270 miles yesterday, 461 miles today

We made it to the NC/VA border tonight. I'm beat and tomorrow is another long day of towing... but in familiar territory and the weather looks great! Here are a few pictures. The Safari is towing great! I have a picture somewhere with my grandfather's Airstream in front of a Stuckey's sign somewhere. Only 500 miles to go!

Some inside pictures

We're in Brunswick, GA heading North. The 54 is towing nicely thus far. Some inside pictures. The floor on this thing is REALLY bad - gone - Capute! The front is all there, but the rear interior is basically just an open canvas. That's a very old Fedders AC in the middle that is vented out under the bed out the rear - pretty professional job on it too. Enjoy!

The 54 Safari Recovery is underway!

The Recovery. Today we spent the day at Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida. Then we went over to the Tampa Electric Company to see the Manatee viewing center. On the way over, we stopped at Bates RV - home of the Airstream Ranch. It was alot of fun, even though it was a short stay - most likely, the Safari will be stopping into Bates for a fresh packing of the wheel bearings and a tighten up before the 1200 mile pull home, all while we enjoy our Florida stay. The Airstream Ranch is pretty neat! Nice meeting you Mr. Bates!

Udvar Hazy

Today, while on the road, I had to stop and get an aluminum fix. Here's the trailer used to house Armstrong upon returning from the moon. Stanton, my oldest son at 6, took the picture of me standing in front of this customized Airstream - I've always wanted to see this trailer. And then the Clipper Flying Cloud plane... how cool is that. We'll be in Charleston, SC tomorrow, through Wednesday when we go get that 54 Safari, and maybe Florida State Rally in Sarasota for a few hours. We're definately hitting the Tampa Electric Company to see the Manatees. Enjoy!

And it moves

Here's a picture of the Buick... I took it for a test drive this afternoon. It rides nicely down the road. The Suburban chassis is gonna make a nice tow platform, with the looks of Vintage. I've got to let the valve job sit, and then I'll see if the 4 Barrel will open up on the 454... HANG ON!

Lights, Catches, Latches and a Buick too!

Things are going slow because it's only single digits out and it's cold in the trailer. Brrrr! Well, it's been a bit since I've posted. First, last week I mentioned the bunk latches. Well, on my fourth latch, as I was installing it, I noticed that the catch was the wrong size. So, I emailed Vandykes, and they promised to send me out the last latch in the finish they had.. they are discontinuing the polished nickel finish... and I got it, and it is the right size - phew! I've installed the fourth latch so now the bunks will ride in the up position during travel. They look good and it's amazing how much bigger the bedroom area feels with them up. I've installed the chrome paper towel holder in the galley and I have to find a place for the spice rack. I've been measuring and placing where I should be putting my Byam hooks. I have 6 original Byam hooks and they will work nicely for hanging keys, towels, a shirt, etc. A few months ago, I had ordered 4 12 volt LED lights that will be installed in the galley area under the galley overhead storage. I've purchased a toggle switch that will control them. They put off alot of light and will be perfect for our boondocking trips. Then, I've been working on the 12v lights that are in the bedroom area. A while ago I bought two 110v gray flexible lights from Ikea. I've cut the plug ends off, have found 12v light bulbs that fit them and have them wired into the 12v system. They will work perfectly so that we will have both 110v and 12v lights in the bedroom. Once these are installed, the bedroom will be complete, except for 6 drawer catches I have to install on the bedroom drawers to keep them from opening while in transit (I bought these catches at Ikea too). The Buick, our future Sovereign of the Road tow vehicle, a 1959 Buick Electra, is now mounted onto the 75 Chevy Suburban with a 454 that has just had a complete valve job on it. It's purring like a Tiger and is running perfectly. The Buick is all registered and will be driving tomorrow. I am excited!! Enjoy the photos.

Back home

Well, I left the house last Tuesday night and I got home last night. Wow... Frank might win if this time away keeps up. So, needless to say, not much has been done. Shark-bite fittings have arrived for the PEX, and VanDyke's has sent me a replacement latch for my bunk. This week I should be getting to the tub and pex. I also got a huge package of Ebay parts for our Magic Chef stove (I needed a burner). I'll be posting pictures of our Buick Electra on the Suburban as well; we drove it down the road today - the 454 is rebuilt and purs like a kitten - or Tiger I should say. So, stay tuned!