Tourists. We met more fantastic people, and thoroughly enjoyed the Bruce Spruce Ranch. We will definitely be going back there! It is a commercial campground with full hook ups, but it feels like you are really camping. It’s in a gorgeous area and the RV sites are large and shaded by trees. It’s rustic, but has all the conveniences you would want.
I’m going to post some random pictures from Bruce Spruce Ranch. I did not get a picture of everyone’s trailer, although they were all fantastic!
Walking Lucy 🙂
Bruce Spruce Ranch
Silver Streak!
Jet!
Ooh-La-La! Lucy!
View from Midge’s front window
Getting ready for a party on Midge’s patio!
Beauty at Bruce Spruce Ranch, Pagosa Springs
Midge in all her glory at Bruce Spruce Ranch, Pagosa Springs, CO
Wolf Creek Pass
We had an unfortunate accident on the way home. We had almost made it all the way when Midge had a blow out on I-25!! It was incredibly scary. She is fine, for the most part. The wheel well under the kitchen sink kind of exploded and the gas lines need to be replaced.
Ouch 😦
Damaged wheel well 😦
YIKES!!!
There was no physical damage, other than the wheel well, so we feel incredibly lucky. It could have been much worse.
We had some issues with the local TCT chapter. I am not going to go in to detail here, but the main issue was a controlling and egocentric individual. Several members left TCT because of the issues. Some of my good friends were treated incredibly unfairly, and it was just a bad situation. Because of all the issues we had, and the fact that the national TCT organization would do nothing to help us, we have formed a new camping group. It is called “Friendly Average Campers of Colorado” (FAC). We are on Facebook, and have a Meetup Page. If you are interested in joining, contact us! We already have some trips planned for next summer. It is a casual and laid back group. No politics, no drama. Vintage trailers, dogs and drinking are encouraged, but not required :-).
SILVER STREAK UPDATE:
We have been working on the Silver Streak when time and weather permit.
– We have gutted it and got the new subfloor in. We are going to install bamboo vinyl plank flooring. I don’t have a picture of the new subfloor for some reason. I’ll try to remember to get one and upload it. I’m not making any promises, though.
Bedroom Gutted
Kitchen Gutted
Hallway
Floor
Dining Area Gutted
– George got all the original cast iron plumbing removed and is just about finished installing the new plumbing lines. He loves working with PEX, and it’s going quickly.
Old Cast Iron Plumbing
Bathroom
– I salvaged the dinette seats and have reupholstered them. I purchased Teal Tweed Sunbrella outdoor fabric (on eBay for a steal!), heavy textured teal vinyl (at Colorado Fabrics for KA-CHING $$$$), and black piping for the seats. I could not use the original back cushions, unfortunately. I had to trash those because they had been the home to some varmints over the years, and they were just nasty. I still need to order the foam for the back cushions, but we need to replace the mattresses and I’m hoping we can get a large foam mattress that I can cut in to two bed mattresses and 2 dinette back cushions. Good Lord, foam cushions are expensive! I may just have to order custom sized cushions for the dinette, but I’m going to put up a good fight.
Original Cushions
Dinette Seats Reupholstered with Sunbrella and textured vinyl
– Installed 2 new vent covers. We still have one pesky leak, but I’m sure we’ll get it taken care of soon. THERE IS ALWAYS A DAMN LEAK. I’ve learned not to freak out about it. For the most part. Okay. It is driving me flipping crazy.
– Replaced the 2 windows that were broken. We had a heck of a time figuring out how to remove the old windows. I finally got on the Silver Streak Facebook page and asked. The people are so darn helpful! We had the windows replaced in no time, once we knew what we were doing.
Window Removal
Window Removal
– George has rebuilt the bed frames. We thought we could salvage the original ones, but they had some water damage, and we decided we’d like to start with a clean slate rather than try to repair and cover up the damage. I need to stain them. Amber Shellac was a perfect match for the beautiful golden birch in our Holiday Rambler and I’m hopeful it will be a great match in the Silver Streak. Once I shellac the new wood work, I will polyurethane all the wood so they all have a shiny new look.
