Happy 100th National Park Service!

by StephInTexas, posted in Restoration

When we purchased the Safari a few years ago, I googled “events of 1966” to see what was going on when our little trailer first hit the road. I quickly discovered that the National Parks Service celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary that year! I instantly became inspired to incorporate this into the decor. The first thing I purchased was a First Day of Issue postcard with the commemorative stamp attached and postmarked Yellowstone National Park, August 25, 1966.

IMG_4021 (Large)

 My great design idea kinda fizzled out after that…until this year! Suddenly it was the 100th Anniversary and I was able to find inspiration everywhere.  My favorite things are the two large pillows we lean on when we watch TV.  We have started buying patches from everywhere we visit and sewing them on. I hope one day we run out of room on them and have to start two more!

Our National Parks truly are… America’s Best Idea.  I’m so proud that our country has protected them for all of us to enjoy and look forward to visiting as many as possible in my lifetime. Who knows, 50 years from now someone may be blogging about their 100 year old Airstream and still have that framed stamp hanging on the wall! I hope so. Happy Trails!

“There is nothing so American as our national parks…. The fundamental idea behind the parks…is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.”   – President Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Wally Byam Caravan Documentaries on YouTube!

by StephInTexas, posted in WBCCI

A friend recently told me about these great old documentaries available on YouTube. The first one is Wally (in his beret!) leading a caravan through Mexico and then in the second video he leads the famous Capetown to Cairo caravan through the desert. The last one is of a caravan to Guatemala narrated by the young and handsome Ricardo Maltalban!  Amazing footage of incredible trailers, cool tow vehicles,  and some very adventurous souls! Enjoy!

 

Caddo Lake State Park

by StephInTexas, posted in HOTC Outings, Kayaking, Photography, Texas State Parks

Located in far East Texas near the Louisiana border, you will find beautiful Caddo Lake, a sprawling maze of bayous and sloughs. Depending on rainfall, this maze of slow-moving bayous, wetlands and backwaters covers about 26,810 acres of cypress swamp.  To really experience the beautiful forests of cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, you need to get out on the water. Canoe rentals are available or you can take a guided pontoon boat ride.

We camped at  Caddo Lake State Park with the Heart of Texas Camping Unit. Several other club members brought their kayaks and canoes so we all got together and explored a paddling trail. The trail is clearly marked but I was glad I took along the GPS…just in case! It would be very easy to get disoriented and loose your way in the maze of cypress trees. We paddled 9 miles that day. It was a great day and another fun camp out!

 

Big Bend National Park

by StephInTexas, posted in National Parks, Photography

When Dan and I started planning our trip to Big Bend National Park, we began asking everyone we came in contact with, “Have you been to Big Bend?”.  We were surprised at the number of Texans who had not visited the park but…hey…neither had we!  On the other hand, when we asked someone who had been to the park, most could barely contain their excitement and began telling us everything we needed to see while we were there.  We learned that hiking the many trails was the best way to see the park so we ordered the book “Hiking Big Bend National Park” from Amazon. This is an excellent guide to the many trails, their level of difficulty, distance, etc.  This book, along with all the maps and information they gave us when we entered the park, enabled us to plan our days activities the most efficiently.  You should plan on doing a lot of driving when you visit the park.  It’s big.  Really BIG. TEXAS BIG! It covers 801,163 acres and is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States.  I have heard people complain about this but, we enjoyed every minute of every drive. The landscape looked different in every light and from every angle. With a park speed limit of 45 MPH, we found this to be the most relaxing part of our trip. It was wonderful to just slow down and do some rubber neckin’!

We dry camped at Rio Grande Village Campground for 4 nights and 5 days. We were in the generator area and plugged in once to charge the camera batteries and once to turn on the A/C for a quick cool down.  Other than that, our solar panels kept our batteries charged just fine and we still had room in our wast tanks and 12% of fresh water remaining when we pulled out! Our little Safari was very comfortable and did great on her first trip to a National Park!

I can’t tell you how beautiful Big Bend is….you have to see it for yourself.  It’s vast, remote, rugged and one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. We Texans, should be very proud to have Big Bend National Park as part of our incredible state. If you haven’t been….GO!

View from Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
The Rio Grande River
Sierra Del Carmen
Boquillas Canyon
The Window View
The Window View
Sierra Del Carmen
Balanced Rock
Santa Elena Canyon
Santa Elena Canyon
Mule Ears
Sierra Del Carmen
Chisos Mountains
Top of Lost Mine Trail
Lost Mine Trail
Chisos Mountains

Airstream to build fiberglass Nest Caravan – Outside Interests

by StephInTexas, posted in Airstream Gear

 

I am loving this little guy! ❤

That’s right: a fiberglass Airstream trailer. The big news was just announced by Airstream, Inc., who will soon be expanding their product offering to the molded fiberglass segment of the RV industry through the acquisition of Nest Caravans. The 16-foot Nest, built by designer and fiberglass expert Robert Johans, was created in 2013 (and completed … Continue reading Airstream to build fiberglass Nest Caravan →

Source: Airstream to build fiberglass Nest Caravan – Outside Interests

Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea Coming Back To PBS

by StephInTexas, posted in National Parks

It was a blockbuster the first time it aired, and if you didn’t see it then, tune in to your local PBS television station next week to catch a repeat showing of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan.

Source: Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea Coming Back To PBS

Our 1966 Safari Restoration

by StephInTexas, posted in Restoration

I’m not sure if an Airstream restoration is ever really finished!  It seems there is always some new fun gadget to add, new technology comes along,  not to mention the decor.  I’m so indecisive I’ve already made two sets of curtains! But, after almost two years, we are calling it done. I published a YouTube video of the restoration process we did on the  Overlander and enjoyed the comments and feedback we received so much,  I made one for the Safari as well. It’s a little long, so if you would like to skip the video and just see the after pictures, they are below the video link.  Thanks for following our progress and Happy Trails!