1963 Airstream Tradewind restoration

It's been over a year since I got sidetracked from rebuilding our 57 Overlander, and picked up another Airstream project. It had most of the parts needed to put it back together, and the frame had already been rebuilt, with a new axle, brakes and wheels. It was in Minnesota, near Minneapolis, and only a short drive from Texas. Shelly didn't want to go, so solo I go. I stopped in Missouri at a state park, and slept in the back of the truck in a sleeping bag. That worked fine until it started raining. After not sleeping in the truck, I showered, and got on the road about 6 in the morning. After buying the Airstream, the guy helped me load everything into it. The aluminum, cabinets, insulation, refrigerator, air conditioner, water heater, furnace, boxes of parts,lights, plumbing. A giant jigsaw puzzle. I drove back several hours in the dark, and pulled into a rest area about 10 pm. I slept in the camper for several hours, until the trucker next to me woke me up, and I got on the road about 4 in the morning. The Airstream pulled great, and it was easy to forget it was back there. So easy, in fact, that I pulled into a rest stop in a car parking space, leaving the Airstream blocking  the lane, and only realized what I had done after I got back to the truck. How embarrassing, but no one was around to laugh at me, except myself. I drove nearly a thousand miles that day, getting back home about 10 pm. Now to rebuild it! 

Before and after shots of the outside

 I wanted a gray tank on it, so I moved a frame member, and welded a bracket to hold the gray tank.

Shelly and I riveted the shell onto the frame, and we're ready to polish the Airstream. I found a guy advertising polishing services in Granbury, and he was reasonably priced, so we took it to him. I was relieved to not have to polish it myself. 

I drew up plans, sticking to the original floor plan, so I could use most of the cabinets and doors. I cut the exterior holes for the water heater, furnace, and electrical inlet. I built an aluminum battery box behind the propane tanks, and got the running lights working. Next was the 12 and 120 volt electrical systems. 

It was time for a vacation, so we took off with my parents for Colorado and New Mexico, but that is a different story. Once we got back, it was time to insulate, and put the walls back in. 

I primed the walls, and sprayed on Zolatone polomyx. 

I put in a laminate floor, and set the bathtub. Next was the bath cabinet, and walls.

Most of the mechanical systems needed to be put in at this stage, so it seemed to take forever, before getting back to cabinets and walls.

I was using the cabinet doors that came with the Airstream, but the walls and cabinets did not fit this unit, so they all had to be rebuilt. Painstakingly slow process, but it looks good. 

I rebuilt the dinette, and used the hydraulic lift table. 

October in Arkansas!

The Texas heat is slowly giving up, but to help it along, we're moseying north to Arkansas. 

 Backing up a day, Erica was in her patrol car Tuesday night helping a stranded motorist. With lights flashing, she used her car to shield the stranded motorist from traffic. Fortunately for the motorist, a driver hit the patrol car with Erica in it, instead of the lady filling her gas tank. Erica hit her head on the window, causing a concussion, but says she'll be fine. We had the truck and Airstream loaded up on Tuesday, and took Makayla back to Mansfield Wednesday morning. Erica is still sore, but still insists she is fine, and seeing Makayla's reaction to her and Damon is priceless. We drove through Dallas and east on I30, with plans on making it to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. With only about 5 hours of sleep Tuesday, I was tired, and probably a little cranky. Shelly would probably take out the probably. We saw a sign for Bob Sandlin state park, and took that exit. After driving south for about 15 minutes, we realized we missed the turn to the state park, and drove 15 minutes back to where we should have turned, and finally got to the park about 4:30. Broken Bow can wait till tomorrow. 

Thursday, October 1

Yea! It's October! I took Sadie for a jog this morning on the trail to the trout pond. She kept up, but I wasn't breaking any speed records. And it was less than two miles. The morning was cool and clear, and a good way to wake up. We stopped in Broken Bow at the Choctaw casino, and had fun watching the spinning wheels for a few hours. We decided on staying in Daisy state park in Arkansas, but a few miles before we got to the park we checked out a corps of engineers park on the Missouri River. It is a nice, scenic park, and only $5 a night; with the only drawback of being too close to the highway.

We had the camp to ourselves, and hiked down an abandoned road. It had warmed up to about 80 today, but cooled down nice in the evening.

 Shelly and Sadie on the abandoned road. 