So, that is our progress – or lack thereof. It looks a mess, but once we start putting it back together, it will be glorious!
Contrasting awning fabric for scalloped sides.
Curtain Fabric
Upholstery and Awning Fabric
As you can see, we have been busy! We still have so much to do, and hopefully, the weather will cooperate. Our first trip is scheduled for Memorial Day at the Starlite Classic Campground. Our goal is to have the Silver Streak ready for it’s maiden voyage. That is where Midge went for her maiden voyage, too :-).
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. We definitely had a great one! Our oldest son is attending The Basic School in Quantico, VA, but got to come home on leave for Christmas and New Years. It may be the last holiday with him at home for a while, and I was so thankful to have both of my kids here.
Stay tuned for progress on the Silver Streak!
It seems like every trip out this year it rained. Man, I hate camping in the rain – especially with dogs. We noticed that Midge’s awning has started to lose some of its water repellant properties. It is made with great Sunbrella fabric, but with exposure the water repellant degrades. The Holiday Rambler awning was made with a cheap outdoor fabric that never really did repel water very well. Dagnabit! I want the area outside my door to be dry with 4 dogs coming in and out.
I used Scotchguard on the HR awning, and it did absolutely nothing. NOTHING! I decided to buy some “Never Wet” at Home Depot. If you’ve seen the commercials, you know how awesome it looks! Spray it on something, and water and spills just roll off! Amazing. Well, geez…..it SHOULD be amazing – $15 for a tiny 12 oz spray bottle!! I would need at least 5 bottles for one awning! No way. I made my awnings for less than that.
I love the Internet! I did some searching and found a recipe to make it myself for much cheaper!! It was incredibly easy, too.
*Disclaimer: This worked for me. Do a patch test first if you are concerned about the colorfastness of your fabric. Proceed with caution.
WATER PROOF RECIPE
1 quart Mineral Spirits
1/2 tube 100% Silicone
DO THIS IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA, OR OUTSIDE!
Mix well until silicone is completely dissolved (this takes a while). Roll or brush on evenly, completely soaking fabric. Let dry for 24 hours. Use right away, this mixture doesn’t keep very long.
MY AWNING IS 7′ x 10′. I used 1 1/2 quarts mineral spirits, and 3/4 tube of silicone.
How easy is that?! I put a tarp down in my carport, and spread the awning out on it. I used a cheap paint roller. When you put it on, it darkens the fabric, and you will completely FREAK OUT. No worries: it dries clear :-).
Pictures:
Mineral Spirits
100% Clear Silicone. Use 1/2 tube per quart of mineral spirits.
Mineral Spirits and Silicone
Mix until silicone is dissolved.
Lay awning flat.
Apply with cheap paint roller or brush.
Freaking OUT!
Applied!
Leave it alone, and let dry for 24 hours.
We took this bad boy awning with us to Pagosa Springs for the TCT Rally a couple weeks ago. It rained in the middle of the night, and I’m sorry to say I did not get up to take pictures of the rain rolling off the awning. I can say, that in the morning the awning was completely dry, as was the ground beneath it. Everything outside the awning area was soaked. In my pea brain, that means it works. I’m not sure how often I will have to reapply. Hopefully, it lasts a couple seasons.
The Rambler is tucked away for the winter, but I will be doing this for that awning as well.
A couple more pictures of the awning and Midge, just because:
Midge in all her glory
Beauty!
Party on the patio!
Party on the patio!
We are settling in to fall, and will be starting to work on the Silver Streak. Stay tuned!
We headed for Laveta, CO in late June. We camped at an adorable campground called “I Love Lucy’s Place“. We met up with some new friends that we met online via the Holiday Rambler Club. They, also, have a vintage silver beauty : a 1963 Avalair. It is a fantastic and beautiful little trailer! Her name is Dorothy, and she and Midge had a great time together!
