Conservation and old trailers

     I know there are a lot of arguments in support of our throw-away society.  Some are relatively compelling.  All of them are either economic or sociologic.  None of them considers the future or the waste of natural resources.  As compelling as they may be to our short-term, myopic future, I have a problem with them.  Basically they all seemed to be based upon the premise that the human animal is incapable of adapting and must have certain comforts which, when investigated, are comforts that a small percentage of humans enjoy and have enjoyed for a relatively short period of our history - less than a century.  I really believe that there is no evidence for either premise.  We could not have survived this long and become the dominant animal without the ability to adapt.  

     When I attended Trinity College, University of Dublin,  a high percentage of the students attended lectures and studied in buildings hundreds of years old. They were perfectly good buildings and their age in no way hindered the quality of TCD education.  "New Square", which is still a dominant part of the university, was built in 1491.  In contrast, there is a parcel of land in Evansville, IN that has had at least four brand new commercial buildling built on it since 1990. Each of the preceding buildings were razed. All of that debris had to go into a landfill.  

     I think of this every time I observe or participate in a group like Tin Can Tourists.  Tin Can Tourists was founded in 1919 as a vintage trailer club.  Our 30 year old Fleetwood Wilderness camper is a relative youngster at rallies. There are such clubs in the US that save all sorts of things - from buildings to old cars and toys. When we consider these clubs and their members there are two common reactions; viz. delight in whatever it is they are restoring and considering the members a strange group of people. I say 'thank goodness for the eclectics who march to the beat of a different drum.'  

     Clubs, organizations and societies that save and restore do so much more than preserve history. They also play an important part in the conservation of natural resources as well as teach others by example how to enjoy a richer and productive life. 

      No, I'm not exagerating.  Consider the vintage trailer enthusiast.  When you save an old trailer you are not only keeping it out of a landfill but youare reducing the resources used to build a new one. That act alone not only slows the demise of our natural resources but permits us to determine the best, most efficient use as well as greatest need for those resources. 

     But there is more than the argument for conservation and stewardship of our world.  Consider the joy that such activity brings not only to the direct participants but to those who visit a rally and admire the fruit of their labors.  How many people have you seen attend a vintage trailer rally, antique car show, or visit a preserved building and not come away with a smile and light heart.  As a retired psychotherapist, I'd have to call such activities therapeutic. 

     Then you must consider the actual participant in the restoration.   The joy of discovery.  The knowledge gained and shared resulting from research into the history of the object.  The excitement of watching the project develop - sharing progress through pictures on social media such as Facebook. The person who finds that they can do something which they never thought possible, and the satisfaction and pride in using those skills.  Our Fleetwood Wilderness camper, which we call 'Willy', was destined for the junk yard. Three days from now it will become our home for 12 weeks as we volunteer in the wilderness of Glacier National Park.  

     Staying with example of the trailer, and remembering that this applies to many other things from toys to buildings, consider starting with this . . . .

and ending up with this . . .

Or starting with this . . . 

and ending up with this . . .

Collectors and others who restore and preserve things like cars, trailers, books, buildings, toys, skills, etc., etc., bring us not only a lot of joy but preserve our history and help us conserve natural resources so that our grandchildrens' grandchildren can enjoy what we so often take for granted.  

Tin Can Tourist - Vintage Trailer Rally, Tybee Island, GA (second post)

Me in front of Wilma before the Open House. 

I believe that I left off having attended the Thursday evening beach picnic for all of those who had arrived.  By Friday evening there were 75 vintage trailers gathered and we all had a party.  Saturday morning was consumed by preparation for judging at 10:00 a.m. and Open House starting at 11:30 a.m. We didn't enter 'Wilma', our 1990 StarCraft pop-up, in the competition but the rally organizers encouraged us to show her because they felt that there would be visitors who would not only find a vintage pop-up interesting but it would help educate and guide those who are interested in trailers or looking for their first trailer.  The oldest trailer was a 1930 Pierce Arrow. Wilma was the youngest by 1 year. We had 750 visitors between 11:30 and 4:00, many of whom were enthralled by Wilma. About half of those who stopped wanted to visit Wilma because she brought back happy memories of camping with families. The rest fell in love with her openness and comfort.  She really did look good, especially since she did not going to the rally prepared to be shown.  The organization, Southern Vintage Trailer Friends (a branch of Tin Can Tourist), raised >$3500 for local charities.  Saturday evening there was a dinner, awards and entertainment.  The president of Tin Can Tourist (which was founded in 1919) led the initiation of those of us who are new to TCT.  The TCT song is "The More We Get Together".  A man who had been a TCT member from 1948 to his death a few years ago, started the tradition of a parting song - Willy Nelson's "On the Road Again".  The man's trailer is now enshrined in the TCT museum in Elkart, IN.   Sunday morning found everyone hooking up and, with fond farewells and exchange of telephone numbers and email, heading home. Also on Sunday morning 40 of us signed up for the 80 available spots at next year's Tybee rally.  Here are some pictures. All of these trailers are fully functional and are used by their owners to go camping!