We played gin until bedtime. 

Friday, October 2

Woke up to a cool 50* morning. Took a three mile hike on the abandoned road again.

Calm water

Morning camp

 Moon in the blue.

We made it to Petit Jean about 12:30, and got one of the last campsites available. #89 is in the middle loop, and next to the bathroom. Two nights are $44. At 6:00 we drove to the rock cave for an interpretive night tour of the cave, which was interesting, but slightly crowded with 40 people. I learned what a sassafras tree looks like! We also drove on the red bluff drive, which we have never done before. Now, we are wondering why we never went there before, as it has two beautiful overlooks. 

Saturday, October 3

The park is just about full, but the crowds are unusually quiet. I hiked with Sadie down to the lake, and then up by the tennis courts, and swimming pool I didn't know was here. I'm learning a lot this trip. We drove to Morrilton for a few groceries, and stopped at a junk store in Oppello. I bought a small Rockwell industrial router for $35. We ate at a Mexican food restaurant in Morrilton, and split an order of fajitas. They were delicious, and even though we split a single order, we still had leftovers. Back in camp, I drove to bear cave and climbed on the rocks. I hiked down to the waterfall, and enjoyed the hike.

The high today was 71*, and a great day for hiking. We read books in the afternoon, and played cards at night. 

Sunday, October 4

I hiked down Cedar creek trail, and instead of crossing the creek on the trail, I walked down th creek toward the waterfall. As I tried to take a picture, the camera told me I was an idiot, and forgot to put the sd card back in. I hiked to the top of the waterfall, and decided I wanted a picture of this. I got to hike back to the log cabin, drive back to camp, put the sd card in the camera, tell Shelly how dumb I am, drive back to the cabin, and hike back down to the waterfall just for a picture that doesn't do it justice. 

 There are two people in the picture behind the rock

This is a close up of the same shot. There are still two people in the picture. 

This is the same picture enlarged to see the two people. 

The old log cabin, and the dovetailed corners. 

Looks like a waterfall in fall

We packed up and drove north to Blanchard Springs, stopping in Clinton at an antique mall. We set up camp in site 19, and found out the price dropped from $12, two years ago, to $10 a night. Shelly and I hiked on the trail over the mountain to the swimming area, and walked on the road back to camp. We had to wade across the creek barefoot to get to camp, and decided the water is much too cold to swim.

The creek below our site.

Shelly is reading Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Monday, October 5

I hiked up the Sylamore creek trail about two miles each way. Sadie walked with me, and kept up great. Erica texted while I was on the trail, since I had reception on the top of the mountain. It was cool and overcast, but a great day for hiking. Shelly and I drove to Gunner pool camp, where we camped three years ago, and walked down to the swimming area on the creek. Even though the sun was out now, it is 60*, and we did not swim. We threw rocks and tried to land them on a submerged boulder.

We stopped at Blanchard springs cavern to see if they still offered the wild cave tour. They were going to add a safety rope on a slippery area, and would be a few months before they toured again. I had done the tour three years ago, and wanted to go again. Maybe next year. We had a relaxing afternoon, until we got new neighbors with yappy dogs. Then the neighbors would yell loudly at the dogs, which didn't stop the dogs from yapping. But they got quiet at night, and we never heard a sound after we went to bed. 

Tuesday, October 6

Shelly dropped me off at the Allison trailhead on her way into Mountain View. She washed clothes, while I got to take a 5 mile hike back to camp. We both think we got the better deal. It took me 3&1/2 hours to go about 5 miles. 

 Near the Allison trailhead

A selfie! Just to prove I was there!

 

 A dry waterfall. It is probably even prettier in the spring

Maidenhair ferns on a bluff

He was scared of me

 A pretty purple flower

A funny looking moss. A great spot for a snack break.

 Another rock

 Sylamore creek near the swimming area

We relaxed again in the afternoon, and played cards at night. Shelly even let me win a game. 

Wednesday, October 7

We drove south on the winding roads and ended up at lake Greeson again. We were planning on the $5 a night Star of the West camp, but came to Jim Wylie recreation first. It is just down the road from Star of the West, and across the road. The sites are all overlooking the lake, and very similar to Daisy state park, but are only $13 a night for electric only sites. Site 47 had water also, and was $16 a night, but the view was better in 48, and we had enough water in the tank. We were the only campers in the park, but it seems the bathrooms are popular with the locals. There were several people who came to use the showers and bathroom. We talked with both Erica and Tyler, and made plans to make it home tomorrow. We read books and enjoyed the view of the lake until dark. 