Getting ready to caravan to Laveta, CO!
Camping!
We celebrated the life of Don Featherstone, inventor of the pink flamingo yard ornaments. We drank a few cocktails in his honor, and took a few photos.
Flamingos and Cocktails
Midge makes a great cocktail lounge ;-). We turned on the AC and cooled off. The AC works pretty darn well, considering it just a portable unit.
Cocktail time in Midge
We headed to the Great Sand Dunes on Friday. I have never been there. They were amazing! The stream/river that runs along the front side of the Dunes was still flowing, which was a good thing. We took all of the dogs, and without the water to play in they would have been too hot. They all had a blast, and the Dunes are fantastic! I would like to go again some day without the dogs and do more exploring.
The Great Sand Dunes
Sand Dunes with 7 dogs!
Sand Dunes with 7 dogs!
Sand Dunes with 7 dogs!
We also went to Cuchara Dog Bar. Cuchara is about 15 miles from Laveta. It is a dog friendly restaurant/bar, and the town is adorable! It’s like a mini Estes Park :-). This area of Colorado is spectacular! We will most definitely come back to explore some more. I will share some random pictures from our camping trip, and will share some more pictures of Lori and Rob’s Avalair, Dorothy.
The Silver Sisters
Silver Sisters butts 😉
Dorothy in her natural habitat
Midge in her natural habitat.
The guys
Driving to Cuchara
Rock formation on the way to Cuchara
Lori and Rob’s Avalair is amazing! I’ve never seen another Avalair, or even heard of them. They must be pretty darn rare. They named her Dorothy because she came from Kansas :-). She is in wonderful condition! I think she is 20′ long. She seemed much roomier than Midge. It is pretty much original, and they have decorated her to perfection!
1963 Avalair
The Avalair’s (AKA Dorothy) Front Rock Guard
Interior 1963 Avalair
Interior 1963 Avalair
I Love Lucy’s Place is adorable! The people are so accommodating and friendly! Lucy, the owner, is a doll and really made us feel at home. This is a smaller RV resort, but it does not lack in charm or convenience. The bath and shower areas are pristine, and the sites are very well kept. Most of the people we met here were staying for at least 4 weeks, and have been here before. That speaks volumes when people want to come back and spend that much time here. We met some wonderful people from Texas. They had a magnificent great dane. He freaked my 4 dogs out pretty good! He is the size of a horse and a big baby! We are going to try to hook up with them in Buena Vista before the summer ends. The town of Laveta is quaint and beautiful. They have many art and drama productions going on all summer long. We will be sure to come back here. In fact, we may be back in September when Laveta hosts a Celtic Festival. Midge really enjoys Celtic Festivals!
On Sunday we headed home. It was very sad! We met some of the best people on this trip and have made great friends that we will camp with again and again.
A Sky Blue Sky reflected in Midge.
Heading home 😦
New friends!
Next trip out is to Baby Doe Campground near Leadville. It is on Turquoise Lake. We are taking the Rambler. We installed a roof mount AC a couple weeks ago, and need to try it out. It’s really difficult to give equal time to these 2 girls! I always feel guilty leaving one behind! We may need to tow BOTH of them one of these days.
Happy Holidays from Midge!
Well, we had a spur of the moment trip with Midge! We took her to Nebraska for Thanksgiving. She traveled well, and it was really nice to have a place to retreat from all the family mayhem. We were at my little brothers house…with ALL of my family (25 people!). My brother’s wife had just given birth to their 4th child the day before we all arrived. Can you imagine?!?!?!? She was a great sport about it, and my new little niece was beautiful! It was a very special Thanksgiving for my family 🙂
Unfortunately, I was so busy oohing and aahing over the baby and playing Cards Against Humanity with my siblings, that I neglected to get any pics of Midge 😦 I have several pics of the adorable baby, but should probably ask her parents before I post pics of her on the World Wide Web.
