I have happy memories of a time in my childhood of my grandparents visiting us with their Travel Trailer. My memories are not crystal clear. I don’t remember the exact brand or color. But for some reason, this set up reminded me of them. They pulled the trailer with a car. It was a big car. Like a Cadillac maybe. I DO remember that they had a cute hula girl in the back that bobbled and they had a huge compass on the front dashboard. I loved sitting in that trailer with my grandma. It was parked on the street in front of our house. When I climbed the steps, it was like entering her world. An exotic world of travel and adventure. A world that I long for to this day.
This trailer is a 1959 Shasta Airflyte and a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Station Wagon on loan from Steve Casagrande in Carmichael, CA.
When these trailers were made, I imagine that this kind of travel was a new novel idea. The 50’s and 60’s were “modern times” indeed!
These photos are from and exhibit at the California Auto Museum http://www.calautomuseum.org/. This exhibit is called “Camping in Style: Little Homes on Wheels”. It’s over April 10th, so you still have time to go check it out. The exhibit was fantastic! They had a great variety of Travel Trailers in all sizes. Here are some of my favorites:
These are from the 40’s if I recall correctly. The new tear drop trailers look just like them!
Aside from the exhibit, they also have a permanent display of classic cars and vehicles. We strolled through the selection and this beauty caught my eye. A Chrysler Town and Country. What? That is what my mini van is called!! What will the world look like when my little mini van is a classic? I can’t imagine!
We both fell in love with this beautifully restored truck. We both wanted to take it home!
This was a nostalgic moment for me. I had a car almost exactly like this one!! My little BUG! I have many happy memories of driving this around town when I was in high school. I was a waitress at Shoney’s Big Boy after school and I used to fill up my tank with quarters that I got for tips. Wow. I sound so old when I say this! I’m not sure what year this bug is, but mine was a Volkswagen Beetle circa 1966. My uncle bought it new and my mom bought it from him. She drove it for years and when I was old enough, it was my turn. It was always breaking down. I knew how to jump start it with the least amount of effort! The brakes were always faulty and I was so good at “down shifting”. I remember one day when the wood shop boys literally picked it up and moved it from where I parked it. They loved the shock on my face when my car was not where I left it! I used to give those guys a lift to the main campus. We would pile in and see how many bodies we could fit in there. It was a lot!! I don’t remember EVER wearing a seatbelt!
These hood ornaments are amazing! Why did they stop doing that?
These are “Woodys”. I asked hubby if they have REAL wood on them. He says yes. It makes me think of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. And, surfers.
More beautiful bodies!
Note to self….I wish I had written down the make and models of these. Sorry. I hope you enjoy the little tour.