Those of us who arrived Thursday in time for picnic on the beach.

Many owners worked hard at keeping their trailers original and in period. 

Like walking down a pathway through the past. 

There was always time for relaxing, visiting and most of us had dogs. 

A few units were pulled by vehicles from the same period.

Everyone's trailer reflected their own life, personalities and history. 

This was a candid shot which so aptly reflects the TCT people.

"Do not stop living before you die."  

One visitor said that Wilma should win the prize for zen. 

Inside a 45' from the 1940s. 

Lots of families.

This 1938 Palace Royale was all original! 

Notice the beautiful hardwood.  In this trailer it is all original. 

Notice the light fixture and stove in this 1947 Palace Royale. Beautiful.

Tin Can Tourists Vintage Trailer Rally - Tybee Island - April 2014

If you've ever had a sense of excitement and pointed out a vintage trailer - perhaps with a vintage car pulling it - to a companion on the road, then you would love a Tin Can Tourists (TCT) trailer rally. Imagine pulling into a lovely, shady campground nestled in a grove of old trees that is filled with brightly painted and decorated campers. It is an experience for which it is hard to find words.  A 'tad on the giddy side' comes to minds. It definitely makes you happy and life just seems good.

By Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. I had our StarCraft pop-up ready to go.  All I had to do was wait for the professor (Pamela) to get out of class around  noon, and we were on the road by 12:35.  We decided to take our 25 year old 10' StarCraft pop-up (opens to 18 ft) for two reasons.  Firstly, Willie (our 1985 18 foot Fleetwood Wilderness) isn't quite ready to show and Wilma (our nickname for the pop-up) costs a great deal less to pull.  Besides, Wilma is our going south, warm weather, no bears, camp on the beach trailer.  When you open all the windows it's like being outside. Great for southern climes.  The only draw back for Pamela is that there is no bathroom.  (But I do have a nice potty chair.)

We travelled to Dublin, GA on Wednesday, arriving there about 11:00 p.m.  Pamela's friend, Mary, who couldn't leave Nashville until later, pulled in about 1 a.m.  We spent the night in the parking area of a Pilot truck stop.  The truck engines were a rather soothing background.  Pop-ups are not conducive for sleeping at truck stops or rest areas because you must unhitch and open them.  So we slept in the back of the van with two dogs and two bicycles.  If you can sleep under those conditions, you can sleep anywhere.

I swear the sun rises earlier in truck stops and by 6 a.m. we were the only vehicles in the lot.  We had breakfast at a nearby Cracker Barrel.  Pamela claims that I have had a significant influence on her. She didn't find the greasy comfort-food very pleasant or comforting, but we were soon on our way and arrived at the Tybee Island campground around 11:00 a.m.   It was a site I'd never seen.

The campground, nestled in a grove of old gnarly live oak and cedars, was filled with brightly colored and decorated trailers.  Some of them had been pulled there by an antique vehicle.  So far I haven't encountered a trailer made after 1980, and most of them are a lot older.  Wilma was definitely the youngster of the group.  Except for the beautiful gleaming tandem-axile Air Streams, most of the trailers are small - 20 feet or less. This is probably because the early travel trailers were designed to be pulled by a car, not a truck as they are today. Some have been restored to original specs while others have, like muscle cars, been blinged to reflect the owner.

I have seen a few people around who are my age but the majority are younger.  It does seem, however, there is no dominant age.  An aweful lot are hippie want-to-bes.  That's to be expected and also a compliment.  People who love this type of freedom, the communal sense of the campground and no-one's-a-stranger atttitude are either old hippies like me or qualify as honorary hippies.  You don't pass someone's trailer without speaking and, as often as not, they will soon be showing you inside their trailer and telling you about their families, where they found their trailer and what it took to restore it.  If you need something the community, who never met you before you pulled in, will rally around.

Thursday evening there was a potluck picnic on the beach.  There was a large group sitting around talking and joking, and sharing their food as though they'd know each other for years.  By the time we left we were all good friends.  We share more than just the love of old trailers.  We share an attitude toward life and the out-of-doors that made this encounter so refreshing, enjoyable and down right exciting.

Some more pictures . . . .

Here are some pictures that I meant to include in my post on hiking.  They were taken the last weekend of January 2014 on the trail around the lake in Pennyrile State Park in western Kentucky.  The temperature was in the high 40s.  Still winter, but beautiful.

