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