#tincantourists

[bikeorbob]

Come and experience Dreamy the 1969 Airstream International Land Yacht Sovereign in Santa Rosa Beach Florida. The weather is gorgeous and there is so much to do here along 30A and surrounding areas. Conveniently located between Panama City Beach to the east and Destin to the west. This restored vintage Airstream trailer has everything you need, all you have to do is book your stay https://abnb.me/UPbJ9FuRmxb #vacationrental #floridavacation #tincantourist #30a #santarosabeach #airbnb #airbnbexperience (at 30-A Santa Rosa Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok7T3PuAgl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[naturecoaster]

Tin Can Tourists Invade Florida's Adventure Coast

Over the week of February 19-25, 2019, 200 vintage travel trailers and auto campers enjoyed a celebration of their heritage at Sertoma Youth Ranch. On Saturday, February 23, their open house entertained hundreds of visitors with their historic rigs, lively music and cheerful demeanor. “We filled the place,” said Forrest Bone, Exalted Royal Tin Can Opener. This fun-loving group was in Florida’s Nature Coast to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Tin Can Tourists organization. Members and guests came from around the U.S. to fraternize and celebrate one of America’s finest passions – traveling the open road. On February 22, NatureCoaster was able to attend the History Day in Desoto Park, celebrating 100 years of this energetic, eclectic organization.

From the Diary of Bill Austin in 1919...

“I woke up one morning and decided that I was not going to stay for another frigid winter in LaSalle Michigan again. This quiet farming community near the shore of Lake Erie was my home and I sure loved it… but with December’s average temperature of 21 degrees above zero in 1917, I just was not willing to do it again. It was early 1919, and my modern Ford Model T was calling my name. “Drive me away to a warm, sunny place, Bill.”

The roads in 1919 were disjointed and often washed out. Bill Austin would take 17 days to travel from Lasalle Michigan to Tampa Florida. Therefore I, Bill Austin, decided to pack up head to Florida. The roads were not really developed yet, but I began my journey south on a vehicle that averaged 12 mile per hour through a nation whose road system was built by individual Counties.

Model T on an old road in the early 1900s. When I crossed the Ohio River, it was exciting. At several places along the way, I had to pull my motor automobile across a river on a barge with a rope. I stopped at farms and parks along the way. Most farmers were hospitable, offering a meal or a drink of water. Most of the camps were dirty and could be a bit dangerous. Still I continued onward, making necessary repairs and paying exorbitant rates for gasoline at several places.

Highway 53 in 1919. After 17 days, I got to Desoto Park in Tampa, Florida, I found a paradise of sorts – at least for this Michigan kid. It was clean and the others there were congenial, so I set my tent up and made a camp of sorts from my canvas tent over my Model T. With the dirty camps and difficult stops along the way, I began to talk to the others at Desoto Park about a need for a group to unite auto campers with good moral values. There were 24 of us that year and we chartered the Tin Can Tourists as the name for our Association. In 1920, we received our Florida State charter.”

Tin Can Tourists Today

This slideshow requires JavaScript. Starting in 2012, the Winter Gathering began to be held at the Sertoma Youth Camp, 85 Myers Road in Brooksville. “The camp is perfect,” Forrest said, “It’s beautiful there and so clean. They treat us well.” For the 2019 Centennial Celebration, there were 200 vintage trailers on display, many with vintage tow vehicles. Membership in the club has grown to over 2,000, and the spirit of the group is still the same.

Forrest Bone, Exalted Royal Tin Can Opener, at the Centennial Celebration of Tin Can Tourists at Desoto Park in Tampa. Image by Diane Bedard. “Have fun, treat others how you would like to be treated, and be ready to sing the official theme song: “The More We Get Together” – The more we get together, the happier we’ll be. For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends. These are the important things,” Forrest shares.

On February 22 at Desoto Park in Tampa, the Tin Can Tourists had an historic presentation, where we heard from the diary of Bill Austin read by Alex Alexander. Image by Diane Bedard. Fast forward to Friday and the Centennial Celebration’s History Day, where NatureCoaster was privy to the story of the man who founded Tin Can Tourists in 1919 and able to gather with about a hundred and fifty members at the founding location of Desoto Park in Tampa. There were several vintage vehicles and campers, with their owners happy to discuss anything about them and general pleasantries.

Sidra and Herb Spies of Shalimar, Florida and their Model T Telescoping Apartment. Image by Diane Bedard. We were given in-depth tours of the Model T Telescoping Apartment by Sidra and Herb Spies of Shalimar, Florida. This camper was the first motor home with slide outs, invented and patented by Gustav De Brettesville in San Francisco in 1916. It is shown on a 1920 Model T Roadster in the popular black color. This camper included a kitchen, camp stove, lantern, pantry and kitchen sink for a price tag of about $100. Daniel Hershberger shared his 1927 Auto Kamp fold out tent trailer from Saginaw, Michigan. The Auto-Kamp company was one of the RV pioneers, beginning production in 1916. This huge canvas tent was advertised to be set up in 5 minutes. “It is advertised to be set up in five minutes,” Daniel shared, “as long as it’s not raining or windy. It’s more like an hour and a half.”

