projectmidge

1967 Airstream Globetrotter

by projectmidge

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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The Holiday House’s Big Reveal

by projectmidge

It’s been 7 months since I have updated my blog :-/. I meant to post several times, but we were BUSY! Finishing this little beast of a trailer took quite a long time, but it was worth it! We’ve already been on the maiden voyage to our favorite campground in Grand Lake – Elk Creek Campground. It’s the best! As well as exhibiting at the Denver Modernism Show in August – guess who won the “Best Vintage Trailer” category???? Your looking at him! Private Idaho! Our 1961 Holiday House!

We’ve, also, taken the 57 Silver Streak to the Royal Gorge for Memorial Day (for shits sake – it was SO. DAMN. HOT.) and to Devils Tower, WY/Deadwood, SD. Midge, our 67 Airstream Globetrotter, got to go to Glenwood Springs and Estes Park for Scotfest! We didn’t get as many trips in this season because of the Holiday House project, but still had some great adventures :-).

We sold our sweet little 1965 Holiday Rambler last spring :-(. It was a tough decision, but a vintage trailer needs to be used and loved, and unfortunately, the HR was always the last to get a trip. We sold it to a nice couple in Cheyenne, WY. They promised to attend one of our FAC rallies so we could check on the trailer – haven’t seen it yet…GRRRRR. I may have to take a road trip to Wyoming to make sure they are taking care of her.

I know you are here for the pictures, so settle in. It’s been so long since I’ve posted that I’m going to load this page with pics! Sorry if it takes forever and a day to load. I’ll start with the Holiday House restoration pics then I will post a few pics of our other trailers and travels at the end.

Ready? Here comes Private Idaho:

Aluminum Bath Unit/Closet and Curtains Installed

Teeny Bath

Vintage Metal Kitchen Cabinets & Ugly Stove Top

The stainless stove top is in horrible condition – it is stained and pitted. We’ve been all over Denver trying to find someone to fix it, but no one is willing to help. Dear Husband made me an awesome stove cover out of the starburst laminate, which is a fantastic solution until I find a different stove top or find someone that is willing to fix this one.

IKEA small metal cabinets

Some Notes: The turquoise metal kitchen cabinet came from our garage! We have a whole set installed out there for storage. They are the coolest cabinets and I’m so glad we could use them in the Holiday House :-). The bottom section with the glass doors even light up! I know!!!!!!!! The little square cabinets are from IKEA. They are small, but great storage for coffee and dog treats! They were white, so I just spray painted one of them yellow.

The counter top laminate is a custom design. I made the design based on Franciscan Starburst and WilsonArt printed it for me. It was expensive, but I saved much $$$ on fabric and upholstery. It was my splurge. Dear Husband’s splurge was installing roof top AC. During the hottest camping trip in the world to Hades, er….I mean Canon City, he was scarred for life.

Vintage Singer Rocketeer 500A & Kenmore 158.904

Have I told you how much I adore vintage sewing machines??? I think I have 10 now. I had 11, but gave one to my sister in Chicago. She does costuming for theater productions and needed a good work horse. At any given time I had 3 vintage machines going: my gorgeously handsome Singer Rocketeer 500A, my beautiful lavender/beige Kenmore 158.904, and not pictured here my atomic turquoise and white White 804. It makes sewing projects so easy when you have multiple machines with different threads ready to rock and roll! These babies knocked out all the cushion upholstery, throw pillows, curtains and awning with ease. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Scout out Goodwill and ARC. I usually find them for $20 – $30 :-). They are all metal and amazingly easy to work on.

Amazing front window and freshly painted fiberglass “eyebrow”

I can stare at this picture for hours. Not even kidding.

Rebuilt door. Getting ready to remove plastic sheeting!!!

George had quite a time rebuilding this door. It was so rotten! It turned out great, though :-).

Holy plastic sheeting, Batman!!! Er – I mean George ;-P

This was probably the most fun you can have while rebuilding a trailer (with your clothes on anyway). It’s almost as satisfying as peeling your skin after a sunburn. I know that’s gross, but the only analogy I could come up with.

Ta-Da!! That’s SHINY!

Next up – MAIDEN VOYAGE!!!! Elk Creek Campground in Grand Lake, CO. Seriously, one of our most favorite places. I highly recommend it :-).

Hey-OOOOO! Holiday House in the side view mirror!

You don’t even know how excited I was. I don’t know how George got us to Grand Lake without driving off the road. I spent the entire trip looking in the side view mirror. Not sure how he kept his eyes on the road ;-).

Berthoud Falls

We stopped at Berthoud Falls to get some pictures. I had to pee really bad, so George said just use the bathroom in the trailer. Well – ok. I was the first to pee in there! It was an interesting experience, and all I can say is it’s like peeing in a coffin. That space is TINY. Works in a pinch, though. I know, I know … TMI.

Top of Berthoud Pass

Good morning, Private Idaho!

Awning #4! I love, love, love this awning!

Good evening, Private Idaho

ElGato Gomez Artwork. I love her!!!

Matching Bar Cart 🙂

We had some laminate left over, spray paint, and an old bar cart that needed some love – voila!

Private Idaho at night

Goodnight, Handsome.

How many people can you fit into a 1961 17’ Holiday House?

TEN – If you count the photographer! ELEVEN – if you count Ranger, the best yellow lab in the whole world 🙂

The trailer was great! We were happily surprised that the cushions are actually comfortable to sleep on. The bed is a pain in the a$$ to make. I just need to do it a few more times. I don’t have a system down yet, so it’s very frustrating. Once I’m accustomed to doing it, it won’t be so bad. Also – not a good idea to try to do it for the first time after having several cocktails. That could be part of the problem I was having :-/. I neglected to take a picture of the bed made. Next time we take it out, I’ll snap a few pics. We had an electrical issue the 2nd day. Evidently a wire nut had come loose in the wall, so we didn’t have lights in the front 1/2 of the trailer. Unfortunately, Dear Husband had to cut into the paneling above the stove to fix the issue :-(. It was fairly devastating for him – he loves that paneling! We ended up putting a piece of stainless over the hole, and it actually looks like a very intentional backsplash behind the stove. No biggie.

Finally – our awesome trailer group, Friendly Average Campers of Colorado (FAC) exhibited 17 trailers at the Denver Modernism Show in August. As always, it was an absolute blast! It’s an exhausting few days, but my gosh – we are a fun group! My sister came out from Chicago to attend, which was a treat for me! And, look! Midge got to go to the big dance, too! This her first time attending the Modernism Show :-). Don’t they look amazing together?!

Midge and Private Idaho’s Big Date

Thank you, Sunday Afternoon Car Klub!

Private Idaho’s major award!

Modernizing with my sis and niece 🙂

Private Idaho got his special plate the day before the big show 🙂

So, there is my Holiday House update! We still need to add some paint to the exterior – not the entire thing, just in some specific areas – primarily the back top 1/4 of each side and a stripe from the back to the front point. It’s gorgeous as is, and we’ve had people lose their mind when we mention it. I’m leaving that up to Dear Husband. I will love it either way :-).

So on to our travels with Miss Behavin’ (1957 Silverstreak) and Midge (1967 Airstream Globetrotter):

Memorial Day Weekend was the FAC kick off to summer event at the KOA at the Royal Gorge near Canon City. It was fun – but good lord it was hot. EVERY. DAMN. Day. Of course, we took the Silver Streak which doesn’t have AC. It was so brutal I ended up renting a KOA cabin for a couple days because it had a window air conditioner. We called it the “dog cooler” and at one point had 8 dogs and their humans inside. We have changed the location for next years kick off to summer gathering: It will be in beautiful (and shaded) Salida, CO! Can’t wait!

