Starling Travel

RV Videos featured this video on YouTube from 2007. They were driving to their RV site in Grover Beach and the back window of the tow vehicle shattered when they turned a corner. The video is pretty impressive.

There is some question about WHY the window shattered. Here is what the owner said:

The fifth wheel trailer was just too far forward when we were turning and it pushed against the cab of the truck. The force of the glass hitting the back of my head stung like hell. As you can see my nephew with his cat-like reflexes hauls ass.

Some of the commenters suggested that a bike in the back of the truck actually broke the window, but that question was answered.

Nope. It was the fifth wheel. It put a nice dent in the back, upper corner of the truck cab. The bike was in the bed of the truck, stationary.

When I talked about the stability of fifth wheel trailers, I never knew that they could have an improperly placed hitch and end up ruining your tow vehicle.

I mentioned the Safari Alto trailers in passing when I talked about trailers that are variations on the Wild Goose Teardrops:

• Starling Travel: Tiny Trailers: Wild Goose Variations

Back then, I said:

The Alto Trailer from Safari Condo is still in production, but they are in Canada, so finding one in the States is a little difficult. This video is adorable. He is so excited to show how it lifts up.

The inside looks roomy and the sides are windows instead of canvas.

The difficulty of obtaining one of those trailers from Canada stopped me from owning one.

The difficulties haven’t changed, but I find myself returning to the Safari Alto website time and time again. I think I like them because they have a bath and shower in that tiny package, weighing only 1725 pounds.

Here is the floor plan:

New for this year, they have added a non-popup trailer called the Safari Alto F1743. It’s a 17 foot trailer that weighs only 1592 pounds, amazingly light. It has a similar aerodynamic design that isn’t quite a teardrop, but looks pretty good in its own right.

The floor plan reveals that it, too, has a bath and shower.

The more I think about these trailers the less bothersome a trip to Quebec sounds to me.

This video was really informative, showing how trailers are made.

It really made sense to me when I saw it being put together. The reason the plumbing is so hard to fix when something goes wrong is because when the trailer is made, there are no WALLS installed yet.

If they made the walls first, and then added the interior fixtures, it would ensure that repair was just as easy as assembly.

They also made a popup trailer video as well. Beware of bad puns in this one: “It even comes with a screen door, because who know when adventure will come knocking.” I would suggest watching it on mute, but they do give some good information about how the trailers are made.

They also did an episode about the Safari Alto Travel Trailers:

• Discovery Channel: How It’s Made Season 20 Episode 6

I love to watch these videos because they give me ideas on how to build my own, but at the same time, they make the process look so difficult that I feel like I couldn’t make it on my own. It’s a strange mixture of inspiration and discouragement.

I have nowhere near $17,500 saved up, so I have to die a little inside because I have to pass up this 1978 GMC Royale I found on KSL Classifieds.

It looks like the perfect Barbie Star Traveler. Here is the description:

1978 GMC ROYAL 26’, 60,000 Original Miles, Excellent Condition, Feb 2012 fully checked and serviced, 403 Engine, 2 A/Cs Dash/Roof, 6kw Generator,

Full Awning, Hardwood Flooring and Walnut Cabinets, 3- way Refrigerator, Floor Furnace, Built-in Vacuum System,

Rear Bath,

Front Dinette and Kitchen, Sleeps Six,

all Service Bulletins, Parts Books, Monthly Newsletters that identifies any suggested improvements or modifications and where they are available, Repairs and Maintenance Manuals, Records and History from date of manufactured. Continuous inside storage, Elevated off of Tires and Wheels.

I took so many imaginary trips in my Barbie Star Traveler that I really feel like I’ve already wandered the continent in this motorhome. It makes me so happy to see it in real life!

Update 06-04-13: I found a bunch of GMC Floor plans here:

• 23 Foot GMC Interiors

I’m only guessing, but I believe this Royale has this floor plan.

See Also:

• Starling Travel – 1976 GMC Eleganza II on eBay: Most Tempting
• Starling Travel – Barbie Star Traveler: The Beginnings of My Camper Obsession

Mello Mike went to Southern Utah in his truck camper and had a great time. You can read the introduction here:

• Mello Mike’s RV & Off-Road Adventures: Wow! What a trip!

My favorite photo is of his boondocking spot in the Valley of the Gods:

Check out his website and enjoy the beautiful photography!

I saw these pictures on Motion Burns The Mood, but they had labeled them, “Abandoned Amusement Park in New Orleans.” After some sleuthing, I finally found where this abandoned amusement park really was: Chippewa Lake Park in Ohio.

Here is a documentary exploring the park and comparing its abandoned decay to the beauty of its past.

There is something about a defunct amusement park that seems so appealing to me. I feel as if I could ride the rides all day long with no other people in line in front of me. Logically, I know that I couldn’t go on any of the rides, but still, I want to visit an abandoned amusement park, if only to FEEL as if I had it all to myself. It seems to appeal to the hermit side of me, wanting to create a place of fun just for myself, like Michael Jackson did with Neverland Ranch.

Unfortunately, you can’t visit the abandoned site of Chippewa Lake Park anymore. In 2009, it was demolished.

If you want to learn more, here are some more links:

• Google Maps – Chippewa Lake Park
• Forgotten Ohio – Chippewa Lake Park

When I was looking through my grandma’s old family photos, I found this one.

None of the people so eagerly approaching this bear are any of my ancestors, but my grandma was close enough to TAKE the photograph, so I can’t brag too loudly about how safe she might have been. Back in the 1940s and 1950s, visitors to Yellowstone park were allowed to approach and feed the grizzly bears. I wonder how many human injuries occurred before they changed that rule.

Now, when a grizzly bear wanders into an area of Yellowstone with lots of tourists, the rangers are right there to prevent encounters. Here’s a video of a grizzly bear at Old Faithful, chasing bison.

I LOVE how that video ends. He realizes that the grizzly is coming for him and he starts yelling, “Nope, no, no!” Then the video just STOPS! AWESOME!

I’ve seen bears in Yellowstone before and wrote about it here:

• Starling Travel – Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Photos
• Starling Travel – Video: Bear in Yellowstone

Here’s the video from our 2007 encounter:

It’s funny to me to see my videos and photos alongside the one from my grandma’s collection. Throughout the years, our family has visited Yellowstone many times and have enjoyed the wildlife there. It’s like I feel connected to her across the span of time and it has even bridged across death itself, creating a bond from beyond the grave.

This little trailer on KSL Classifieds broke my heart because it was already sold by the time I found it.

You can see the description and lots more pictures after the break: (Continue Reading…)

I found this homemade teardrop camper in KSL Classifieds and I was attracted to the bright yellow.

See their description and more photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)

For the first time in months, I want to drive for hours and plunk down some money on a cute little trailer I saw on KSL Classifieds.

Here is their description: (Continue Reading…)