It all started with a short Craigslist post. Something like, “1953 Westerner Travel Trailer” located in Bakersfield, Ca. and not much else. The 4 pictures were equally obscure – low resolution and poorly lit.
See for yourself:
However, the price was right and I contacted the seller. It turns out that the Bakersfield Blaze Ballpark had recently purchased the trailer for use as a concession stand, but it was not suitable for the intended purpose and they were reselling. Of course, “one other interested party was coming to see it on Friday,” but I had dibs if he did not show. Well he didn’t and I drove down to see it “Oh Dark Thirty” Saturday morning.
I got there bright and early and the trailer was parked behind the ballpark fence. From what I could see, the exterior was pretty rough with obvious separation where the sides met the lower front. Also, a couple of broken windows (turns out there were 3).
When the seller arrived and opened the trailer, the inside was in surprisingly good shape. The front looked very good with all the major parts and pieces (except for the table). I was particurarlly excited to see that the original western themed embossed bench seats were in pretty good shape with only one noticeable tear. The kitchen looked good. Closet was good. Back bunk area had obvious water damaged walls – which a previous owner had repaired and painted purple. There were horrific purple lace curtains in the back windows – UGH. I couldn’t decide if someone had used it as a bordello or perhaps some “goth” teenager had used it as a hang out. Who knows? If only the trailer could talk.
The seller had indicated on the phone that the tires were “fine”, but they were shot.
In any case, I fell in love with the trailer and we quickly negotiated a fair and equitable price – mutually satisfactory to both buyer and seller. Cash exchanged for the trailer and some baseball swag. Capitalism is great!
I hooked her up, installed temp lights, and drove to the nearest tire dealer to purchased my new baby new shoes.
Obviously the first purchase in a long list of expenses to come…