Over 34 years of saving lives It was quickly realized that this safe ride service needed to be free. Many intoxicated people didn’t want to go home until they were out of money. We needed to get their cars home too (no I would not leave my car behind as I need it in the morning!) The International Good Samaritans Safe Ride Program (IGS) plan was to start a 501c3 nonprofit charity and provide two sober drivers per team, one IGS driver to follow the other IGS driver in the intoxicated driver's car along with the intoxicated person and all their friends to point the way home (not always easy but always free!)
 Many regulations and much attention was given to this new safe ride start-up program, and many bars, their patrons, and the police watched to see what was going to happen with this new idea. Miracle of miracles! The Program worked! During the first 10 years of service more than 50,000 carefully documented safe rides were given to intoxicated drivers and their intoxicated passengers, and their cars were safely delivered home by a small group of dedicated sober (My turn to drink, Your turn to drive) volunteers. For the first time in Tahoe history, DUI deaths and DUI crashes decreased as reported by the South Tahoe Police Dept. Now for The FUN part of this story! To keep these safe rides free, IGS decided to host an annual fundraiser based on the 50’s lifestyle and 50’s cars and call it Cool September Days Car, Truck, Motorcycle and Vintage Camper Show. Along with an old car show, IGS would put on a 50’s style Sock Hop with dance, dress-up and hairdo contests and at mid-night at the Hop as a grand prize IGS would give away a locally donated and restored old car on a $1 raffle ticket. A lot of things have changed over the past 30 years but the Good Samaritans Safe Ride Program is still alive and well in Tahoe and the 30th annual Cool September Days Car Show was held at the South Lake Tahoe Heavenly Village shopping center on September 18-20, 2015. Over the 30 years of this safe ride programs history, many different cars, trucks, and motorcycles have been located, donated, and restored to be used in IGS’ fundraiser raffles, from a 1953 Buick Special in 1986, to a 500hp Ford PU and new Harley in 2002, to a grand prize of a 1953 Chevy Sedan Delivery with a new teardrop trailer all set up to go camping in 2010. IGS volunteers would like to invite everyone with an interest in vintage cars and/or campers or motorcycles to come to Lake Tahoe for the day or for one of our weekend shows at the Heavenly Village Shopping Center (near the Gondola). This package will be given away October 18th, 2020. To date, more than 100,000 intoxicated drivers and their friends have been delivered safely home in the Tahoe area and much effort has been made to help start safe ride programs in other cities all around America. Many lives have been saved and many millions of dollars of damage has been avoided thanks to your generous donations for raffle tickets or when you attend one of our Car Shows. Get your raffle tickets here. Thank you for 34 years and counting! Tom and Polly Argo p_targo@yahoo.com 530-541-7300 PO Box 7007, Stateline NV 89449  
6 Comments
In 1954 Chris-Craft astonished just about everyone when they introduced their new Land Cruiser Kit, a 14-foot mobile home that would sleep four adults. The kit contained everything from a steel chassis, aluminum roof covering, aluminum frame windows with screens, to wheels and a hinged door with lock.  In issue #49 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine we featured a 1948 Horner & Thatcher Trailer Boat Prototype. Like a Trailorboat or KomPaK, the Thorner & Thatcher toted its boat upside down on top of its teardrop sized trailer. While researching “boat trailers” for the feature in the magazine, we stumbled on a boat company that offered a camping trailer along with their famous wooden boats. Since the product was so unique, Chris-Craft formed the Land Cruiser Kit Division just to accommodate the new product.  