Thursday, October 8

We stopped in Broken Bow to try our luck again, and actually came out ahead almost enough to make up for our loss the first time. It is more fun when you are winning. We made it home about 4:00, and unpacked. Time to start thinking about a vacation.

Santa Fe August 2015

Tuesday, August 4

We went to try our luck at casinos again, starting with Camel Rock. I got lucky after a few spins, and even luckier after about 45 minutes. I hit an $80 jackpot, and so between us we were up $40 when we cashed out. We went to Buffalo Thunder casino, and I decided since we were up $40, we could be a little more reckless. I played max bet on the first spin, and won $30. In the next 30 minutes, I had the total up to $90, and cashed out. We decided to keep playing on their money, and at one point I was up another $75, but. Yeah, you can guess the rest of the story. We gave it all back, but had a blast on casino money. We had been told farmer's market was open on Tuesdays, so we drove around until we found it. Every time we have been by here, it has been closed, and this was no different. It closed at 1 P. M. We went to a thrift store across from Tune-up cafe, and bought two dvd's, and Shelly bought a book! That was not a typo, she really bought a book! Really! We checked on the world, using Lowe's wifi again. Thank you, Lowe's. We stopped at Smith's for groceries, and I walked to habitat restore. I bought a Craftsman circular saw for $20, and then helped Shelly finish shopping. Back in camp, we visited with Jim and Athena again. He gave us each a ball cap with Native American designs on them. I hiked up the creek by our camp.

A bluff by the creek

Unusual berries by the creek

Above our camp looking east toward Santa Fe

We were tired at the end of the day, and watched the Bourne Identity on dvd.

Wednesday, August 5

Another cool clear morning! Have I mentioned I like waking up here in August? We hiked up Black canyon trail in the morning, and lazed around in the afternoon.

Shelly and Sadie at the top of Black Canyon trail

We both read a book, and played games in the evening. It actually got hot here in the afternoon. I think it got in the upper 80's, but it cooled down by evening. It is supposed to be the same tomorrow.

A ground squirrel stuffing his cheeks with sunflower seeds

Thursday, August 6

We were invited by Rich to visit Bishop's Lodge near Santa Fe. We met Rich a few weeks ago in his Airstream in site 34, the day after mom and dad left. Bishop's Lodge was built almost 100 years ago, around a chapel built 50 years before that. It is about to be renovated, but waiting on permits. It is a unique lodge, and will be super nice when finished.

We drove from there through Tesuque village, and to the casinos again. We didn't have the good luck that I had the last time, but Shelly lost less than I did. We went to the laundromat and put in two loads of clothes. We left, and filled a propane tank at the Rv park on Cerrillos road. The gauge showed it took 7.8 gallons, but it is a 7 gallon tank. It weighed 45 pounds after filling, so I'll check the weight of propane when I get back. Back at the laundromat, one of the washers decided to quit, so we had to restart it and wait another 30 minutes. We talked to Erica, and mom and dad while waiting. We ate at McDonalds and used their wifi. I hiked on Black canyon trail to the top for exercise, before watching the Bourne Supremacy on dvd.

Friday, August 7

Hiking day! We drove to the ski area to start our hike on Winsor trail. We had hiked this trail two years ago, when Bentley went with us. The trail starts with a steep incline for about a half a mile, until we get to the Pecos wilderness at the top of a ridge. 

From the top, we get a break, and get a slow descent through the pines. Shelly checked the altimeter, to find we were over 10,700 feet up. 

An old guy's feeble attempt at a selfie.

After about a mile down, the trail gets into an aspen grove, and you can hear the creek at the bottom of the canyon. We passed a lot of people looking for mushrooms, and got to see what they were looking for. They were funny looking yellow ones and a few red ones. The mushrooms, not the people. We kept seeing other red mushrooms, and asked one couple about these, but they said not to pick those. I guess we'll let the professionals pick them. We stopped at the creek for a lunch that Shelly had  made for us. 

Can you find Shelly in the picture?

Shelly and Sadie on the log bridge.

