Author Archives: Jim

The Lady and The Ambassador

They Pave the Way

Teardrop Trail Log: March 24, 2016

We’ve never named our car or teardrop. Prior to working with our friends on the Tiny House, it didn’t seem like much of an issue. They name all their vehicles however (the tiny house has been named Pandora — for all the reasons you can imagine) and it suddenly seemed like a good idea to christen ours as well. Trouble is, our vehicles do not have troublesome or quirky characteristics to help suggest a name.

So now we’re on this epic trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas. We stayed last night in the Seminole Canyon State Park (look for other posts on that) and today we continued to Big Bend. We’ve noticed on other trips that the teardrop generates interest, and by now we’ve come to expect a visitor or two inquiring how we like it, how much did it cost, can we see inside, etc, and have learned our teardrop is the best way to meet our campground neighbors. Last night was no different. One of our neighbors struck up a conversation around the teardrop, and suddenly we had two new good friends. Jim (good name, that) and his wife Suzanne are from Indiana, and he’s a wildlife photographer. Specifically, he is interested in moths and calls himself “The Moth Man.” They were going into Langtry, Texas last night to try for some specific moths that are native to the area.
Today, we stopped in Langtry ourselves — the home of Judge Roy Bean, the The Law West of the Pecos. Interesting place, but while we were touring the adjoining cactus garden (amazing!), I had a conversation with another guest who was interested in our teardrop. He was from Minnisota, and had noticed my Case/IH hat. Another pleasant encounter with a total stranger.

Later today, when we stopped for gas in Sanderson, Texas, we were approached by yet another curious person. Ed and his wife split their time between Sanderson and Rochester, New York, and wanted to know all the standard stuff about teardrops. Of course Marilyn spent 17 years living there, so we were off and running with a new friend.

While driving away from Uncle’s (the station in Sanderson), Marilyn commented on what a good ambassador our teardrop was — and we realized he’d been named. Shortly after, I realized that the Mazda has been such a good and reliably comfortable car on our trips — and not without her own bit of flash — that she was a real lady.

So now we have names for them both: The Lady and the Ambassador.

Hit or Miss Engines

Jim, September 15:

You never know what you’ll find on the Teardrop Trail, and the Red Power Roundup in Sedalia, Missouri was no exception. While looking at the expected tractors and other IH memorabilia, I discovered a assortment of “hit or miss” engines. They were first available around 1890 from various manufacturers including International Harvester (after 1902) for use in pumping water, generating electricity and cutting firewood. The video shows models spanning several decades and demonstrates the “hit or miss” behavior and resulting name.

They fire every few cycles and rely on a large flywheel to maintain a relatively constant speed. Producing a small amount of horsepower relative to their weight and size, they were displaced by newer internal combustion engines by the mid-20th century, although they are still desirable for some low-speed (250 rpm or so) applications like oil-field pump jacks. International Harvester produced a variety of hit or miss engines, and the video shows three well preserved and and functioning models.

This display of engines was a surprise to me — I hadn’t seen this many working hit or miss engines in one place before. The engine owners were on hand to answer questions and I learned a lot about this part of our Harvester Heritage. Fun!

The Storm

Storm Wall near Plains, Kansas

Jim, June 24:

We’re tooling along in Kansas, and travel was filled with the joys of using the old atlas and The Girl for navigation. Paper meets high tech. Hot, Sunny and miles of flat, straight road ahead. The only thing to break up the monotony was a construction zone with very aggressive rumble strips to slow down the traffic. Normally we wouldn’t have noticed. But then, passing cars and trucks began waving and gesturing to us. “Oh, look, more teardrop fans!”, “Isn’t it fun that we seem to be attracting attention with our cool trailer!?”

rear view galley lid check

Then Marilyn looked into her rear view mirror and noticed that the galley hatch was up. Hmmm. Perhaps we’re not as cool as we thought. Everyone was trying to tell us about the lid. *quiet chagrin*. We stopped and corrected the problem, and it became her job to periodically check on the galley hatch.

I’ve been through Kansas many times, and it’s normally quite dull, so I wasn’t expecting what I saw next. Out my side window, was one of the blackest skies I’ve seen recently with the clear indication of a wall cloud. Severe Weather! In other circumstances, I might have just tried to outrun the coming storm, but we were towing a small, light-weight trailer. On it’s first trip. Although it looks airworthy, I didn’t really want to try it. We needed shelter! Plains, Kansas wasn’t too far, and we could see a large grain elevator. We drove into town, headed straight for the elevator, and hunkered down. We had enough cell service to use our iPhones, and Dark Skies and Weather Bug gave us radar views of the storm. We spent the next hour in torrents of rain and blustery winds, but fortunately nothing worse.

Holiday Inn, McPherson, Kansas

We decided we could make McPherson, Kansas that night, and after a near rain-out the night before, and a near miss by a violent storm, we were feeling a little moist and beleaguered. The McPherson Holiday Inn would be just fine.

On the Road Again

Teardrop Leaving Palo Duro

Mirror Shot

Jim, June 24:

Loaded up, ready to go. Having arrived in the dark, we didn’t get to see much of the park, so we took a little time to sight-see before hitting the road. Beautiful place, well worth a trip back. It’s on our list for a dedicated trip. The campsites are in the canyon, and the canyon isn’t visible from the park entrance. I’m sure lots of folks drive by on the highway and never realize there is something really special just a few minutes away. It also means that it takes 20-30 minutes of twisty-windy roads to get into or out of the camp sites. Great sightseeing.

