King of Bolertown (2)

Life is full of pleasant surprises, those special little gifts that come out of nowhere. That’s how it played out one extraordinary evening in the picturesque ghost town of Rowley Alberta. Joining close friends, we’re in town for the legendary Pizza Night (presently on hold account the buzzkill that is Covid), completely unaware just how special the visit would be. There’s fine company, jugs of golden nectar, heavenly eats and old buildings lovingly restored. It’s the makings of one fine night. Then there’s icing on the cake, a group of little (retro) fibreglass trailers we had no idea would be there. Win/win as we say. Call out with me…Boler! I can’t hear you!

BOLER!!!!

People camp in Rowley all the time and here it’s a group get together of enthusiasts in town for the monthly pepperoni and cheese fuelled event. Presenting a selection of vintage Bolers, all done up nicely, plus trailers from a few other makes, all old, all interesting. Before our meal gets called, it’s a wonderful tour of things that obsess, in a most amazing setting. Imagine that, walking about before dinner (these pizzas always take time) and discovering this. Drew a royal flush again.

This gathering was arranged by BolerBitches.com. They’re black sheep of the Boler fraternity, misfits all, taking guff from no one, hair slicked back, smokes rolled up in their sleeve and always ready to rumble. This is our turf…Boler turf…so scram! Our overactive imagination at work again.

In reality BolerBitches is a group of friends with a common interest, that get out and explore the world in their little fibreglass trailers. Most members have the namesake camper, but any little retro egg with wheels will do. Their motto is: “You’ll never be homeless as long as you own a camper.” They speak the gospel. The club has a website with profiles of their members and their trailers. Most seem to have pet names. Browsing entries, there’s Rusty B, Buttercup, Orange Creamsicle, Petit Boulette, Eggbert, Money Pit (haha), Cherry Blossom and countless others.

There’s a good mix of thirteen foot Bolers and a few seventeen-footers and all look amazing…doubly so with that incredible sunset. The majority are from the 1970s, when this style of camper was most in demand. Among them is a trailer that has us going hmm. It’s said to be a seventeen-foot model on the BB webpage, but seems to differ slightly in design than others of that size. It almost reminds us of the elusive fifteen foot Boler (a rare beast which we’ve never seen in person), which in design was less bulbous as this one appears. One trailer comes with a matching ride, a fifty year old Chevy pickup. That orange! It’s blinding! We often seen classic cars pulling these. Another Boler pay homage to the Montreal Canadians. Go Habs!

There’s one of he most common little fibreglass trailer ever, a 1970s Trillium. Seems they produced a lot of them in that yucky puke yellow/green colour. How was that ever a thing? There’s been more Trilliums produced than Bolers and even today, they’re still being made. See: King of Bolertown.

A Trillium Jubliee is a rare model and scores high in the Boler spotting game (rules one day, we promise). It’s said a hundred or less of them we’re produced and we’ve seen a couple in our travels (maybe the same one more than once) These are more squared off and are easy to spot account that. Little fibreglass trailers are typically more rounded.

There’s a little Honey (or sometimes Honey Bee) Boler. We’ve seen a few of these branded this way, but don’t know how they differ from the regular model. An Argosy trailer is basically a painted Airstream. These were generally less fancy than their gleaming aluminum counterparts.

The sunsets on this little troupe. And it was incredible! We mill about chatting with owners and soaking up the ambience. Someone breaks out a guitar and soon we’re being serenaded. We’re gifted a little Boler trinket, a ceramic spoon rest and it’s become a prized possession. We didn’t tell them who we were (not that they might know anyway) and our over the top penchant for documenting little campers such as these. Still they must thought something was up, what with us foaming at the mouth and all.

We lost our friends but would later find them mid-pizza. Sorry, we’re a little late! Those who know us always give a little leeway when there’s Bolers about. “I think Chris saw a Surf Side…he’ll be back soon.” They know of our little problem and accept it.

In a back lot, some old rides. There’s Sam’s old AMC Hornet (early ’70s), the “Rowley Rocket”, presumably once used for parades or events. AMC, always the weakest of the Big Four makers, made some odd stuff in the 1970s. The Hornet was perhaps the least weird in that respect. We don’t think the hasp lock trunk is factory. But who knows, always desperate AMC would do anything to make a sale. A rag top was not offered, so here they improvised. Sam refers to Sam’s Saloon where Pizza night happens. Also seen is what looks to be an “airporter” limo, made from a early 1960s Pontiac (Catalina, we think).

We wander briefly about town, taking in the restored grain elevators, the old train station, a caboose nearby, and other heritage buildings. We’ve been to Rowley a million times and never tire of it. It photographs amazing. Check out these links to see what we mean: Rowley Alberta ghost town, Rowley Alberta then and now – CNR Station and A Rowley State of Mind.

As the hours pass, it’s much banter, lager and ale, a feed bag of awesomeness, much frivolity and so many fond memories made. There’s a band and they nearly bring the house down (but then Sam’s is an old rickety building). The hours pass, the night ends and we all head our separate ways. Some camp in town, some head home, where ever home is, where as we have a weekend crash pad in nearby Drumheller. Over in the Boler encampment, the sounds of song and laughter. A bonfire lights the way. We must go! Bolers, they call! Resist the urge – it’s late. What a great time in this special place. This wasn’t a planned discovery, but we’re not complaining. For a night, we were again King(s) of Bolertown.

Till the next Boler adventure, adios!

Yes, it consumes us…
King of Bolertown – at the “Outback” factory.
Classic cars? No, Bolers!.
Band of Bolers – five in one alley!

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date of Adventure: May, 2019.
Location(s): Rowley, AB.
Article references and thanks: BolerBitches.com.

Walking about with friends…what’s this?

We’ve driven worse…

Sam’s Hornet…

…The Rowley Rocket.

Looks to be an “Airporter” limo.

It wasn’t a planned discovery – go Habs!

Hmmmm.

Glowing in the sunset.

And this gorgeous combo.

This my friends is Bolertown!

Trillium back there…we dig them too.

Thumb’s up for this rare Jubilee.

A Honey variant.

A glorious end of day.

Selfie photobomb.

Gifted a little keepsake.

This “painted” Airstream.

We’re in heaven.

Fifty years old…and looking great.

This group outing arranged by…

In the soft light.

And there’s Rowley’s iconic elevators.

A scene from 2019?

There was one at the end of every train.

Lovingly restored.

From the 1920s.

And soon it’d be pizza time!