Everywhere, America

If you have ever driven on the interstate for an extended roadtrip, you will experience what a friend of ours refers to as "Everywhere, America."  Everywhere, America is that phenomenon you experience when you exit the freeway at any major development and find that it is exactly the same as the last exit you stopped at 12 hours ago, or 36 hours ago, or 72 hours ago.  It can be a little haunting and is certainly disorienting.  Home Depot on the right, McDonalds on the left, Walmart up the block, and Starbucks tucked into the strip mall next to the Radio Shack.  Deja vu and vertigo can set in simultaneously.  Those particularly adverse to consumerism may feel nausea. 

I experienced Everywhere, America on our last roadtrip.  I realized in my state of disorientation that the only thing that really distinguishes a place anymore is the landscape.  The rocks, the rivers, the sand, the mountains, and the trees.  And in order to see the landscape, you have to take the road less traveled, past the silos and the cows, on the gravel and the dirt, towards the ocean near the tracks.  In honor of Mr. Frost, and all wanderlust souls out there, we'll be taking a few more rights into the unchartered territory of smallville.

Massacre Rock, Idaho

We spent Memorial Day Weekend at Massacre Rock State Park.  Massacre Rock is located about 40 miles southwest of Pocatello, Idaho.  The campsites are on a hill overlooking the beautiful and meandering Snake River.  The variety of birds along the river and in the trees was amazing.  We spent a lot of time just watching the huge yet graceful pelicans take off and land along the river.  An activity only camping can create. 

Massacre Rock is located along the historic old Oregon Trail used by thousands of emigrants heading to Oregon or California in the great westward migration of the late 1800's.  The area around Massacre Rock was notoriously dangerous for the emigrants due to the rocky landscape, the torrential river crossings and neighboring indians.  Massacre Rock got its name from an incident around 1862 when 10 emigrant were killed in a narrow rocky passage by the local indians.  The photo above on the left is a rock etching from Register Rock where passing emigrants would scroll their names marking their passage through this portion of the 2,000 mile journey.  The one on the right is me and Riley in front of Register Rock.

We were lucky enough to spend the weekend with a fantastic group of women who refer to themselves as some type of pastry (actual name reserved to protect the innocent), but who I have fondly re-named the "hoola hoops" due to their constant dose of insane hilarity that pulls you in and spits you out at a dizzying pace.  The spinning, swirling, gyration of a weekend with the hoola hoops has left us exhausted.  Although I have to say, I am anxious and eager to give it another spin once I catch my breath. 

I love this shot of Mary.  This one pretty much sums up the weekend.

Editor's note (and specifically, to my second grade teacher many moons ago who marked me down for misspelling a word that I had made up for literary effect):  I intentionally misspelled hula hoop.  The "hoola" spelling is far more representative of the hoola-ing that went on this weekend than the traditional and pedestrian spelling of hula.

Fremont Indian State Park

We took the T@belot out on our first group camping adventure.  The adventure was organized by our bookclub tour hosts Jenni and Holly.  We had a pretty darn big group but managed to keep the injuries to a minimum.  A constant trickle of good humor and downright hysterics left most of us complaining merely of a minor side ache.  In total, I think we had 16 adults, 7 kids and 10 dogs.  Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

The frivolity was convened at the Fremont Indian State Park located conveniently off of Interstate-70 in central Utah. The facilities and scenery at the park were amazing. This is really a top-rate place, but don't tell anyone. The area is filled with historic pictographs and artifacts from the Fremont Indians that inhabited the area from about 1100-1400 A.D. It is amazing to think that all of this history, geology and beauty is just a few hours from home. It was nice to not only get away for the weekend and relax with some great friends, but to also step back in time and capture a glimpse of what life might have been like as a hunter and gatherer in such a beautiful yet harsh landscape.

As I wrote in an earlier posting, we bought the T@belot with high hopes of enjoying the simple pleasures of the great outdoors. So far, I have to say that the whole trailer experience has far exceeded my expectations. The treasures of a weekend away are priceless.

 

I love the pace of the camping day...and how you never really know what time it is or even what day it is.  And I like how personal interactions seem more personal.  Perhaps because we have left the clutter and distractions of life at home.  It was great to spend some quality time with old friends and to get to know some new soon to be old friends. 

I was also surprised by the familiar scent of the campfire that seemed to bring back all my childhood memories of camping and made me feel like a kid again.  I'm looking forward to getting out on the road again and finding out more of what camping has to reveal.  Thanks to everyone for a wonderful time. 

Family Visit

We didn't get to take the T@belot out this weekend because we had family in town for a reunion.  But, it was great to be able to show everyone the trailer and to get some fun feedback on the upgrades. Thanks for a wonderful visit.  Next time we'll have to head out on the road.  Shown in the picture, from left to right, is Patty, Bob, Dad, Mom and Frank.

Stansbury Island

We embarked on our maiden voyage this weekend with the T@belot.  This first adventure was wildly successful.  We took the T@b out to Stansbury Island about 58 miles west of Salt Lake City.  Stansbury is an island located in the southeast corner of the Great Salt Lake connected conveniently to the mainland by a dirt road.  The island is about 11 miles long and 4 miles wide. 

