This is the fifth post on the Adventure Film project. If you haven’t read parts 1-4 of the adventure film blog series yet, you can read them here:

• Adventure Film 01: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 02: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 03: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 04: Glacier National Park

Days 6-7

On the morning of day 6, Landon and I did some sightseeing in the park for a while.  Since our film permit was good for only a day, we could just kick back and enjoy the place for it’s great beauty.  Unfortunately, the clock was starting to press us and it was time we burned up some asphalt if we were to make it to our next appointment in Wisconsin 2 days away.

As one drives east out of Glacier National Park, it is hard to miss noticing the collision of geographic features.  In the rear-view mirror I could see the rocky mountains of Glacier National Park jutting out of the ground like shark’s teeth into its prey.  Out the windshield, gently rolling prairie grass lands.  It really is quite spectacular.  It is as if someone drew a line and decided to start something completely different.  In my experience, this first feeling of elation at the change of scenery quickly gives way to despair because the prairie lands are beautiful but they seem to never end.  It unnerves me to look at the horizon and see nothing but the curvature of the earth.

Before we knew it, we were in Wyoming and decided to sleep for the night finally at 1am.  Since we didn’t need to charge any batteries we were seeking some boon-docking locations.  In a spirit of adventure and an exercise in the All-American experience, we camped at a Walmart that night.  I’ve never wanted to do that because I’ve seen those people camped outside Walmarts have always pitied them.  Now, I was one.  However, at the time, it was our only option.  I guess it is something everyone should experience.  I awoke a few hours later and it was back to the road and the great state of South Dakota.

The state of South Dakota is not the flattest state in the Union but it is flat enough that one could stand upon an overpass, look at the horizon, and see the back of his/her own head.
For Landon, who grew up on a ranch in Alberta, this was a small taste of home.  For me, it was a bit terrifying.  I like knowing what is ahead of me.  I like feeling like the earth has me somewhat cupped in her dirty hand.  Without anything on the horizon, it seemed possible to me that I could just fly off the surface of the earth.  After all, the earth rotates on its axis at just above 1,000 mph while screaming through empty space in its obit of the sun at about 67,000 mph.  For some reason, my mind decided to bring these random statistics to my consciousness at just the right moment.  I tightened my seat-belt for safety.

Landon and I spent some time making observations and expressing opinions about South Dakota.  Eventually our debate over the strengths and weaknesses of state drew to a close.  Landon’s view was that it was somewhat like home but not enough to satisfy.  Mine? – well you already know mine.  In fact, my fondest memory of South Dakota comes from an episode of the Three Stooges.  The setting was apparently in the Bad Lands, South Dakota (more likely someplace in California which is now a sub-development).  Since Landon is a bit too tall to drive the Jeep (6’9″) I had the honor of driving across the barren state.  We made it about 3/4 of the way before I began getting tired.  Finally, at around 10pm and after 13 hours of driving in hot weather, we called it a night & found a local campground where we could charge camera batteries.

We never expected to need to charge camera batteries that night because there was no scheduled filming for that part of the nation. A basic principal of manhood had taken over:  Two bored men in a Jeep full of camera equipment can usually think of something to film.  Landon decided to capture me pontificating about the differences, similarities, and my speculations concerning Native Americans and Teardrop campers.  He plans to use this footage for a short film.  I had never thought of comparing the two so it was a nice mental exercise for an otherwise unoccupied mind.  This footage will likely not make the final cut of the Adventure Film because I loathe seeing and hearing myself talk.

For my part, I dreamed up a short cooking show which was inspired by the interview.  We made chopped steamed veggies using only our creativity and a lot of time.  Those scenes will likely make the cut into the film because they are insane ideas that will keep the teenage viewer’s attention.

So it was that we arrived with dead batteries at a KOA (ugh).  They had nice showers and lots of bugs.  As I lay down in the jPod for another night on the road, I counted my blessings:

1. Window screen to keep the bugs out
2. Good food that was creatively made
3. We would leave South Dakota in the morning!