Spring - joy of new life and miracles of nature

     Yes, my grass is shaggy and splotchy.  As usual, there's yard clippings, etc., that got caught in the first bad weather.  The giant reed looks horrible and desperately needs to be cut back so that this year's growth can get through. Then there are the toys and food wrappers that the dogs dragged into the back yard to add to the initial impression of ugliness.  But I don't see ugly.  I see the signs and hope of new life.

     I must be honest that it has taken me some years to get this way. It was never about how much I love nature. It was my attitude.  Let's be honest.  Like an unfortunately high percentage of society, I was a 'glass-half-empty' type.  I would have looked at my yard or my friend's garden and seen ugly and work. Who likes ugly and work?  But I've developed a new appreciation of ugly and, while I must admit I still don't like work,  as a result I see opportunity and new beginning instead of drudgery. Be honest with yourself. What is your attitude? 

     No. I'm not taking any new medications, and I'm not using recreational drugs. 

     I have been an animal loving, tree-hugger my entire life.  My older cousins took me rabbit hunting on my grandparent's farm when I was about 10 years old. I spotted a rabbit and lifted the rifle. I looked at the rabbit in my sights, put the rifle down and have never raised a weapon toward another living creature since then. (Well, that isn't entirely true. I had to pretend to as a part of military exercises when I spent a few years working for Uncle Sam but I fortunately was never in combat.)  I love all forms of plant and animal life.  Family and friends will confirm that I have always contended that there is no such thing as a weed. (A weed is just a plant someone doesn't want. For example, when I lived in Ireland the shamrock was an aggressive plant that drove the gardener to distraction and was therefore dubbed a 'weed' despite its prominence on all things Irish. But I digress . . . . .)  When I'm on a trail run I will stop and take pictures of plants or share a moment with Bambi and his mother. As many times as I've been to Walt Disney World I still spend hours in their gardens, habitats and aviaries every time I go. I have no animosity toward hunters, but I couldn't do it.  Truthfully the animal I find hardest to appreciate and love is the homo sapien. Despite this love for all of nature I had the 'glass-half-empty' mentality.      

     Being the retired psychotherapist, my tendency is to delve into the psychological and philosophical reasons for the 'glass-half-empty' mentality. However, also because I'm a retired psychotherapist, I understand that people don't change because they're told, but because they experience and want to change.  So allow me to direct your attention to some signs of new life ... signs of spring, that you might have overlooked and that might help you see that the glass is really quite full.  Two favorite quotes: "hope springs eternal" and, from the movie Jurassic Park, "life will always find a way."

     According to Buddhist philosophy and psychology, being mindful of all that is around us and going on around us is a good way of finding peace, joy and eventually enlightenment.  Being mindful of what is around you isn't particularly easy.  It requires a minimal effort which most of our modern North American society doesn't care to expend. Heaven forbid that one might miss something on their iPhone because they are looking at the world around them or listening to its sounds.  (Please excuse my sarcasm!)

     In any case, even when we don't have out attention focused on a smart-phone it is easy to miss much of the new life which heralds spring.  Here are some of those signs. As you look at them, remember what they went through in the past week -  snow, freezing temperatures and people who never look down.

Here is a shot of a patch of "shaggy, weed" near a lawn swing. The weekend gardener is often anxious to get out and cut or pull this "stuff".  But there are beautiful flowers here that are our first signs of new life and spring.

For example, in this close up of that same patch three tiny flowers can be identified - Henbit, Harbinger-of-spring, and Birdseye Speedwell.  If we take time to look at them, as tiny as they are, we see tremendous beauty and unbelievable complexity.

When I was in Versailles, KY I was waiting outside of a college building and noticed how at least 20-30 people exited the building without ever noticing the lovely Birdseye Speedwell under foot.  The bloom on this flower is not 1/4" across.  It's probably in your backyard or near your sidewalk.

The Crocus are at least a spring flower that most people know. They often demonstrate the tenacity of life by pushing up through the snow as they did last week.

These daffodils are the largest of the early spring flowers but I wonder how many people walk right by without noticing them.

And we can't talk about flowers that are labeled 'weed' without thinking of the humble Dandelion. This flower, which people pay outlandish prices to buy toxic chemicals to kill, is full of vitamin A,B,C and D.  It also contains iron, potassium and zinc  The leaves are used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches and teas. The root is found in some coffee substitutes and we've all heard of Dandelion Wine.  The Dandelion has been used throughout history to treat a variety of illnesses. Today the roots are used to stimulate appetite and for liver and gallbladder problems. The leaves are used as a diuretic.

Source: Dandelion | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion#ixzz2xZOrS2q6
University of Maryland Medical Center 

This pretty little purple flower is the Henbit.  While many people spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to get rid of Henbit it is an edible member of the mint family.  Humming birds are attracted to Henbit and it is an important factor in erosion control in croplands of southern US.  