We celebrated hubby’s birthday over Thanksgiving also. Guess what he got from me??
The Dude Abides
A Nixon Bowling canvas for Midge! Isn’t it awesome! Obviously, we are fans of The Big Lebowski.
Night time for Midge in Tulsa
We had a fantastic trip to Tulsa, OK for Oktoberfest! Midge traveled well with no major problems. Oklahoma roads are HORRIBLE. We popped a couple rivets, but nothing serious.
This post does not have many pictures of Midge. Most of the pictures are of our wiener dogs! They were a huge hit at Oktoberfest! I figured dachshunds would be fairly common at a German Festival, but we did not see any other weenies.
We met my parents and their friends from Missouri. We had a blast! Lots of great music and wonderful food. Oh, and the beer was pretty stellar, too 😉
Entertaining in Midge.
We did not stay around late in the evening. When my husband watched a guy projectile vomit out side the porta-potty, we decided it was probably time to call it a day.
Midge was so cozy! I love this little trailer more every time we take her out! She is such a breeze to haul and set up.
We stayed at the KOA in Salina, KS on the way to Tulsa. It was a nice campground, but NOISY. It is just off of I-70 and I-135. Lots of truck noise. At Tulsa we stayed at the Mingo RV Park. It was pretty nice, too. It is very large. We were the only small trailer in the whole place. It was filled with huge trailers and motorhomes. I think it was mainly long term campers and oil field workers, but it was fine. We would love to go to Oktoberfest in Tulsa again, although I don’t know if I could put Midge through the pain of those roads! Terrible!
This blog entry is continued HERE!
Well, we made our trip to Grand Lake last weekend! It was a beautiful day, and we took our time admiring the scenery.
Berthoud Falls
I love the reflection on the back window in this picture!
Midge
We stayed at the Elk Creek Campground. It was a great! We arrived Thursday afternoon, and the owners could not have been nicer or more accommodating.
We have been prepping for our trip to Estes Park/Grand Lake for the past several days. We were supposed to leave today. Alas, the weather is not our friend. No roads are open in to Estes Park. The flooding is horrible!
Midge is donning her personalized plate : )
She is loaded and ready to hit the road….if only we had someplace to go. We have rescheduled our trip for 2 weeks from today. Hopefully, the roads will be open and the sun will be shining.
It’s not all bad. I don’t think the fall colors are out yet, and I’m sure in 2 weeks they will be spectacular!
My thoughts are with all the people affected by the flooding. It’s a nightmare up there.
The aircraft stripper from VTS worked GREAT! It could not have been easier. We brushed it on about 3:00 pm and rinsed it off about 6:00 pm SO EASY!
Stripper Applied
Rinsing. I know, I know. He is standing on the TOP of the ladder. …
The last we will see of the original WBCCI numbers 😦
Because we got the stripping done so soon, the polisher arrived this morning and started polishing! He is doing the bottom half today and the top tomorrow. It looks fantastic! It is very interesting to see a professional do it. There is definite skill involved!
Polishing!
Polishing!
Polishing!
I can’t wait to see it completed! I will post the pictures tomorrow.
Well, we have started the filthy and tedious process of stripping and polishing the Globe Trotter.
We are learning as we go along. Probably not the recommend strategy, but it’s working for us. I’m the stripper and he’s the polisher. We are doing a section at a time. The gel stripper that we got at the big box store is not working very well on the clear coat. I have read on AirForums that Citri-strip works pretty good, but I’m having a hard time convincing hubby that it actually works. He thinks the only thing orange juice is good for is VODKA. I can’t really argue with that. We have ordered some aircraft stripper from Vintage Trailer Supply and it should arrive today. It gets great reviews, so I’m hoping it will go much quicker.
Here is where we finished up yesterday:
Not quite 1/2 way. It is only the first phase of polish. Approximately 10 hours of work. It looks so great! The polished aluminum detracts from some of the dents, dings and scratches. I was afraid it would highlight the imperfections, but it doesn’t!