Daniel Hershberger at his 1927 Auto Kamp fold out tent trailer. Image by Diane Bedard. Daniel’s display is more than the vintage trailer and vehicle. There are the first “paper plates” on a vintage fold up table, camp stove with aluminum pan and a very solid folding camp chair added to the mix, enhancing the feeling of stepping into the times of yesteryear when life was simpler.

Early "paper plates" are part of Daniel's historic setup. Six for a Dime, they are made of thinly steamed and pressed wood. Image by Diane Bedard. After our history lesson and vintage camper tours at the Desoto Park, we visited the historic Columbia Restaurant for a fine meal and slide show presentation by Hunt Jones of the history of the Tin Can Tourists. Hunt said that this will be his last year doing the presentation and I can only hope that it is posted on the internet to share with the world because it was really in-depth and interesting. As soon as it is posted, I will link to it here.   The food was great! The company was better! Here is a photo of our group at the Columbia cheering the good life:

David and Marsha, Larry and Katerina, Tammy and Diane toast the Centennial of the Tin Can Tourists and the fun time we had at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Image by Diane Bedard. For more information on the Tin Can Tourists, please check out their website. Perhaps you want to join their organization or check out a rally before they leave the Sunshine State for summer gatherings in the north. You can sign up for their newsletter on the website and we will be sure to let you know when they come back next year to Sertoma Youth Ranch so you can check out all the rolling history that comes to Florida’s Nature Coast. The Tin Can Tourists Centennial Celebration was supported by Florida's Adventure Coast. Paraphrasing and interpretation of the journal of Bill Austin by author Diane Bedard, as shared with us at the 100-year Anniversary Rally of the Tin Can Tourists by Alex Alexander at Desoto Park in Tampa on Friday, February 22. Read the full article

[tincantouristsofficial]

Merry Christmas Vintage Trailer Style #vintagestyle #vintagechristmas #tincantourists https://www.instagram.com/p/CI3hTOgBKDq/?igshid=9e2p1ln52prg

[taraleeguild]

The rocketeer helmet front and art deco design of the 1930s trailers, especially this rare Curtis Wright early airstream, really satisfies my inner flapper. #artdeco #airstream #painting #aluminum #glamping #ARTDAILY #yvrart #artoninstagram #artoftheday #realisticpainting #paintingoftheday #curtiswright #tincantourist #blue #california #trialer #shinee #shine #americana #realism #acrylicpainting #aesthetic (at Pismo Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMF04PihDN5/?igshid=5ztf309oct2e

[sloeginfizzillustration]

A little custom #cardinalcamper illustration I did recently. I feel spring coming on ... dusty back roads and the sun on my face. Happy trails to Dan and his wife. #illustration #sloeginfizz . . . #customillustration #rvlife #camperlife #camper #vintagetrailer #vintagecamper #cannedham #littlevintagetrailer #glamping #traveltrailer #tincantourist #cardinaltraveltrailer (at Hamburg, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVE9B7gKGl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=esr02ph07s74

[tincantourists]

camper ideas #tincantourists http://bit.ly/2Lh84gL

[rickrobb58]

#weehoosie #kingmanAZ #andydevine #tincantourists #hotterthanhellinheaterbut #itshotterthanheaterinhellmouth (at Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Kingman)

[openroadescapes-blog]

When the #flyingj #rescue patrolman says that it can’t be fixed, what other choice do you have than to fix it yourself. It kept us going to New Orleans where I’ll have to source a more permanent fix. #rvlife #voguemotorcoach #chevy454 #tincantourist #fmcarv (at Flying J Travel Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmpobqsHFb5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1j7dwm97kpevp

[rebeljunkmarket]

Look what will be joining us for our Rebel Junk Markets! Isn't she cute?! Wait until I am done with her!!! Stay tuned.. #rebeljunkvintagemarket #shasta #shastacamper #tiny #glamping #camping #tincantourist (at The House That Love Built)

[royboyprods]

The backside of the camper is now 100% structurally rebuilt! I have about 2ft of the front to finish up as soon as I get back from a lumber run. #48Cars48States #vintagecamper #cannedham #cannedhamcamper #tincantourist

[lorilovesparis]

Mild temps helped to get some more work done on Beatrice

With the Deer Hunting season over and mild temps up until this week, we were able to make more progress on the Beatrice renovation project. A big hurdle we had was the new window in the front leaking after we installed it. The first issue we had, being inexperienced, we discovered that the window we bought was a vertical window.  The main problem with this, which we didn’t realize, was the vent holes ended up on the side and not on the bottom like they should have been. Who said the first project was going to be easy. We had no choice but to use the window horizontally anyway. After taking the window back out and drying it off (we had a heavy rain the previous night), we sealed up the vent holes and reinstalled the window drilling new vent holes at the bottom of the window. A day later, we found the window to still leak and after some close inspection found another hole in the outside shell that was not easy to see since the inside frame was in the way.