Day 8

In the morning, we packed up our things and struck out to leave South Dakota behind us.  Landon, who as I mentioned is from Canada, thought that Minnesota was between Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota.  Thus, as we crossed the border into Minnesota there was a cheer or joy from the driver’s seat (me) and a gasp from the passenger’s seat (Landon).  We had exactly 8 hours to arrive for our interview & tour at Camp-Inn Trailers.  We were determined not to miss it.

Camp-Inn trailers is basically right in the center of Wisconsin and in the middle of some of the more rural areas of Wisconsin.  When we arrived, we pulled up the drive to find some of the guys playing with a new business that Camp-Inn is working on.  It is a motorcycle engine that can be attached to the chassis of any conventional wheelchair.  It looks like a scream and would make life much easier for a paraplegic person at an air-show, car-show, or any other event which covers great distances.  See more about this at www.motivechair.com & see a view of it in action here.

Craig & Cary are the co-founders of Camp-Inn Teardrop Trailers.  They were more than willing to give us a tour of their facility and to sit down with us for an interview for the Adventure Film.  Their customers are very committed to the company and often send pictures of their trips.  Craig & Cary have lots of great stories about the people who camp in their teardrop trailers and how their business began.  In the general teardrop RV community the Camp-Inn is often compared to the luxury cars of the world (Corvette, Rolls Royce, Ferarri,  you pick the metaphor).  Camp-Inn does live up to the hype with its uni-body construction, master craftsmanship, and brilliant use of space.  These little trailers have nearly everything that the big diesel haulers have but in a much smaller package.

The company was inspired when Craig wanted to take his family camping at the Grand Canyon.  While pouring through camping options, Craig came upon the teardrop design.  He shared the idea with Cary (at the time a fellow engineer at the same company) and the first Camp-Inn was born.  Craig and his family had a great vacation in the first little Camp-Inn and returned to Wisconsin with plans to build more.  Cary was willing to help and a collector’s trailer was born.  Seriously,  people keep track of production numbers on these trailers and are putting them in their wills and such.  This is not only a fun way to camp but it is a life-long commitment for some families.  As Cary & Craig told us, there have even been a few custody battles over the Camp-Inn trailer in divorces -This trailer is that good.  Camp-Inn was a blast to visit & I could write for pages about our time there but I must save some things for the film right??

After leaving Camp-Inn, Landon and I decided to seek out some friends.  On our way through Minnesota that morning, I had told him that I thought I had a few former students working at a summer camp in Wisconsin.  The idea to pop in on them and surprise them was born.  As it turned out, both Landon and I knew them and didn’t know it.  So the plan started to visit Camp Wakonda, Wisconsin -this is the camp they were rumored to be at.  I called the camp and spoke with the camp secretary.  She confirmed that they both were working at Camp Wakonda.  We swore her to secrecy and made our way to the camp for our surprise visit.  We surprised them at the dinner line in the cafeteria that night.  Both were completely floored to see us in Wisconsin.  It was a lot of fun to tour the camp, see where their summer memories are made, and talk about camera gear.  Camp Wakonda is a spectacular summer camp.  It is vast with a highly committed & creative staff.  It has two lakes, log cabins, hundreds of cabins, and a great main lodge.

That evening, I parked the jPod in a parking lot of the camp that night.  There was a spectacular thunderstorm that night & the humidity was almost as high as a full fish tank.  In short, a sticky & moist and very hot night.  This is the first time the jPod has been in such a moist environment (The eastern Northwest is pretty dry) and I was a bit concerned that something would go wrong.  My fears were realized in the morning when I found a small crack in the skin on the outside of the trailer.  My theory is that the inside wood got too moist and expanded.  I’m not sure how since I sealed it but something obviously was different and the only difference I can think of is the moisture.  Since I didn’t have hours to spend repairing the problem, I sealed it up with caulking and made plans for repair when I got back home.  Upon arriving at home, I fixed the crack with a reinforcing strap.  Easy fix and no problems since.