Trying to stay cool at the Royal Gorge KOA

FAC at the Royal Gorge KOA: potluck, raffle, and white elephant exchange 🙂

Royal Gorge KOA “dog cooler”

Next up – We took Midge to the Glenwood Canyon Resort in beautiful Glenwood Springs! It was another FAC gathering, although not as big. We camped right on the Colorado River and it was gorgeous! And – COOL!

Heading to Glenwood Canyon Resort

AAAAAH!!! Shade along the Colorado River!

Last, but not least – we took the 57 Silver Streak to Devils Tower, WY, then on to Deadwood, SD. We stayed at the Devils Tower KOA – which was so nice! Our site had the best view of Devil’s Tower! It was so cool! Every night the campground shows the movie “Close Encounters” on an outdoor screen. It is one of the nicest campgrounds we’ve been to :-). It was over 100 degrees when we got there, but not to fear! My amazing husband rigged up a red neck window air conditioner and it worked flawlessly! We went on to Deadwood to meet up with some FAC members at the Fish N Fry Campground in Deadwood, SD. This is another one of our favorite campgrounds! The people are so nice and the area is so much fun to explore!

I love this image!

And this one, too

Devils Tower!!!! (And Georgie Boy)

Redneck AC

FACers at the Fish N Fry!

We said goodbye to our beautiful little Holiday Rambler last spring. It was so sad! Even Dear Husband got a bit misty eyed as she pulled away. We adore that little birch beauty!

Ramble On, beautiful.

One final thing – I will be astonished if anybody gets this far – this has been a marathon post! Once again, I have sad news to share. We lost another of our beloved doxies last spring. That is 2 of our loves gone in 3 months. Our beautiful 13 year old, Nellie, put up a brave battle with congestive heart failure for over a year, but it finally got the better of her. She was George’s rig dog when we had our drilling company and was his right hand girl for everything else. She was a beautiful, bossy, and loving little girl. She was royalty! A few years ago, she was crowned QUEEN of Dachtoberfest in Denver! And, boy did she love that! Our hearts were crushed into a million pieces. I never wanted another dog – just didn’t think my heart could take another loss. George had other plans – as usual. In May we brought home a 9 week old long haired mini-doxie! His name is Georgie (I know, I know), and he is the sweetest and funnest little boy!! I still miss my girls, Lucy and Nellie, but it is fun to have a little pup around again. I’m hoping my future blog posts won’t have to end with sad news. I think this is the 3rd in a row :-(. I envision Lucy and Nellie running free with no pain or sickness and it makes me happy knowing they are together again.

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We are still here! The Holiday House is rising from the ruins!

by projectmidge

So….Yeah. I suck at keeping this blog up to date. I had many good intentions and failed miserably. If you still care, I’m here to post some updates on the Holiday House progress! Finally! We have, actually, gotten so much accomplished. Ok, Ok, Ok…my Dear Husband has gotten so much accomplished. Me, not so much. Ready?

When we last left you, dear reader, I believe this is where we were:

P1060062 Yikes! I remember that – scared the bejeebus out of me.

We are on the downhill side of this rehab, believe it or not :-).

George consistently amazes me with his skill set. He’s single handedly built or fabricated everything. Craigslist has been his friend, and he has added several items to his tool collection – a huge table saw, drill press, and band saw to name a few. Not sure how we accomplished the rehab of the other 3 trailers without these tools….

Items completed:

~Installed new belly pan. This consisted of cutting rolled aluminum to size and attaching to the frame. We then added insulation and framing to hold the subfloor.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

~Installed Subfloor and Marmoleum Flooring. We ordered some really cool Marmoleum flooring! It is Marmoleum “GRAPHIC” 5301, sgraffito. I adore it!

Installing Subfloor

Marmoleum Install

Marmoleum Install

As you can see, above, we had the back wall and bathroom temporarily in place to be sure everything stayed square.

~Installed the framed walls! YES! These were such a headache for George! So much trial and error to get the fit just right. If you remember – the original framing disintegrated when we pulled the siding off the trailer, so we didn’t have an accurate template to use. Holiday Houses are so cool because of the angles, but that makes them a bit of a nightmare, too, if you have to fabricate them blindly. Once again – Dear Husband amazes me!

Wall Framing

Wall Framing

Walls!!

Walls Installed!

~We used African Mahogany paneling. It is such gorgeous wood, with an amazing grain. We used amber shellac to highlight the grain and give it a rich color. I’m really happy with how it turned out :-).

African Mahogany paneling

Paneling and bath/closet

Ceiling

We, also, used satin polyurethane as a final coat. It gives it a slight sheen, but it isn’t too shiny. Once the side walls were up, we installed the ceiling. Then we could frame out the wet/bath and closet area.

~We could not get the original referigerator to work :-(. We could, however, save the original fridge door. We retrofitted it to a dorm fridge and it works great! More than likely, we will always be hooked up to power with this trailer, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Cutest Fridge door in the world!!!

~We decided to change the floor plan of this Holiday House. The original floor plan was: dinette in front, kitchen on road side, gaucho couch on curb side across from wet bath. In doing some research, George saw a Holiday House floor plan showing a U shaped dinette/lounge in front with the kitchen on the curb side across from wet bath. We decided we liked that floor plan better, so we reworked the plans to make it work. The U shaped dinette will turn into a full sized bed with storage beneath the benches. The original floor plan had 2 sleeping areas – the dinette and the gaucho couch – but, we decided we only need 1 sleeping area, and I like the larger kitchen area. Because of the new configuration, George will add a couple springs to the curb side axle, to assist with the additional weight on that side.

~Installed new custom laminate counter tops and vintage style metal edge banding. They really brighten up the space and have a fun atomic design.

Kitchen

New countertop and metal edge banding

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~All new electrical is installed. We added more outlets and charging ports for all the tech stuff. We still need to install a couple light fixtures, and the Fantastic Fan. We are going to install the fan in the ceiling of the wet bath instead of in the middle of the main living area. The wood ceiling is so pretty we decided not to mar it with an ugly fan. George installed some cool foot lights throughout the trailer. They are from a 1961 Lincoln. He, also, installed a sweet stereo system and speakers. It’s going to be a great place to hang out!

Lounge/Stereo area

Cool foot lights and subwoofer

Kitchen, bath, rear speakers

U Shaped Lounge Area

~We have received the new curved front windows. We found a man in California that makes them. He was coming out to Colorado for an event, and brought them to us, which was great! Saved us a butt load on shipping costs! The original flat glass front window is in good condition, so we didn’t have to replace that one. In fact, all of the original windows are in good condition. The door is missing a couple louvered pieces of glass, but they shouldn’t be a problem to replace.

That is a brief update on the ridiculous amount of work performed by my handsome and talented husband. I know there are many steps left out – I spared you some of the gory details and mishaps.

Still to do (in no particular order):

Finish plumbing installation.
Install Fantastic Fan
Run Gas Lines to stove and water heater
Install front window wrap around counter
Paint and install fiberglass eyebrow piece
Build and install upper kitchen cabinets
Install new aluminum skin
Paint skin panels (some will be left polished)
Sew Cushions for U-shaped lounge
Sew Curtains / hang curtain hardware
Sew Awning

We need to find a replacement stove top for the original Princess Stove/Oven. The original stove top is too far gone. Hopefully, we stumble across one in the next few months. If not, we may see about getting the original one powder coated with high heat material.

That’s my Holiday House update!!!!! As Dear Husband has stated to me: I need to get my ass sewing :-/. Yep, I guess I do.