After sealing that hole up, Rick did another water test and that did the trick! No leaks anywhere around the new window. Whew. Another problem solved.

The next major fix was the door. We tried to fix the door by bending the shell back into shape. The door still would not seal when it closed and we knew there was probably major rotting on the inside.  We took the door off and took it to the basement to take it apart to see what we were dealing with. We carefully removed the aluminum shell, which was in 2 pieces with one side interlocking with the inside piece. It took time to bend the metal, but once that was done, we could remove the inside piece.

The inside frame of the door was not a pretty sight!

About 75% of the frame was rotted and the cardboard insert (why that was used was beyond us) was soaking wet.  I’m not talking damp, I mean soaking wet! It was awful! And so began the total rebuilding of the door. It took some time and luckily we could use the old door’s measurements to ensure a proper fit..  Once the frame was built, we decided to use some of the birch we had from a panel to nail to the frame to make it sturdy, but yet it would stay relatively lightweight. Next came putting the 2 pieces of aluminum frame on the wood frame, bend the outside end around the inside piece to finish it off and put the window back in. This ended up to be a challenge and we had to cut the hole a tiny bit to make it fit. The old window was not in perfect shape and we figured it was missing a top shield to keep the rain out. That was a minor fix, we just hoped the door would fit just right in the door frame.

And we have a newly built door

I must say that once we put the door back on the hinges and screwed in a couple of screws to make sure it was all good, we both breathed a sigh of relief.  The door fit perfectly!  There was only one spot that we could see light come through and that was taken care of by weatherstripping. We installed a new door handle (the old one didn’t have a key) and another step completed.

By now Rick had spent countless hours working on Beatrice and I tried to be out there as much as possible. I admit, I have not been able to help too much, but I think he is just happy when I’m there to be his retriever and assistant.

With most of the major outside things done, we have started to focus our attention on the inside wiring and layout. I had been searching for lights and came across some vintage look reading lights to mount to the sides where the sleeping/lounging area was going to be. I was undecided if I wanted to go with a vintage look or a clean modern look. At the time we were thinking of running off of 110 currency versus 12 volt which made a difference in the kinds of lights I could have. After spending a couple of days trying to decide about lights, we decided to go check out some recessed LEDs at our local building center. I would still get reading lights especially in the back area, but will probably go with recessed LEDs in the ceiling for the rest of the camper. I swear I think picking out lights in our house when we built it was easier!! The problem is, I have a hard time trying to visualize how things will work. That is the point where we are at right now. Other things got in the way and we have yet to take that trip to Menard’s to check out lights.

Even Zoe loves Beatrice!

So that’s an update on Beatrice’s progress.  She’s coming along. If you see her, it may not look like it, but we can tell. It’s been a challenge, but I think Rick is enjoying it. So much so that he has found 2 other campers to tinker with when Beatrice is finished. In fact he’s going to pick one up tomorrow in Northern Michigan.  I’d say he has caught the bug.

Yesterday we talked about how I think we should decorate Beatice for Christmas as she is sitting in our driveway. I have a lighted 7 foot Eiffel Tour Rick surprised me with a few years ago that I could set outside the front door.  Rick went to Fleet Farm and bought a few lights for the outside.  I just need to dig up my evergreen wreath for the door and she will be decorated for the season!

Every time I look out my front window I can’t help but smile.  She may not look pretty yet, but I love her all the same just as she is! My little Beatrice

Lori

If you enjoyed this post, please spread the love by sharing! I really appreciate it! Thanks

An Update On Beatrice AKA My Vintage Camper/She Shed #vintagecamper #tincantourist #sheshed #glamping Mild temps helped to get some more work done on Beatrice With the Deer Hunting season over and mild temps up until this week, we were able to make more progress on the Beatrice renovation project.

[tincantouristsofficial]

Short on length but long on style! This 1964 Fireball Friendship is owned by Theresa Strizver. So freaking cute! #fireballtrailer #tincantourists #vintagetrailer https://www.instagram.com/p/CHVH_uSBvZ-/?igshid=1sygv66u9vf0z

[theoddangel]

#tincantourists #tct #98thwinterconvention #trailerlife #trailerliving #vintagetrailers #glamping #2005hondaelement #myweecamper (at Sertoma Youth Ranch)

[luxuryviral-blog]

High Fashion - fuckyeahvintage-retro: 1958 Shasta Airflyte...

High Fashion – fuckyeahvintage-retro: 1958 Shasta Airflyte…

Luxury Fashion Inspiration fuckyeahvintage-retro: 1958 Shasta Airflyte (via tincantourists)

[tincantourists]

vintage camper art #tincantourists http://bit.ly/2ILSWFf

[royboyprods]

The #48Cars48States camper's side tin is back on, the new hole cut for the new storage door which has been drilled & mounted and the driver's side window is installed. Time for some shut eye! #cannedham #cannedhamcamper #TinCanTourist #VintageCamper http://ift.tt/2mlMTcB