The next day we planned to go to Michigan to visit friends and finally take a day off from the crazy pace of our travels.

Click Here to Read Part 6

If you have been reading my posts on the Adventure film, I have more posts about the film’s production coming.  This is just a quick little enthusiastic posting.

I am always excited when I see another teardrop on the road.  Usually, I whip out my cell phone & shoot a few pictures of them.  Upon later reflection, I realize that the trailer is pretty similar to the other tears on the road.  Then I delete the photos.

Recently, I was driving through Spokane, WA and passed a truly unique teardrop.  The design & construction are pretty standard but the paint on the outside was very unique.  These pictures were worth saving and worth sharing with others like you.

Enjoy the Moose…errr….or is it Meese…..Mooses?

The goal of the Adventure Film Project is to create an educational film about teardrops & tiny trailers which connects standard high-school US History topics (ie National Road system, Effects of Labor Unions, Model T & mass produced automobiles, national parks, and world war II).  Read more about the film here.

For part 1-3 of the filming for this project, we visited a teardrop trailer gathering in Ocean Shores, WA.  The goal being to have fun at our first teardrop gathering and to get a taste of the teardrop culture on film.  Both were easy to accomplish.  If you haven’t read parts 1-3 of the adventure film blog series yet, you can read them here:

• Adventure Film 01: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 02: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 03: Ocean Shores

Days 4-5

One of the greatest treasures & forward thinking policies in United States history is the establishment of National Parks.  Conservationists, presidents, local people, and visitors to the nation’s most beautiful & unique land features have all helped to protect some of the nation’s greatest natural wonders.  Glacier National Park is one of these national gems.

Growing up in the great Northwest of the United States, my family would occasionally travel to Glacier for holiday.  I have memories of hiking on the transcontinental divide, making noises to ward off grizzly bears, stepping off of a trail so a great horned sheep & her offspring could walk by within arms reach, flowers, snow, waterfalls, altitude, cold, wanting a warmer sleeping bag, and so much more.  Glacier is my favorite national park for mostly wild nature reasons but there is some nostalgia mixed in to cement its importance in my soul.

It seemed fitting, then, that the film should feature a place which is so near to many people’s hearts (including my own).  Following the weekend at Ocean Shores, Landon (my Cameraman & video expert) and I spent a few hours repacking the jPod with camera gear, audio gear, and our personal belongings.  Then we struck out for Glacier National Park (about 5 hours from home).  Along the way, we made stops for groceries, fuel, the ID badges which were required for film crews in Glacier, and to give various tours of the jPod trailer.  That evening we camped just outside of Glacier National Park at a campground which is creatively named “GLACIER CAMPGROUND“.  Ya, we thought it was a bit anti-climatic as well (but only in name).

To film this adventure, we had to adopt a style of camping which I do not enjoy.  This style?  Camping in campgrounds with other people.  To me, camping should be out in nature and I should find peace & silence (serenity now!! – Read my thoughts on real camping here).  Campground camping is fraught with all the things I don’t like when I’m seeking a peaceful sanctuary in nature: generators humming, toilets flushing, and 18″ of bushes between me & the next guy.  It is unfortunate that camera gear needs electricity to charge batteries or we would have sought other areas to camp.

Overall, the Glacier Campground is one of the best campgrounds I’ve ever visited.  It is affordable, with warm clean showers, and free WiFi.  It doesn’t fit my definition of true camping but it is a pretty nice place to stay and more rural than my house.  We made quite a few friends there too.  As the only teardrop trailer in a large campground, we were subject to quite a bit of attention & gawking.  I gave multiple tours of the jPod and shared about the film & teardrops in general.

