Starling Travel

I first saw a Jumping Jack Trailer at Sportsman’s Warehouse.

I never really saw the benefit of it because I don’t need to haul four wheelers or any other toys. When I saw it at Sand Hollow State Park a couple of weeks ago, however, I was surprised at how good it looked.

I spotted it from a half-mile away and it looked so good silhouetted against the red earth of Southern Utah. I could tell that the owners had hauled a four-wheeler with it.

I used to wonder why anyone would want a tent trailer because I couldn’t see the benefit of it over just a plain old tent that I could stuff into my car, but the benefit at Sand Hollow is clear. Tents aren’t welcome at that particular campsite and there are no tent pads where you can pitch a tent. A trailer is the only way to stay there.

I looked online to see how much they cost, but all I could do was find this KSL Classified Ad for one: 2003 Jumping Jack ATV Trailer $4000

By contrast, I found this homemade tent trailer and toy hauler for MUCH less: ATV / TOY HAULER / POP-UP TENT TRAILER $1,250 or OFFER

I found two others for less than $4000, so toy haulers are pretty rare, but there are other options than the Jumping Jack. It was interesting to see it in the wild, but I just don’t have a use for one.

Update 12-14-14

I finally fixed this awning and made it much more sturdy and easy to put up. You can see it here:

• Starling Travel – A Better Homemade Awning

A couple of weeks ago, we went camping down at Sand Hollow State Park in Southern Utah. It was the first time I got to test my homemade awning. It looked GREAT!

Unfortunately, it didn’t hold up well in the wind. Just a short burst of wind sent it toppling down. There are two points of weakness in my design: the connections at the top and the connections at the trailer. On the trailer, the poles (stolen from my Springbar tent) just slide onto this PVC connector.

They worked great in the garage, but there was no wind there. Even the smallest of wind gusts can pop the pole off this connector, so I need to drill a hole in both the pole and the PVC pipe, and add a pin to keep the poles in place.

At the top of the awning, it is held on with a pin, but the pin just kept popping out of place, so I need a different connection there as well. I did a pretty good job sewing the awning, so I’m proud of that. All I need to work on is the hardware and this puppy with look good AND stay in place.

I found this camper on KSL Classifieds the other day and the headline didn’t lie:

Drop Dead Gorgeous 1958 Fireball Trailer

Ready to go camping, title in hand. It is 15 ft. long and lightweight. Easily pulled with SUV. (Continue Reading…)

I love this ingenious design for an A-frame camper that I found on Google Patents.

• U.S. Patent 4807924

The description is HORRIBLE. (Continue Reading…)

Famous author, John Green, tired from yet another flight, gave us this amazing monologue about the perks and liabilities of frequent flying.

John has flown more than 200,000 miles, so he has the frequent flier status that so many of us revere.

By far, the most important perk is that when the plague comes that is going to devastate humanity, I will be among its first victims. That stuff never starts with people watching CSI at home, it starts in airports, and I’ve always said that if there is going to be some human-ending apocalyptic event, I wanna be right out in front of it.

He also gets to sit in First Class, but he has a note of caution for the rest of us.

So listen up, infrequent fliers, as you’re walking past the First Class people to your middle seat in the second to the last row of the airplane, I want you to remember something. You may think, ‘Those are the fancy people. Those are the people who’ve got it figured out,’ but, NO! You, in the your seat in the middle of the last row, YOU have it figured out!

He goes on to say that frequent travel wreaks havoc on your personal life.

Travel for pleasure is FAR different than traveling for work. I think a lot of us look at people who travel for work and envy them because we imagine them visiting museums and touring the city, when in reality, they are holed up in a hotel somewhere.

I used to work at an engineering firm and when the engineers would travel to various cities to light up those wondrous substations of electricity, I would include touristy information for them. EVERY time they came back, I would ask what they did and they NEVER visited any of the fun places I researched for them.

Why?

Because in the words of my favorite engineer:

I was too tired after working all day and flying there to see any of that stuff.

So, the next time you envy those people in First Class as you walk to the back of the airplane, remember John Green and his tirade about zombie apocalypses and who has their lives figured out.

When I posted an entry about the very awesome Quantum 5 Contempo Fifth Wheel Fiberglass Trailers, Mike immediately noticed one of the photos:

I was the original owner of the Quantum fifth wheel that you show at the top of this article. I know it was my rig because of the awning and sewer hose on the rear and the metal band where the seam is on the side of the rig. These were not original and I added them over the twenty two and a half years we owned the rig. We purchased it in 1980 in Fullerton, CA and originally used a 1978 Toyota SR5 pick up to tow it. I traded up to a 1984 Chevy El Camino when it was new and towed it with that veh. until 2002 when I traded it in on a new motor home. WOW, to see that someone else got the rig and enjoyed it after we did is just great! It was a neat small aerodynamic camper that my wife and I used with great joy for many years. It is good to see they are still appreciated.

I was so excited that one of the original owners was willing to talk about his beloved old trailer, so I asked him to send photos and he DID!

There is so much awesome retro goodness in this photo that I’m stymied. From the El Camino to the stunning orange sands of the American Southwest, I am speechless! Luckily, Mike was willing to tell me all about it. (Continue Reading…)

The other day was so beautiful outside that I spent an extra few minutes filming a snatch of it for you. Here is one minute of Oquirrh Lake in the spring.

The next time you are feeling trapped at work, take one minute and enjoy the clucking of the ducks, the squawks of the seagulls and the trills of the red-winged black birds.

I was looking around on Google Patents When I found this car-mounted camper.

• U.S. Patent 4858986

Here is the description:

An inexpensive, lightweight camper is releasably mountable about trunk portions of an automobile without requiring the formation of holes in the automobile body. The camper has a flat floor and front, rear, top and side walls which are foldable to compactly overlie the trunk of the automobile.

It looks pretty interesting. (Continue Reading…)

I absolutely ADORE this 1956 Dalton I found on KSL Classifieds the other day.

The description leaves a little to be desired:

great condition for the year.DOES NOT LEAK at all.Sleeps 5.

The pictures tell a pretty good story, though. (Continue Reading…)

I found this Owl Mason Jar Light Outdoor Solar Light Canning Jar by LucentJane on Etsy a couple of weeks ago and just fell in love with it!

I really love the owl design, the pretty color and how well the solar light looks like it’s attached to the jar.

It has a nice handle so you can hang it from a branch or place it on your table.

I’ve been looking for a good centerpiece for my table when I’m camping. This one isn’t quite right for me, but I DO like it a lot.

At $30, I think I can make one for myself that holds up better than what I have right now, but I haven’t found anything that I like. This one is a great start for ideas.