Love Me A Road Trip!

It's been a little while since my sweetie and I have gone on a real honest to goodness vacation. It's been at least a couple of years. And I have serious wanderlust a'burning! I love me a good road trip. So, in a little over a week we will be hooking up the "Burke-Turque" and heading down the road in search of adventure!

our last big road trip was in 2011

 I've been mapping out an itinerary for the trip, checking out campgrounds, places of interest. Things like the "Worlds Largest Ball of String" or "Two-Headed Chicken"  might make the list. Definitely desiring some ghost towns and historical monuments and buildings. I've made contact with the friends and family we plan to visit and again, mapping out the routes best to take. And shopping. Oh, yes, shopping before a trip is a must! To be honest, my summer wardrobe has been a little, um, shall we say, 'saggy' since last year's weight loss.... which is a very nice feeling but can be a little tough on the pocketbook. THANK GOODNESS for thrift and consignment stores.

Getting Ready
But probably the most extensive and most fun has been getting the TRAILER ready for the trip. We decided it was in serious need of an overhaul. Now, mind you, it's a 1967 which makes it vintage and therefore cooler than anything new you could buy, and it was gifted to us by friends who were moving several years ago so it felt right to invest some money in the rolling wonder! True, when we first got the trailer I spent some time spiffing it up-- curtains, slipcovers for the seat cushions, etc. but it never quite had the look I was hoping for.

before

You see, we've been to a few Vintage Trailer Rallies and the people who participate in those are... well, they might be a little over the top, but in a very fun and crazy sort of way! We're talking RETRO to the MAX!
There's the pink flamingos and the red checkerboards and the lemon drops. There's the so-shiny-I-can-see-myself-Airstreams. There's a ladies only club. There are some truly obnoxious trailers and there are some way out whacky! I didn't want to go that far. I just wanted to find a theme for our little Aristocrat and run with it.

It's a 1967, as I said, and the main colors are my favorite: turquoise. Because I love not just the color, but the precious stone, my mind went to the southwest, where turquoise is prominent. Aah! Lightbulb! Southwestern theme it shall be.

fabric for seat cushions and curtains

My lovely and talented friend Laura, who can sew ANYTHING, offered to make the curtains and new cushion covers and I went to town with a paintbrush to freshen up the insides. I bought some nice new sheets for the bed and updated the kitchen supplies.

new curtains and cushion covers installed but there's still painting to be done.

painted the ceiling with a fresh creamy white and the area around the cupboards. Added the chocolate brown to the cupboard doors and then with the help of another friend who custom made the stencil for me, I added the blue accents. 

Once Bruce saw all the beautiful changes to the inside he got in the act and decided the outside needed some work. He's been sanding, buffing and painting as time allows and yesterday he found some awesome hubcaps for the wheels. (which I think we should paint with some turquoise accent color and he still is in need of convincing)

freshened paint on the back

primer first

just one more side to paint!

The project we have been working on together is the floor. We chose a laminate flooring that looks like tile and set to work the other day with installing it. Of course we RAN OUT with just a couple feet to go! This stuff can't be bought piece by piece so another order was placed and it's scheduled to arrive just 2 days before we are scheduled to leave! Yikes! (if all else fails, we have rugs!)

It's been a fun undertaking and i am just delighted with the way it's all coming together. It's almost as exciting as the road trip itself!

 Almost. :)

Where Are We Going?
We are heading to Montana to visit my brother and sister-in-love. We visited them 5 years ago--IN THE DEAD OF WINTER--  which is one of the crazier things we've done, but even in it's blanket of white and freezing temps. we could see the raw stark beauty of the place and understand why they call it "Big Sky Country".

Montana in Winter

It will be a whole new scene to see it under a brilliant sun. We have a few places we want to see as we travel there and back, including a few days in Glacier National Forest. I am very excited about the trip.

Probably the best part of this whole adventure is the extended amount of time together it will provide for my sweetie and me. We are long overdue for some uninterrupted quality time together. It is sure to be a romantic, adventurous and fun time.