Since my last update we had some amazing camping trips! Our Friendly Average Campers group is the bomb – we had so many great camp outs with them! They are a super fun group!! We displayed at the Denver Modernism Show in August, too! I guess I need to post about that, and show you the trailers we had on exhibit. Once again, the trailers were the hit of the show! I’ll try to get on that….

I need to add one last thing: We lost one of our beloved pups right before Christmas (I’m beginning to hate the holidays). Our dear sweet dachshund, Lucy (9), died suddenly on 12/15. She was the sweetest little girl. She adored camping! Her excitement was contagious when we would ask “who wants to go camping?” She would be the first to jump in the trailer or the pickup. It’s going to be sad without her this coming camping season. I love you, Lu-Lu Belle.

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The Holiday House Horror:

by projectmidge

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve made a blog entry! I guess it’s been busy around here. We went on a few more camping trips after the Modernism Show – Estes Park for Scotfest, Grand Lake for fun, and Palisade for WineFest. The Silver Streak was the house on wheels for all of those trips. It’s just so darn comfortable!

Representing at Scotfest in Estes Park!

Gathering of the Clans

On the road to Palisade WineFest

Party Lights in Palisade

Partying with the gang

James M Robb State Park

So, you remember how we bought a 1960 Holiday House? Before we could begin work on it, we had to enlarge the garage door to get her inside. Our garage had 2 small doors, and we decided to enlarge it to fit a single, bigger garage door. The garage is cinderblock and it was quite the undertaking. Of course, George did it himself. So glad he’s got mad skills.

These pics aren’t great. There is another door behind the Silver Streak. As you can see, there was no way to get a trailer in there:

It was daunting….cutting that cinderblock, and praying that the garage wouldn’t collapse before we got the header installed. No worries…the door was installed with very little drama. Here are a few pics of the process:

So, at long last the Holiday House is at her new home!

As we began to look more closely at the trailer, we realized it was an even bigger project than we had originally thought. The wood rot was incredible. Once we pulled the outer skins off, the framing DISINTEGRATED. Now, we knew we were going to replace the framing, but we assumed we would have the original to use as a template. Well, that wasn’t possible….the walls, literally, fell apart. UGH. It’s hard to believe this was towed to Denver from Idaho! The trailer gods were smiling on this little Holiday House during that trip.

Have I mentioned how happy I am that I married a handy guy? George was very apprehensive to start this. He putzed around the garage for weeks….looking at the trailer, then finding something else to work on (it’s a surprise for a later blog post. It’s pretty cool, I promise it will be worth the wait). Eventually, he dove in head first to this little horror show. Removing the front window was scary, but we got it done and didn’t damage the fiberglass “eyebrow” thing. Wooo Hoooo!

He ended up building the new side walls right next to the trailer. He would then attach the framing to the old walls, and tweak it until it was just right – or at least as right as it could be considering there were pieces missing from the original. It was a long and tedious process. When the framing was complete, it was sitting right next to the original trailer – it was pretty cool looking.

We pulled the bath unit out of the old one and did a test fit in the new framing, and – holy crap! – it fit perfectly! That’s pretty amazing considering that the bath unit is in the rear of the trailer and there are all sorts of crazy angles. The true test was fitting the front window frame – more damn angles, and this HAD to be perfect – it’s the thing that makes these trailers so amazing. I don’t need to tell you, we were pretty freaking nervous.

Once the frame was constructed we could finish the demolition. So much rot and nastiness! We are planning to install the original the stove and fridge. The fridge is gas only, and does not work. We are going to figure out a way to either put new “guts” in it, or try to retro-fit the door on a new fridge. George wanted to just get a new fridge, but I had to slap that idea down hard…the original fridge door and vents are so cool! Getting the original floor off the frame was a “pain in the ass” according to my patient spouse. Evidently, the David and Harry Fruit Company didn’t want these trailers to be torn apart easily.

While tearing the roof off, we uncovered a little bit of history:

Our title states this is a 1961 Holiday House, but according to the magic-marker-wielding builder, this is a 1960. It says “Harry & David, 17, 6/23/1960”. Cool beans.

Once everything was torn off, we prepped the frame with some rust inhibitor and then painted it. We are now ready to start building it back up! Yay!!!

From this point forward, our plan is to take several pictures from the same vantage point and then stitch them together in a “time lapse” fashion. Of course, just because that is our plan doesn’t mean it will actually happen. It will be a minor miracle if the camera doesn’t get lost or broken….did you notice how pristine and organized that garage is? NOT. I’m so excited to see this Holiday House come together!!! I will try to post more frequent updates.

On a side note: Besides all these goings on in trailer rehab land, I lost my dad right before Christmas. He fought a brave and valiant battle with cancer. He got such a kick out of these trailers. I credit him with my willingness to learn new things and give anything a try – at least once. He was a successful business man and entrepreneur. He did so many things in his life….selling seed corn, being a bank president, starting his own trucking company, racing sprint cars, and when he got bored in retirement he got his real estate brokers license at age 70. He was successful at most things, and failed at a few. There was no shame in that as long as you learned something. Doing something and failing is not something to regret – but never trying anything new is. I love you, Dad.

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Mid Mod Trailer Trash at the Denver Modernism Show! And Updates!

by projectmidge

Since my last blog post, we have had an exciting couple of months! So many camping trips – Paonia State Park with the Holiday Rambler; Leadville and LaVeta with Midge; and Leadville again with Midge AND the Silver Streak (we took both trailers and camped with my brother and his family); Salida with Midge (my first solo trip!). It’s been a fun summer!

To top it all off – my merry band of misfits, the Friendly Average Campers of Colorado, exhibited several trailers at The Denver Modernism Show, August 26th and 27th!

All is can say is…..WOW! This group has some amaze-balls trailers. Holy cow! I will post pics of them all….they were so beautiful! And, I must say…..we were THE HIT of the Show. So many people! Everyone was so nice, and truly appreciated being able to tour the beautiful trailers and visit with the owners. It was a great experience. In fact, we got several new members over the weekend :-). One of the attendees touring trailers Friday night asked if they could bring their vintage Shasta on Saturday morning and display it! Of course, we said yes! I did not get a picture of them with their trailer, but it is the red/polished aluminum Shasta in the pics below. We will be back next year with even more fantastic trailers!

(If you click on the pictures below, they will enlarge.)

FACers!

Jean’s 1954 Boles Aero

Bobby & Jessica’s 1961 Shasta

Bob & Vicki’s 1962 Nomad

Jim & Mary’s 1968 Airstream Tradewind

Susan & John’s 1950 Boles Aero

Tracy & Tom’s 1962 Streamline Duke

Kathleen & Randy’s 1965 Konkwest

Todd’s Custom ’62 VinStream

Our 1960 Holiday House

In case you didn’t notice, we displayed the Holiday House (AS-IS!!! Ewwww!) Dear Husband thought it would be a great idea. He thought people would really get a kick out of it. I thought….”um…NO. It’s gross! It’s falling apart! No one wants to see that!” Well, he was right and I was wrong. Yeah. I just admitted that. (SIGH).

We polished the Silver Streak, and she looked drop dead gorgeous. (I’ve put some “before” and “after” pics at the bottom) It’s amazing what some spit and polish can do for these old gals (ok, ok…..we didn’t spit on her). All the ugly black marks are gone, and she is sparkly! Oh, and, obviously, “it” is a “she” and her name is “Miss Behavin'”.

