projectmidge

Restoration of our vintage trailers. 1967 Airstream (Midge), 1957 Silver Streak, and 1961 Holiday House.

Camping Season is Here!!!!!

Boy, did that seem like a LONG Winter!  Rain and snow in May.  That is not supposed to happen.  In addition to no camping, I lost my garden THREE different times!  Crappy May.  I’ve lived here for 25 years, and still plant my garden way too early.  I know better than that, but geez….the first nice weekend in April, and I’ve got to plant my garden.  Not very smart.  Someone PLEASE remind me of this fiasco next April!

We graduated our two sons in May!  Older son graduated from CU-Boulder and younger son graduated from Littleton High School!  We are very proud of our kids and relieved that is behind us.  Having 2 graduates at the same time is exhausting!

Anyway….I know this blog is supposed to be about Midge the Airstream, and it IS.  The thing is, though, our first trip out this year was with the Holiday Rambler.  It was a Tin Can Tourist gathering, and since we took the Airstream to the TCT gathering last year, we decided it was the Rambler’s turn to shine.  Midge is going out next!

Ramblin' On

Ramblin’ On

We camped at the Glenwood Canyon Resort in Glenwood Springs, CO.  (Campground review is at the bottom of this post). Hello, Beautiful!!  Gorgeous, gorgeous area.  All the TCT’ers were camped along the Colorado River.  There were some really cute vintage campers and we met so many awesome people!  The river was high, and it rained.  The resort employees were filling sand bags near us at a frantic pace, which was somewhat disconcerting.  Obviously, we survived.

Colorado River

Colorado River in our backyard 🙂

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Sand bags along the Colorado River

Camp set up

Camping!

The first night we arrived, we were to have a potluck in a central location.  Well, the rains came in and it was pretty miserable.  It was decided to have a “traveling” dinner:  everyone took their plate from trailer to trailer.  It was kind of funny and sad at the same time.  I did not make it to many trailers that first night because it was just raining too much.  Needless to say, everyone had lots of left overs.  We had a crock pot full of Dear Husband’s amazing bean dip and a huge bowl of spicy guacamole.  Not much made it home with us….those are some great left overs!

I’m just going to post some random pictures from the weekend.  Because of the crappy weather, I didn’t take too many pictures.  There were some cray-cray-adorb trailers, though.

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I’m a bit obsessed with our plug in “porch light”.  It is original to the trailer and just makes me smile.  Lord help me if I ever forget to unplug it and put it away….Dear Husband would surely divorce me if we lost it on the road!

Plug In Porch Light

Plug In Porch Light

Princess Nellie won the golden ticket, and got to accompany us on this trip.  At the TCT camp out last year, we had all 4 dogs, and it was a pain in the butt.  We weren’t going to bring any dogs this time, but Dear Husband decided she deserved a special trip.

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Princess Nellie

Tired Camper, Nellie

Tired Camper, Nellie

The rain ended in the evenings, and we enjoyed a couple large communal camp fires.  Lots of drinking and laughing.  Seriously, a fun bunch of people!  While raining, we would enjoy a cocktail or three under our awning.  For the most part, it kept us dry.  There were a few places that it dripped through the seam, but I think if I Scotch Guard it, it should help.

Cocktail Time!

Cocktail Time!

Cocktail Time!

Cocktail Time!

Here is the usual night shot.  I just love my campers at night time 🙂

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Night Time for the Rambler

We headed home on Sunday, June 7th.  Of course, it was a blue sky beautiful day!  It was an uneventful trip, and a beautiful day in the mountains!

Vail Pass

Vail Pass

Please forgive the poor resolution of that picture….damn iphone. (it’s probably my fault, but I like blaming my phone).

