Montgomery Bell State Park
Dickson County - Burns, Tennessee
Montgomery Bell Campground
April 23-25, 2021
Montgomery Bell State Park is a great state park with a conference center, hotel, golf course, and three lakes nestled into 3,850-acres located in Burns, Tennessee within Dickson county. There are many road-side picnic areas, trails for hiking, a swim beach, kayaking, canoeing, camping and plenty of other things to do while visiting or staying at the park.
This is another one of my favorite parks to visit or camp at close to home here in Tennessee. Reservations are required and the campground can accommodate large rigs and include full hook-ups and a dumping station.
The weekend we decided to camp at Montgomery Bell with the teardrop was a bit of a washout. We were weekend camping from Friday through Sunday and it rained nearly all day Saturday. It was wet, dreary and miserable. One really cool thing however, was the 'Hasika' canopy I ordered and received the day before our trip. This canopy was amazing and kept the galley completely dry during the wet and rainy weather. It was easy to setup and with a length of 11 feet, provided plenty of covered space behind the galley for washing dishes and keeping dry while cooking.
Our tiny caravan attracted a LOT of attention on this trip. We met loads of friendly people walking by who were interested and intrigued by the teardrop and wanted a closer look. Everyone was impressed with the design and amazed it was a home built caravan, including some friends of ours who happened to be camping that same weekend on the opposite side of the campground. This is one thing I love about camping. Everyone is so friendly and open to strike up a discussion and conversation on just about any topic.
Overall, the wet weekend was still a lot of fun. We woke up Sunday to a beautiful sun-filled morning, ate breakfast around the camp fire and took our time breaking down camp so we could enjoy the beautiful weather.
Happy Camping!
My 2nd outing in the teardrop was a solo overnight at the Meriwether Lewis campground on the Nachez Trace Hwy at Milepost 385.9 in Tennessee. A few great thing about this primitive campground are it's quiet, away from traffic, bathrooms are very clean, and it doesn't cost anything to camp. If there's an open spot, it's first come first served (no guarantees). After being closed for a year in 2020 because of 'the covid', the campground was opened up again for use in April 2021.
Meriwether Lewis campground is one of my favorite spots for a quick overnight or weekend getaway with friends. It's about an hour's drive from my house and taking the scenic Natchez Trace route to get there is always a beautiful drive, especially in the Fall.
The campsites are either pull-through or back-in and provide a fire pit and picnic table. There are a few water spouts located around the park to fill containers, but none of the sites have any direct hookups or electricity. Most sites are flat and a few have a slight grade. Not all sites are suitable for tent camping as the ground can be a bit uneven but most will accommodate tents very nicely as well. There are also a lot of trees so if you're into sleeping on a hammock, many sites are well suited for that. Most people who spend time at this campground notice how clean the bathrooms are and this is one of the perks. They are kept very clean and are well lit at night. I guess that makes up for no showers. Collecting fallen wood for a campfire is also an easy task at Meriwether Lewis. There's plenty to forage for off the trails and roadside. It's also helpful to have a folding limb cutting saw (which I forgot to bring on this outing) to cut the longer branches.
To sum this up, the Nachez Trace Parkway has 3 primitive campgrounds along its 444 mile route. I have only camped at Meriwether Lewis along the Trace so far but one of these days I'd like to drive the entire route from Nashville to Mississippi and stay at each campground along the way.
Happy Camping!
Tims Ford State Park
Winchester, Tennessee
Fairview Campground
March 12-14, 2021
Tims Ford State Park, also known as Tims Ford State Rustic Park, is a state park in Franklin County, in the state of Tennessee. The 3,546-acre state park is situated on the north shore of Tims Ford Lake and sits in the shadows of the Cumberland Plateau in south-central Tennessee, about ten miles from the city of Winchester.
Tims Ford State Park has 5 campgrounds. The MAIN CAMPGROUND is open year-round and has 52 RV and tent campsites. The 2nd, FAIRVIEW CAMPGROUND is located 8 miles away from the main park and has 82 campsites, most sitting on the shore or on small bluffs overlooking the water. The 3rd, TURKEY CREEK TENT ONLY PRIMITIVE CAMPSITES is located 9 miles north of the main park with 20 tent only primitive sites. The 4th, EVANS LOOP BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITE is a 6 mile hike-in or paddle-in primitive campsite with no water or electricity. Everything must be carried-in and carried-out, leaving no trace. Lastly, the PADDLE-IN ISLAND SITES are also carry-in / carry-out and uniquely located on one of the six islands, accessible only by boat, canoe or kayak.