Interstate Vista

After leaving the canyon, we passed through Amarillo (with a successful stop for Starbuck’s!) before getting back on the road. Several hours of straight and flat travel lay ahead.

A Canyon Breakfast

Breakfast in Palo Duro

Jim, June 24:

Although the sunrise was beautiful, the sky was mostly overcast and it wasn’t long before it started to rain. I quickly set up the canopy so we could enjoy breakfast, and Marilyn made short work of preparing the food. As was clear from the mocha incident of the day before, I care about my coffee. Most coffee that is available on the road is pretty poor, so we travel with an Italian stovetop espresso maker. We also carry a supply of dark roast sumatra from Anderson’s Coffee in Austin (best in the city!) They work great on camp stoves and I set out brewing my morning espresso. Add Bacon, Eggs, Toast, and Jam, and you have a breakfast that is a far cry from the chuckwagon of olden days!

Breakfast and Coffee

Setting Up in the Dark

The Chef at Work

Jim, June 23:

We made it to the campground just in time to set up camp and make dinner — in the dark. Ain’t no hill for a stepper, right? I began unloading the pantry boxes and putting the kitchen together while Marilyn found the food. The trailer lights and LED lantern provided enough light, and we were set up in about 20 minutes. Not too bad. I opened a beer and poured a glass of wine for Marilyn. She then invented what I will always remember as one of the best meals I’ve ever had while camping — Balsamic Chicken. It’s so good we’ve fixed it several times at home. Simple. Satisfying. With a salad and mashed potatoes, it was a great meal. We had passed the first hurdle of the trip in our new rig: arrived, set up for the night and had a great meal.

An Elegant Repast

No Starbucks, No Mocha.

: No Mocha, no Joy.

Jim, June 23:

Following directions from the Starbuck’s app, we got off the Interstate and wound our way through rush-hour traffic following each voice command in search of the magic elixir. We were led to a truck stop, but didn’t see the familiar green Starbuck’s sign. After circling the building, we decided to go in — maybe it was one of those internal Starbuck’s stores. There was no joy. No Starbuck’s, No mocha today.

Packed, On the Road

Jim, June 23:

Monday morning — time to hit the road. We had the kitchen supplies, bikes, camping furniture, water and other odds and ends loaded into the rig. It was finally time to leave. Stopping in Drip’ to top off the tank, we had the first of what would become routine encounters on the trip: Teardrop Fans. Neither one of us were prepared for the notoriety, but it was fun. This fellow was considering the purchase of a teardrop, and wanted to see inside and ask a few questions. There is something magnetic about teardrops, and many folks seem drawn to the romance of the open road in a small trailer. Guess we’re not alone!

Mazda with teardrop trailer in Menard, Texas

Lunch in Menard, Texas

First stop was Menard, Texas. We were getting hungry, and the beautiful pecan-shaded park provided an excellent place for a light repast of sandwiches, chips and cookies. As we left town, we had a little trouble understanding The Girl’s directions, and made an inadvertent 20-minute detour. No matter. After retracing our steps, we were back on the right path.

Eldorado, the Schleicher county seat and Marilyn’s childhood home, was the next major stop. We drove by her father’s former medical practice, a plain cinderbock building that seemed disused.

Former Medical Practice in Eldorado, Texas

Next was the County Office and Memorial building — fine examples of Texas public buildings that are common around the state. A final stop for gas, and we were on our way. Next stop: San Angelo, and the promise of a Starbuck’s Mocha!

The Old Jail in Eldorado, Texas

Jim, June 7 – June 21:

I wanted to add my ham radio and a solar power system and we were about 2 weeks from departure. The TenTec Triton II radio was mounted in an interior cabinet and connected to the antenna ball mount. A piece of 3″ PVC tubing, mounted outside in the rear, provided storage for the whip antennas and their coils. A weekend shopping trip to Costco yielded a 15 watt solar panel and charge controller that I connected to the existing trailer 12 volt system. Although we were likely to have 120 volt “shore power” when camping, the solar panel could provide power if we decided to set up camp in a remote area. Time to pack!

Ranch foreman, P.T., supervises

Galley view of teardrop trailer

Door/side view of teardrop trailer

Ham radio mounted in teardrop trailer

Solar panel for teardrop trailer

Teardrop electrical system with solar charge controller

We Meet Our (Teardrop) Maker

Jim, June 1:

The Dallas/Fort Worth area is huge, so we had to take the Girl’s advice on a route to EZ-Toad. It turned out that Don (the maker) worked out of his home, and after introductions we got our first look at our trailer. We had seen photos during the build, but I wasn’t prepared for quite how beautiful the trailer was. Don was clearly a very skilled and careful craftsman. Self-deprecating, he apologized for having custom-made the side door. It seems he had run out of the factory-made models. To my eyes, the custom door was perfectly done with a fit and finish that rivaled the best work I’ve seen. It closed with a solid “thunk” that indicated both a good seal and lasting quality. The galley door, framed with tubular steel, was just as nicely done. We were both impressed.

Don had waited to complete one custom element until I was there to help: the antenna ball mount. I’m a radio amateur, and I wanted to mount a radio in the trailer for campground use. I helped him located the proper mount point and he quickly installed the mount. Perfection.

Jim meets Don at last

Jim tries it on for size

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