We Gotta Get Us A Convoy!
Come on, it'll be fun!
I don’t normally post here on Emeth on Saturdays. I figure that everyone needs a good weekend break from my ramblings. But, I’m doing so today because this is a goofy post, and I figure Saturday mornings have cartoons, so why not a goofy post as well.
With that, you’ve been warned.
As we all know, our Brother’s in the Shrine have their awesome little cars. Maybe the little antique replica cars they drive through parades, or maybe even those cool big wheel trike things they go nuts in the parades with. Lots of variations, but the Shriners, they’ve got their cool little cars!
Alas though, they don’t let us have anything cool in the Blue Lodge.
Might I suggest that we change that?
Ya’ll know that I’ve been bragging on the huge RV I bought recently, so I figured I’d show that beauty off again in the picture for this post!
Anyway, I’ve got a lot of experience with RV’s. When I was a kid, my parents had a trailer. That was cool, but we usually used it with my grandparents, and they had a camper that slid into the back of their pickup. That was really cool! Primitive and without all the latest creature comforts, but really cool. So, I usually stayed with them.
Then you know, the teenage years. Now, my parents weren’t like the parents of today. My parents let us roam. And roam I did. You’d never know it from my fat ass today, but I took up pretty darn serious backpacking, and mountain climbing back then, when I was young, and thin, and strong. It wasn’t uncommon as I got older to be gone somewhere in North Central Washington for a week, out on Mt. Rainier for a few days.
But, holy smokes, there’s no way I can sleep in a tent today! It isn’t the ground that bothers me, it’s trying to stand up off the ground! Trust me, I know. A handful of years ago I bought a super fancy tent and gave it a try. Nope, not for me, not anymore.
I have though, spent hundreds and hundreds of nights, in an RV. Specifically a nice, big, comfortable, Airstream. You see, I used to work every winter at the State Capitol, and it was well outside of commute range, so I lived from early January to late April in my Airstream each year, just returning home on weekends. It was nice! And, it wasn’t always in the rain, I’d take that baby out in the summers for some good camping too.
But, holy smokes, I had to worry about it. Couldn’t crash it into a tree. Couldn’t high center it on a bad forest road. Couldn’t go where there wasn’t a big place to turn around. No way I was taking that thing to the Masonic Park with its dirt roads and low hanging branches. Nope, it was fancy ass paved campgrounds for the Airstream.
It was also, frankly, a pain to set it up, and take it down. A lot of things to do. So many that I actually made a checklist after forgetting to hook up the trailer brakes once when leaving Oregon’s Cannon Beach. (I discovered that while going down the first large hill.)
I had a class c motorhome for a while. A really little while. It was my first idea when needing a place to stay at the Capitol, but the cab, the truck part with the windshield just let all the cold air right in, and it being the middle of winter, that just wasn’t a good thing. That was before the Airstream with its superb insulation.
I still had memories of my grandparent’s camper though. Both from when I went with them as a kid, and when I borrowed it as a young adult. And there was just something about it that put all other RV’s to shame.
It was easy.
Back the truck under it, turnbuckle it down, and go. Nothing to it. Nothing to set up when getting to one’s destination, nothing to take down when leaving. I’ve never forgotten that.
I got rid of the Airstream quite a few years ago. Melinda isn’t the camping type, and eventually I wised up and moved closer to the Capitol, so got to live in a house while working instead of an RV. (This wising up process did take about a dozen years, so I guess I’m a slow learner.) I loved the thing, but I couldn’t justify keeping it.
But, I never forgot about the joys of that little camper. Just go. Easy.
So, back in August, when Melinda came home and said that there was a really interesting looking antique trailer thing at the vintage car selling place in town, I had to go look.
(We have been looking at lots of vintage RV’s for probably ten years now, but nothing yet had really caught our eye.)
And when I looked, it was simple. Easy. No electricity. No water. No propane. No nothing. Just 400 pounds of goodness! Hook it up by hand, as it weighs nothing, drag it easy, and set it up in a handful of minutes.
The thing is awesome!
So I say anyway. I presume that one or two of you have deemed me nuts already and this post isn’t even close to the end yet.
Plus, who else has a trailer from 1959, with a still valid license plate from 1959, including the license tab from 1959?
This brings me to a little problem though.
I’m all alone!
No one else has such goodness.
And we don’t have cool Shriner cars.
So, I think all us Blue Lodge guys have to buy us one of these awesome little trailers!
We could have us a Convoy from our Lodge building to Lewis and Clark State Park. Heck, we could have a Convoy from our Lodge building to Oregon’s Cave Degree! It’d be great! We could even Convoy up to our own Masonic Park, take the place over with our funny looking little trailers!
Just imagine:
There is one other little problem though.
I’ve done an awful lot of looking online over the last month and a half, and it seems that 1959 Apache Chief’s are really, really rare things in 2025.
So, I been a lookin’ and a lookin’.
And I found it.
Not quite the same thing, but close enough. Tiny and light enough to be towed by any car, even a larger motorcycle.
Move it around by hand, just like my old ‘59. Nothing to hook up, just glory on wheels. Set her up in a minute or two.
And, did I mention, really affordable. Affordable for anyone.
Here tis:
Fiberglass - Two Minute Set Up Time - Five Feet Long - Three and a Third Feet Wide - 260 Pounds - 25 Pound Tongue Weight - Under Four Grand, Delivered.
Way I figure it, all you guys need to buy one of these awesome little things, to go along with my awesome little thing, and we’ll have our Masonic Convoys ready made to hit the road and adventure!
We’ll even make our Brothers of the Shrine green with envy!
So, what do you say? Wanna do something unhinged with me?
Just remember, when we are on our deathbeds, we will only regret those experiences that we didn’t take. And, as with all vices, it’s never too late to start!
Imagine how cool we’ll be when our convoy of tiny trailers rolls through the Masonic Park. Undoubtedly those who see us will treat us as Caesar was treated in his Triumphs.
And don’t worry what your wife will think, I’m quite sure that she’ll think it is the best idea ever!
MWPGM Bailey, for me, the open shelters around a stone fireplace at Masonic Family Park near Granite Falls were made for me. A cot and a sleeping bag, and a walk to the lavatory hut were "made in the shade"!
MW as much as I am ready to jump on board. The one issue I see is that I am 6 foot 5. When I clicked the link it did give me a link to a free awning if I purchased so that would help. And it might look a little funny being towed by my Silverado. Let’s keep looking, I’m sure we can find a middle ground.