So…..while we were at the truck supply store getting polishing pads and supplies, a gentleman came up to us and gave us his card. He is a truck polisher. He does all the chrome on big rigs. We gave him a call and he came by last night to look at the Airstream. If we get all the clear coat stripped off, he will come and do the mirror polish for a VERY reasonable fee. He will come by on Monday and get to work! So excited to see it done! He will have it done in 2 days.
I am really hoping it goes smoothly. I will be keeping an eye on the polishing crew to make sure nothing gets damaged. If they do a good job, I will post their contact information and our cost. I’m reluctant to post any of that information until we have a polished trailer! Stay tuned!
On a fun note, the Denver Modernism Show is this weekend! It is such a great time! Hoping we will find some great vintage treasures for the trailers!
Here is their link:
My super talented husband finished building a built in dog crate/end table for our little Ralphie Rose. She is quite the chewer when we are not there. We don’t envision leaving the dogs for more than a few minutes, but now Ralphie Rose will be contained and unable to damage any of our hard work. He also finished the shelf that covers the fresh water tank and pump behind the sofa. So glad I married a multi-talented man!
A tuckered out Ralphie Rose
The next major undertaking is stripping the clear coat and polishing. I didn’t think we were going to do it, but the aforementioned husband took it upon himself to polish a small area on the back of the trailer and now we will have to do the whole thing….it looked so great! He was just anxious to try out his new orbital polisher….why did I let him buy that stupid thing?! Oh, well. It will look awesome when it’s all shined up! I will post pics of the polishing mayhem soon.
Well, we have somehow acquired another vintage camper: A 1965 17′ Holiday Rambler!
We bought a 1967 Holiday Rambler 20 years ago when we first got married. It was absolutely PERFECT. It looked brand new. It even had all the manuals and receipts from the original purchase. We loved that little camper so much. Then we had a couple kids and sold it for a new, larger camper. We have always regretted selling it.
A few days ago my husband happened to spot this 1965 Holiday Rambler for sale in Craig, CO, and now it is ours! The inside is in absolutely wonderful condition. The outside could use a paint job and we need to find some new decals and emblems, but it does not need any major work. All major systems are working great! It has new tires, too. I will reupholster the cushions (they are fairly new), and make new curtains. It is so cute and it is such a relief that it doesn’t need any work!
Midge is still my dream trailer and will stay with us in the Denver Metro area for trips based out of there, and the Holiday Rambler will stay at our property on the Western Slope for trips out of there! It’s perfect!
Here are a few pics of the Holiday Rambler….yet to be named 🙂
1965 Holiday Rambler
I love the louvered windows!
This isn’t the sexiest of items or the most glamorous, but it was much needed. My husband jacked Midge up in our driveway and over the course of a weekend replaced her worn out axle. When he pulled out the cutting torch it made my heart stop (he had to cut a couple bolts that wouldn’t budge)….I had visions of Midge in flames, but he knows what he’s doing. It made me quite nervous, but it went really well. He will have to patch some of the belly pan, but not a big deal. Midge is a couple inches taller….but what girl wouldn’t like that?
Taking out the old axle.
Dropping the old axle.
Old Axle….gone!
Shiny new axle!
New Axle
New Axle! Midge is standing tall 🙂
Since we have gotten the new axle installed, we’ve scheduled our next trip with Midge. We will be going to Estes Park and Grand Lake in Mid September! Yay! Hopefully, the leaves will have started to turn. I love Aspens in the fall!
First trip out of the alley since arriving August 2012
Loaded and Ready!
Midge in the side view mirror!
Our maiden voyage to the Starlite Classic Campground in Canon City, CO was a success! We headed out Friday morning, July 5th. We arrived at the campground around 1:00 p.m. The campground is awesome!