RubyLane.com was there and did a live feed tour of our beautiful girl:

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The trailers were displayed Friday night and all day Saturday. The vintage car show moved in on Sunday morning, so the trailers had to pull out Saturday night. I was asked to leave my trailer for the car show, which I didn’t mind one bit….saved me from hauling a trailer home after a very long couple of days. Well….as luck would have it, there was a “trailer” category in the car show, and little “Miss Behavin'” won!! (Um, yes…..she was the ONLY trailer there, but still!). The car guys told me she would’ve won anyway, and I choose to believe them ;-).

Our next trip is in a couple days! We are heading to Estes Park for Scotfest! It is so much fun! I’m pretty excited. We are taking Miss Behavin’ this time. She is all prettied up and ready to roll.

We winterized Midge after our last trip to Salida. I don’t think we’ll be taking her out any more this year, which makes me kind of sad. I do love her.

Dottie and Midge @ Turquoise Lake

Turquoise Lake

Our poor Holiday Rambler only got 1 trip this year! We took it to Paonia State Park and met some friends who, also, have a vintage Holiday Rambler. Theirs is a mansion compared to our little 18 footer, but they looked so cute together!

Ramblin’ On!

Holiday Ramblers

I l love these trailers!

We have a few more trips planned this fall, so we may take the HR out again (Palisade Winefest, Grand Lake, and Lathrop State Park). I love this little trailer, too! It’s beginning to be a problem – having so many trailers. I feel like I’m mistreating the ones that get left behind :-(.

Dear Husband is in the process of enlarging our garage door so we can get the Holiday House inside for the renovations. It’s going to be a big job, but being inside will make it much easier. We rehabbed all of our other trailers outside, which is such a pain. The weather never cooperates, which makes it difficult to get anything done. We’ve named the Holiday House, “Astro”. It’s got such a futuristic Jetson’s vibe! So, I think that means we have 2 girl trailers (the silver beauties), and 2 boy trailers (the Holiday’s).

Here are some before/after pics of the polishing. I love our polishing guy! He’s amazing.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

So that’s my update! Whew! It has been busy, busy, busy…..and FUN, FUN, FUN!!

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My own Private Idaho: 1960 HOLIDAY HOUSE!!!!

by projectmidge

You read that correctly.

We are the proud, and quite frankly, awestruck, new owners of a 17′ 1960 Holiday House. The Holy Grail. The Silver Tuna. The most unbelievably cool trailer that ever rolled off an assembly line. I KNOW.

“How?” You ask? Sheer luck and good karma. Dear Husband’s brother works with the lovely gentleman that had it for sale. We went and looked at it, thinking…there’s NO WAY. We already have 3 vintage trailers, we don’t need another project. And, besides…..we could never afford one. Seriously, I never thought I’d see one in person, let alone be able to actually buy one! Well, the lovely gentleman was anxious to get rid of it, and understood our love for these old beauties. He agreed to sell it to us for a very good price, and now she’s OURS!! I KNOW!!!

She ended up in Brighton, CO, but had spent most of her life in Idaho….hence the name. She is my own Private Idaho….my special place ;-). Well, she will be, eventually.

Before you get all excited, please realize that this little gal is in poor shape. She’s going to take a lot longer to rehab than our other trailers. Dear Husband is trying to figure out how we can get her in our garage and take our time with her while out of the elements.

We need to replace, or repair, everything. We will need to take it down to the frame and rebuild it. It is going to be our biggest challenge yet, but I think we’re ready to tackle it. I am going to post several pictures showing the state she’s in. She’s not much to look at, but I love her:

For those of you that have never heard of a Holiday House, I will give you a brief history and share a few pictures I found on the inter webs of gorgeous restored models.

The excerpt below is from OldTrailer.com . Please check out their website….it has loads of great info on old trailers.

“David Holmes, President of “Harry and David” (mail-order fruit baskets and gifts) was looking for ways to keep his workers busy during the January to July “off season”. Capitalizing on his life-long interest in travel trailers and modern design, he decided to employ his skilled workers in the production of a new travel trailer with a very modern and daring design. Holmes’ new “Holiday House” travel trailers were based on the standard aluminum skin over a wood frame design, but the overall styling was very progressive and “space age” and a huge departure from the familiar “canned ham” styles being produced by most other travel trailer manufacturers. Holiday House trailer production began at the Medford, Oregon plant on November 2, 1959, and reached full production level in February 1960. For 1960, Holiday House production included 17ft. and 19ft. models as well as a dual axle 24ft model. For model year 1961, the company strengthened the chassis, enlarged the bathrooms and lengthened the 17ft and 19ft models by one foot. Although well made and very stylish, Holiday House travel trailers were priced higher than most of the competition, so less than 200 units were manufactured for the 1960 and 1961 model years, before production ceased in January 1962. Besides the daring Holiday House with its “Googies” decorations and style, David Holmes is also famous for the super-modern limited-production “Geographic” travel trailer he began designing in mid 1960 as a “Trailer For The Rich”. Designed in conjunction with BMW race car designer Chuck Pelly, the Geographic’s styling was unlike any other travel trailer and was way ahead of its time. With a price tag of almost $8500, less than 10 of these strikingly futuristic all fiberglass marvels were ever made. Tragically, the original fiberglass molds survived a factory fire on June 17, 1962, only to be discarded in 1985 when the Harry and David company was acquired. Only one Geographic travel trailer survived, and a complete restoration in 2007 retained the original teak woodwork, Norcold refrigerator, Magic Chef oven and dual “fold out” Magic Chef cook tops. In 2010, this lone surviving Geographic was listed for sale for $135,000.”

Here is the eye candy:

ABOVE PHOTOS ACQUIRED FROM OLDTRAILER.COM

I told you I had some exciting news!!!

We still have some things to finish up on the silver Streak exterior. We need to replace the belly pan, polish it, and attach our new emblems. I really would like to display it at The Denver Modernism Show in August, but we need to get her up to par first.

Dear Husband is getting Midge fixed up from the blowout, finally. We haven’t had her out yet this year, and I miss her.

Needless to say, the Holiday House is going to be a marathon and not a sprint. I will post updates here as we begin the process.

1967 Airstream Holiday House Holiday house trailer

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Friendly Average Silver Streak Clipper

by projectmidge

Believe it or not, we got the inside finished in time for our Friendly Average Campers of Colorado 1st rally over Memorial Day Weekend. It was a mad dash to the finish line, and my beautiful old girl performed flawlessly. (A big shoutout to our member, Sadie Lane, for taking the beautiful picture above).

We took over the Starlite Classic Campground in Canon City, CO. We had 65 attendees and approximately 30 trailers. It was so much fun! There were a few people staying at the campground who were not members of our crazy little club, but I do believe they have since joined ;-). We are a fun bunch, and were happy to include them in the festivities.

We had a live band (thanks to one of our members – thanks Mark W.), a raffle with vintage and new goodies, a fantastic potluck dinner, and loads and loads of fun. I’m very proud of our happy band of misfits. I need to give a big thank you to Sylvia and Larry, owners of the Starlite, for accommodating us and allowing us to host our 1st ever get together at their campground.

I will post pics of the finished Clipper and some random shots from the weekend. We have so many fantastic members with beautiful vintage, and not-so-vintage trailers. I don’t have pics of every one of them, unfortunately. If you are interested in seeing more pictures of our members trailers, or just to check out our new group, please join us on Facebook or Meetup. I know that I am biased, but I believe we have the greatest trailer group in all the land!

First up….The Clipper:

Hallway/Bedroom

Stove/Kitchen

Bedroom

Hallway/Dinette

Dinette

Kitchen/Counter/Sink

I am happy to report, we had no problems with any of the interior workings of the old girl. We realized that we needed to get better clearance for this trailer – we were scraping the bumper while exiting our alley. In order to achieve this, we took the trailer to our trailer repair place and had them flip the axle. It gives us an additional 4″-5″ of clearance which makes a huge difference.