For the maiden voyage of our 'Tiny Yaba', my wife Kathy and I reserved 2 nights of 'spring camping' at the Fairview Campground. We had visited the state park, did some hiking and checked out the 2 primary campgrounds back in December and decided it would be fun to give the Fairview Campground a go. We booked a Friday - Sunday and left our house around noon on that Friday. We had everything packed up and ready to go by Thursday night and were excited for the first overnight trip in our Tiny Yellow And Black Abode. The teardrop was ready for adventure... and so were we!
It was raining when we left our house that Friday afternoon and the park was about an hour and a half drive from our home. This was going to be a good test to see how my efforts to weather-proof and seal all seams would hold up against actual rain. I am pleased to say there were no leaks anywhere and every interior space remained completely dry.
The teardrop pulled extremely well on both streets and the highway. There was no swaying, fish-tailing or drifting of any kind and even with my mid-sized SUV, I could hardly tell it was back there. But I kept my eyes on all the mirrors to make sure everything looked good. Things must have looked good from the outside too as we got a lot of stares and rubber necking from people passing us by along the way.
We were a little disappointed it was raining but were determined to make the best of it. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle when we arrived and began setting up camp. Since this was the first trip ever with the teardrop, we were playing everything by ear and learning as went along.
I bought an ARB awning with the wrap around tent about 2 months before our trip. Both items were back-ordered a minimum of 30 days but fortunately, they arrived before the trip and I was able to get the awning mounted and ready to go. Having that awning with the wrap around tent walls (and floor) was extremely welcomed, as it provided an additional room for sitting, eating, changing clothes and escaping the rain. So glad I had the awning for our first trip as we would have been miserable without it.
The galley kitchen was the next fun experiment. Since neither of us had cooked in it before, there were quite a few bugs to work out and ergonomics to work around. It took a while to figure out how to efficiently navigate all the drawers and cupboards while cooking and we ended up shifting things back and forth many times before getting more comfortable with the setup. The key was to know what we needed to use beforehand, pull everything out and then start cooking.
The galley is setup with few nice amenities. When we have electrical hookups, the 30amp power distribution unit (PDU) handles the microwave and induction cook top appliances nicely. It also provides 12v power to the low voltage lighting recessed into the hatch ceiling. A propane camp stove also covers us when an extra burner or two are needed or if we decide to boondock in a rural area or camp at a primitive campsite. To keep our perishables cool, the slide-out cooler holds everything we need for a couple of days.
We found the inside cabin to be quite comfortable too. Yes, it is a small space but very cozy and we both slept very well. There is enough room to sit up fully with plenty of head room and the queen size mattress is perfect for two.
The weather that weekend did get better. There were a few scattered showers on Saturday but was mostly dry. We had quite a few people stop by to look at the teardrop and ask questions. The best part were the reactions from people when they realized the teardrop was a 'home build'. The campground was 100% booked that weekend so it was a little crowded. But everyone we met were very friendly. The campground was well managed and the bathrooms were kept clean throughout the day (no showers). The campground 'WiFi' service however, was not functional. With all the visible access points scattered around, I thought the internet would have been accessible and speedy. Well, it was neither and we ended up giving up on trying to connect.
Overall, the first weekend camping trip in our 'Tiny Yaba' was a huge success and a ton of fun without any problems or issues related to the build or technology built into the trailer. This little caravan held its own, functioned the way it was designed to, and I can see us spending a lot more time making little trips like this many times throughout the year.
Until next time, thank you for reading.
…and Happy Camping!
Fred.
Hello World! This is the first post of many about a fun topic. Building a teardrop caravan/trailer from the ground up.
My name is Fred, I live in Nashville, Tennessee and this website will document my process and adventures in building a Teardrop Caravan along with the outings and adventures of taking it out on the open road and camping in it.
This adventure began when a friend and I attended an RV show at the Music City Center in Nashville, which is where the idea of building a Teardrop trailer began. The convention center floor was full of all types and sizes of trailers, campers and coaches, including a few Teardrops, which were the least represented at the show. Neither of us had the intention of investing in a caravan at the time, but those tiny trailers made a big impact on us. After the show, we had a few more conversations about those tiny trailers – the designs we had found online and that the cost to build was a fraction of what it would be to buy a manufactured one. Game on! Those conversations heightened my interest and I started to research everything I could about building a Teardrop Caravan.
As one who is not afraid of a DIY challenge, I'm always working on a project and have completed many upgrades and repairs around the house. Building a Teardrop would be a new experience, but one I was looking forward to pursuing. After I hand drew the desired shape for my build, I used SketchUp to complete the plans. This 3D drawing application allowed me to visualize and design my Teardrop from the ground up.
After completing the plans I realized this would be a daunting endeavor, but I was ready to get started! TinyYABA.com is my documentation of the process – photos, video, and text outlining steps used to complete this Teardrop project. I hope this inspires you to dream, design and build a Teardrop Caravan of your own.
