I researched a truck that could tow the trailer--and stop it!--so I can (I hope) tow with confidence. So a few weeks ago I bought this used Nissan Titan. It has high miles but is in pretty good shape and after some extensive toothbrush scrubbing on every surface, the inside is looking a lot better. This truck is in the class with a Dodge Ram or Ford F150 in terms of its tow weight capacity, but has a smaller body thankfully. Switching from a 2003 Honda Civic to this truck has me feeling like a lumbering giant with pretty poor spacial sense at this point.
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Well last week I learned that "The Possum" was the nickname of country music legend George Jones. This was not why I named the travel trailer "The Possum," but I suppose given that this whole experiment is unfolding in Texas, where Jones was born, the name now will have two levels.
As for the experiment, last week I was tasked with pulling the trailer out of the yard it is presently in--moving it out from one side of the yard and backing it in to the other side. I was not successful. I was successful at being supremely frustrated, being flattened by a tidal wave of doubts, and having a good cry. On the up side, a couple neighbors over there on the eastside--Juan Antonio and his wife Rosa --(who I did not know), were driving by and saw my predicament and basically backed the trailer in place with a couple directions uttered in Spanish and some obvious years of experience. They were kind and encouraging and I was grateful. I'll take their advice and return to some video tutorials and give it another shot before long. I suppose these are the growing pains of trying something new. But lest anyone out there think it's all rainbows and breezes over here . . . This week I removed all the fabrics, took out the back bunks and back built-in cabinet. I tossed the curtains, removed the carpeted section under the table and took off all the cushion covers. I did keep the cushion covers in case I need them as patterns for new cushion covers in the future. I took off all the blinds, and most anything that was stuck to the wall with a screw. In April, I purchased this used 2000 Keystone Cabana hybrid pop-up trailer for a good price to redo over the summer. In the midst of years of moving and the vicissitudes of academics, I've long wanted a way to ensure that I can live without rent or a mortgage if need be, as well as travel with my dog and cat companions for a sense of greater freedom and possibility. Tiny houses and Class B van-RVs posed their own problems and cost issues, so I started looking for a small pop-up or trailer. Anyway . . . here goes. I'll be doing the renovation on a budget and will post more pics soon so you can see the process as it progresses over the summer. I've named the trailer The Possum.
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The Possum
A story of reviving a travel trailer Archives
April 2019
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