Atomic's 1968 Tradewind Twin Renovation

[coloradoup]

Brian, Joey and I had a great time visiting all the trailers at your little get together. It was good to see everyone and we can't wait to be able to bring ours to the show!

[docflyboy]

Brian- thanks for posting. You forgot to brag on your Dutch Oven dinner and our Glamping farewell dinner for Hollie, where she finally scored her '66 Palmer Bordeaux. It was a good time, thanks for all who coordinated. Jerry

[Peter417]

Sounds like a good time. I need to stop camping in AR and come meet you guys sometime.

[Slats]

Terry and I enjoyed our trip up to Weston Bend for the meet and greet. Flo was a hoot. The packed tour of her trailer was the high point, punctuated by her animated description of her personal touches.

[dbj216]

Hi Atomic 13: Thanks for the kind words. But my work pales compared to yours. I do salute you for your volunteerism fighting the covid pandemic. Think of the lives you might have saved, especially old geezers like me.

I read about your ability to shorten Airstream trailers. I remember Inland Andy saying Airstream builds trailers in 2' sections. That was true in the 60s, but I think the new body style added a foot length to the lengths and the Overlander lost the battle between the Tradewind 25' and the Ambassador 29'. Why not trade the Overlander for a Safari?

National Parks are so crowded and reservations are hard to get. But if successful, the backcountry in National Parks is special, especially Sequoia so I'm told. But you gotta leave your dogs at home. I think a state park might give the same experience with less hassle.

Here are some Globe Trotter photos. It's not everything, but it is better than that goofy corner wet bath in my view.

David

[Atomic_13]

This past summer we enjoyed another trip with our renovated airstream. This was the trailer’s first of many trips to Colorado.



We drove from Kansas City to the Taylor Reservoir and River for some fly fishing and kayaking. The F250 was sure a nice luxury when climbing over Cottonwood Pass between Buena Vista and Crested Butte.







After spending four days in the area we headed further west to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. CO HYW 50 was closed so we took (and really enjoyed) a winding but scenic detour along CO 92 just north and west of the Curecanti National Recreation Area. We’ll be back to this part to the state to explore it more. It was really beautiful.







The Black Canyon was stunning. Words and photos don’t do it justice.



Following that trip segment, we headed south, spent some time near Ridgeway State Park (more excellent fishing and kayaking) and had the pleasure of towing the Tradewind southbound on US 550 between Ouray and Durango, which is also known as the Million Dollar Highway. Tight road with lots of cliff exposure but the scenery made it worthwhile.



We past through Durango and headed east to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which is another hidden gem in the state.





Overall, the trailer and its systems did great. It was really nice to be independent of the grid when we had to. We are looking forward to the next camping season. We are considering exploring southern Utah to see its majestic National Parks and other off the beaten path areas.

[Slats]

Great pics, Brian. Add photo journalist to your long list of talents. That pic of your dog takes the bone. I hope he realizes how fortunate he was to land in your family.

[Slats]

There’s something mildly cool about next door neighbors talking to each other on this forum. We all benefit from eavesdropping.

[dbj216]

A couple of years ago we attended a vintage Airstream rally in Ridgeway just north of Ouray. Ouray is a neat little city some call it little Switzerland. But I'm not brave enough to pull my trailer over the mountains on the "million dollar highway" 550. Steep drop offs and no guardrails. Gotta pay attention driving that highway.

We also attended a vintage Airstream rally in Delores Colorado, north of Cruz and close to Durango. We stayed at the Delores River campground, a lovely spot. I'm sure there are fish in that river.

Fun to see your Trade Wind out and about in Colorado.

David

[TouringDan]

Thanks for the beautiful photos Brian.

That looked like the perfect camping trip to take with your Tradewind.

Dan

[coloradoup]

Wonderfull photos, looking forward to hitting some of those places in our 66TW!

[steinVT]

Sounds like a fantastic trip and you can take great satisfaction seeing all the ideas that you brought to life actually working as intended.

There really is life after restoration. - Mark

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by Atomic_13

I decided to place the 60 gallon freshwater tank at the front center of the trailer.

How satisfied are you with this tank? I am tempted to spec it for my rebuild. Also, where did you source those grey tanks?

[Atomic_13]

I tried to match my freshwater capacity with my grey. Happy we did so. I ordered the freshwater tank from Jazz Sales in Nixa Missouri. The grey tanks were from Inca plastics.

[ttbikes]

Hi Brain, glad to see you on the road! It looks like you had a wonderful trip. You are doing what you designed your trailer to do. It is makes a trip like that all the more satisfying. We are currently in Hollywood Florida visiting Family and have been on the road full time since June. My new project, a 2006 396XL Airstream is going slow but it is getting a new paint job next week. Thanks for posting your update.

Tim

[Atomic_13]

Just wanted to share a few more trip photos to inspire those in the renovation phase to keep up their hard work. This summer we’ve enjoyed a few local outings plus longer trips to Michigan and Wyoming.

I did a bit of polishing (simply trying to reach a consistent finish to then let patina)



Enjoyed a spring shakedown trip nearby.





We spent some time visiting our son in Michigan, kayaking, picking cherries, and fly fishing on the Broadman River.

[Atomic_13]

And most recently I took a solo trip fish the Cache la Poudre River (CO) and to boondock in the Medicine Bow wilderness area (WY)

[Boondocker]

Looks fantastic!

[coloradoup]

Brian,

For those of us still in the process, it sure does help to see what may await us! Love the photos and looking forward to hearing all about it!

Mike.

[Flostream66]

Beautiful work on your trailer, A13 - you never fail to impress. Sorry your trip to CO/WY ended up being solo but it looks like you had a happy companion to share the fun. But where's the picture of your fresh, line-caught, grilled trout supper!?

Question - what model tire lock are you sporting? Thanks! Flostream66