On the first full day in Glacier, we arranged our film permits at the park’s headquarters, got park passes, and made for the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTSR).  The GTTSR is probably the most traveled single road in any national park.  It is a cleverly camouflaged road that crosses the Continental Divide and draws tens of thousands of auto travelers each year.  It is somewhat ironic that Glacier has the GTTSR slicing through its middle since Glacier is primarily a hiker’s park.  Yet the road enables its adventurers to have a taste of the hiker’s experience from their vehicle.  Beautiful mountain lakes, dry flat lands, wildlife and scenery are at every turn.   Our arrival at the park was 3 days before the pass at the top of the GTTSR opened for through traffic.  The park had just endured numerous rainstorms for several weeks and the air was thick with the smell of freshly fallen water.  Fog rolled up the valleys and waterfalls fell with swelled enthusiasm.  It cheapens the experience to put it this way but…it was beautiful.  Landon and I filled memory card after memory card with awe inspiring footage and we couldn’t stop talking about our next film project together -which we decided would focus exclusively on Glacier National Park (I’m not sure how serious we actually are about that but the place is just that inspiring).

At about noon, we drove back to the park headquarters where we were met by Glacier’s Communications & Outreach Manager, Amy Vanderbilt.  Amy has 30+ years of experience at the park & should write a series of books with her vast expertise on the park.  She is also a very gracious host, really fun to be around, and does a killer interview.  Our arrival was well timed since the park turns 100 years old this year.  Amy said that the year is more of a somber commemoration rather than a typical ridiculous American celebration.  The reason for a more restrained milestone is because of the park’s history.

Long before the US government had an interest in what is now Glacier National Park, the Native groups lived in the area and considered the park to be sacred (in fact, they still do consider it sacred).  Turning the territory into a United States’ national park has had a strange effect on the way of life for the Native groups.  On one hand, the territory is now owned by a foreign government which can do with it as it pleases.  Yet, on the other hand, without protection of that territory there would likely be a Starbucks on every mountain peak now.  Ok, maybe not a Starbucks but you get the idea (probably a Super Walmart parking lots the size of Europe).

Amy only shared a small sliver of her wealth of knowledge in the interview and I find myself dreading the editing process.  I know we will have to cut some material down to the bare bones to make it fit the requirements of this film project  (perhaps I’ll make a director’s cut for the intellectually curious).

Following our time with Amy, we traveled on dirt roads north towards the Canadian border to visit some old historic towns & a mountain lake.  These roads made the Jeep demand that it be used for its natural purpose (to get muddy).  Mud puddles the size of small ponds where on every road we traveled.  Some spanned wider than the road and were over a foot deep.  In short, it was a lot of fun getting to that mountain lake & the jeep came out a nice light tan color (which lasted for 5 more days of travel until we were in Wisconsin).

Finally, exhausted from the travel, time changes, and with a sense of impending editor’s doom, Landon and I crept back to our campsite, and the jPod.  Once there, I backed up all of our data (3 hours on 3 hard drives) and charged batteries for the next day’s journey.  We ate tomato, cheese, onion, and lettuce sandwiches and went to bed early.  The next day we had a 14 hour drive planned.  One which would test our patience and redefine the words: HOT, FLAT, and BORING.  Yet, for the time, we happily chose to ignore the obvious fact.  What fact did we determine to drive from our consciousness?  The fact that the next day we planned to start driving through the state of South Dakota.

If you haven’t been there, the State of South Dakota is the natural beauty and geographical arch nemesis of Glacier National Park.

Click Here to Read Part 5

This is part 3 of the Adventure Film reports.  If you haven’t read parts 1 or 2, you can read them here:

• Adventure Film 01: Ocean Shores
• Adventure Film 02: Ocean Shores

Day 3

We awoke early on day 3 to pack up and go home.  Day 3 was Father’s Day and since we’re going to have our first little baby soon, Senior Management (and the little Assistant to the Senior Manager) gave me my first father’s day gift (read about it here).