An article at the time proclaimed the following: Think of it! Now you can own your own mobile home. You can go wherever you want, whenever you like, without the fuss and bother of stopping at expensive hotels and restaurants. You can follow your heart to new fun and adventure - and take your home right along with you! The new Land Cruiser Kit by Chris-Craft makes all this possible. Now - for the first time! - anyone who can afford to drive an average car can afford this big, comfortable mobile home.  Finished in gleaming aluminum, with an all steel chassis. the Land Cruiser is a full 14-feet overall Inside, there's plenty of room for a double bed, a dinette that converts into another bed, a heating unit and cook stove, refrigerator, closets and cupboards  The Land Cruiser peaked our interest in trailers that were either offered in kit forms or built from plans. We are looking for history, literature, or information on these types of trailers for an upcoming issue of the VCT Magazine. If you own one or have anything to contribute, let us know. email me More Photos of a Chris-Craft Land Cruiser: http://woodenrunabout.com/projects/1954-chris-craft-land-cruiser 
 Kom-Pak Boat Trailer.  Trailorboat  This Westcraft Capistrano is the brilliant result of more than a decade of meticulous restoration, craftsmanship, and modernization. It is the largest and most rare model that Westcraft ever offered The 'Capistrano' is 33 feet long and features a Pullman roof (commonly referred to as a trolley top). Flanked with seven windows on each side, the raised center of the ceiling provides 6'4" of headroom. You would be the talk of the rally if you showed up in this one! Sound like fun? You'll be glad to know that this trailer is for sale.  When the current owner purchased this rare model coach, it was in poor condition. Being one of only two known to exist, he felt the trailer deserved a restoration by a team of some of the best craftspeople in California to achieve the finest restoration possible. The team was led by Steven Butcher to envision a resto-mod unlike any other. Butcher brought his years of trailer and vehicle restoration experience to the project. A collector himself, Butcher's eye for design and knowledge of vintage Americana made him a worthy collaborator.  The original design was modernized to improve the coach by integrating the latest in safety features, luxury, comfort, and connectivity. The Westcraft is featured in a 6-page spread in the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine issue #48. If you are a subscriber to the magazine you have seen many more of the incredible photos by Pawel Litwinski. A profile shot of the exterior made the centerfold!  The trailer was most recently displayed in Palm Springs at Modernism Week in February of 2020. If this was your trailer, where would you take it? Trailers of this caliber are often displayed in museums, company show rooms or on estates where they are used as a tiny house or guest home. If you are looking for a vintage trailer to camp in or go to vintage trailer rallies his one would certainly be a contender if your budget will allow you a one-of-a-kind piece of art like this one.  The Calypso boasts an audio systems that can be played independently in the living and bedrooms, utilizing individual amps to drive NHT, Focal, and Sunfire speakers. Each room has a Sony flat-screen with Bose soundbars using common connections to both surround-sound systems. Concealed throughout the trailer are USB charging sockets, Ethernet, and coaxial cables and modern grounded outlets. There is even a remote-controlled quiet and energy-efficient Duotherm heating/AC system. If you are interested in purchasing this trailer, see the ad with more details and photos here. 
One cold but sunny April day, I just needed some sun. I wanted to layout, but there was still snow on the ground! I found an old sleeping bag, wrapped myself up in it, and went and laid outside – it was freezing! I was feeling what old-timers called “cabin fever.” Many of us have never had to deal with those feelings until the recent quarantine. I know my vintage trailer friends are a breed of doers. We are not used to staying put, and this quarantine is challenging us. We are also a group that is kind, inventive. We have the willpower to do whatever it takes to accomplish our goal of protecting our community so we can camp together soon.
