Hello from North Carolina

[tomfell]

Hello All, I've been nosing around on this site for almost 2 years now. My wife Stephanie and I have been wanting to build a tear from some time...we bought the plans and promised ourselves we were going to do it. Well we either couldn't find the money or the time....mostly the time...but we kept our dream alive by going to this site now and then and dreaming a little bit more. Well this week we bought a Pleasant Valley Cargo trailer (yoder toter and we've named it Homer ) on ebay. We go up to Ohio to pick it up in a couple of weeks...y-e-a-h!!!!!!!! Now we just have to customize it and we're hoping to get together with some folks at a gathering in Glendale Springs, NC next month.

To say that we're excited would be a gross underestimate of reality. Thanks for making this site possible and while this is my first post I'm sure it will not be my last.

Hope to see some of you down the road and we'll add pictures as the adventure continues.

Tom & Stephanie

[Anthony J Grant]

Tom & Stephanie,

Welcome to the fun and congrats on your purchase, hope you share your ideas on your upgrades.

[wanders]

Hi Tom and Stephanie,

Hope to see you nest month and in the future too! Congrats on the new "baby"

[tomfell]

Thanks Tony, glad to be aboard

Wally & Cathi, hope to see you too next month. We'll actually be in Staunton later this month on our way to PA (where I have family), we'll be visiting with the folks at Huss & Dalton Guitars...we're one of their dealers and we want to stop by and visit with them. We'll then be heading to Lancaster Co. PA to visit my family and from there we'll cross the state over to Canton, Ohio to pick up Homer, then back down to NC.

It's funny how things have come together for this over the last couple weeks. I guess it's just a matter of keepin' the faith and not giving up on that dream no matter how distant it might be!

Tom

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Tom, welcome aboard......I love that statement: "To say that we're excited would be a gross underestimate of reality". Many of us have been there, done that. So, a cargo trailer is going to be your dream camping unit, good for you. Perhaps you can fill us in about the dimensions of your new acquisition. Personally, I think that a customized cargo trailer will get a newby into camping, quicker than any other method, with the exeption of buying a completed teardrop or Tiny Trailer.

I wonder if you could enlighten us as to what your customizing plans are. How high, how long, how long? There are a bunch of floor plan ideas that one could explore, such as, 2 side doors, one rear door, roof vent, galley designs, upper bed units for little ones, porta-potty provisions, etc.

Picking up a cargo trailer and adding custom camping inovations has always piqued my interest, and I am interested in seeing what can be done by one who has been thinking about it for 2 years. Good for you, getting off of the dime and making it all happen. (Actually, every time you log on and check us out, we know who you are and we are just waiting for the day when your step out of the shadows...........Naw, just kidding, we're just glad you made the "Big Step").

I, for one, am looking forward to your post remodeling pics, progress pics and the, TA DAH, finished product. Good luck on your efforts, be sure to pick the many brains available on this forum, regarding questions and I am sure that some of the other Utility Trailer folks will give you the pointers that you will find helpful.

Make a note, when you make your much anticipated maiden voyage, plan on making a jaunt to So Calif, and swing by and see us, the coffee is always on and there are full hookups for friendly forum folks, right here. (gotta see what can be done with a cargo trailer)
Roly, always interested in designs that are the results of thinking out of the box.

[tomfell]

Stephanie here . . . Tom's better half, and a typical wife who always wants to talk over her husband. He's used to it.

We don't have any specific customization plans, yet. Homer will come pretty well nailed down dimensionally, we think. He/she/it looks to be a Silver Shadow on the outside. The inside is already finished out in birch ply, and there's carpet and wiring; there just isn't a kitchen. Tom is a fabulous woodworker (he builds musical instruments fer crying out loud), and he's also a fabulous cook (am I a lucky girl or what!? ), so we really want to trick out the galley in terms of cabinetry.

First though, we need to put this baby to work for us toting around musical instruments to various places, so the kitchen can wait. It's waited long enough already, trust me.