On our way out of Ocean Shores, we made a stop on the beach to film a few more segments to the film.  It was actually pretty nice out & I enjoyed the relaxed feel & smells of the beach.  I was a bit disappointed that the weather was not better all weekend.  We had brought some stunt kites and were looking forward to using them.  As is with such things, it rained the whole weekend except when we were leaving and had no time left to fly kites.  Oh well…

Along our way through the Mt. Rainer National Forest, Landon (film student) and I shot some stock footage for the film and talked about the sound track.  On our way, we stopped at Miner’s burgers in Yakima, Washington.  Landon got a salad as big as his face (no exaggeration),  Senior Management got a sandwich, and I only ordered fries (wheat allergy and all). I find it ironic that Washington is called the Evergreen State.  It was obviously the voters on the west side of the Cascade Mountains who passed that one.  The vast bulk of Washington is a high desert plateau.  Yakima was hot & blessedly dry.  We managed to drive our way back home to Spokane from Ocean Shores in 10 hrs.  We all enjoyed the dryer environment and Senior Management and I looked forward to being at home for one night.

Senior Management had to return to work the next day.  Landon and I were headed to Glacier National Park the next morning (assuming we could finish arranging the necessary permits to film there).  I have visited Glacier National park several times and every time I’ve been struck by the beauty of the park.  Of all the places that we planned to visit, on this quick trip through the US, Glacier National Park holds the most beauty.  It also held the most paperwork to shoot pictures of that beauty.  There was a lot to do.

After drying everything out, charging batteries for cameras, making phone calls, doing laundry, and making food arrangements, we went to bed.  Day 4 would be another busy day of travel and we wanted to be ready.

We unpacked & packed everything again, while trying to slim down on the items we were taking.  Some of the camera gear is quite heavy 80 lbs + per box so we needed to be as light as we could on everything else.

When packed, we slept and prepared for the next day’s journey.  It is a beautiful 5 hour drive through north Idaho and into Montana.  Quite a nice change from the previous day’s journey.

Read Part 4

This is part 2 of the adventure film adventures at Ocean Shores, WA.  If you haven’t read part 1 yet, you can read it here.

Day 2

We awoke at about 9 am but didn’t want to get out of bed.  The rain landed on the roof of the trailer and the Assistant to the Senior Manager was very active & kicking in her mommy’s tummy.  I was happy to stay in bed, feel the baby’s little foot against my hand, and just enjoy the morning.  At some point in every camping adventure, Mother Nature make’s her call and eventually, all campers must answer. It was under these circumstances that I was finally inspired to get up and start setting up camp.

Senior Management and I made the very wise purchase of a Coleman Screen tent 2 days earlier. After getting up, we proceeded to set it up in a downpour.  After an amazing breakfast of potatoes, eggs, and fruit made by Senior Management, we started to explore & meet the other tear droppers. One or two campers had already left because of the heavy rain.  Slowly, we met & greeted each of the parties & shared stories.  Kevin, the gathering organizer, made t-shirts for the weekend and we each donned them with pride.

I have often said that I have an obsession with teardrop trailers (Senior Management heartily agrees).  Attending a gathering only pours gasoline on this flame.  It was great fun.

In the afternoon, arrangements were made for a potluck at 6 pm.  The campers were willing to show us their trailers & do interviews for the film.  Landon slipped into pro-camera-man mode & we heard the stories of building and adventures.  The experiences, world views, and philosophies of camping in this little group are a great example of the depth of the subculture of tear-droppers.

In the afternoon, we all went to the beach for a group photo and to hang out.  The weather had cleared out some by that point & it was a good time to visit the beach, see the kites, and explore a little.

The beach trip was cut a little short because we had to get some food ready for the evening’s potluck.  That evening, we ate more food than I thought was possible to eat. Each group made more than enough food.  Much of it was made in cast iron camp cookware.  We stuffed ourselves & hung out for some time.

I made camp spaghetti in the 10” Dutch Oven.  It was the first time I’d made it the way I had and it was really good.  I modified my recipe (see regular recipe here) to fit the ingredients which we had on hand.