We camped on the west side of the island at a trailhead for a mountain bike ride we had done years ago. It was a perfect spot with the foothills behind us and a fabulous view of the Great Salt Lake out our front door. We managed to set up camp pretty quickly and even got the T@belot level on a couple of 2x6's. An iPhone RV app with a computer leveler made this a snap. We had the entire place to ourselves and enjoyed the evening sunset over pasta and a nice bottle of wine.

We slept pretty well, despite the wind coming down the foothills, and in the morning, after our Starbucks instant coffee, we took the dogs out for a great hike up the hill and along the ancient shorelines of the now extinct Bonneville Lake. 

Our minds were clear and bodies refreshed after just one night in the great outdoors.  We pondered some fun topics on the hike, like when and why man shed his hairy coat of the neanderthal, and how much faster the speed of light is to the speed of sound.  This last topic was spurred by some far off echoes of target shooting gun shots climbing along the foothills. 

After whipping up some fried egg sandwiches for lunch, we cleaned up camp and were back home in time to mow the lawn before another week of work.  Until next time, happy trails.

T@belot gets Cork Flooring Upgrade

The T@belot now has soft and insulating cork flooring.  I covered up the factory provided linoleum with EcoCork from USFloors in the Marmol standard color.  The product comes in 1'x3' planks that click together and do not require any gluing or nailing.  The floating floor is great for a traveling trailer that needs some flexibility to withstand the tension and torquing of towing.  I love the way the cork floor looks and feels.  We can't wait to get the T@belot out on the road.  You can check out the product at http://www.usfloorsllc.com/products-page/ecocork/marmol1/

T@b-MOD-ifications

I have spent the entire week redecorating the interior of the T@belot with some custom touches.   As I mentioned, I am going with the euro-modern look inspired by the european sisters of the T@b and the great offerings at IKEA.  Check out the euro-T@b's made in Germany at http://www.southdownsmotorcaravans.co.uk/tab/index.php. 

The T@belot is a work in progress, but here's what I have done so far.  I had covers made for all the cushions by a seamstress I found on Craigslist.  I think she did a great job.  I got the fabric at IKEA.  I am really excited about the covers and think they really transform the interior.  They will also make it really easy to remove the covers after each trip and throw them in the wash.  This option is essential since we plan to travel with dogs. 

I added some dish towel rods on the two front cabinets in the kitchen area to make clean up easier.  I also added rods above the sink and in the back sleeping area.  These rods come with extra hooks that will come in handy to hang water bottles, toiletry bags, pots and pans, and other miscellaneous necessities.  I added a nice little spice rack on the wall above the stove that will add some convenience when cooking.  Finally, I upgraded the speakers in the back with some nice Kenwood 140W speakers.  The sound system could still use some work, but this is an improvement over the originals.  Although I haven't done it yet, I plan to install a floating cork floor to soften the feel and add an eco-friendly feel to the interior.  Let me know what you think of the upgrades.  Feel free to share some of your own T@b-MOD-ifications or suggestions.

We Brought Her Home

We finally brought the T@belot home from the dealer.  It took us over 3 hours to drive home from Sunset to Salt Lake City since we didn't dare get on the freeway.  We had a nice leisurely drive through the back roads of Davis County, Utah.  We managed to get the T@belot in the driveway and have been happily working on some interior decorations and modifications.  We are going for the euro-modern look inside with brushed aluminum and orange accents.  Stay tuned!

Etymology of T@belot

T@belot’s name derivation is from the famous castle of Camelot associated with the legendary King Arthur. In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, Camelot is defined as: \’kam-e-,lat\ n. 1: the site of King Arthur’s palace and court in Arthurian legend; and 2: a time, place, or atmosphere of idyllic happiness. Although most scholars regard Camelot as being purely fictional, there is some evidence, and at a minimum, extensive historical lore, regarding its existence. Other than vague references to “somewhere in Britain,” the precise location of Camelot is unknown. Camelot’s lack of precise location, uncertainty as to actual existence, and symbolism of idyllic happiness is a perfect and quintessential representation of my idea of the travel trailer. Thus, the name for our trailer and the experiences it renders shall be referred to as T@belot.  For more information on King Arthur and Camelot, check out the Camelot Project at the University of Rochester at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm

We Bought a T@b

Although we haven't been camping in years, and perhaps decades, we decided it was time to get back to the simple pleasures of life and to learn some lessons that only a good roadtrip and the chill of the fresh outdoors can teach. What better way to hit the road than with a cool retro-ready camper like the T@b. After very little research, given my typical obsessive nature, and a somewhat impulsive purchase, we are now the proud owners of what we refer to as our little T@belot. In preparation for our travels, we have re-read Thoreau's great masterpiece and are in proper mental form to explore the world, or at least our small and inconsequential piece of it, and to meet the people it has to offer. Thus begins our greatest little grand adventure. Please feel free to join along.