Brave Horatio on the move

A fun little project I completed awhile back has finally seen the light of day. My parents have been eagerly awaiting their new teardrop trailer from Oregon Trail’R for over a year, and they’d named it before they’d even made the down payment. I designed the name decal, with a gentle arc and a font that has a bit of the same retro feel as the trailer design.

Brave Horatio is named after a dog in the diary of Opal Whiteley, originally published in 1920. (The dog’s name is actually Horatius, but memory tends to modify things). Opal grew up near Cottage Grove, Oregon, not far from where the trailer was built. Her diary and the debate around it are in the book The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow. The diary, diarist, and debate are worth reading about, but the important thing for this Brave Horatio is that Opal Whiteley’s descriptions of setting off on childhood adventures almost always end with “…and Brave Horatius followed after.”

The trailer itself is a lovely example of industrial design. The careful use of all available space is reminiscent of a boat, and has the same charm. The table that latches onto the side of the trailer when it’s parked is stowed over the ‘foot’ end of the sleeping compartment, under the cupboards of the galley (it really wants to be described in nautical terms — I keep thinking of the back as the stern).
Photograph of a gray tear-drop trailer in a wooded campground. The back hatch is up and the trailer is not connected to a tow vehicle.

I got to clamber inside when they got back from their shakedown cruise. Pretty comfy!

Photos by Bill Kellington. 


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3 responses to “Brave Horatio on the move”

  1. Erik Avatar
    Erik

    Brave Horatio is one handsome fellow!

    His name placement reminds me of some classic upper back tattoos, but in a much more elegant font.

    Brava Skellington!

  2. Phreadde Dagge Avatar
    Phreadde Dagge

    Memory Lane ahoy!

    We had one of these when we first got married back in the 60s, but it lacked most of the amenities Horatio seems to boast, and it had smaller wheels IIRC.

    All the best to your folks for their adventures with Brave Horatio.

    1. skellington Avatar
      skellington

      I don’t know which of the many optional amenities they chose out of those available. Some of the other models have even bigger wheels and are built for off-roading, but they don’t have the charm.