March 2012

The Arizona fair has been going swimmingly! This month I purchase a little traveling companion and start setting my sights on our next stop on our 2012 tour, Georgia!

The longer you own a home, the more stuff you accumulate. Well, the same thing happens when you’re on the road. So, eventually you need to offload some clutter or find a new way to transport it. Since I have a little hoarder in me I chose the latter. One day while on my way to the festival site I stumbled upon a cool little cargo trailer for sale at the end of the street we stay on. I said to myself “if it’s still there when you get back from site you’ll call about it”. Well, when I got back it was still there. So, I called. It turns out the guy that owns it doesn’t want to sell but has no choice due to his need for cash to fix his truck. That’s a point in my favor. The trailer was very sound structurally; it just needed some cosmetic work.

I talked the guy down from $700 to $500 bucks! Woohoo! I got me a new little trailer! It’s a 1978 U-Haul. Made of steel and fiberglass, it’ll probably be around long after I’m gone. The next step was to clean it up. That’s where Dave and June come in.

Dave and June are our local vehicle contacts. When it comes to an auto repair or anything related to any kind of vehicle, they are the peeps to call! I brought the trailer to them and devised a plan to rehab the little trailer I had named “Galileo”. The name will make sense shortly.

Arizona has been going very well. Although retail is sagging a bit, tips have been very strong. Over the next couple weeks we worked on the trailer. New paint, fender repair and inside carpeting were just a couple items on our list. It’s gonna look cool!

Now, I wouldn’t be a true geek if I didn’t go a little crazy on the trailer. One day while working on the trailer I noticed the odd shape to the back “cowl” that overhangs the rear doors. It was reminiscent of the speeder bike pilots’ helmets from Star Wars. That got me thinking, I could have some fun with the paint job on this thing! The cobalt blue paint we used on the stripe also looked like the blue striping on the clones’ armor. Now my mind is going crazy with ideas!

After thinking about it, I decided to scale back my plans. After all how much cash do I really want to drop on a $500 cargo trailer? So here’s what I decided. I’ll get decals of the imperial fleet and rebel alliance logos from Star Wars and have them put on opposite sides of the trailer. Then I thought I’d have the logo from the original shuttle craft from Star trek put on the back door. Thus, the Galileo was born.

I’m still waiting on the decals. But, the trailer is gonna look cool and fetch a handsome price if I ever want to sell it at a Sci-Fi Con! LOL

With both the trailer and the Arizona Renaissance festival done, it was time to head to Georgia. This being my longest commute of the year (2150 miles) I can’t say I was really looking forward to it. But it comes with the job, so off I went.

Arizona and New Mexico went by quickly enough but on the way to Texas I decided to check in with Riki. It turns out he’s having problems with his truck. I’m sure he’ll write about it. Since he was caravanning with Kim from lotion candles, they decided to stay the night in El Paso. I figured I could stop by for a bite to eat with them and then continue my trek.

I had a nice quick visit. Got some grub at a BJ’s microbrewery (one of my faves) and then said my farewells. I still had quite a few miles to cover after all.

I drove until about midnight and found a little cheap motel to stop in for the night. I was tired! Now all I had to do was figure out which route to take to Houston. I could either stay on I-10 or cut across Austin via 290. I opted for 290.

The cool thing about cutting thru Austin is that it takes you thru Fredericksburg. It’s a neat little German settled town filled with shops, microbreweries and wineries. One of my favorite hot sauce shops is there. It’s called “Rustlin’ Rob’s”. They have all sorts of hot sauces, pickled stuff, and an amazing selection of jams and jellies!

After Rustlin’ Rob’s I got to stop by the Messina Hof winery. It’s a great Texas winery. I’m a big fan of one of their ports. I can’t wait to sip on that one!

With my sightseeing out of the way I continued on to Austin and contacted my good friend Mark in Houston. I figured we could grab a bite to eat as I passed by.

A couple hours later I was getting close to Houston so I called Mark and him and his wife met me for a bite to eat. After food (and a couple shots of tequila) they convinced me to stay the night and get an early start in the AM.

It was great to see Mark and his family. I didn’t make it by last year so it really was time to catch up. It’s important to me to keep in touch with my friends. They are more like family to me after all.

The rest of my drive was uneventful. I made a quick stop on the Louisiana site to check on our Dungeon Museum there. It was still standing and in good shape.

It’s gonna be nice to touch base in Florida. I’m gonna try to visit my dad and check in with everyone in the Sunshine State. Next up the Georgia Ren Fair!