Category Archives: Red Power Roundup

On to Union Grove and Red Power Roundup

Teardrop Trail Log: June 16, 2016

We were back on the Teardrop Trail, headed toward Red Power Round Up in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Just a quick stop at Wisconsin Welcome Center to pick up post cards, we parked the Ambassador with the big rigs. He was finally running with the big dogs. After locating the Racine County Fairgrounds, we pulled around to our camp site. This would be our third Red Power Round Up where collectors, vendors and members of the public gathered to celebrate the history of International Harvester and explore agriculture-related memorabilia. There was an impressive selection of tractors, engines, trucks and equipment. The exhibitions included household appliances, farming equipment and toy collections.

Red Power Roundup camp

I had reserved our campsite at last year’s event and we were conveniently located just outside the exhibition building where my publisher, Octane Press had a booth and where I would be signing copies of Canning, Pickling and Freezing with Irma Harding. We backed the Ambassador into the space, and set up Camp Red Power complete with the canopy over the galley. This would be home for the next few days.

Jim has always enjoyed coming to Red Power for the tractors, like the IH tractor his grandfather had on the farm. His cameras come out and he is in tractor heaven. Every year he buys a raffle ticket for an IH tractor. So far no tractors have followed us home.

There’s a few tractors over there

The Teardrop Gets a Solar Power Upgrade

Teardrop Trail Log: September 20, 2016

MC4 solar branch connectors

After the unfortunate incident with the solar panel on our way to the Red Power Roundup, we were able to use shore power for the remainder of the trip. Disappointing, but not a show stopper. We had already determined that a single 100-watt panel was not enough for our needs, so I was planning an upgrade anyway. With a trip planned in late September, it was time to act. I ordered two new 100-watt panels, MC4 combiner connectors and additional MC4 crimp-on connectors. This would double our previous power capacity and allow for daytime use of a couple of small appliances including a crock-pot and solid-state cooler.

Aluminum bar seals leading edge to teardrop

Analysis of the incident and the remaining parts of the old panel made it clear that wind entering the leading edge had repeatedly flexed the panel causing it to fatigue and ultimately fail. It seemed to me that sealing the leading edge to the teardrop roof with a rigid mount would prevent this type of failure in the future. A trip to Home Depot secured an aluminum strip, and by drilling holes that matched the existing screw mounts, I could seal the leading panel to the teardrop skin. The leading panel then overlapped the other panel so it was also sealed to the wind.

The new panels began working immediately

Once installed, the panels began producing power immediately. Although we currently only have about 80 Amp-hours of storage, the two panels can easily replace the day’s power use with 10 to 12 amp output in full sun. Also, by adding a 300-watt inverter, we are able to run a 1 1/2 quart crock pot during the day with power to spare. The next upgrade will be a larger battery.

The Ambassador was ready for a trip to Bob Sandlin State Park.

photo of solar panels on teardrop trailer

The panels overlap like shingles

Planning Our Latest Adventure on the Teardrop Trail

Marilyn, July 25:

We got a jump start on this year’s trip as we pulled out of the Missouri State Fairgrounds in June of 2015. Someone mentioned that camping spaces would be very limited for the 2016 Red Power Round Up, so upon our return to Roy Creek Ranch, I got online and booked reservations for one of the coveted campsites.

I love planning trips and I’ve never been one to wing it. It is inspiring, like putting together a multi-dimensional puzzle. Making dreams reality. I started by making list of places we might want to visit on the route from Roy Creek Ranch to Red Power Round Up in Union Grove Wisconsin and the adventure home. I used Google Maps to get the distances between points of interest, inviting restaurants and camping possibilities. Then we have an idea of how long it will take to get to the next stop and the possible route. This list helps to answer the question, “Are we there yet?” Yes, adults still ask this time-honored question.

The next step was to create a list of optional activities in the states we’d be driving through. I’d put out an inquiry on Facebook to get recommendations from friends for must-see attractions. An extensive Internet search followed, investigating possibilities along the route. I compiled a list of activities and points of interest. The list included Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Taliesin, House on the Rock, Pullman National Monument and more.

Road atlas detail

In the past, we used Jim’s well-loved 2004 Road Master Atlas to plan our trips on the Teardrop Trail, but this year, he got us a New National Geographic Road Atlas, Adventure Edition. We sat down with the with the new atlas and sticky notes to mark the points of interest along our route.

I revisited many of the check lists I found online to make sure that we had everything for this trip. On the trip to West Texas, someone had forgotten a pair of flip flops. Some of our other treks have taken us off the retail track, making replacing forgotten items a challenge if not impossible.

As the departure date approached, details came into focus and reservations were made for the first two legs of our trip, but this would be a different kind of excursion down the Teardrop Trail – one without a complete itinerary. Another travel blogger ascribed luck as an important aspect of the trip. After our stop in Kansas City, we would be planning as we traveled. Each stop at a visitors’ center or tourism office could bring a wealth of new maps, magazines and opportunities. It would now be plan-as-you-go with a dash of serendipity thrown in.