The sign near the bridge said we had hiked 2 & 1/4 miles from the ski area. The hike back seemed longer for some reason. Shelly says it was because she and Connie kept texting while hiking in, and it kept her occupied. 

Me hiking!

Shelly on the trail

Back at camp, we rested from the hike, and read a book. We played games again at dark. 

Saturday, August 8

We went back to town to get a few things, and check on the rest of the world. It is still spinning without us. We read books back in camp, and watched our new neighbor set up camp in the afternoon. He had 3 kids including one in a crib, and one dog named Lucy. Lucy wanted to roam, and didn't respond to his constant yelling at her. His kids wanted to roam, and didn't respond to his constant yelling at them. He finally put Lucy on a leash, and his kids settled down enough, that he didn't have to yell at them, or put them on a leash. I guess it was too quiet for him, so he turned his radio and started singing for us. Another neighbor had a loud, yappy dog that did not want anyone to walk by their campsite. We watched a movie to tune them out. 

Sunday, August 9

Chris and Dianne told us there was free entry to all the museums on museum hill today, so we tried it. The first museum had early Spanish lifestyle highlighted. There was a band playing, complete with dancers on stilts. They played interesting music, including their version of the thrift store song. We walked through the botanical garden, which was nice, but still small. There are two more phases planned, and should be nice when more mature. The plants, not me. I doubt I'll ever be more mature. We went to the folk art museum, which has a huge collection of international folk art, and a section for southern U.S. pottery. The most interesting was the Native American museum, with collections of baskets, pottery, arrowheads, tools, and descriptions of their lifestyles. We ate at the Tune-up cafe again, and split an order of chicken quesadillas and an order of guacamole. We got filled up on great food for under $12. It was still early, so we opted to give Buffalo Thunder some more money. It was fun, but not nearly as much fun as when we were using their money. Back at camp, the yappy dog people had moved out, but not our neighbor with the dog, and 3 kids. But he was much more subdued today. 

Monday, August 10

I wanted to go exploring, and check out the mountains west of Taos. I have never been through this area. Chris and Carla, from Taos had posted a good Boondocking area near Hopewell lake, so we drove there. It was about a two hour drive from Taos. I stopped at the ranger station in Tres Piedras, and got a map of the national forest. The drive west on 64 is beautiful, and covered in pines, with the elevation climbing as we went. The national forest campground at Hopewell lake was decent, and $15 a night. The Boondocking area on forest road 91B is on a rough gravel road, but less than a mile off the paved road. There was no one else camping now, but it looks well used, and is probably crowded on summer weekends. We picked up some pine firewood, and planned on a fire tonight. We drove west toward Tierra Amarilla, and took some pictures at a scenic overlook.

The elevation is over 10,000 feet in this area, and the temperature in the upper 60's. As we went down the mountain, the temperature went back up in the 80's, and we could see rain in the mountains toward SantaFe.

We were hungry by the time we got back to Espanola, and tried Blake's Lotaburger. It took a while to get our order, but the burgers were good. We got back to camp about 5:30 in a light rain, which lasted into the night, so it was a movie again, instead of a campfire.

Tuesday, August 11

I hiked up black canyon for a little exercise, and enjoyed the clear, cool weather. Shelly cleaned the Airstream for a lot of exercise. She found the pile of magazines we brought to occupy us when we were bored on this trip. I guess we haven't been bored yet, because I had only read a couple of them. I went through about six of them to lighten our load for the trip home. I hiked up the canyon west of our camp again, and followed the creek up over a half a mile. There is not a good trail, but the creek is running, and the scenery is worth the rough hike. We sat by a fire in the evening, and I was hungry, so we roasted hot dogs. They were good, even if I don't usually like hot dogs. We played cards after dark until bed. 

Wednesday and Thursday, August 12 and 13

We tried the casinos one last time, and Shelly came out ahead at least. Not quite enough to cover my loss, but still fun. We bought a few groceries to get us home. We packed up everything at camp, and got ready to leave early in the morning. The headlines in the news said there would be a good meteor shower peaking about 2 in the morning. I got up about it 1, but only saw one faint meteor in about 5 minutes, so I went back to bed. We got up before 5 (New Mexico time) and were on the road after dumping by 5:30. We stopped for breakfast at McDonalds in Santa Rosa, and they were slow as usual. We stopped every couple of hours to stretch, and made it home by 8:00.