Photo: roadtrippers.com
What could have been a tragedy turned out to be quite the triumph for Alaska-born American Bill Guernsey who not only managed to survive a horrific plane crash, but even created something unique in the almost two years he spent at home to recover. The man spent six hours a day, six days a week to create one bizarre, yet unique red rocket camper with an atomic age inspired design.
Guernsey was in the middle of a trip to several villages along the Kuskokwim River when his plane crashed into the river ice on takeoff from Upper Kalskag, Alaska. Even though the accident was serious, with the man having seven ribs fractured and his back broken in three places, he decided to fight and use his long time recovery to build his dream camper.
The 16-foot long (4,8 meters long) bright red rocket on wheels was indeed the man’s greatest creation, as he slowly put it together piece by piece. The 1950s lookalike comic book character’s ride is solar-powered and includes a full bathroom, kitchen and shower. Not only it looks unique, but it became his family’s most favorite vacation ride. According to Alaska Dispatch News Guernsey and his wife Becky take it camping in Seward, Portage and other spots around South central Alaska, every summer.
On the other hand, building things from the ground has always been Guernsey’s passion and the trailer is only a part of his creation, which includes two air planes, one restored car, two other campers, “most of the furniture in my house” and many steampunk functional art pieces.
The Atomic Camper is not only a beautiful trailer, but it’s also an reenactment of its creator’s memories. The walls are decorated with magazine photographs and covers from 1950s and 1960s.
The egg shape is built like a small airplane or a canoe, on a skeleton of ribs covered with bent wood lathes, and then coated with papier-mache and glass fiber. Other materials range from copper to aluminum to plywood to old toaster cords. There’s even a breaker panel from a boat and robots. Cabinet doors are adorned with collector-item metal robots sliced in two.
The entire project made its creator think of yet a bigger vehicle he is now planning to build, which will be a 24-foot long zeppelin.
The 16-foot long (4,8 meters long) bright red rocket on wheels was indeed the man’s greatest creation, as he slowly put it together piece by piece. The 1950s lookalike comic book character’s ride is solar-powered and includes a full bathroom, kitchen and shower. Not only it looks unique, but it became his family’s most favorite vacation ride. According to Alaska Dispatch News Guernsey and his wife Becky take it camping in Seward, Portage and other spots around South central Alaska, every summer.
Two years of hard work
It did, however, took almost two years to build it, which is why every little detail was taken care of. “A lot of the people notice the detail in there. I did a lot of that when I was in recovery because it’s just small bench work that you could sit or stand and just make little things,” he told the source.On the other hand, building things from the ground has always been Guernsey’s passion and the trailer is only a part of his creation, which includes two air planes, one restored car, two other campers, “most of the furniture in my house” and many steampunk functional art pieces.
The Atomic Camper is not only a beautiful trailer, but it’s also an reenactment of its creator’s memories. The walls are decorated with magazine photographs and covers from 1950s and 1960s.
"Everything was atomic"
“Everything was atomic when I was growing up. It’s the Cold War. The time of the nuclear age and the rockets and the bombs. Everything that came out was going to be powered by nuclear science. Atomic is like the turbo of today,” Guernsey explained. But as you probably already imagined, there’s a lot of hard work to achieve this look.The egg shape is built like a small airplane or a canoe, on a skeleton of ribs covered with bent wood lathes, and then coated with papier-mache and glass fiber. Other materials range from copper to aluminum to plywood to old toaster cords. There’s even a breaker panel from a boat and robots. Cabinet doors are adorned with collector-item metal robots sliced in two.
The entire project made its creator think of yet a bigger vehicle he is now planning to build, which will be a 24-foot long zeppelin.
Google News