The potluck was kind of broken up by some bad weather & so we retreated to our camp to clean up after the meal.  Landon and I did two more interviews with teardrop families & called it a night.

As the sun set, many in our group came to tour the jPod and to hang out.  It was a great end to a great day.

Read Part 3

It is a very busy time for the jPod Overland Trailer.  The first travels have started for the educational film that I am making with the help of the Library of Congress, National RV Museum and many other wonderful people (read more about it here).  Here is a quick schedule for this first bit of shooting:

1. Visit & interviews at Ocean Shores, WA for the Teardrop Gathering
2. Visit & Interview at Glacier National Park, MT
3. Visit & Interview at Camp-Inn Teardrop Trailers in Necedah, WI
4. Visit & Interview at National RV Museum in Elkhart, IN
5. Visit & Interview Debra Kellerman in Hope, ID
6. Get More Aerial Footage of the jPod in Walla Walla, WA
7. Drive from the Pacific Ocean (at Ocean Shores, WA) to Elkhart, IN and back in 9 days.

Since the budget for this project is very tight, we’re going to have to kill ourselves with driving to make it possible.  We’ve anticipated some pretty severe fatigue and numb bottoms.  I hope that this project can happen within the constraints of schedules & budgets.

Now, on to part 1.

Senior Management and I have been planning to attend a Teardrop trailer gathering at some point.  A gathering is when a bunch of teardrop enthusiasts camp together for a weekend.  In our area of Washington, there are no gatherings to be found.  The Ocean Tears event was this year at Ocean Shores, Washington.  We signed up for this event & reserved a camp site.  We love the ocean and have camped at the campground a couple of times.

Then the educational grant came through to make a film.  So we enjoyed a great weekend getting to know other crazies like ourselves, eating together, and generally loving the torrents of rain.  Plus, the tear droppers were willing to give interviews & tours of their rigs.  It was a great weekend and definitely one that we will try to attend regularly.

Day 1

On the way to the Ocean Tears event, we stopped in Walla Walla, Wa to pick up Landon (the film student helping me with this project) and then drove through the Rainer National Forest.  After a crash course in running a professional HD Camera gear, we were off & filming.

Along the way, we made several stops.  One of them was at Miner’s in Yakama, WA.  It is a burger joint that makes food in steroid-honey-I-shrunk-the-kids sized portions.  Landon’s salad was as big as his head.

The total number of hours that I drove: 12 straight.  I know this is just a taste of what is to come (in that my trip will take me to Elkhart, Indiana and back to Walla Walla, WA in 9 days) but it was still exhausting.  When we arrived at Ocean Shores, it was raining like a bucket being poured out from the sky.  We set up quickly in a gap in the rain and went to bed at about midnight.

Advantage of a teardrop: arrive & go to bed within 4 min.  This is great when it is pouring.

Read Part 2

The jPod has easily become a part of our life.  Senior Management enjoys the ease & comfort of camping but also the mobility.  We are both happy with the size of the jPod teardrop trailer.

For a time, there was a debate in the family about whether it should be an 8 foot or 10 foot trailer.  I was pressing for an 8 footer because it would be easier to transport off-road.  Senior Management wanted a 10 footer so there would be extra room in the event  that we had children someday.  Since Senior Management IS Senior Management, we have a 10 foot teardrop.

This past weekend, I received a gift from someone quite important to me.  As a teacher, my students know my affinity for Star Wars.  The connections between me and Star Wars have become epic in proportion at school.  I have even made my own Darth Vader outfit (I know, I have no life) to be used in student programs.  I appreciate Star Wars and try to watch the series once a year.  This gift is a set of Star Wars character pancake molds.  On this past Sunday, I ate Darth Vader’s head (with Blueberry eyes), Yoda’s Head, and a Storm Trooper’s head.  These were the best pancakes I’ve eaten -partly because they were made by Senior Management (and she is an amazing cook) but mostly because these pancake molds are the first Father’s Day gift I’ve ever received.  Yep, the jPod crew is getting a bit larger.  Soon it will be Daddy’s little girl (Assistant to Senior Management), Senior Management, the Cougar Bait, and me.

