Of course, I do that often in my imagination when working on my books. But yesterday we visited the RV Museum in Elkhart Indiana and enjoyed examining how recreational travel had changed in the last 100 years. Over sixty vehicles are on display beginning with the earliest 'truck campers' from the 1900s. My main goal in demanding this detour on a fall trip through Michigan and Wisconsin was to see the 1935 Covered Wagon. The camper I used in The Time Travel Trailer is a 1937 Covered Wagon, slightly larger because it included a bathroom, but with similar interior decor and furnishings and the same "leatherette" exterior. I couldn't go in but managed to snap some photos--the last through a window. The table arrangement is interesting. A canvas cot appears to serve as seating, whereas the 1937 larger model had two bench seats, similar to the dinettes in many modern campers. But I love the wood interior and icebox style latches on the cabinets. The Covered Wagon Company was the largest manufacturer of campers in the 1930s, producing 45 to 50 a day.
Every exhibit was unique in some way. The earliest Airstream and Fleetwood models, for example. Others were custom or homemade efforts. The first photo below is a 1916 "Automobile Telescope Apartment" made in San Francisco. The second and third photos are of a custom built trailer belonging to the Charles Lindbergh family, who according to the guide, camped with the Edisons, Fords, and Firestones. The last picture is of a Star Streak II--a custom aluminum motorhome built using a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado chassis and an engine from a 1976 Olds Toronado and designed to fit in a standard garage.
By noon, we had reached our amazement quota, got some lunch and headed north to Holland State Park near Holland, Michigan. The forecast for the day included a 60% chance of rain so we were anxious to get set up before that occurred. So we passed up a number of enticing stops on our journey, such as the Pie Pantry and the best car wash in Western Michigan. Another time perhaps.
Holland State Park is one of those that is divided into two units with private property separating the units. When we made reservations, we debated whether to choose the 'beach campground' in the Lake Michigan unit, or the 'lake campground' in the Lake Macatawa unit. We were tempted by the beach and what we assumed were views of Lake Michigan, but the sites were quite small and we opted for the Macatawa campground. We were glad we did because the 'beach' campground is actually a parking lot surrounded by dunes and no view of the lake anyway. Our site is small and a bit of a challenge to get into but nestled in the woods with a nice firepit and picnic table. After supper we drove down to check out the beach and the Big Red Lighthouse, and stopped to watch sailboats playing Follow the Leader--a beautiful evening. The rain never materialized until the middle of the night.
Holland State Park is one of those that is divided into two units with private property separating the units. When we made reservations, we debated whether to choose the 'beach campground' in the Lake Michigan unit, or the 'lake campground' in the Lake Macatawa unit. We were tempted by the beach and what we assumed were views of Lake Michigan, but the sites were quite small and we opted for the Macatawa campground. We were glad we did because the 'beach' campground is actually a parking lot surrounded by dunes and no view of the lake anyway. Our site is small and a bit of a challenge to get into but nestled in the woods with a nice firepit and picnic table. After supper we drove down to check out the beach and the Big Red Lighthouse, and stopped to watch sailboats playing Follow the Leader--a beautiful evening. The rain never materialized until the middle of the night.
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