In March 2019 I attended my first Rally with the Southwest Vintage and Teardrop group at Tyler State Park. It was the 5th annual gathering for the group, but my first time to attend a gathering. I have been a member of the Facebook group for a while so it was great to finally see some of these great trailers in person that I had been following the progress of their builds online. It was mostly restored vintage trailers, with a few teardrops, but I love vintage and seeing the amazing craftsmanship of these restored trailers was a treat.
It was also my first time at Tyler State Park and it definitely ranks high on my places to visit again. Most of the sites are designed as pull throughs, they are very large with a lot of space between them and have great picnic areas and grills, as well as serene, private views. Everything was in bloom and the weather could not have been better. Well, except for the storm that came through Saturday, but it was short. I thought it was still kind of cool to be in the water, but a lot of people were enjoying the lake. Me and Bella did some hiking to enjoy the weather.
A few weeks before the trip I invested in a professional grade camera for some of my future trips I have planned this summer. This trip gave me opportunities to really play with it and test out it’s features. I used the timer feature to get these great outdoor yoga shots. I’m really excited about the possibilities for future trips.
Bella wasn’t entirely pleased with this trip. Because there were so many people and things going on, she had to wear a leash at the campsite. Also, because she kept trying to go off and visit other people by herself, like she owned the place. So she had a nice pity party for herself and decided to stay inside most of the time.
Since it was a long weekend, I did have plenty of time to cook. What kind of camping trip would it be with bacon and wine?
A large part of the rally revolved around food as well, which is certainly not a bad thing. There was a pot luck and Dutch oven cook off and an omelet breakfast, making zip lock bag omelets.
Most of Saturday was dedicated to camper tours. Unfortunately, this was really not enough time. I tried to see and get pictures of all of them, but ultimately ran out of time. I also, did not have the foresight to bring something to write down all the information about all of them, so forgive me for not having better facts about the brands, year models, ect. I decided to leave them out, instead of taking a chance of getting them wrong. Hopefully the pictures will serve to show the amazing craftmanship of these trailers.
This trailer is a homebuilt teardrop named Sweet Tea. It is the largest teardrop I have seen and can sleep 2 adults and 3 children comfortably. All the details, woodwork and decorations are amazing.
This vintage trailer belonged to the organizer of the Rally. She made the cushions and did the decorating in record time to be ready for the Rally, after a recent surgery. I love the bright yellow and outside window boxes.
The details inside this remodeled vintage were amazing, right down to the light fixtures and bead board ceiling.
This remodeled Shasta was made for a trip to the beach, with it’s classic wood paneling and jungle print curtains.
The woodwork and classic blue appliances in this vintage were beautiful.
If I remember correctly, this Scoffy was mostly original and in amazing condition.
This teardrop was particularly impressive because it was build by a female college student for a school project.
Shasta was a very popular choice for the weekend. These were a few I never made it to with the camera. I’m sad about that because 2 were my neighbors and the interiors were pretty amazing.
This entire set up was amazing. Before the weekend was over, they had also added orange scooters to the mix.
This teardrop is one of the most famous ones on Pinterest and instrumental in my decision to buy a teardrop. It was also owned by the organizer and I was excited to see it in person. It was a home build and the woodwork and craftsmanship is beautiful.
There were a few teardrops, but we were definitely outnumbered.
These people know how to take a theme and make it work.
This Shasta is actually not a vintage trailer, it’s a newer model designed by Shasta to copy their classic design.
This pink vintage made me wish I had a color I could make flamingo work with.
These are a few I ran out of time to see the interiors. The red in the top right is another new Shasta.
The inside of this vintage was a step back to the 70’s, right down to the harvest gold and mid century modern coffee table.
This remodel definitely had a gypsy feel, perfect for living fill time in a trailer.
One of the best parts of a rally with such creative people was the raffle. Everyone contributed so there was a large variety of prizes. I made the apron and won the quilt. There were a lot of other great items I did not get a chance to get pictures of.
I am now wishing I had a larger garage for a vintage trailer. But for mine and Bella’s purposes, my teardrop really does suite us best. Maybe one day I will have one, but until then I will enjoy other people’s creativity. All in all, a great weekend, with great people! Looking forward to more rallies with this group.
Amy and Bella's Teardrop Adventures 