The white flower in this picture is Harbinger-of-Spring.  Bet you can't figure out how it got its name.  The Harbinger-of-Spring is a member of the carrot family and the bulb is edible.  The Cherokee are known to have chewed the plant for toothache.  It is a tiny flower and generally unknown to most people.

Aren't these flowers magnificent and beautiful? Take time to realize how full your glass really is. These are just a few of the wonders of nature that await your discovery if you just allow yourself a little time to look.  As the old adage goes, 'take time to smell the flowers.'  

Hiking: a great time even during a nasty winter.

One of the most exciting and yet least expensive recreational activities today is hiking. I don't want to scare anyone off by adding that it improves your health and is environmentally friendly. All you need is a good pair of shoes and a staff, which you can make yourself.  (I prefer and encourage trail poles but they are an added expense and not absolutely necessary. Just better.)

I won't take the time here to talk about shoes and poles. I sang the praises of my trail poles in a 2012 blog entitle "Me and My Lexi" (6/12/2012).  Yes, you can go hiking in any shoe but if you really want to get the greatest enjoyment from the experience you should invest in a good pair of shoes.  The subject is too extensive for a single blog. Besides, the best thing to do is to go to a good outfitter and tell them the type of hiking or backpacking you plan to do. They'll do the rest. I'm sure that you all know a hiker, backpacker or fast-packer who can direct you to someone who knows what they're doing.

I had just returned from doing the 2014 Goofy (a 39.3 mile back-to-back at Disney World) and was faced with the horrible winter weather everyone north of the Florida state line was experiencing.  So all of you, except any Florida readers, know of what I speak.  My friend and companion in adventure, Pamela Smith, suggested that we might try some nearby Kentucky state parks and a natural bridge that is located on private land.

Pamela is a full-professor at Madisonville Community College where she teaches biology, anatomy and physiology. She's also a "retired" triathalon athlete (forced to retire because of arthritis), outdoor and camping enthusiast,  who is a fellow 'tree-hugger'.  Seeing what I've been able to do despite severe arthritis we decided to explore the world of "fast-packing" together. Fast-packing is slower than trail running but moving faster than backpacking.  Fast-packers are generally "retired" trail racers or racers who have discovered trails. For example, the Eagle Rock Loop (2012 blog) was a fast-pack trail run where the average backpacker takes 40-45 hours to cover the distance I did in 15 hours. (Doesn't make us better ... just different.)

Not wanting to wait for "good weather", Pamela introduced me to some fantastic, rugged and beautiful country in western Kentucky.  Below are some pictures taken at Pennyrile State Park, the natural bridge near Apex, Kentucky and Land Between the Lakes (KY).  These pictures were taken Jan. 18th.,19th., 25th. and 26th.  The weather was sunny with temperatures in the low 40s. ,

Here is Pamela in front of one of the many ice formations. She is wearing hiking shoes.  It was cold but she was dressed in layers and quite warm. We used trail poles which don't show in either photo.

Here I am. Our hats may look at bit funny, but they are very warm and help preserve body heat loss which is greatest from the head -- especially a bald head like mine. I too am dressed in layers. The coat came off a short while after this picture was taken.  I am wearing trail running shoes.

     Below are some pictures of  the beautiful country and interesting rock formations in Pennyrile park. 

  

The picture below isn't pretty.  It is of the scum we found below a dam.  Obviously someone accidentally or purposely dumped some detergent into the lake. This is the deadly result.  If you want to enjoy a clean lake or river the next time you visit, please don't use detergents near a lake or river. Either take your grey water with you and dump it in an appropriate place like a dump-station, or use sand or other natural means of cleaning dishes, pots and pans.

Following are pictures of the natural bridge near Apex, Kentucky.  It was a good 1/2 to 3/4 mile from the main road to the site, but it was well worth the effort.

This is the Pennyrile lodge from across the lake.  If you're not campers, do check in to staying here.

The next weekend (1/25-26) we did a rails-to-trails trail in Greenville, KY.  It was in the 50s. Here you see Pamela with her poles.  She's again wearing walking shoes. I'm wearing the trail shoes.  We were both layered.  I included these pictures to show our trail poles. Pamela actually has her poles in position showing the proper angle of the arm.

That same weekend (last weekend in January) we took our "new" vintage camper trailer, 'Trailer Willie', to Nichol Creek Campground, Land Between the Lakes, KY.  We had a great campsite right on the lake and did several miles of trails

The picture below is of the island across the inlet from our campsite at sunset. We had that type of view in almost every direction.  The next picture is of 'Trailer Willy'.  This was his 'maiden voyage' with us.