On the Road Again...

...we just can't wait to get on the road again!

We've got a new tow vehicle - it's a 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch with the 6.7 PowerStroke diesel.  We were looking for the next 20-year vehicle to replace the '96 F-250 and landed on this one.

We've been planning this trip to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks since December, and we finally hit the road on June 14 about 4:00 am.

 

We left Fort Smith and drove about 14 hours, spending the first night in Cheyenne, Wyoming at the AB RV Campground.  It was a good place to stop for the night and had great barbecue sandwiches.

Great Friends

It's been awhile since I updated the blog.  We made one weekend trip through the spring to Lake Fort Smith State Park - a wonderful experience, by the way, with beautiful facilities - but we've had so much rain that we haven't been able to get out much.

One of the treasures of life is good and long friendships.  We've received some very special gifts from very special friends.

First, from Tim and Connie Bailey, a beautiful handmade quilt obviously made with much love that is a wonderful bedspread:

And then from Dave and Lynnet Hardwick, a beautiful appliqued tea towel and matching vintage truck and trailer salt and pepper shaker:

How grateful we are for friends who we have the privilege of sharing life with!

Rainbow Trailer - A Beautiful Re-creation

When I first brought the trailer back from Utah, I began investigating Edwards Mfg. Co. in Sun Valley, CA where Rainbow's were made.  So far, I've been able to uncover very little information about the company - when they started and when they ended - building trailers.


I knew when I got it painted that the original logo would be the hardest part to protect and re-create.  But thanks to a couple of great local print shops, I think they've done an outstanding job.  Here it is:

I've got some extra decals - will probably sell them on Ebay, but just message me if you are interested in them.

Winter Rainbow

President's Day weekend brought winter weather to much of Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas. We spent Saturday night in Dallas for our anniversary (#34) and then stayed at Lake Texoma Sunday night. We dropped the trailer there on Saturday thinking that valet parking might be difficult with the truck and trailer. As it was, I thought it was hilarious when we pulled our '96 Ford in behind a brand new Bentley at The Mansion at Turtle Creek. It felt much more at home at Eisenhower State Park outside of Dennison, TX. 

Saturday when we dropped the trailer it was approaching 70 degrees and no wind. Sunday the weather changed and about 8:00 pm it started raining, then sleeting, and it did that all night long. 

The wind was blowing strong so it dried things out but we stayed snuggled up inside with a bacon & egg breakfast. 

The best part about this camping trip: NO LEAKS!! Yay! I think the sealing that Mason did before he painted was well worth it. With as much wind as we've battled on the highway, there has been plenty of opportunity for the roof to be flexing and break the seal. 

"Dirtybird" State Park, OK

The last weekend in January we visited some friends in Blanchard, OK, near Oklahoma City.  We camped out at Thunderbird State Park, about 12 miles east of Norman.

We thought the park was beautiful.  Well maintained, lots of mountain bike trails, very clean, and a nature center.  The campground we stayed in was on the south side of the lake on Highway 9.

This was our first camping adventure since the repaint.

I should have put the awning out, just to get the full landscape of the Rainbow, but it's really a good thing I didn't.  Saturday was beautiful - about 50 degrees and clear skies.  Sunday, on the other hand, was still clear but about 30 with 60 m.p.h. winds and would have ripped the awning to shreds.

We would definitely stay here again.  The ironic thing we found out at church on Sunday in Blanchard - Thunderbird S.P. has a local nickname of "Dirtybird"...evidently they find more bodies in this lake than any other in the Oklahoma City area.  Well, we didn't see any and that would not prevent us from staying there again!

Born Again

I should have posted earlier to bring that sense of anticipation, but...

On Monday, January 5th I dropped the Rainbow at Mason's Body and Paint on Wheeler Ave. in Fort Smith. I liked Mason immediately - he's a believer, and he really enjoys vintage and old cars. So when I started talking about him painting the Rainbow and told him the history, it really captured his fancy. I had to pick out a paint color and we found the original color, Coral, from a 1957 Ford paint catalog.

I picked up the trailer on January 20th, and here was my first look at it...

 

I took a few more pictures at home, and then hauled it to Creekmore Park to get a few more. I am so impressed with the work that Nathaniel Mason did, and his special little touch on the back was really neat.  I think my dad would be pleased.



Mason had a print shop reproduce the original Rainbow decal as closely as possible - they got close, and he printed me about 10 of the decals that someone online might be interested in.

Mason told me that while it was in the paint shop, a guy walked around it 10 times. Mason finally let him see the inside, and the guy wondered if we would sell it. Mason told him that he didn't think so.

While I was at the park just taking a few pictures, a gentleman came by and asked if I was interested in selling it.  Sorry - but she's been Born Again and staying in the family.  This is going to be fun.

 

Still Breaking Her In

After having the kids at our home for Christmas, Tracy and I decided to take the Rainbow out to a campground in the Ozarks we have heard about but never been to - Long Pool Recreation Area.  It's about 20 miles north of Russellville, Arkansas.

I headed out on Friday and set up camp, then came back home and picked her up after she got off work. We ate dinner at CJ's (Russellville) and then headed up to Long Pool.



It's a beautiful camping spot. There was one other trailer in the whole campground so we pretty much had it to ourselves.

It rained Friday night and most of Saturday, so it was indoor forced relaxation, which we really enjoy when you don't have to feel guilty about it!  Found out that one of the roof seams is leaking so I need to work on sealing that, but the air conditioner was bone dry!

I should add that this time, I used all the side and center framework poles for the awning. It was much more trim than the first time we set it up, and actually made it quite easy to manage the rain water. When it started raining, I simply lowered the three poles on the outside edge and the water easily ran off without collecting in big pools on the awning itself.

On Sunday we drove about 15 miles north to King's Bluff and Pedestal Rocks. We had never been there before but would highly recommend it!  One of the unusual sights in Arkansas.