Thursday, July 4, 2013

Caravan Dreams

I have always been intrigued with Caravans! 
As a child, we camped by rivers (the Metolious & the Deschutes) so my dad could go fly fishing - at first with two tarps (one for a drop cloth, the other a wind break) & my mom had a wooden camping box outfitted with dishes, pots n pans, basic supplies that, along with our Coleman stove & lantern, food & sleeping gear, allowed us to be off to the mountains on a given weekend!

Then it was a Higgens Tent Trailer (Get out of the way when my dad was working on getting those tent poles in place!!  I loved the blue flash, when the lantern was going out at night, & loved having my daddy sing mom & me to sleep!

Then a small camp trailer, which was easier to set up (he always carried a plumb bob, to help level it), & later another, slightly larger trailer. My Uncle Lloyd built a small storage trailer, similar to the back of this Teardrop, that they'd bring camping. It folded out, & was so clever. I think they had a tent for sleeping.

Parked in our driveway, our trailer made a great 'sleep over' room when a galfriend came to visit. We could giggle till all hours without keeping my folks awake!

I loved READING about caravans - Rummer Godden's 'The Didikoi' about a little gypsy girl is a favorite. And pictures! Sigh .... 
I spent 3 months one fall living in a Yurt at Breitenbush, beautifully built by Zoe, decorated & kept by my friend Gwynne.



Last year my friend Nancy took a workshop at the coast, & encountered a group of women campers, Sisters on the Fly, with adorable, decked out trailers ... & decided she was going to get one herself! 
She was staying in the same park, in the motor home she & her hubby own .... but having a cute little trailer beckoned. She considered fitting their cargo trailer with her Glamping Gear, but her hubby & son weren't sure they'd enjoy towing a yellow & pink trailer ...
So this spring, she picked a travel trailer up for a song (well, the cost the previous owner  incurred re-upolstering the cushions!) & it's a work in progress!

We hope it's ready for the road in a month, when we head to our HS reunion. Meanwhile, I've been thinking how fun it would be to have a little caravan of my own, sitting in my driveway, dreaming of the road ....(LOVE Penni's pink treasure, with custom spare tire cover!!)