I have thought of ways that the jPod could be utilized for a new little human in our midst.  I am grateful for the Fantastic roof vent.  I believe it will get a fair bit of exercise (especially after diapers containing “Big Jobs”).  The bunk will need a bumper board so the Assistant to Senior Management doesn’t roll over and drop 2 feet onto our faces in the night.

This is an exciting experience and one that eclipses the best camping experience I can imagine.  We are determined to raise our little girl right.  She will love the outdoors, camping, two little dogs, her family, and her creator.  This is the greatest adventure a father can ever have & so far, I’m loving it.

Recently, Nathan & Erin and the jPod crew left for a quick weekend of camping.  For convenience sake, we chose Heyburn State Park in the lovely state of Idaho.

According to their website: “Heyburn State Park is the oldest park in the Pacific Northwest. Created in 1908, it is comprised of approximately 5,500 acres of land and 2,300 acres of water.”

Heyburn was also a favored gathering place for the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe.  It is a beautiful park that has great hiking, a wildlife marsh that has a boardwalk out into the middle of it, and all sorts of wildflowers & other plants.  We didn’t experience this but they say, in the summer, they have mosquitoes which are larger and more numerous than a cloud of fruit-bats.  Basically, it is what camping should be.

Senior Management and I were able to camp with power in the jPod for the first time.  It was a novelty to crawl into bed and be able to see without a headlamp.  Since the trailer is small & the windows are big, we realized that we need some curtains so that we are not displaying our dainties to the world like the prostitutes in Amsterdam.  Senior Management is good at the color/design/sewing thing so the curtain improvement is up to her.

In the morning of our second day, we all decided to take a hike.  It was a great hike.  The cougar bait were running back and forth at our feet, and we saw lots of nature.  Canadian geese floated on the lake, wildflowers were in bloom, and Great Blue Herons flew & honked across the sky.  We went about 2.5 miles and then returned to camp because we saw some dark clouds in the sky & we were hungry.

After lunch, the girls & the cougar bait decided to take a nap.  Instead of napping, Nathan and I struck out like many other adventurous fearless men who have brazenly marched into the forest only to be disemboweled and mauled to death by bears.  Oh, sorry, really… we went for a hike and we came out of the woods alive -although I am typing this post with my only remaining finger (for the humor impaired: That was a joke, I actually have two remaining fingers and a pinkie stub).

We carried a simple map from the ranger’s station with us. I mean simple because later we got lost with the help of that same map!  Based off of that map, and the fact that we could see the nearest trail-head from where we were standing looking at said map, we chose to explore the horse trail.

After walking uphill a ways, we came to some railroad tracks and then rapidly tried to get ourselves killed.  Men are wired to think that machines are cool.  This is because machines ARE cool and men easily recognize this.  So, Nathan and I were distracted by the railroad & changed our hiking plans.  We walked out on the truss bridge on some planks suspended over a yawning chasm of empty space.  Heights don’t really bother me unless I’m not wearing a harness and tied into something.  So, I was a little bothered by our adventure out onto the train bridge.  I did notice though that if I were to fall, my fall would be cushioned by a busy 2 lane highway.  That was comforting.

After some time discussing engineering, we decided to walk the tracks for a ways.  The park map, showed the horse trail going in a loop.  Based on simple geometry, we knew that if we followed the tracks we would intercept the trail again.  Off we went.  As we walked, we found a second set of tracks which paralleled the first.  The rails were dated 1913, were smaller, and very historic looking.  This is when Murphy’s law of camping photography applied itself to our situation.

