Friday, June 10, 2011

Trailer Town - Ventura, California

There is a good ole Po' Folks resort in Ventura, California that you have probably never heard of...
 ...and that's because it actually in my driveway!  

[click for larger image]

 Okay, admittedly this picture has been assembled by a Photoshop genius (wonder who that could be? Lols)! Although I wish with all my heart that my driveway was 100% Astro-turf and had a killer view of the ocean...It doesn't.  This would be more accurate if we could somehow cover the roof of my two story house with turf, and air lift the trailers up there cuz then and only then would we be seeing the ocean!  

So, would you like to see the reality of Trailer Town?  Haha grab a Tiki Drink and lets go!

 Here is the Main Cabin, a 1963 Shasta Knock-Off "Canned Ham" trailer!

 If it weren't stuffed to the gills with junk camping gear, I'd show off the "spacious" interior.  It has a tiny kitchen with 3 burner stove and  slightly-bigger-than-a-easy bake-oven sized oven, a sink and an icebox.  The dining area also converts to a bed.  There are drop down canvas hammocks that can be used for sleeping midgets or children.  She is an oldie but a goodie and has taken us as far as Monterey, Ca.  It hasn't been moved in a year or so and as you can see is pretty much integrated in to the "landscaping" right now.
 Some of the finer details include this coconut monkey head and tiki guys!


I found this sign on the ground behind a gas station.  When I come home at night and park my car in front of the trailer I read this sign.  I have yet to forget to stop my motor, as for the no smoking...well most of the time my car doesn't smoke!  I found the rustic CABINS sign at a thrift store and attached it to an old picket fence post.  That's right Martha Stuart, eat your heart out at my decorating prowess!


Everything around the trailer is modular and totally move-able for that big day when we actually do decide to take the trailer out.  BONUS:  This trailer is "Hot Tub Adjacent" 

 Here is our lil' oasis.  The whole shebang was thrifted and/or free-found!  The hot tub itself was $200 at a yard sale, a crazy deal for a Soft Tub brand hot tub!  The deck was built from a porch that was listed on Criagslist as "free-you remove".  Stephanie and I spent a couple of spider ridden hours taking it apart and hauling it home.  Then the men-folk reassembled it as a hot tub platform...
 ...the picket fence was another free Craigslist coup.  You should have seen my station wagon loaded to the gills with picket fences!  We used some leftover wood cut into triangles from the "stair replacement debacle" a while back to make feet that would hold up the fence segments. We also decked out the entire hot tub area with a large quantity of  Craigslisted free astro turf!  It is the real-looking stuff with the long blades of plastic grass.  When the leaves fall over it, you'd swear it was real grass!  Best part, no mowing!  Pretty clever huh? 

These vintage owl tree lights came from an estate sale.   I removed them from the rotting wiring they came on and placed  them onto these big outdoor lights which I got from a curb-side free score!  The bamboo wall covering was rescued from a dumpster.  For your sitting and beer holding pleasure there is an assortment of yard sale/free-find furniture & vintage lawn chairs ambling about the hot tub area.  Heck yeah free stuff!

This is a sign I made at work to pay homage to the Greatest Hot Tub Time Travel movie of all time...Hot Tub Time Machine!  If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and click the link, if you have...you will know exactly what Chernobly Energy drink is!

Now, onto the new kid on the block..."The Littlest Big-Top" trailer!

Aw aint it cute!  This is my teeny tiny 1973 tent trailer!  It folds up entirely into 4'x6' trailer and weighs less than 300 lbs!  The best part is it has a permanent trailer registration so I will never have to pay a yearly tag fee on it!  I have only had it for a month or so, I bought it at a yard sale in my neighborhood for $300!   

 I can't keep this trailer up all the time, so it bounces around the driveway a bit.  When it isn't popped up, I have it stowed out of the way.  I like this shot because it has my wagon, and both trailers in it!

It was getting pretty dark when I was taking these pics but I like the night-time colors.  The front zips open and closed and there is a window in the back.  On the left and right are bunks with super thin mattresses but its still better than the ground!   There is plenty of head room above and some storage compartments in the center section for your playing cards and beer coozies (essentials of camping).

The top is all heavy duty canvas and amazingly has no holes or tears!  It has been very well maintained.  I love the circus tent feel.  I think I will make some graphics at work to put on the side.  I want to name it like a boat. So far I have come up with "Cirque de so Tiny" , "The Littlest Big Top", or "Von Felts' Flying Circus" any more clever suggestions?  I love puns so the punnier the better!

Dusk at Trailer Town Kitschy Campground & Trailer Park
Yup, I have a lotta crazy junk-o-la!  I hope to do an more extensive field report on these two trailers in the very near future.  I would like to have a Kitschy Kampin' B-day Party for myself this month!  It has been a long standing dream of mine to tow a vintage trailer with my vintage car.  I am in the works to get a hitch installed on that car up there!  If all comes together as hoped, my best friend/cohort Stephanie will have a hitch on her Ford Falcon by then and will be able to tow the big trailer.  I'll be towing the lil' guy until I have a heavy duty rear end built into the wagon.  Cross you fingers for us folks, it would be our maiden voyage! 