Below are pictures of the inaugural FAC gathering, in no particular order (obviously). As you can see, a great time was had by all!

So…..we have big news. Again. It’s the biggest news EVER. Stay tuned…..I’ll spill the beans in the next few days ;-p

1967 Airstream

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Holy Coolness, Batman! Midge Is Famous!!

by projectmidge

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

1967 Airstream Airstream Airstream Globetrotter

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Finishing Up The Silver Streak

by projectmidge

Dear Husband successfully removed the one good emblem, and we sent it off to be reproduced. I’m so excited to tell you that we received the reproduction emblems, and they are awesome!!! They are made out of plate aluminum, and are going to look fantastic once we figure out how to re-install them :-/.

New Shiny Silver Streak Emblms!!

We got these emblems from Angie at Hitchin’ Vintage. Their website is www.hitchinvintage.com. She was fantastic to work with!

In addition to the emblems, I finally finished the cushions. That was a tedious and frustrating process, but it is behind me. Man, I just do not like sewing upholstery. I completely understand why it so expensive to have it professionally done. I’m just too darn cheap and stubborn….therefore, I had to tackle it myself. They turned out pretty freaking cute. I used the same Sunbrella Teal Tweed as the awning, some teal textured vinyl, and tropical outdoor fabric that I found at Joann’s on triple close out clearance. The outdoor fabric matches my curtain material PERFECTLY.

Drivers Side Dinette

Passenger Side Dinette

We got the countertop installed and the floor put in! We used Allure vinyl plank flooring in Bamboo. It is the kind that has the glue strip, not the click-lock (we didn’t want the thickness difference). I really love how it looks, but am a bit apprehensive about how long it will last. It wasn’t very expensive, so if we have to replace it in a few years it won’t be a big deal.

Kitchen Area

Bamboo Flooring

We are waiting on the table hardware to mount the dinette table. I just got notified that it is on back order. Crap. I want my table installed. Hopefully, it won’t take too long.

We purchased the mattresses yesterday. They are memory foam/gel mattresses. We need to cut them down to fit in the space. That is, supposedly, easy to do with an electric knife. I have my doubts – I had to cut the dinette cushion foam with an electric knife and it just didn’t work very well. I thought it was my 20 year old electric knifes fault so I went and bought a new electric knife. The new knife was worse than my old one! That is our project for today.

Once we have the beds in and the trailer cleaned up, I will post more pics. My Dear Husband is immensely talented, but a complete and utter slob on the job site. Good thing he’s cute.

1967 Airstream Silver Streak Silver Streak Clipper vintage silver streak Vintage Trailer

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Hard At Work On The 1957 Silver Streak Clipper

by projectmidge

Emblem

I’ve been so bad about updating this blog about our Silver Streak! Work is happening….blogging is not. We are, finally, in the process of putting her back together. I CANNOT WAIT TO CAMP! We are not-so-anxiously awaiting another doozy of a snow storm this weekend. UGH. 6-15″ of heavy wet snow is forecast. Crap. I’m over it, already.

I’ll give you a brief run-down of what has been happening, then post pictures at the end. As always, contact me if you have any questions.

As is typical, we have been fighting leaks in the Clipper. We’ve replaced a few windows, painted the top with elastomeric paint, and resealed everything that could possibly need it. This next storm will determine if we did a good job. Since we’ve installed some of the wood framed furniture, I am a bit worried. We rebuilt the bed frames and the dinette (ok, ok, ok….GEORGE rebuilt them). I shellacked and poly’ed them, though :-P. So, I really really really do not want them to get wet.

I removed all the doors and drawers. Some were in better shape than others. I sanded them down and applied a few coats of Amber Shellac, then I polyurethaned everything a couple times. I, also, did the same to the new bed and dinette frames. I am somewhat of a freak and really enjoy the smell of polyurethane, acetone, mineral spirits, and contact cement. Dear Husband calls me his “solvent queen”. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I DID enjoy myself.

I got all fancy and stuff and made really nice black-out lined curtains. Wow. I impressed myself with those. I purchased some fantastic tropical fabric and black-out lining on FabricGuru.com. Man, do I love that website. Holy Moly. It’s a good thing I’m in a “purge” cycle, or my attic would be stuffed with great fabric deals. Seriously. I, also, found some awesome “Teal Tweed” Sunbrella fabric on eBay. I used the Sunbrella for the upholstery (as well as some cool teal vinyl which I bought at Colorado Fabrics – for a very hefty sum, and they didn’t even kiss me afterwards). I used the same Sunbrella fabric for the awning (YES….I MADE ANOTHER DAMN AWNING).

We ordered some fantastic boomerang laminate. It is Wilsonart Retro Hotrod, and it is fantastic! It was a pretty good deal, too. $115 for an 8′ x 4′ sheet, which was enough for EVERYTHING. The old laminate popped right off the original wood pieces, and we were very happy that we didn’t have to make a new table or counter tops. The hardest part is cutting the darn laminate. We scored it and snapped it on the cut lines, but it wasn’t easy. I’m sure there is some laminate tool that we need to buy, but geeeeeez. We have so many darn tools. Thankfully, we have a router and a laminate bit, so cutting the Formica once it was glued on the wood table or counter base was pretty darn easy.

The original interior paint was in amazingly good condition in this beautiful trailer. There were a couple areas that needed a touch up, which was kind of intimidating. The original paint was sprayed on almost 60 years ago! I took a small sample of the original paint to Lowes and they did a great job of matching it for me. It’s not quite the right sheen (because of how it was applied – I rolled it on, I didn’t spray it), but it is in areas that will not be noticeable once it is all put back together, and it looks a heck of a lot better than the chipped and bare spots that were there before.

The original emblems (in the pic up top) were in bad shape. We only had one good emblem on the trailer. The other one was broken and not complete. George was the brave one and started working on removing our one in tact emblem. Thankfully, he was successful!! I found a place via my trailer groups on Facebook that will make us aluminum replicas! I’m so happy! I could not find them ANYWHERE. The place that is making them for me will keep the pattern, and they will now be available for other Silver Streak owners that need this type of emblem. Once I receive them, I will post the contact information. They should arrive in a couple weeks.

So here are pics of what we’ve accomplished and where we are at. Still loads to do, but this is the downhill side of this mountain. YAY!

Installing the Dinette

Bed frames installed

New water tank and 12V pump

Processed with MOLDIV

Kitchen counter dry fit

Shelf above stove. I ADORE that fan.

Cute little shelf above dinette

Still to do:
Replace several window latches
Re-screen Windows and Door-in-door screen
Install flooring
Paint bathroom
Replace exterior lights
Re-wire trailer hitch
Install new cylinder in door lock (YES! We will finally have keys!)
Re-key trunk door
Install front window rock guard
Trailer brake tune-up
And….lord help us….Dear Husband wants to polish her.

Last, but not least….Give this beast a name. I’ve got a couple in mind, but waiting for her to be finished to decide. It will come to me :-).

So there you have it. Much has been done, but there is still so much to do!

Quick update on Midge: we still need to repair the gas lines from our blow out last fall, but we’ve enjoyed a couple cocktails with her this winter, and she is doing fine :-). Dear Husband made the executive decision to get new (and expensive) tires for her, and while he was at it he had her wheels powder coated in a stunning yellow. She is going to turn some heads with those new shoes, let-me-tell-ya.

