Thank you Saple!

I appreciate your comment on the post earlier. Yes — Ann Arbor welcomed me with open arms. The police were tremendous - I later learned that they were keeping an eye on things for me when I was at the art show. — Unbelievable.

They were very courteous -yet very serious- with the people that broke into the camper — I was impressed.

My hats off to the Ann Arbor police. Ann Arbor being a large college ‘town’ and a magnet for a diverse cross section of very liberal - to extreme liberal - (to include a number of socialist groups and other similarly related wacko organizations) - the police definitely have their hands full.

Read more about Ann Arbor

I have had a few requests to upload photos of the inside on my 1938 teardrop camper.

I will post a history of the camper soon.

This is of course the outside - It is made of aircraft aluminum that is riveted much like and old airplane wing. In fact the profile is designed to reflect or simulate the cross section/profile of a DC-3 wing.

Read more and see interior photos of the tear drop camper

Dear Jane - Well thank you for your comments — It has indeed been an interesting trip. I have been trying to load photos from the road but seems my little digital camera is acting up — I should have that resolved soon.

I have tried taking the back roads as much as possible. as I meandered across Ohio then into Michigan and stopping off at the annual Art Fair in Ann Arbor. There I met with my sister who provided me with a hotel room - the shower was wonderful.

The heat in the truck is always on - so to speak. The hoses for the cooling system go through the firewall to the mounted heater in the cab. There is no by-pass and although I could install one simply, It has been recommended by several old timers that I do not do so as it is an important part of the cooling system. The cowl vent and tilt out windshield help to provide a relatively cool air flow. After several hours in the truck you tend to end up smelling like the truck. There is a faint smell of oil and grease on the passenger or driver. So be it - It is what it is. But damn, that shower felt great.

Read more for the camper break-in of naked people

Well things got off to a rough start — had a bit of difficulty taking the hills — luckily I travel with a timing light, spare condenser and points.

Last week I had installed a new distributor but dint quite take care of the timing. So after struggling up the hills in this old 38 pickup, I pulled off at a rest area and found a quite place and broke out the timing light.

3 degrees off of tap dead center.

Hitting the road again it roared to life — and took those hills pulling the teardrop with no problem. Whew.

Read more on the adventure

Well I’m off and running. This summer’s road trip.

Heading out in my 1938 Chevy pick up truck pulling my 1938 Teardrop camper.

Yes the camper was built in ‘38 as a prototype but the concept was shelved during the war as aluminum was not available. In the mid ’40s they became available as kits.

Read more on hitting the road

Bedford was settled in about 1750 however it was then known as Raystown. This was the site of an old trading post and then Fort Bedford in 1758.

Bedford was also the Base for the Forbes Bouquet expeditions.In 1794 Washington reviewed the forces here in the Whiskey Rebellion.

Click on the Wikipedia Map for a larger view and click here to read their entry on General John Forbes.

Take a look at the visitors website for Bedford County and plan a trip there — well worth it.

On a recent trip across Pennsylvania I stopped off and spent a few days in Bedford. A beautiful and historic town.

Throughout town you will find log structures, federal architecture and a host of unique sites.
I add a gallery of photos taken while on my stroll through Bedford.

I’m planning a road trip in my 1938 Chevy HC pickup truck pulling a small tear drop camper prototype also built in 1938. Ill provide more information on the restoration of the truck as we go along.

So far in planning the trip I’ve decided to head toward Michigan - north of Detroit to Ortonville Michigan to see my sister then off to Jackson Michigan where Ill visit my grandmother. The again the Ann Arbor Art Festival is coming up — perhaps that would be a good time to go. From there Ill head to Chicago and Barrington, Illinois where I plan to stay a few days with family before making the trip home.

Read more about the road trip

I’ll preface this by saying that I am not a commuter. I work from home. My Jeep Grand Cherokee is in the drive way most of the time. But I live up in the mountains where snowfall is great and dependable four wheel drive is absolutely necessary. When I do have to travel a distance it is usually to my farm, Carley Brook Farm, which is also located in the mountains - about an hour away - and the roads can be a real challenge in the winter.

The other day I go down the mountain and into town on a few errands and stop to fill the tank. Earlier that morning oil had surpassed $74 per barrel. The price at the pump had already reflected the morning news by jumping a few cents up from the previous day.

Read more about gas prices