Starlite Classic Campground
The wild fire has drastically reduced the tourism in this part of Colorado. It is sad to see so many empty campgrounds. We had a blast, though. The Royal Gorge is beautiful. The amusements and bridge were closed because of fire damage, but you can still hike to the gorge.
The owners of the Starlite were great. They have some amazing vintage campers for rent.
Cute Canned Hams for rent
Spartan for rent
The Long Long Trailer for rent
Midge looked quite tiny next to the big Spartan!
Midge next to the big Spartan
We may be making another trip to the campground in August for their “Trailer Trash Bash”. Check out their website.
Everything worked great in the camper. We had a small leak under the kitchen sink, but it was just a pipe that needed to be tightened. The bed was really comfortable and we had plenty of storage. Now we can’t wait for our next trip!
Here are some random pictures of our 1st outing with Midge:
Enjoying the view. We could see the Royal Gorge Bridge from our campsite.
The awning actually worked!
Trying to get artistic…
2 of the 3 weenies
Us and the girls hiking at the Royal Gorge
A tuckered out Ralphie Rose
Nighttime for Midge
Our neighbor the Spartan
Beautiful sky
The “Boneyard”. Trailers waiting for re-hab.
Not sure why, but I like this picture
I highly recommend checking out this campground. Actually, any of them in the Canon City area. The area is struggling with such a drastic drop in tourism. There is still so much to do here: Ride the train through the gorge, river rafting, hiking, helicopter tours. We will definitely be back!
We have a date for Midge’s maiden voyage!
We booked a few nights at The Starlite Classic Campground near Canon City, CO. They had several cancellations due to the forest fires, and we figured it would be the PERFECT campground for our 1st trip. July 5-7!! I am really excited to see the vintage trailers.
I better get to work! There are still several little things that need to be done before we ROLL.
I tackled the awning!!!! No small feat, let me tell ya. I am not a seamstress. Sunbrella awning fabric is HEAVY. The finished product is 10′ X 7′. It fit in the awning rail perfectly! I don’t have a picture of it in service yet. I still need to purchase some poles for it. I will get some pics after our maiden voyage. Here is a picture of the sewing in progress:
Awning in progress
I need to thank my 16 year old son for assisting me with this. I could not have gotten it done without his assistance in maneuvering and manhandling the bulky fabric. I also would like to give props to my old Kenmore Sewing Machine! The machine is a rock star. I bought it on Craigslist a few months ago….and it is awesome!
I found do-it-yourself awning instructions online. I will try to post a link to the site. It was quite easy to understand.
I will confess now: You know the side panels of the awning? The short little sides that hang down and make the awning kind of cute? WELL…I sewed one side on backwards. I did not realize this until I was finished. I am hoping that it is not noticeable when the awning is up. The fabric is almost identical on the front and back, so I am just going with it as is. I AM NOT RIPPING OUT THAT SIDE AND DOING IT AGAIN. NO HOW. NO WAY.
Now I need to get packing!
We will let you know how the maiden voyage shakes out….hopefully, fun and frolic and zero drama. I am so excited to see Midge in the rear view mirror!
Exterior with window covers.
Well, I am back. Finally! Project Midge has been keeping us very busy this Spring!
We did not give up on her….although there were times we wanted to!
Here is a list of the things we’ve gotten accomplished over Winter 2012 and Spring 2013:
*GUTTED entire trailer. The gaucho couches were not salvageable. They looked ok, but did not function properly and the wood had some water damage from the windows leaking. We saved the bathroom pieces and the overhead cabinets.
A mess of electrical wires
Old Water Heater
G U T T E D
*Repaired a small portion of rotten floor in rear bath.
*Installed new subfloor over the old one.
*Installed yellow VCT tiles. We got a great deal on them at Bud’s Warehouse in Denver. It is an awesome place if you need small quantities of something.
*Cleaned and painted interior walls.
*Re-plumbed with PEX and ran new electrical with new main panel.
*Installed new water heater.
*New window seals and vent gaskets.