New shoes for Midge

Quick update on the Holiday Rambler: we finally remembered to take the keys and could actually check on it. I swear….EVERY TIME Dear Husband would go to check on it, the keys were left on the kitchen counter. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. After a few months of that, we remembered the keys and I – cautiously – opened the door and kind of did the squinty-eyed thing (like when you are opening a can of Pillsbury Biscuits – you know, the ones that explode and scare you to death). OMG! The HR was fine. No mice, no water. And, dare I say….so GD cute. I think we are going to take her out for a spur of the moment camping trip very soon. She’s ready, as am I.

I just love my Holiday Rambler

Yes. That is my martini on the bumper.

Here is a bit of exciting news….my new trailer group – Friendly Average Campers of Colorado – will be displaying trailers at The Denver Modernism Show this year! We will have 12-15 trailers available for tours and the owners will be on hand to answer questions. We are VERY excited :-).

Please stay tuned 🙂

1967 Airstream Holiday Rambler Silver Streak Silver Streak Clipper vintage silver streak Vintage Trailer

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This Long Winters Nap is getting old. I want to go camping!

by projectmidge

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 Rand, Pagosa Springs

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

– 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!

1967 Airstream Airstream Airstream Globe Trotter Silver Streak Vintage Trailer

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Water Proofing The Awning

by projectmidge

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!

1967 Airstream Airstream Awning

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Busy Times and the Holiday Rambler….and BIG NEWS!

by projectmidge

We’ve been busy, busy, busy! Since our trip to LaVeta, CO with Midge, the Holiday Rambler has been the Belle of the Ball. In June we installed a roof top air conditioner, then took a trip to Leadville, CO to test out the AC, but being at 10,000 feet is much cooler than our 5280 in Denver, so we didn’t end up using it (it does work, though!). More on why we needed AC later.

I have found my new favorite campground. Again. I swear every time I go camping I find my new favorite! But, seriously, THIS one is IT. I’m a bit apprehensive to write about it…it is very difficult to get a site without planning well in advance, but I’m a nice person and think everyone should know about it :-). We stayed at Baby Doe campground on Turquoise Lake, just outside of Leadville. It is the most beautiful campground I have seen. The lake is gorgeous. I did not want to leave. I’m just going to post a bunch of pictures. Words escape me. It is that amazing.

Turquoise Lake

Dear Husband admiring Turquoise Lake

Dogs!

Beautiful

Twilight on Turquoise Lake

Me and Dottie

Selfie on the Beach

Aah! Sunset cocktails 🙂

Us and the dogs on the beach

There are a few camp sites right on the water. We were not lucky enough to get one of those, but it is on my bucket list for sure! Can you imagine stepping out of your camper with a steaming cup of coffee and seeing THAT?! Paradise found. Our site was in the lodge pole pines, and it was great. This is a primitive campground, but there is water available, vault toilets, and a dump station.

Here are some pics of the camp site:

Isn’t the Rambler cute???

holiday Rambler at Baby Doe Campground

Hiding in the trees

We had all 4 dogs with us on this trip. They had a blast. Dottie really loved the water. The weenies are just happy to be wherever we are.

Campfire with the dogs

George and Dottie discussing politics

My life camping with 4 dogs…

Ralphie Rose and Nellie cuddling

We took a drive over Independence Pass. Wow. That is an awesome drive! We checked out a few more campgrounds and just enjoyed the view.

Independence Pass

So, about the air conditioner….

In early August we took the Rambler to Thomson Causeway, IL for the 2nd Annual Ramble On Club Rally! THAT is why we needed AC. Illionois in August. ‘Nuf said. We drove 900 miles out there with 4 dogs and the Rambler in tow. We met some of the best people, saw some magnificent HR’s, and had an absolute blast! Other than the damn chiggers. Wow. Those are freaky little bugs.

We broke the drive up into 2 days. Our stopping point going and coming back was in a tiny little Nebraska town on I80 – Aurora, NE. Now, why on earth would anyone ever stop there?!?! (Actually, I grew up about 40 miles from there, but you get my point.) Not many people stop in small town Nebraska on purpose. I don’t agree with that ideology, but I know it’s out there (Dear Husband). Well, get this: Aurora, NE has a beautiful city park with free camp sites! The campsites have free electric, water, dump station and wifi!! I KNOW. Can you believe that? You can stay for up to 4 nights FOR FREE!! They have a donation kiosk but it is not mandatory. The town is adorable, too. I highly recommend staying there if you are driving across Nebraska and need nice place to stay that isn’t a truck stop or right on the interstate.

In between all of this mayhem, our oldest son completed Marine Officer Candidates School in Quantico, VA! We went to DC for his graduation and spent the 4th of July in our nations capital. It was amazing. I’ve never seen someone work so hard to reach a goal. He commissioned as at 2nd Lieutenant on July 8th.

OCS Gradution, Quantico, VA

Commissioning

In addition to all this excitement, our youngest son just started college! He really likes it and is working hard. I don’t know why we got so lucky with such great kids. They are both amazing young men, and have great friends. The world is in good hands :-).

I will update with some news about Midge in my next post. We took her to Cheyenne Mountain State Park last week. She is going to Scotfest in Estes Park next week, then to Pagosa Springs for the TCT rally in October. Tomorrow we are taking the Rambler to Medicine Bow National Forest for Labor Day. Man…..so many trips and not enough time to write about them!

By the end of the summer BOTH campers will have had equal time. Hard to believe, but I worked really hard to make sure there was no favorite.

NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS:

WE BOUGHT ANOTHER VINTAGE CAMPER.

Yes, we did. A 1957 23′ Silver Streak Clipper. It is fantastic!!! Here is a teaser for you:

Emblem

1957 Silver Streak Clipper

1957 Silver Streak Clipper, Dinette

1957 Silver Streak Clipper, hallway

1957 Silver Streak Clipper. Original fridge WORKS!

Big doings around here! When we get these next few trips behind us, we will get to work on the Clipper. I’m so excited!! Stay tuned…..

Holiday Rambler Silver Streak Vintage Trailer

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Camping at “I Love Lucy’s Place” in Laveta, CO

by projectmidge

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!

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

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.

1967 Airstream Airstream Airstream Globe Trotter Airstream Globetrotter

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Camping Season is Here!!!!!

by projectmidge

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

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 in our backyard 🙂

Sand bags along the Colorado River

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.

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

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.

Princess 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!

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

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

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

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!

1967 Airstream Awning Holiday Rambler Vintage Trailer

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New floor for the Holiday Rambler!

by projectmidge

Disclaimer: I do not have pictures of ALL THE STEPS. I did not think about blogging this until a fellow HR gal asked me to (thanks, Margaret). Needless to say, a portion of the work was not photographed.

Anyhow…….

Dear Husband and I were out running errands last week, and I STRONGLY SUGGESTED that we should go to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore as we were driving by (in Denver, Santa Fe and Ellsworth). Heck! You never know what great deal your going to find in there! It doesn’t matter that you “DON’T NEED ANYTHING”…..geez. Thought I trained him better than that.

True to form, they had a bazillion VCT tiles in a myriad of colors! I have always loved VCT tiles. We have used them in our own bathroom remodels, in a rental property, and in Midge. They just make me happy. Probably a throw back to elementary school or something. It had to be elementary school….I am fairly certain I did not notice the floor tiles in junior high and high school. Just sayin’.

VCT Tiles at Habitat ReStore

So, we grabbed a couple boxes of light turquoise tiles for the Holiday Rambler. It took about an hour to decide what we wanted. We were thinking about doing checkerboard or a multi colored pattern, but decided the space is just too small to get all funky and crazy (fun as that would be!). And, let me say…..what a deal! .30 per tile! Total $27.00. I love Habitat ReStore :).