Vail Pass

Vail Pass

Glenwood Canyon Resort:

The resort is stunning!  It has beautiful cabins, secluded tent sites, full RV hookups, and a lodge (restaurant/bar) on the main level.  We were on the lower level river front sites.  Electric and Water hookups only.  There is a dump station up near the main bath house.  The campsites along the river are fairly small, but well maintained.  There are some beautiful tent sites along the river, too.  It was great fun to watch the rafters go by.  The cabins look really nice.  The only complaints I heard was the fact that there is not a bathroom or bath house on the lower level, and noise complaints.  It is quite a trek up the hill in the middle of the night if you need to use their facilities.  I was thankful we had a wet bath in the Rambler!  There was a wedding going on at the resort, which I didn’t mind.  It was fun to see the beautiful bride and guests all dressed up.  We could hear the music from the main lodge where the reception was taking place.  Not a big deal to me, but some of our fellow campers didn’t appreciate it.  Also, there are train tracks across the river.  I, personally, love the sound of a train.  I know that is not a popular opinion.  The resort does provide ear plugs if you need them.  It is pricey at $58/night for water and electric only, but we would come back.  They have a zipline and offer rafting tours, also.  Next time we go, we will bring the kids along.  They would love it!  It is a short 3 minute drive in to Glenwood Springs.  They are dog friendly (additional fee) and Nellie seemed to like it :-).

Next at bat:  Midge!  We are taking Midge to Lucy’s Place in LaVeta, CO at the end of June.  We are meeting some friends there.  They are bringing their vintage Avalair camper.  I can’t wait to see it!  I think it is a 1963 Avalair.  It is a silver trailer, too, and I’m excited to see the Silver Sisters camped out next to each other!  I will definitely try to get some decent pictures.  We will go to the Sand Dunes and enjoy a part of Colorado we’ve never been to before!

Stay Tuned!

 

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Projectmidge project :)

I found an old Halliburton Train Case in the bowels of my closet.  I was digging around back there looking for something – I can’t remember what it was and never did find it – and stumbled across this train case.  This belonged to my husband’s aunt in Comanche, OK.  I assume my husband’s father (her brother) bought this for her.  His dad worked for Halliburton for years and years.  It was so long ago, that he was employee number 36!  That is a LONG time ago.  He knew Earl P. Halliburton, the founder of the gigantic corporation!  Pretty cool, Huh?  This train case is probably from the 1940’s.

I intended to try and polish the exterior like the Airstream, but decided against it.  I wasn’t sure it was even possible, and didn’t want to risk ruining it.  I cleaned the years of gunk off of it and it looks pretty good!

If you click on the pictures, they will open up in a larger format :).

The interior was lined with red vinyl.  I tried to clean it, but did not have much luck.  Some of the straps, etc. were torn.  Did you know that old makeup has a VERY strong odor?  Good lord.  The smell on the interior of this thing was incredible!  Even after I stripped out the old vinyl!  I let some “odo-ban” sit in it for a day or two, and it helped quite a bit.  It was not a bad smell, just fancy old lady smell, and Auntie Jeanne was definitely FANCY!

I tore out the old vinyl and relined it with some matching fabric from Midge.  It is really stinking cute.  It is going to come in handy for trips to the showers at the campsite 🙂

That was a quick and easy project!

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Midge’s 1st Tin Can Tourist Rally!

We attended our 1st Tin Can Tourist Rally! It was held July 18th-20th at Mueller State Park in Divide, CO. We had a blast!

There were several adorable campers and the nicest people! Midge was a hit, and it was nice to show her to people that “get it”. You know…..the obsessive and somewhat strange love of vintage campers :).

We brought along the 4 dogs, which seemed like a good idea. We love camping with our dogs. Let’s just say they were a hand full and I don’t think I will take them to a rally again. I didn’t think about how protective they are….and boy, do they like to protect Midge. It was pretty embarrassing and frustrating to give a tour of the camper with the weenies freaking out. Next time, NO DOGS.

I missed getting pictures of a few campers, but believe me….they were all adorable! Here are some pictures:

1950 Boles Aero

1950 Boles Aero


But wait! There is more…click here!

