Ranger Things #2: The Road Home

James and Maude Kinnear standing next to their 1922 motorhome at Yellowstone National Park, 1925. Note Patches in the window! (NPS History Collection, HFCA 1607)

In summer 1925 James and Maude Kinnear (and their dog Patches!) traveled from their home in San Jose, California, through Yellowstone, Glacier, and Crater Lake national parks and Canada where their motorhome was mistaken for a bus, an ambulance, and even a hearse!

Newspapers report that the vehicle was built to Mr. Kinnear’s design (and under his supervision) in 1922. Using an Reo Speedwagon chassis, it weighed 5,500 lbs., was no wider than a sedan, and raced along at 25 miles per hour. Named “Road Home” by the Kinnears, it featured hot and cold running water; a gasoline pressure stove; an ice box; electric lighting and heating; glass windows with screens; and a full size portable Pullman bed, which when closed became a comfortable seat. They traveled with complete table service, cooking utensils, electric fan, a writing desk, and cupboard space for foodstuffs, clothing, and medicine. The seats could be turned around or easily removed. The motorhome even had meters to register altitude and the grade of the road it was going up.

The Kinnears had a radio for their entertainment and traveled with a motion picture camera, projector, and screen. They shared their films for free with other travelers in campgrounds along the way. Patches, described as a "bull pup," grew up traveling in the motorhome and wore a little blanket to stay warm in snowy country.

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