Wednesday morning, we had a meeting with business owners, builders, suppliers, etc., all connected to the Vintage Camper Trailer world. We are all trying to figure out how to help each other weather this storm so we can all restart again when the quarantine is lifted. Many great ideas were shared, and our community leaders are strong and innovative. If you are able, support our people. They are working hard to stay in business to support our hobby. We had received a Zoom invite text to a virtual trailer rally from a random phone number. The invite said it was BYOB, so I replied and asked who I was going to be drinking with on Wednesday night. Turns out, that it was quite the group of trailer riff-raff! What a great way to check-in and connect with some of our trailer buddies! I miss them desperately but love them too much to see them in person. We had some good laughs, and it was nice to see everyone was in good spirits and adapting. Cabin fever does pass as the sun sticks around and melts the snow. I am feeling a need to see my friends and go camping, but I know it is not yet the right time. So, I am sending you all my love and prayers and lots of long-distance hugs. -Caroline 
 The Coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine may be the most significant negative impact to the American economy in history. Many people are out of work for an undetermined amount of time, making the future unsure. A government stimulus may help those that are eligible. As time goes on, some families may need to liquidate assets to make ends meet. Fortunately, vintage trailers have been appreciating in value should it become necessary for you to sell yours. For most of us, the thought of HAVING to sell our vintage trailer is something we may not want to think about. If selling your vintage trailer or tow vehicle becomes a necessity, we want to help. www.buyvintagetrailers.com utilizes the social media following of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine to notify the community every time a new trailer becomes available. Your ad is posted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Standard and Featured ads include targeted boosted posts on Facebook and Instagram. Your ad is seen by even more potential buyers in your region. Buyers can use tools on the website to search for specific types of trailers or to search within a particular region of the country. Buyers are notified on one of several social media platforms when a new ad is placed. Your ad shows up in the feed of their choice. We don’t wait for buyers to come to the site, we go to them. If you are selling a vintage trailer or classic tow vehicle, we have over 700,000 contacts waiting to see what you've got. FREE Ads
  Some vintage trailer rallies have been cancelled or postponed and campgrounds are closing or changing their status due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We asked the hosts of the rallies in the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine what the status of their rally was. We also contacted several of our favorite parks and found some resources online to help you pre-plan before you make travel plans. This post was accurate when published but things are changing rapidly. Call ahead. June Rallies are still “As Planned”. Based on local requirements this may change as the June dates get closer. Rally in the Pines, May 29-31, 2020 in Grass Valley, CA is “As Planned” at the moment, but a final decision will be made within a week. Confirmed Canceled Rallies
 Some of our Favorite ParksLIST YOUR FAVORITES, AND THEIR STATUS (IF YOU KNOW IT) IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. Bonelli Bluffs, San Dimas, CA Effective Monday March 23rd, 2020, Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort is closed. We are currently taking reservations for arrival on April 20th, 2020 and beyond. https://www.bonellibluffsrv.com/ (909) 599-8355 Casa De Fruta, Hollister, CA Open for campers. http://www.casadefruta.com/ (408) 842-7282 Durango RV Park and Resort, Red Bluff, CA Open with some limitations: However, during these unprecedented times, we feel it’s important to prioritize the health and safety of our guests above all else. As such, we have temporarily closed all amenities including the restrooms, pool, spa, lodge and exercise room. The laundry facilities will remain open and we have taken extra precautions with our cleaning. https://www.durangorvresorts.com/ (866) 770-7001 The 49er Village, Plymouth, CA Our offices will be staffed with reduced hours and will not be open for resident/guest interaction except for emergencies. Please contact the resort directly for revised check in processes. Clubhouses, activity/club rooms, and other indoor amenity spaces will remain closed. Activities programming, pools, waterparks, golf courses, stores, and restaurants will be closed to avoid the congregation of individuals. Website (209) 245-6981  Other ResourcesPismo Coast Village, Pismo Beach, CA For the protection and safety of our staff, guests, and the community, and in compliance with San Luis Obispo County's emergency mandatory shelter at home order, Pismo Coast Village will be closed until 4/17/20. The county plans to reevaluate the situation every 14 days, and they may extend or shorten the order. Kampgrounds of America Some KOA campgrounds have been closed. Below is an updated list of campgrounds who are closed, due to local government shutdowns. We will continue to update this list in as real-time as possible. https://koa.com/blog/update-on-covid-19/
