Prairie Creek Lodge 1.18.14

We were camped at the Prairie Creek Lodge in Micanopy, FL. Very nice conservation area.

An interesting note about the area……

Excerpt from the Visitors Guide…

”Welcome to Florida’s first conservation burial ground, opened in 2010. Prairie Creek Cemetery only accepts remains that are not embalmed and are in biodegradable containers. Graves are hand-dug by volunteers, and the land is managed as a public nature preserve. Cremated remains and pets are also accepted.”

“The cemetery includes a multi-purpose public trail that connects to the paved Gainesville-Hawthorne Rail Trail and the unpaved trails of Prairie Creek Preserve. Adjacent to the southwest is Prairie Creek Lodge, a rural conference center.” (that is where we are)

I like the idea of going back to the land…naturally.

Their website   www.conservationburialinc.org

It is amazing how much stuff gets buried with a conventional burial.

They had an open house for all the vintage campers. Over 500 cars arrived with about 1600 people.

Even though our camper is not really old enough to be considered vintage…we had a lot of people looking at it and amazed at how much room was inside….even a bathroom.

We are looking forward to a few more Tin Can Tourist events. There is one in Michigan this summer that sounds very good. Maybe we’ll get to see some of their famous lighthouses.

Tin Can Tourists get-to-gather…..1.17.14

We pulled in here yesterday….moved about 6 times…trying to get sunshine in the camper since there were no electric hookups. They were stringing electric to as many campers as possible so we moved again. This time only partly in the sun…somehow we always manage to be by the tallest tree in the area…whether on land or sea.

1999 Scamp with a 1949 Hudson for a tow vehicle (ours)

This club is for vintage motorhomes and trailers…ours isn’t old enough to be considered “vintage” but the ‘49 Hudson is. The Scamp hasn’t changed much over the years so most wouldn’t even notice.

How about this one? 1989 16’ Casita …The brothers that made the Scamp parted company and one started making this one….they look alike on the outside…but this one sure makes ours look like a plain Jane and it’s amazing what that 3 extra feet can make. This one has a shower.

1967 Yellowstone Cavalier….restored inside to original. It is a beauty.

1956 Airstream Bubble…tow vehicle is a’53 Chevy Suburban Carryall

1955 Trotwood Cub

1962  Shasta

1986 SunLine

1964 Serro Scotty Sportsman

1962 Airstream Globe Trotter

1955 Wally Byam Holiday

White Water Retro

1970 Williams Craft

1965 Arrow Little Chief

1953 Little Caesar     Lawrence Perry reskined this plus a lot of other work on it.

1978 GMC Motor Home

Airstream Bambi II

1963 Shasta

1973 Argosy

1948 Spartan Manor

1957 Airfloat…This1956 4 door Packard was made into a pickup to be used as a tow vehicle. The rear half of the doors still work….giving access to storage.

1962 Airstream Globe Trotter.  Tow vehicle is a 1936 Chevy Pickup

Mini Teardrop camper.    Tow vehicle is a 1957 Isetta

1977 GMC Motorhome

1975 FMC

I think I was able to get a picture of each camper or motorhome at the gathering. If I missed one..I apologize.

Saturday they have “open house”. The public is welcome to come and see all the vintage campers and motorhomes…inside and out.

Maybe a visit here will inspire someone to “save” an old camper they’ve seen sitting in a field somewhere going to waste. It is amazing what room some of these small campers have, and each has been done to suit those who will be using it.

Mill Dam Lake Resort, Silver Springs, FL 1.15.14

This is a nice campground and it is also a member of Passport America. As a member you get campsites for half price. Do a lot of camping? It is worth joining. Our membership has already paid for itself. There are some restrictions on the 1/2 price days…no holidays and some campgrounds only give it Mon thru Thurs…but we can work around that.

We set up camp…and Jim put up the “tent”. It is a perfect fit.

We plan to get an awning for the camper. The canopy takes up a lot of room in the trunk. But for now…it is working great.

This puts the size of our camper in perspective…..small. 

At 4 am we felt a big gust of wind and one leg banged the camper so we jumped out of bed and took it down. Just as we finished the rain came in a big blast…rained for awhile….no more wind…and then quit. Oh well…better than having it come undone and tearing up the camper or car.

Babe spends her day on the table top and Raisin in her bed under it.

At night Babe is moved to the stove top cover and the box under the table becomes support for the bed extension. We swivel it long ways and Raisin has the left side of the space for her bed. Takes a bit of moving and shuffling to get things done but so far it is working.

We leave here tomorrow for Micanopy, FL and the Tin Can Tourist meet. Should be fun seeing all those old campers. No electric hookups so we’ll see how “dry” camping turns out. We do have a generator for the heater if needed…and most likely will. It is supposed to be down in the low 30’s tomorrow night.

We’re “Scampin” 1.12.14

Until I decide whether to start a blog dedicated to the Scamp and camping…I’ll post our travels here.

Loaded up and ready to go. This will be our first major trip full of supplies and with the generator on the back. Jim raised the spare tire and welded a rack to hold it. It will give us power when we are not at a campground. The Yamaha 2000 will also run the roof air. Big surprise to us…but it is only a 6700 btu unit. Perfect for this little camper.

Our plans are 3 nights at the campground in Silver Springs..(Mill Dam Lake Resort) to visit Mike and Karen who are down from NY.

Then 3 nights at the Tin Can Tourist rally in Micanopy, FL. No electric hook ups there so generator might come in handy.

We decided to head to Carl’s. (Jim’s brother). It will break up the trip and give us a chance to check out everything.

A stop at the local Walmart for a few supplies….a stop to top off the gas tank and we are on our way.

The Scamp towed beautifully….no sway even out on the highway at 60+ mph. Jim is happy with the new rear end gears he installed in the Hudson.

We’ve spent a lot of time in small places (over the road truckers, small boats etc) so we’ve learned how to work around another person. You take turns.