In the beginning...My vintage Aristocrat travel trailer adventure

Sometimes we like to believe that fate has chosen us for a certain task. Was it  destiny that I happened upon a seemingly benign Craigslist ad for a vintage Aristocrat camper on my lunch break on an October day in 2014?  I am searching for a rational reason for spending countless hours (not to mention blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights and dollars) to renovate a trailer that many would see as nothing more than a salvaged heap of aluminum, rust and rotting wood on (flat) tires.

I have to admit that she is a little rough around the edges. And I will also admit that even the tow truck driver (who I had to pay generously to tow my so called "free", vintage trailer home --- more on that later) saw fear and anxiety in my eyes as he helped this leaning, dusty project limp awkwardly down my driveway. But, in fact, I look forward to the rewarding use of power tools and physical labor to restore this old girl (just to be clear, when I say "old girl", I am talking about the trailer). I am also drawn to the idea of  simpler living with the freedom to explore...we can call that one my midlife crisis. Sometimes though, you just shouldn't over think things. This 1964 Aristocrat travel trailer was home, and our new life together was about to begin.

In this blog I hope to share any and all useful tips I gather along the way on my glamping journey to renovate this vintage travel trailer. I hope it can foster some community discussion as I am already finding how useful it is to share ideas in this process. So please offer your own comments as you see fit! I look forward to hearing from you.

Here is how I found her on the lot.

She should clean right up, yes?

My heart sees camping by the lake, while my head sees rust, dust & wood rot.

Tea time...Happy hour, anyone? Anyone?!!?