Fixer-upper travel-trailer stolen from in front of Vancouver Heights home

Joseph Wightman and his household had deliberate to camp of their fixer-upper journey trailer, however the highway journey to Cape Disappointment was canceled after the trailer was stolen exterior their Vancouver Heights residence on Monday evening.

“We had a campsite reserved for Thanksgiving, a vacation you could not think about this 12 months. And to high it off, we hid our daughter’s Christmas current in there, ”stated Wightman.

Sizzling Wheels’ dinosaur storage, hidden underneath a blanket, was too massive to cover in the home for a couple of months. Now it is gone, together with the trailer and its different upgrades, together with a model new microwave and mini-fridge.

The stolen trailer is a 19-foot, two-axle timberline relationship from 1972. Wightman stated the car was “nonetheless ragged across the edges,” however it represented goals his household shared for the longer term.

Vancouver police stated the trailer was stolen from Wightman’s driveway someday between 9 p.m. Monday and a couple of:30 p.m. Tuesday. The household didn’t hear any noises at evening and the canines didn’t bark. In keeping with the police report, a neighbor didn’t see or hear something both.

The trailer was given to the household by Wightman’s father-in-law, who lives in Tacoma. They’d been available in the market and the member of the family thought-about promoting them the Timberline, however after all of them toured the decade-old car, the father-in-law gave it away free of charge.

This makes the car much more distinctive and recognizable, which the Wightman household hopes will result in its retrieval.

In keeping with the police report, the trailer is white with a thick inexperienced stripe across the physique. It has a trailer hitch that’s painted in a rust-colored primer. On the passenger facet, the rear of the car has a basketball-sized dent within the steel. There are aftermarket sq. taillights connected to the rear of the trailer with cables hanging down from them. The trim on each side close to the entrance is lacking. And in a number of locations there may be black gorilla tape that holds issues collectively.

Vancouver Police Division Lt. Kathy McNicholas stated the trailer hadn’t been noticed till Thursday.

Regardless of its shortcomings, repairing the trailer collectively and taking transient journeys to state parks was one of many methods the household handed the time in quarantine.

“Each new restore is a small win,” stated Wightman.

The unique plan was to have the trailer repaired by the tip of summer season, however in March the pandemic modified the household’s seasonal schedules. So the trailer turned a respite through the quarantine. Wightman changed the cedar liner; his spouse tore out among the benches, sprayed them off, and sewed the covers again into place. It helped the household keep busy whereas trapped at residence, the proprietor stated.

The household can’t make a journey to Cape Disappointment, however they will camp close to their residence. They thought-about visiting their grandparents in Tacoma, however determined to not as a result of these members of the family are at excessive threat of creating COVID-19.

“So our massive journeys have been canceled. Even when we received it again quickly, we would have to ensure it is secure and hygienic earlier than utilizing it. We actually simply hope to get it again, ”stated Wightman.

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