Nathan and I were going on a hike, possibly in the rain, so I decided to leave my camera back at camp.  Of course, doing this means that every cool photo-worthy site will be in its best form.  This was true of our death march…I mean “hike”.  As we walked along we found grease machines, a wrecked railroad car, a porcupine, and some old glass jar & porcelain tops which were batteries with “Thomas Edison 1912″ stamped on their tops.  It was about the time we found the batteries, that we decided to turn back.

We didn’t find the horse trail like we had conjectured -until we walked back and then realized we’d walked right past it (“stupid map!”).  After getting home, I looked up the same railroad line on Google maps and have roughly determined that we walked about 8-9 miles on railroad ties (this is no exaggeration).  This means that we both were walking like stub legged pirates for 8-9 miles because the railroad ties are either too close together or too far apart for normal human walking.  This may also describe the debilitating soreness the next day.

About 4.5 hours later, we finally staggered into camp to find the Senior Management & Erin making dinner.  We ate, packed up the food, & started getting ready for bed -after Nathan made a fire so large that it could be seen from space.

As I was putting things away for the evening, I noticed some movement & spotted two raccoons in the shadows.  Like many other adventurous fearless men who have brazenly marched into the forest to find raccoons, Nathan and I did the exact same thing.  We actually treed them and then, while Nathan kept them in the beam of a flashlight, I shot them (Like many other adventurous fearless men who have brazenly… bla bla bla) with a camera.

The next day, we packed up our things, refreshed & ready for another week in “civilization”.  As we departed, I knew that someday I would return to this very spot.  And on that day I would bring my camera.  And on that day, it would end up raining & I would see nothing worth preserving in photo form.  This is Murphy’s law of camping photography but it won’t stop me from returning…IF I can find that very spot on a simple map.

Here are some pictures of this adventure:

As a teacher, the bulk of my work on the jPod has to wait until summers. After classes got out for summer break, I’ve gone into overdrive mode to finish the jPod build. Any teardropper will tell you that their teardrop is never done. Yet, I want mine to reach a certain level of accomplishment in a certain amount of time before I move to the next change/improvement I make to the jPod.

The galley has been my recent focus (photos below & on the Galley Page) but I’ve also done some internal work too (see Body: Internal for more photos).

A jeeping friend sent me a picture of a slide out drawer that telescoped out of a jeep trailer. It had two or three levels & was really quite clever. I’ve wanted to do this too and finally was able to purchase the stainless steel to make it for the Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven. In the future (again, one of those changes/improvements), I’d like to cut some round holes in the side of the stainless slide-out counter to lighten it up a bit. I’ve never seen something like this in a teardrop before but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done. The trade off is that the extra slides use up about 1″ of horizontal space in the galley. However, the slide-out provides an additional 20″ of counter-top. It is really stable & doesn’t sag. If you plan to do the same in your rig, you MUST get heavy duty roller-bearing slides that can take the abuse. Senior Management and I both thought it was worth it. After camping with it once, we’ll never go back!

Here’s a video demo of the slide-out & some pictures of the build:

Stainless Steel Slide-out Counter Demo from overlandtrailer on Vimeo.

A recent modification to the jPod Galley to better utilize space. This slide out counter provides a lot more counter space.

For about a year now, a film which documents teardrop camping in US History has been in the works.  Finally, there is enough financial and informational support to start filming the aerial segments (see below for a short clip which documents this first segment of filming).  This is a very exciting as a kick off on not only another set of adventures for the jPod & a camera crew but also for high school students who know little or nothing about this topic.

More financial & moral support is needed to finish this project.  The goal is to have the raw footage by the end of July 2010.  The final cut will be released spring-summer of 2011.

Read more about this educational project and donate (US residents receive tax deductible options for all donations).

This film’s goal is to make an educational documentary -for high school history classroom use- which focuses on teardrops & tiny camping trailers in the early 1900s to 1950.

Some funds have been raised so far so we can start filming. More financial support is needed

Donate & Read more at: www.overlandtrailer.com/the-film