Travel brochures

More Storage – A Trailer Tongue Box

Jim, May 17:

Bare trailer tongue

During the Big Bend trip, I started to think about refining our trailer and realized that storing jacks and other trailer equipment in the galley complicated our setup. A second storage area would make the galley more convenient and allow Marilyn to start our evening meal while I was setting up camp. I had seen boxes that mount on a trailer tongue, and thought that might be the answer. They aren’t hard to find, and I soon had one on order. Made by Better Built, and 34-inches by 19-inches and 18-inches high, it looked like it would just fit on our teardrop’s small tongue.

The new trailer tongue box

In hand a few days later, it looked great and didn’t weigh much — welded aluminum construction with a locking latch and power-assisted top hatch. Our trailer has a single rail for the tongue however, and it looked like the box was better suited to trailers with a “y” front hitch. Mounting the soft aluminum box on a single rail seemed like a problem — the first time it was leaned upon, it would bend. I decided to get some help from my friends at Vintage Motor to make a stout steel mount. Jason and I quickly decided to cradle the front and back bottom edges with 1 1/2-inch angle iron. These would be welded to other angle iron and attached to the 2 by 3-inch trailer tongue with bolts.

We set to work. After measuring the front and back box edge, Jason cut 16 and 34-inch pieces of 1 1/2-inch angle iron on a chop saw. By placing them under the front and back edge, we were able to mark the precise size and angle using a sharpie. Using these marks, he was able to trim the rails with a pneumatic cut-off tool, and round the rough edges with an angle grinder.

: Cutting support rails

: Does it fit?

: Removing sharp corners

Next, we cut brackets and holes and drilled them to accept the tongue bolts. They were then welded to the rails. There was one bracket per rail, and they were placed so that the rails would be centered on the trailer tongue with a bracket on each side. Finally we drilled four holes on the long rail, and two holes on the short one to mount the box.

: Cutting brackets

: Brackets welded to rails

: Nice weld

: Second bracket welded

Rails and brackets complete, it was time for a test fit. Everything seemed to work, so I set about drilling bolt holes into the trailer tongue. This is very tough steel, and it took awhile — even with the help of my grandad’s 1/2-inch drill. Now we could bolt the rails on, and set the box into them. Last, we drilled holes from the bottom, through the rails, and into the box. It was secured with six bolts as well. We’d had to “fudge” the fit to straighten to box and allow for lid clearance with the trailer, so the front rail was a little off-center. A trip back to the shop to adjust it’s length, and we were ready for paint.

: Drilling mounting holes in the tongue

: My grandad’s old drill

: Mounting the box to the rails

: We’ll make an adjustment to this rail

Now painted, it was time for the final installation. To protect the bottom from being dented, I’ll cut a piece of plywood to fit the inside. The box size seems proportional to the trailer — a lucky break. I was also pleased to see that the diamond plate on the trailer matches the box, both in pattern and rising to about the same height as the diamond plate on the trailer. Looks like a custom fit!

: Rails painted and installed

: Thinking inside the box

: Now for the box

: Finshed installation

The Art Scene in Marfa

Teardrop Trail Log: March 27, 2016

Marfa was founded as a railroad water stop in the 1880’s. The Marfa Plateau on the edge of far West Texas was known for the high grass and ranching. That is until minimalist sculptor Donald Judd fell in love with Marfa and in 1971 moved to Texas to escape the New York art scene. He bought two large hangars that had been a training facility during WWII and eventually acquired dozens of buildings. His vision was to create a new kind of museum where large collections of individual artists’ work would be on permanent display in harmony with landscape and architecture, often referred to as an anti-museum. This resulted in permanent installations of contemporary art that are among the largest and most beautiful in the world.

Marker of Marfa

Marfa has become an unlikely arts mecca. The Chinati and Judd Foundations were created after Judd’s death in 1994. Other foundations, art collectives, theaters, performance spaces and nonprofit organizations have come to town. One source describes downtown as overrun by galleries.

Art tourism soars. The artsy population grows as new waves of artists move to Marfa to live and work. Celebrities continue to make pilgrimages. Marfa is a thriving international arts destination that is about as far removed from the pretentious art scenes like New York or Amsterdam.

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 Cookbook Caper

Marilyn:

My long-delayed cookbook was finally out. I had started work on Canning, Pickling and Freezing with Irma Harding a few years earlier. An interesting project featuring Irma Harding, International Harvester’s fictional spokesperson. The book combined original recipes, advertising and photos with new recipes. The publisher, Octane Press was going to promote it at the Red Power Roundup in Huron, South Dakota. The 25th annual celebration is where people from all around the world gather to share the history, products, literature and memorabilia of the International Harvester Company. We began to make travel plans.

Irma Harding

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