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Happy Holidays From Midge :)

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??

Nixon Bowling

The Dude Abides

A Nixon Bowling canvas for Midge!   Isn’t it awesome!  Obviously, we are fans of The Big Lebowski.

But wait, there’s more! Click here!

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Grand Lake, CO: Elk, Moose, Rain, Snow & “Dark Shadows”

Well, we made our trip to Grand Lake last weekend!  It was a beautiful day, and we took our time admiring the scenery.

1967 Airstream Globe Trotter

Berthoud Falls

1967 Airstream Globe Trotter

I love the reflection on the back window in this picture!

1967 Airstream Globe Trotter

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.

1967 Airstream Globe Trotter  1967 Airstream Globe Trotter

1967 Airstream Globe Trotter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Blog entry continued and amazing elk pictures HERE!

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Stripping and Polishing continued….

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

Stripper Applied

Rinsing. I know, I know. He is standing on the TOP of the ladder. …

The last we will see if the original WBCCI numbers :(

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.

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Ugh….Stripping and Polishing

Well, we have started the filthy and tedious process of stripping and polishing the Globe Trotter.

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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:

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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:

Denver Modernism Show

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Built in Dog Crate/End Table

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!

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A tuckered out Ralphie Rose

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.

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Sibling for Midge :)

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

1965 Holiday Rambler

I love the louvered windows!

But wait, there are more pictures HERE!

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New Axle!

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.

Taking out the old axle.

Dropping the old axle.

Dropping the old axle.

Old Axle....gone!

Old Axle….gone!

Shiny new axle!

Shiny new axle!

New Axle

New Axle

New Axle!  Midge is standing tall :)

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!

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Maiden Voyage Successful!

First trip out of the alley since arriving August 2012

First trip out of the alley since arriving August 2012

Loaded and Ready!

Loaded and Ready!

Midge in the side view mirror!

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

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

Cute Canned Hams for rent

Spartan for rent

Spartan for rent

The Long Long Trailer for rent

The Long Long Trailer for rent

Midge looked quite tiny next to the big Spartan!

Midge 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.

Enjoying the view. We could see the Royal Gorge Bridge from our campsite.

The awning actually worked!

The awning actually worked!

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Trying to get artistic...

Trying to get artistic…

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2 of the 3 weenies

2 of the 3 weenies

Us and the girls hiking at the Royal Gorge

Us and the girls hiking at the Royal Gorge

A tuckered out Ralphie Rose

A tuckered out Ralphie Rose

Nighttime for Midge

Nighttime for Midge

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Our neighbor the Spartan

Our neighbor the Spartan

Beautiful sky

Beautiful sky

The "Boneyard".  Trailers waiting for re-hab.

The “Boneyard”. Trailers waiting for re-hab.

Not sure why, but I like this picture

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!

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We are still here!!!!

Exterior with window covers.

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

A mess of electrical wires

Old Water Heater

Old Water Heater

G U T T E D

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

New Closet

Walls

Walls

Walls and Upper Cabinet

Walls and Upper Cabinet

*Replaced black tank.

*Original bath sink and tub were re-painted with Epoxy paint.

Reinstalling Tub

Reinstalling Tub

Bath.

Bath.

Bath Vanity

Bath Vanity

 

*New toilet installed.

*Installed new curtain track and hardware.

New curtain track.

New curtain track.

*I covered the overhead cabinet doors with fabric.

Upper curb side cabinet.  Doors covered in 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

Curtains & Portable AC

Window Covers

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.

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 and closet.

Fridge.

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

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.

Ikea L Shaped Sofa Bed.

Sofa made in to bed.  The weenies love it!

Sofa made in to bed. The weenies love it!

Here are some additional pics:

Black stain, charcoal boomerang Formica, and fabric.

Black stain, charcoal boomerang Formica, and fabric.

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Winter 2012/2013

Winter 2012/2013

Weenies

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!

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1967 Airstream Globetrotter

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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!

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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