Can't wait to meet some of you. I'm anticipating standing around staring at the back of this thing with a few of you, awash in beer, ideas, and the usual sillyness.
Stephanie

[Roly Nelson]

Stephanie, good to hear from the better half. Looks like you guys are locked in to what you want in a camping unit. Good for you. Now, regards to quality Banjo, all I can produce on my tenor banjo is C, F, and G7. Love that Banjo sound and wish that my finger tips were hard enough to learn to play it correctly.

Do encouragage that thoughtful builder to follow his dream and make that camping unit to suit his main squeeze. I can see that promoting those stringed instruments is of main importance, but come on, a well laid out kitchen will make everyone happy, especially when the head guy is doing the cooking and will be enjoyed by all.

What could be better than calling out, "Hi there neighbors, come on over for some prime rib and all of the fixin's?" What a great way to make friends of fellow campers?
Just my 2 cents.............Roly

[tomfell]

Roly, thanks for the encouragement! I'll do my best to lay out a good galley and come up with some tasty fixins' but I'm lookin' forward to some learnin' about dutch ovens and camp food. I'll save the prime rib for that special day when we meet!

Tom

[lisasweetie]

Welcome to the madness..... I just went to N. Canton to pick up my teardrop. Is it a Little Guy? Mine is a Silver Shadow Highline, 4x8. I hope to see you in the Holler in May.

[tomfell]

Thanks Lisa. Yes it's like yours except a cargo model...so we'll have to put in a galley, some windows and get it all wired up so we still have some work to do but at least now we have a rolling shell to work with. We'll probably take our time and rough it for the first camping trip or two. Hope to see you in May.

Tom

[John T. Hodgen]

Hey Tom and Seph.,
Welcome to the wonderful world of great/strange humans with equally strange traveling homes!! It will be a pleasure for Linda and I(John T.) to meet you both in May.
You guys being into string instruments-have you ever been to the at Washington Carver Park http://www.wvculture.org/stringband/index.html ? Linda's Dad is a National Clogging Hall of Fame Caller/dancer at the festival. He's also 2007 Florida State Clogging champ, and the 2008 Vandalia Award winner for his untireing promotion of the Appalachian Folk dance. His name is Louis Maiuri (Lou) from Summersville. He teaches and calls in Maggie Valley too. Not bad for someone 80 years old
Sorry to ramble-see ya soon-Til by the fire John T.

[Miriam C.]

to the playground Stephanie and Tom. I am looking forward to the mods. An instrument maker should do wonderful things to the galley. As for cooking---learn to share cause some of these campers really love to do it up. They make the most wonderful things to eat in camp.

Remember the Wouldn't want the bubble oil to get outta whack.

[tomfell]

Hey Folks,
Stephanie, of Tom and Stephanie here . . . Ya'll are all so nice!
Hey John T., no we haven't been to the Washington Carver Park. Honest, we hardly ever make it out of Western North Carolina. But hopefully 'Homer' is going to change all that. We leave to pick him up at Little Guy in Ohio this Sunday . Unfortunately, UPS LOST OUR CHECK, so it isn't paid for yet, BUT, Scott and Chris of Little Guy have been fantastically understanding.

Also kinda unfortunately , I don't think we're going to make it to Glendale Springs in May. 'Homer' has some work to do that same weekend. While still in his cargo mode, we need to use him to haul our 'Instrument Petting Zoo' out to the LEAF Festival. Yup, we have a collection of beater instruments that we let the kids, well, beat on. Wouldn't you know that work would get the first use out of our new teardrop!?
Stephanie (Banjo Girl)

[Alfred]

Hi Stephanie and Tom,

Greetings from Asheville! I'm in the middle of building one. Here is my build thread:
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 6&start=45
Keep us posted on the modifications, and if you ever want to stop by to show off your camper or to consult with me on mine, let me know!

Al in Asheville

[tearhead]

Sounds like a really good way to go, to start with a built trailer and then turn it into a camper. Very cool! Still in the "do we buy or do we build?" stage and would love to see how this unfolds for you.