Dear Husband brought the Rambler home this past weekend and it is residing next to Midge in our driveway once again. We (he) spent a couple days installing a new 1/4″ subfloor. We took out the Pergo flooring that someone lovingly installed. Seriously. Whoever did that needs a medal. The trim work was outstanding! We salvaged most of it and will reinstall it. We were going to take the original vinyl tiles out, but they are 9″, and that means they are probably asbestos. The floor was in good condition, so we kept it and put the subfloor on top of it. I did not mind the Pergo floor…..until we found these turquoise tiles. Then it became hideous. I’m so fickle.

Pergo floor before tear out

Removing Pergo Floor

Original Tile Floor

Hear me now, listen to me later…..there is a correct way to lay VCT tile. Something about the center axis and work out from there, or some such nonsense. In a very small trailer with a limited number of tiles, you do it in a way that means fewer cuts. Professionals are shaking their heads, and exiting out of this blog at record speed. I’m OK with that.

Start by applying VCT glue, available at Home Depot or Lowes. Apply it with a notched trowel.

VCT Glue

Make sure it is a thin and even layer. If you have globs or thicker areas, the tiles will not lay flat. Let the glue set up for a couple hours or overnight. We put a heater on and let it set up over night. The glue will remain tacky. Be sure of the positioning of the tile as you lay it! This glue is amazingly strong stuff. If you have to remove one, use a hair dryer to loosen the glue and slowly lift the tile. It will more than likely break, but it’s worth a shot. We laid the tiles and all went smoothly. There were a few cuts that made Dear Husband drop a few “F” bombs, but overall it went well.

Install

Done! (before polish)

The best way to cut VCT tiles: Make sure they are not too cold! IE: don’t leave them in the garage or the bed of your pickup in the winter and then try to cut them. When they are cold, they are very difficult to “score” with a utility knife. They will splinter and break and just plain piss you off. Ask me how I know. Anyway….what we did is put them in the direct sun. They get pliable enough, but not too pliable. Score your cut line with a sharp utility knife SEVERAL TIMES, then snap it along the score. It is really that easy. It works well with intricate cuts, too. It is always a good idea to have a few extras for the inevitable screw up, though. Be sure to have extra blades. They dull quickly.

I will tell you a little-known secret: if you decide on a checkerboard pattern with various colors, any slight variation in the seams will not show. Inevitably, with the temperature fluctuations in these campers, the tiles move ever so slightly. It’s not a huge problem, and no one has noticed the minuscule gaps between tiles. I have noticed, but then I am a huge pain in the ass. Had we gone with a checkerboard pattern instead of all one color, the hairline seams would not be an issue. Alas, we have all one color, but it looks fantastic, and I can live with it.

Apply floor polish. We use ZEP. IT is available at Home Depot and Lowes. It says to apply with a rayon, non shedding string mop. We have done it that way before, but honestly, they are a mess and a pain in the butt. I use a Swiffer type floor mop with a non shedding pad. You apply several thin coats, letting it dry for 30 to 60 minutes between coats. I applied four coats, buffed, 2 more coats, buffed. Be very sure your floor is clean and free of lint, dust, or hairs. All that crap will get sealed in the floor polish and you will be miserable every time you see it. Again, ask me how I know. You may be tempted to just leave the VCT tiles without polishing. After all, it looks great! Be aware, though, VCT tiles will stain and are somewhat porous. The polish protects against scratches and stains.

ZEP Floor Finish

Preparing to apply floor polish

Polish Applied (4 coats)

I spent a day pulling trim nails out of the quarter round floor trim and gluing together a few pieces that Dear Husband had abused. If we can figure out where each piece goes, it will look great! (Tip: if you are going to re-use floor trim, label the pieces as you take them out. Duh.) The master craftsman that initially installed it was amazing. Seriously. The corner work was thrilling to behold. If you’ve ever tried to do trim work, you know what I’m talking about.

Dear Husband was gone the day we were to buff the floor. I waited and waited and hemmed and hawed until I finally decided to get the buffer and do it myself. Last time I tried to buff a hard wood floor, I got dragged around the room like a rag doll. I had visions of being flung through one of my camper windows. No worries. I buffed like a pro, with no accidents or injuries. The floor is GLOWING!

Oreck Buffer

Buffed and Shiny!

Maintenance is pretty easy. Just damp mop regularly and every few times use a floor cleaner/polish. I’ve found the best one is “Holloway House Quick Shine”, but it can be difficult to find. Pledge makes a floor cleaner/polish that works well, too. Every few years pull out the buffer and re-apply the ZEP.

Floor Maintenance

Once we get the trim installed, and the trailer put back together I will post pics. Hopefully in the next couple days :).

Trim installed and floor is done! It is so cute and really brightens up the interior.

Dottie approves 🙂

Holiday Rambler VCT tile Vintage Trailer

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Cangst. IE: Camper Angst

by projectmidge

Cangst: /käNG(k)st/.
Cangst is the wish, desire, or need to go camping. Cangst is anxiety that is mixed with frustration and negativity when one cannot go camping. It differs from angst. Angst often doesn’t have a specific target: people feel angst in general. Cangst is SPECIFIC. A cangst-filled person is dissatisfied and unhappy because they cannot camp.

I just made that up. It sounds like a real thing, though. I know I am suffering from it right now.

Dear Husband and I went out to Midge tonight and “camped” for a couple hours with music, cocktails, and the girls (my spoiled rotten dogs.).

Man, do I miss camping. It was finally warm enough and the driveway wasn’t covered with soppy wet snow or mud, so we took the opportunity and headed out to the Airstream with all 4 dogs in tow.

This awesome blog post continued HERE!

1967 Airstream

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Projectmidge project :)

by projectmidge

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 :).

: BEFORE: Halliburton Train Case, Exterior

: AFTER: Halliburton Train Case, Exterior

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 🙂

: BEFORE: Halliburton Train Case Interior

: AFTER: Halliburton Train Case, Interior

: Halliburton Train Case, Interior Trim

: Halliburton Train Case, Bottom Embellishments 🙂

That was a quick and easy project!

1967 Airstream

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Scotfest with Midge in Estes Park!

by projectmidge

I am finally posting about our trip to Estes Park in September! We were there during Scotfest 2014, Sept. 4th – 7th, and it was so much fun!!

I don’t have many pictures of Midge, unfortunately. We were at the festival most of the time, and the campsite wasn’t very picturesque :(. More on that later.

If you’ve never been to Scotfest, you really need to check it out. We arrived in Estes Park on Thursday, set up camp, then headed to the festival for the opening “Tattoo”. It was one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen! It was foggy and started raining – very much like Scotland! We were in the covered grandstand, but the poor pipe bands were performing in a pretty heavy downpour. It was a sea of kilts and pipes! Can you ever have enough of either? Not me. All of the bands were fantastic, but my favorites were the 1st Battalion Scots Guard Pipes and Drums and the 1st Division Marine Corps Band.

Here are some pictures and a video of the Tattoo. Not the best quality, I apologize.

Estes Park Tattoo

Estes Park Tattoo….rain!

Royal Scottish Piper

This is a video of the bands performing together. They played “Patton’s Theme” and “Band of Brothers Theme”. It was awe inspiring. So beautiful! Please excuse the amateur filming.

I KNOW. SO GOOD.
This awesome blog post continued HERE!

1967 Airstream Airstream Globetrotter Scotfest Vintage Trailer

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Mt. Princeton Campground with the Holiday Rambler

by projectmidge

First things, first. Dear Husband finally applied our Ramble On Club decal!! Lucky number 13 :):

Applying Ramble On Club Decal.