Campendium has a list of public and private campgrounds, RV parks and camping locations that are either closed, not accepting new reservations or are operating with restrictions. https://www.campendium.com/camping/covid-19-state-by-state-campground-closures-responses/  From “business as usual” to “closed to the public,” the Covid-19 virus pandemic has altered the way many of us live, play, and work. Along with many other events scheduled for this spring, we had to cancel our Cajun Rally in San Dimas, CA, less than a couple of weeks after hosting Boot Camp. We are under a mandatory Shelter in Place order in Sacramento, CA. We operate our family business from our home, so while we are required to stay home, we can get caught up on projects that usually get pushed to the side. As far as the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine goes, it is business as usual. We always appreciate the support and the input of the community and our subscribers. I wanted to know how our advertisers were handling the current situation, so I reached out to them. Many are operational, and one is even observing the Shelter in place order and staying at the shop to be able to finish customer’s trailers. These dedicated professionals are just some of the businesses that cater to the vintage trailering hobby and would appreciate hearing from you. Steve at Hemet Valley RV says it’s business as usual. If you need siding for a project, give them a call. Hemet Valley RV can match most aluminum siding patterns and supply you with everything you need to reskin your trailer or make repairs. www.hemetvalleyrv.com or (951) 765-5075 Rachel at Harps RV Service says that although it is a tough time, they are still open and working and hoping to continue to do so. “We will stay working as long as it is safe,” Rachel said. Harps services new and vintage RVs and reminds us it’s easier to prepare than repair. www.harpsrv.com or (916) 434-9151  GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is open for business! Glenn let us know, “We have no storefront; in fact, we are located next to a huge wheat field, so we have almost no interaction with the public.” They are taking new Restoration, Repair, Modernization, Maintenance, and Service projects for the summer season. GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is also Montana’s premier Airstream collision repair center, for vintage trailers all the way up through the 2020 models! They are offering new clients a 5% discount on any work totaling $25,000 or more. GT works on all makes, models and years of trailers in an effort to support the members of our small community. Glenn said, “We always make room in our shop so local Montanans can get service work done!” www.gtservicesvintagetrailers.com (406) 599-6963 Gary at Heffrons Retro Design is up and running. Full staff, taking precautions, self-quarantine to the best of their ability and self-distancing in office, warehouse, and workspaces. It seems people are taking advantage of the downtime to catch up. “I believe this may change, how some things are done, in our workforce, all over the world, and how we conduct business futuristically, for a long time to come,” Gary shared. He went on to say, “Without this pandemic, it would be nice to slow our bump and grind workforce, to be more casual, as it was years ago all the while, still keeping up with demand. It seems like it would make for larger productions, with people more relaxed, rested, and being able to enjoy the family, just a little more. Like taking a drive through the Smokey Mountains.” Heffrons is starting to sell a lot of Metal Vintage Lawn Chairs, Gas Pumps, Car Sofas, Neon’s, as well as stools, booths, and all of the other items on their web site. www.heffrons.com (315) 363-7726 Airparts Inc. is still taking phone and online orders and shipping daily! Chris agrees that now is a great time to work on at home projects. She is hoping everyone’s projects get lots of attention during this time. www.airpartsinc.com 913-831-1780 James Polk Appraisals is business as usual if you need an appraisal. www.polkValuations.com (805) 646-7293 At Vintage Campers, Dan says it’s business pretty much as usual. The majority of their business, whether it be vintage trailer sales or parts, is done online and via telephone. The trailer restorations are done at their shop in Peru, IN. Correspondence with customers is done by email and phone. Dan is still very actively selling and shipping parts. If you are stuck at home because of social distancing, what better thing to do than work on your vintage camper. Vintage Campers is very proud of the fact that they have all their “custom made” vintage trailer parts manufactured in the USA. Even though it costs more, Dan would rather support American workers. You should not see any problems or delays in receiving custom made parts from www.VintageCampers.com. All of their vintage trailers and campers are on sale. FREE storage of any trailer you buy from them for up to one year. (765) 473-8088 Retroluxe Vintage Trailers, for the most part, is following the direction of the Shelter in Place mandate in California. Damen (one of the crew) is temporarily living on-site with his wife in their vintage Silver Streak trailer. (even though they just bought a house). He will continue to work on customer’s trailers at the Retroluxe shop. Scott and Wendy, the owners, are caring for Wendy’s elderly disabled mother, and they have chosen not to go out for her sake. They will continue correspondences and schedule future projects by phone and email. They said, “We will get through this and hope to be back up and running with our full staff after the crisis.” www.retroluxevintagetrailers.com (530) 303-3936 At this time, Heintz Designs will be closed to the public. This will include shop tours, consultations, trailer inspections, and client meetings. Any previously scheduled trailer deliveries and/or pick-ups will still be executed as long as the CDC will allow such activity. Tim says he has already seen an increase in delays from our suppliers. Tim will continue to do his best to move forward with all client projects. Please monitor their website www.HeintzDesigns.com for updates. Tell us how the current state of the nation has affected your life in the comments below.
