A new season upon us...

Well I finally got the boler out for the first trip of the season. Last year my first trip involved ice on the ground. This year I am a bit older, and maybe a bit wiser. Not that I wouldn't camp in the cold, again. But this year I'm prepared with a kick ass catalytic heater.




I spent the weekend at a fiberglass trailer meet out by Mission. The heater came in handy as it rained the whole time and I used it to dry my socks. On Friday, when it came time for me to pack the trailer and go, I was more than a little hesitant. It wasn't the weather so much as the realization that a meet like this would force me to socialize with strangers at a level I didn't really feel I was up to. Yes, we did have our trailers in common, but after that....hmmm. I'd been to one of these meets before and had a great time, and the memory of that alone spurred me to finish packing and head out.

As I pulled into the large field, I immediately heard some one call out my name, which made me smile. They recognized me from the last meet. I found a place to park and set up camp; right behind the large Viking sculpture. (There is a story there, but I won't go into it now).

Once set up, I sat outside my trailer and opened a beer. A fellow came over, smiling and talking to me as if he knew me, "oh you made it. I have something to show you that you will be interested in". Not recognizing the man, I would have thought he was talking to someone behind me, except the only thing behind me was my trailer. He then handed me a flier with a vintage add-a-room for sale on it. I did know the man. I had tried to buy the room off him at the last meet, but he wasn't selling. Given this chance I snapped it up right away, which left a big smile on my face. (Add-a room not pictured).

15 minutes into my trip and I was already glad I'd come. I met others I had met at the first meet, and as the weekend moved on I met many more. I also picked up a couple of prized metal boler name plates which are impossible to find. They only appeared on the earliest bolers and I could see where they had been removed from my trailer. I spent the rest of the weekend with people dropping by offering to buy them off me for considerably more than I had paid for them.

What I found most rewarding was the open trailer day. Last year during open trailer time I was so busy running around looking at other peoples trailers (and getting decorating ideas) I never got to see peoples reactions to my trailer. This year I spent some time visiting other trailers, but also spent some time with people as they came to see mine. I mean, let's be honest. We go to these meets to show off our trailers, and all the little things we have done to them. And while they all may look a lot the same on the outside, it is the inside that we get to personalize. And yes I am proud of mine, and had a fine day listening to people say they liked it too.

All in all about 60 trailers came to this meet and yes I did spend a fair amount of time socializing with strangers, but it was good. It was one of those weekends that reminded me that the good things in life do require effort.

But those efforts often pay great dividends.

Best RV Show in Town

I took a trip out to Mission today to spend a couple of hours at the Tin Can Tourist (TCT) vintage travel trailer meet. WOW! An incredible array of vintage trailers were on display:

• Airstream- Bambi, Safari, International, Ambassador, Argosy
  
• Spartan
• Airfloat
• Chinook
  
• Sport Ranger
  
• Shasta
• Comet
• Serro Scotty
  
• and of course....boler

I had so many favorites, all for different reasons.
















The Argosy, which is a painted Airstream. Seems Airstream wanted to use some of their blemished aluminum and came up with this painted model.







This Airfloat, pure class inside ....












....and out!














The Spartan was just huge inside.






















The Airstream Ambassador which was a house on wheels. I can just picture Dick Van Dyke walking in and tripping over the ottoman.


Well worth the drive out. It wasn't actually an RV show, but a camping weekend for people with vintage trailers. Having been to a similar meet for fiberglass trailer owners earlier this year I figure the odds were good that they would have an open trailer day on Saturday, as they did at the meet I was at. Fortunately for me, there were people there that I met at the last meet so I had some credibility when I started walking into peoples trailers.

Oh, and have a look at some of the tow vehicles...

Year of the boler (small "b" intended)

So, I'm just back from another boler weekend.

Having purchased my new toy and current object of obsession last October I have deemed 2009 the year of the boler! For the uninitiated, bolers are small molded fiberglass travel trailers built in Canada from 1968 through the 1970's (the end date of production is a bit vague as there were many offshoots made from the same molds, but with different names). There were approximately 10,000 bolers produced, and given the number you still see on the road, I'd bet the a good majority of them are still around.

I first became facinated by the boler after listening to a CBC radio documentary on them. When they began to talk about these vintage eggs shaped trailers I immediately knew what they were, having seen them on the road for years. But I'd never really thought about them much before. I hadn't considered the brilliance of their design, or taken pride in the face that they were made in Canada; and I certainly had never considered them cool. But by time the show was over, the seeds were sewn. I began researching them on the internet; walking into peoples yards where I saw them parked, so I could look in the windows; and at the hight of my obsession knocking on strangers doors to ask if I could have a look inside.

This was all over the course 4 or 5 years. In the interim I had become the not so proud 1/4 share owner of a beat-to-shit 1976 Bonaire tent trailer (also made in Canada). A story in itself. But one to be told at a later date. Then last October, it was time. My obsession had fermented to the point of action. I scoped it out on Craigslist, picking the cleanest one I saw. I layed down $4,000 cash after a brief negotiation, which included getting the owner to tow it to my place for me. And then it was mine.

So far it has been everything I had hoped: It is simple to tow and set up, comfortable to sleep in, and most importantly, it's cool!