Ramble On Club #13

We took the Holiday Rambler to Mt. Princeton Campground in early August. This is such an awesome campground! We were in site 5. It is a wonderful site. The river is directly behind you and the rv and tent pads are nice and level.

This campground only has 16 sites and they fill up fast. You need to get a reservation at recreation.gov. All the sites are nice, but the ones along the river are by far the best. This is dry camping. There are vault toilets and a hand pump for water. There is no dump station, but the Chalk Creek Campground has one and it is just down the road.
This awesome blog post continued HERE!

1967 Airstream Holiday Rambler Vintage Trailer

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Midge’s 1st Tin Can Tourist Rally!

by projectmidge

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

But wait! There is more…click here!

1967 Airstream Airstream Globe Trotter Airstream Globetrotter Vintage Trailer

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1965 Holiday Rambler Video Tour

by projectmidge

Here is the much anticipated Holiday Rambler Video Tour! The music in the background is “Fandango” by Martin Denny. I got some copyright infringement email from youtube. They said it might not work on mobile devices. It should work on laptop or PC, though. Geez. Really? I can’t help it if I have an awesome and strange taste in music.

Here it is. Enjoy!

1967 Airstream

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Midge at Chalk Creek Campground

by projectmidge

Summit of Kenosha Pass

We made our first trip of the season with Midge! We spent 2 nights at Chalk Creek Campground in Nathrop, CO. We were there June 2 – 4. It is located between Salida and Buena Vista. I’ve lived here for 20+ years, but this was my first trip to this area of Colorado. It is gorgeous!

San Isabel National Forest

We stayed on the lower creek level of the campground. It is so nice and shaded down there! The lower sites have water and electric only, no cable, and pretty decent wifi. Originally, they had us in a site right on the creek, but there was no room to put out the awning or use our dog fence. We moved to a site just off the creek and it was great. The creek was really running fast and high so we didn’t get to enjoy it. I am sure later this summer it will be fun to play in. There were only 3-4 other campers set up down there, so it was really quiet. The upper campground is pretty crowded and shade is non existent. They are nice sites, but Midge needs shade! The showers are coin operated (.50 for 3 minutes), but you can get a pretty decent shower for a buck. Dear Husband had trouble getting hot water quickly, so he took a bit longer in the shower. The showers and bathrooms are super nice. The staff is really friendly.
But wait, there’s more! Click here!

1967 Airstream

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Holiday Rambler Door Project, part 1

by projectmidge

Well, you know how I mentioned I had a plan for our hideous door? I think it worked out well, and it is a huge improvement.

I bought a lot of vintage 1960’s road maps on EBay for $9.00, foam applicators and some Mod Podge at Walmart. I bought 2 of the large containers, but 1 was plenty. When it comes to Walmart trips, the fewer the better. I did not want to risk having to make an extra trip. I just really dread going there, and I’m not even sure why.

Supplies:

Door Supplies: Maps, Mod Podge, Scissors, Foam Applicators

This is what I started with:

Ugly Door. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

I cleaned the door really well and scuffed it up with a cheap sanding block from Harbor Freight. I’m talking about the kind of sanding block that will irreparably harm anything it touches. It came in a pack of 10 for $3.00. Awful, awful sanding blocks. I am really pleased that I found a use for them! Scuffing up this eyesore of a door was really quite enjoyable. Once that was done, I played with the lay out of the maps and cut them into the pieces I needed. I then applied the Mod Podge and started placing the map pieces where I needed them. Do one piece at a time. When adhered, apply Mod Podge on top. Keep doing this until done. I know. That sounds so easy! And, it is really easy, but time consuming because of the positioning and cutting of the map pieces. I wanted certain parts of the map to show…..like the entire Colorado map (where we live), the Nebraska map (where I am from), the Rocky Mountain National Park map (where we like to camp), etc…you know what I mean.

This is 1/2 way done:

Door 1/2 done

I had a bit of trouble getting the bubbles out of the larger map pieces. After wrestling with them, and cursing my unborn children, I realized the bubbles looked kind of neat. Like TOPOGRAPHY! Once that realization hit me, things proceeded much quicker.

This is where I finished up today:

Door almost done, just needs a few more coats.

Closer view of door.

I need to apply several more coats of Mod Podge. I might seal it with polyurethane. Not sure yet. Dear Husband has not replaced the window yet. obviously, I got impatient. When the new window is in, it will look great! Once completely finished, I will post a picture. The door is not perfect, but I can live with it, and now we don’t need to worry abouIt buying a new one any time soon.

We have some little projects for Midge that we are working on, too. We have not forgotten about her! I will update with her updates as soon as they are done. I love her so.

Addendum: I meant to add these pictures last summer, but forgot! These are from our trip to Mt. Princeton. I made a screen protector out of some left over aluminum and Mod Podged the remnants of my maps to it. My little rug rat dogs really enjoy destroying screen doors. It serves a great purpose and is crazy cute, if I do say so. My husband is kind of worried about the Mod Podge crush I have going on.

Mod Podged Screen Protector

Mod Pdged Screen Protector

1967 Airstream Holiday Rambler Vintage Trailer

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Maiden Voyage with the Holiday Rambler

by projectmidge

We had a successful maiden voyage! We made a quick weekend trip to Garden of The Gods RV Resort in Colorado Springs. We got down there really fast! It was kind of nice. We were set up and walking the dogs by noon! I will give my review of the campground later.

First of all….it hauled perfectly. We used Dear Husband’s big boy truck (Chevy 4 door DuraMax), although my Tahoe would have pulled it just fine. We stopped at Monument, CO for something to eat and a guy stopped and took pictures of it :). It really is cute. Granted, Midge has the “WOW!” Factor, but the Holiday Rambler can hold its own in that cat fight.

Here is our camp site, all set up:

Holiday Rambler Awning

The awning went up so easily! And, I think it’s pretty darn cute.
But wait, there’s more! Click here!

Awning Holiday Rambler Vintage Trailer

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New Paint for the Holiday Rambler!

by projectmidge

The Holiday Rambler got a new paint job!! We were not planning on painting it so soon, but stumbled upon a great offer and couldn’t refuse! It is not the BEST paint job in town, but a vast improvement.

Look!

Before

After

Blog entry continued here!

1967 Airstream Awning Holiday Rambler Vintage Trailer

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projectmidge

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

1967 Airstream Globetrotter

The Holiday House’s Big Reveal

We are still here! The Holiday House is rising from the ruins!

The Holiday House Horror:

Mid Mod Trailer Trash at the Denver Modernism Show! And Updates!

My own Private Idaho: 1960 HOLIDAY HOUSE!!!!

Friendly Average Silver Streak Clipper

Holy Coolness, Batman! Midge Is Famous!!

Finishing Up The Silver Streak

Hard At Work On The 1957 Silver Streak Clipper

This Long Winters Nap is getting old. I want to go camping!

Water Proofing The Awning

Busy Times and the Holiday Rambler….and BIG NEWS!

Camping at “I Love Lucy’s Place” in Laveta, CO

Camping Season is Here!!!!!

New floor for the Holiday Rambler!

Cangst. IE: Camper Angst

Projectmidge project :)

Scotfest with Midge in Estes Park!

Mt. Princeton Campground with the Holiday Rambler

Midge’s 1st Tin Can Tourist Rally!

1965 Holiday Rambler Video Tour

Midge at Chalk Creek Campground

Holiday Rambler Door Project, part 1

Maiden Voyage with the Holiday Rambler

New Paint for the Holiday Rambler!

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

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