Till then, we will enjoy the scenery from home!

18 comments:

  1. Now see? Between you, ZSM and MCM, you all are talking the rest of us into getting trailers! :)

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  2. Love what you've done with your junk! Seriously, I get a huge kick out of repurposing stuff the way you do. I too save triagular pieces of lumber left over from projects. That little pop up is very cool, mostly because of the striped canvas. Great idea to give it a name. I'll cogitate on that some, but right now my vote is for the Von Felts' Flying Circus. Have you ever stumbled across the Sisters on the Fly group? Buncha ladies with vintage campers, some with really great murals. Great post, you know I've been dying for you to post about your campers, made my Friday!

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  3. Well, you can probably guess, I HEART THIS POST!
    Love your trailers. I picked up some great ideas. We were just over at the property 2 minutes ago planning the trailer park that we'll live in while building. Yours looks so cozy! And....your sign, "no smoking, stop your motor" just cracked us up because when my husband was little, he thought the sign read "no smoking, stop your mother"! Good luck with your maiden voyage and happy birthday, next month. I'd love to see more pics. You rock girl!

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  4. Permanent registration? Wow, I'd take a trailer like that everywhere. One of these days I'm going to get that teensy airstream-ish trailer and go wherever I want.

    I don't know which is my favorite, the Easter island stone head light string or the Chernobly drink sign. It's a toss-up.

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  5. This is all so cool!!! You just enjoy life so much, Amber! Then striped tent is really neat! Love all your string lights and fun EVERYTHING!!! Will look forward to your awesome birthday party later this month!

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  6. Love your campers! I would be having sleepovers in my yard if I were you! You definitely scored on the circus tent with perm registration. I think I'm liking Von Felts' Flying Circus too...it almost promises a bearded lady sighting! :) have a wonderful birthday camping trip- I'll be looking for your amazing trailers on the road!

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  7. Awesome post, Amber! You should mail out the photoshop as a postcard for your birthday invites!
    I love your little camp resort! "Canned Ham" HAHA! Too perfect! The landscaping and fence and just everything look amazing! You find some great free junk that's for sure! I need to be getting a non-car vehicle so I can grab on some big junk around here, it's depressing passing up a free 1953 tv in mint shape!!! :D

    Oh! I think I have to agree with the others and say that "Von Felts' Flying Circus" is the winner!

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  8. How about the "MOM and POP-UP?" lol...
    Seriously LOVE every thing about it. Much cuter than mine!!! Jealous! No - I am happy for what I have..but you're giving me ideas! I reaaaalllly want a pop up like that. So colorful!!

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  9. Haha Some happy day I hope to see one of those trailers backed into the Casablanca's designated trailer section! As always LOVE your crafty kitschy postcards!

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  10. oh, man, this post makes me seriously happy. can i come live with you? everything is AMAZING!! i love that striped pop up tent camper soooo much. and your wagon! uh, so much happy-making things going on. fun, fun, fun!

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  11. I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but I wish we lived in the same town so we could be friends! And I mean that in the least creepy way possible. :)

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  12. I love the trailers! It's a dream of mine to own one someday- been working on the husband for years... :)

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  13. Weee! Trailer town! Trailers are one of my favorite vintage pieces of all time. Until now, I still have a 70's wagon in our house, and it's still in tip-top shape. Well with great care and maintenance, your cars will surely last a lifetime.

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  14. We had a tent trailer like this in the '70s. We traveled all the way from Oregon to Maine, down to Virginia & back to Oregon with it in 1978. At a campground near NYC on July 4 weekend, the 5 of us were laughing inside about something & some kids passed by & dubbed it the "Fun Tent." If you haven't yet named yours, I give you permission to name it the Fun Trailer, or something similar. :-)

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  15. Hi Amber, great to see you still have the tent trailer. Hope you've been able to use it. If you ever want to sell it let me know.

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  16. Just found your eggcellent blog while looking up my 1963 Sears Tent Trailer on Google. Fantastic! I totally get it. Though I am 60 years young, I started collecting kitschy stuff at age 14. My first car was a 57 Plymouth wagon and do I wish I still hade "the mean machine." A fellow junque person, from Roseville, CA

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  17. Does anyone happen to know the manufacturer of the striped tent/trailer? I have one just Like it but the data plate is illegible.

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    1. Yes, it's an Appleby, made in Missouri. The company also made aluminum boats. This particular model is called a "young in". It's a little bit smaller than the standard Appleby's. There was also the Econo model in the Econo deluxe that had a door in the back. There was also the Argosy and the sundowner, I believed it one of those actually was a three-bed model so it had an extension on the back with the flip that where a 3rd bed lift out. I have an 1974 Econo deluxe.

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