This 1954 Boles Aero is truly one-of-a-kind. Although it has endless unique features, the thing that I always remember about Billie and Dave O'Neel's trailer is the narrated audio tour that is played over the sound system as you tour the trailer. Billie recorded a narrative of the trailers vintage journey along with details about it's restoration and information about America in 1954, the year the trailer was built. You can listen to her audio recording above or read more about this trailer in the Vintage Camper Trailer Rallies Book.
Books available from Vintage Camper Trailers
 If you have ever attended a vintage trailer rally you likely have at least one trailer that you remember. An incredible restoration that took years to complete. A project where money was no object and someone bankrolled a mid-six figures budget to have a renowned restorer work his magic on a carcass that was headed for a scrap heap.  We have been publishing the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine for eight years and hosting the Trailerfest Rallies even longer than that. We have seen and photographed 100's of trailers over the past decade. We are privileged to have seen some incredible work and many one-of-a-kind and unique builds. Several of them stand out in my mind for different reasons.
One of my favorite builds wasn’t highly polished, didn’t have fantastic woodwork and was built with stuff the owner had sitting around. While Scott has restored some trailers in his day, he does not do it professionally. This project came about in part because of Scott's large collection of vintage camping-related gear. How better to display it than in a trailer? It just so happened that Scott had a 1952 Boles Aero Montecito sitting around.
I first saw this trailer at the Pismo Beach Rally and was taken aback. I had long had the vision of doing something similar, but for me, it was just a dream. Scott had exercised restraint in not over restoring the trailer and made it look like it was a survivor. The trailer has plywood flooring with a shuffleboard court down the middle! The finished display struck me in such a way that it inspired me to build our Mid-Century Mobile Museum. Scott's trailer was featured in Issue #26 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine and in our second book, Vintage Camper Trailers Rallies.  Collecting vintage camping gear is part of the hobby. Scott's collectibles that are displayed in Arnie’s Sporting Goods Store appear to be in very good and even “new in the box” condition. Usually, we don’t get that lucky and we need to restore all the goodies that go with the vintage trailering hobby. This year at Boot Camp we have both an appliance repair and troubleshooting class along with a class on getting your vintage lanterns and stoves in good working order. If that doesn’t sound like fun we have sewing classes and crafting like making Rag Rugs.
Scott Burud’s Boles was sold at the first rally it was shown at. The Murphy Auto Museum bought it and it was displayed at the museum for a couple of years before being sold to another collector. Looking at the photos in the book and the magazine remind of how cool this budget-minded trailer is and why it still stands out to me as one of my all-time favorites -PAUL  Click on the above image for information regarding the magazine.
Vintage trailer prices are based on supply and demand. A limited number of vintage trailers available in the market has driven the asking price of trailers up over the past decade. The large demand for classic trailers makes RIGHT NOW a good time to sell. If you are waiting until spring, you may want to re-think that. Buyers are looking for trailers now to be ready for the camping season. With fewer trailers for sale in the winter months, the supply is less. Limited supply, high demand, you do the math. A Testimonial that we received this week: Please place a SOLD SIGN on my De Ville ad, I have always had great results with ads on Vintage Camper Trailers Classifieds. I got a hot buyer the same day the ad was placed. The money, and title changed hands the same week. He lives only a few miles from me and came over to look at the trailer "in the rain" the first day it was listed. It was a full price sale, and he's paying me expenses to tow it up to Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe in the spring. Thanks for all of your help, Happy Holidays. -John P.  Tips for Selling Your Vintage Trailer:
If you have a trailer for sale and would like to use the VCT classifieds to let potential buyers know about it, use the coupon code BEST to save 30% on the cost of your ad. (Offer Expires 12/31/19) VCT Magazine Subscribers ALWAYS save 20% on classified ads. Click Here to read the rest of our blog.  Click on the banner above for more information about the VCT Magazine. |
The Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine BlogCLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE VCT MAGAZINE Categories
All
 Archives
May 2020
|
RSS Feed