OK, that title might be just a wee bit of an exaggeration. I’m a bit partial. I actually did have a guy at the Ohio toll booth argue with co-worker saying that he thought it was ugly! Shocking isn’t it?!
You know you have a bad case of Aluminitis when you see the cutest trailer on earth and you instantly try and figure out where you can park it in the driveway. When I spotted this vintage Yellowstone I was instantly smitten! Can you blame me? I had to do some serious sweet talking in order to talk the Mr. into this one and I’m happy to say this cutie came home with me! However, with that said I am going to have to put up the sweet Hi-Lo for sale in the spring. I’ll be sad to see Chiclet go. I put a lot of hard work into her but in reality this trailer is a bit more practical for us as it sleeps more.
This is a 1963 Yellowstone that is 11 feet.
All of the photos below are “BEFORE” photos since I have yet to add décor and such to this trailer.
Feel free to pin this image below if you do Pinterest.
Picking it up was an adventure. We ended up driving in 5 states in just under 4 hours. That has to be a record or something right? No speeding was involved 
We drove in MI, OH, IN, IL and finally WI. We met with the seller who was a nice gentleman who gave us the grand tour and after thoroughly checking everything out I promptly handed him payment. He handed me the keys and title, we hooking up, checked the lights, double checking that the hitch was secure and off we went. It was starting to get dark about 1/2 hour into our drive when we stopped for gas.
First photos! Isn’t it CUTE!?
I had made reservations at Jelly Stone campground in Portage, IN. and that is where we pulled in for the night. Let me just say that it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. It was more like a trailer park than a campground. Not that there is anything wrong with trailer parks but I just wasn’t expecting that we’d be sandwiched between park model mobile homes. All in all it wasn’t a pleasant experience staying there. The train is really close and LOUD all through the night. Also the folks in the park model across from us had this beater car that was super LOUD that kept coming in/out of the park throughout the night. Maybe they were making beer runs?? Needless to say I won’t be staying there again. Lesson learned that just because a campground has a well known name attached to it, doesn’t mean it’s the same as the others.
This is a photo just before we pulled out of Jellystone the next morning.
Can you see us?
We decided to spend a couple nights in Shipshewana, IN and we had a great time there! Such great food, shopping and we stayed at the Shipshewana campground – South http://www.rvcamping.com/ Very nice campground. We had a nice shady spot in the rear. I really enjoyed staying here. They do not have fire pits at the sites so if I were to point out one draw back that would be the only one. That didn’t bother us though and they do have a community fire pit you can use or you can use a grille if you bring one for roasting marsh mellows.
There are several of us Mid-Michigan folks thinking of having a rally at this campground next year in June. If interested get with me and I’ll get you the info as it becomes available.
Funny story…I had some folks stop by and ask if they could peek inside. Of course I let them and I chatted with them for awhile. During the conversation I swear they must of asked me 4 times if I wanted to sell it. All 4 times I politely told them not at this time. They were nice folks.
The Shipshewana campground South Park has nice, clean sites and these were my favorite in the back where there are shade trees.
As far as the condition of the exterior, it does have flaws. Don’t we all?! The skin on the sides is in very nice condition but the lower front has some dings and such and the roof has been coated with some grey goop. Take note of the photos I took. Notice you can hardly see any damage to the lower front?? Those of you looking to buy campers be aware that pictures in ads may not show damage! I wasn’t trying to not show it here but it’s just how my photos turned out. Probably the sun reflecting, etc., Anyway, back to the roof….I’m not sure what has been painted on up there until I get up there and take a close look. If it’s beyond removal, I may just replace the entire roof with a one-piece panel of aluminum. I know I’ll definitely replace the lower front panel. It’s completely camp-able as it is but those are my goals. I’m not in a hurry so will take my time.
OK, I know you all are probably like “Hurry up and show us the interior already!”. I won’t keep you waiting any longer! Here it is. This is the dinette and you can see the overhead bunk area. I love the birch in this trailer. It’s really in amazing condition. The only exception that I can see is around the front window in the upper bunk so I will have to replace that panel at some point. The cushions will be recovered and the curtains replaced.
The kitchen area. Notice that vent? I can honestly say I have no idea how to open/close that thing. It’s the strangest thing. There is some sort of raised vent cover on the roof as well. This thing has me stumped. In any case, it won’t matter as I plan on replacing the entire roof with a one piece section of aluminum. I’m amazed at how well preserved the wood is in this trailer. Oh and see those little lights on the wall in the kitchen? Those are battery operated and you can take them out of their holders in case you need to use one as a flashlight. They are handy little gadgets. I’ll probably leave them for that reason.
The counter and table have new boomerang formica.
Ceiling and vent. Love this wood!
Here is the rear. The gaucho pulls out to make a double bed.
The floor is just a plain grey- blue speckled patterned vinyl that the previous owner added. Eventually I’ll probably change it as they put a seam {duct tape} in it near the door.
Itty bitty floor to ceiling closet. There is enough room in here to store a luggable loo and hang clothing.
Another view of the kitchen.
The overhead bunk. Those two little grey things you see on the ceiling to the right and left of that light are tracks for a curtain rod. Not sure the kind yet but hope to figure that out so I can get a rod for it and make a cute curtain for the bunk. The wood up here is also in great shape except for that front panel surrounding the front window. There is also a ladder that you can’t see laying up there.
The End. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Please feel free to send me name suggestions. For now she {or I guess possibly he} is nameless.