*Re-built walls, closets, and kitchen cabinets. We stained all the wood black. Some of the original pieces we kept had water stains, so we opted to go with a dark color.
New Closet
Walls
Walls and Upper Cabinet
*Replaced black tank.
*Original bath sink and tub were re-painted with Epoxy paint.
Reinstalling Tub
Bath.
Bath Vanity
*New toilet installed.
*Installed new curtain track and hardware.
New curtain track.
*I covered the overhead cabinet doors with fabric.
Upper curb side cabinet. Doors covered in fabric.
*I made the curtains and the little window covers/awnings. I need to finish the main awning. We found Yellow/Gray Sunbrella fabric on Ebay for a great price.
Curtains & Portable AC
Window Covers
*Made countertop. We ordered some charcoal boomerang Formica. We used it as a backsplash in the kitchen and also on the shower wall. It worked out really well. We thought about tiling the backsplash and shower wall, but were concerned the tiles would pop off while bouncing down the road.
Kitchen counter and backsplash.
Leaks are pretty much under control. I will not say we got them all, because I have a feeling it will be an ongoing battle.
So, it turns out the original refrigerator was the cause of the electrical short that was making the trailer hot. We junked it and have replaced it with a dorm type refrigerator. We will dry camp with this trailer very little, if at all. We also pulled out the original stove/oven and have replaced it with a small 2 burner gas cooktop. We rarely use the oven, and I would rather have the storage space.
The fridge didn’t quite fit in the original spot so we moved it to the street side across from the galley. I really like it there. We now have a proper “work triangle” in the kitchen : )
Fridge and closet.
Fridge.
We originally thought we could get by without an air conditioner. After working in the glaring sun, we decided that we absolutely NEED AC. We debated purchasing a roof mount, but we really don’t like how they look on the small vintage Airstreams. We opted for a rolling portable AC. We vented it out the floor. It works pretty well!
Curtains & Portable AC
I was originally going to sew the couch or dinette cushions, but we opted to buy a small Ikea L shaped sofa sleeper. The color matches and it fits perfectly in the Globe Trotter! It turns in to a bed very easily and has a huge storage compartment under the chaise.
Ikea L Shaped Sofa Bed.
Sofa made in to bed. The weenies love it!
Here are some additional pics:
Black stain, charcoal boomerang Formica, and fabric.
Winter 2012/2013
Weenies
We are almost finished! We need to check/replace the gas lines, complete some finish work and trim, install new kitchen window (the current one is plexiglass), re-screen the windows, and get the new axle on. Once finished with those items we can head to the hills and CAMP!
We had high hopes of getting the exterior polished and cleaned up, but that will have to wait for another year. I’ve decided the 1967 patina isn’t so bad.
Stay tuned for more ProjectMidge! Hopefully, from the road!
And so it begins…..
Midge came out swinging – while manually maneuvering her into the parking spot my 19 year old son smashed his finger between the hitch and the timber block, and ended up with a trip to the ER and 5 stitches. The next day, while enjoying a cocktail in the trailer with some friends, their 20 year old son came up and got quite a shock when he stood barefoot in a puddle of water and touched the side of the trailer! Somehow the entire trailer was HOT. Oops! He is fine, and we all got a great laugh!
Immediate Plans: Safety inspection of electrical wiring (ya think?).
Next we will be removing the gaucho sofabeds and cabinetry to install a new subfloor. Not sure what our new flooring will be: VCT Tiles, Rubber Flooring, Cork, Bamboo???
Our 1967 Airstream 20′ Globe Trotter arrived home in September 2012! She was rough, but original and complete!
As Found:
Coming Home. Rabbit Ears Pass, Routt County, Colorado:
Coming Home!
The blog puts the most recent posts at the top of the page. If you’d like to see restoration from the beginning, go to the archives over there –> on the side bar.
In the summer of 2013 we acquired a 1965 Holiday Rambler (18.5′). I have included the renovations of this camper as well.
To contact me via email, click on the “ABOUT” tab.
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