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judy, sam, + casey share their airstream adventure

Notes

Would you like to read the posts in chronological order?  The first post is at the bottom of this column. Proceed from bottom to top.

Photos in the recent posts are thumbnails. A full-screen version will open in a new window if you click on them.

You'll also find blue underlined links in the text.  They will open a new window to the web site of the mentioned item.

Click this map to see where we were at the last blog entry

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Use the controls on the left side of the map to move around, and to move in and out, just as you would with any Google map.

Click on a push pin for more information regarding the location.

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Epilogue
Posted by Sam on Thursday, May 25, 2006

We did arrive home last Sunday afternoon. Because the rally campground didn't provide internet access, and we've been busy catching up since arriving home, I didn't get to finish or post the last blog entry until tonight.

With the trip declared a success this will be the final entry in 'Chapter One: We buy an Airstream trailer and set off on a shakedown trip.'

We expect to begin another trip sometime around the middle of June. It will take us to Owensboro, KY for a family wedding and then 'To Infinity and Beyond.' If interest continues at this incredibly high level we'll also blog that trip. Until then, to quote Garrison Keillor, "Be well; do good work; and stay in touch."

Plan 'B'
Posted by Sam on Saturday, May 20, 2006
Posted by Sam on Monday, May 22, 2006
Posted by Sam on Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Posted by Sam on Thursday, May 25, 2006

A funny thing happened on the way back to the barn. It's now Saturday night, and we're at our first Airstream rally -- not in Tryon as planned. The rally is at the Cross Country Campground in Denver, NC, (about 20 miles up I-77 from Charlotte) and we've been here since late Wednesday afternoon. The location is marked on the map in the right column.

We're second from left with the blue awning.

Other 'Streamers' have drifted in as their schedules permitted. We are now 10 Airstreams (nine trailers and one motorhome) and eleven dogs. Dog ownership is obviously a prerequisite to Airstream ownership. In fact, the canine contingent is deceptively low because one couple left theirs at home and another brought only one of three.

This rally is hosted by the Western North Carolina unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI). Similar rallies occur around the country throughout the year.

Local members, the Plaxco family, are hosts. They have arranged a full weekend of activities, most notably a tour of a NASCAR shop and a picnic at their home on beautiful Lake Norman.

We knew NASCAR is important in this part of the country, but boy, were we wrong! It's far more than important -- this is Racecity USA. Mooresville is home to many, if not most, of the NASCAR race teams -- our hosts told us there are 60 - 65 of them here. In a town of less than 20,000, that's an economic juggernaut.

I wasn't familiar with the concept of 'race team' -- perhaps you aren't either. These are for-profit companies with the facilities and expertise to package, sell and field a racing car. It's the first cog in the NASCAR  wheel, obtaining sponsors for funding (a major sponsor for whom the car is named and many minors who get decals); building a fleet of race cars; hiring mechanics, support people and a driver who must also be a heartthrob; and off they go... hopefully at a profit. Sophisticated records of media exposure are maintained to convince the sponsors that they're getting something for their money.

On Thursday we really got lucky with a visit to the Team Rensi Motorsport site. The business was closed for the day and we had a private tour by the shop foreman.  Team Rensi is owned by two brothers, one of whom is the former President and CEO of McDonald's. It won't surprise you to learn that one of the two teams they field is number 35 - the McDonald's car.

One of the eight McDonald's cars

Their other team fields the number 25 car. You can see barely see in this photo, but the major sponsor of this team is the Marine Corps.

One of the Marines cars

By two teams, I mean that they essentially have two parallel organizations within the umbrella Team Rensi organization.

Our tour lasted more than 2½ hours, during which we saw every detail of race car fabrication, testing and repair. The constant theme is obsessive/compulsive attention to every detail. I didn't ask but it made me wonder how they force themselves to release the car to the driver, who is, after all, a fallible human.

We left with a package of sponsor goodies including PowerAid, Coca Cola, Williamsburg peanuts, and driver posters suitable for autographing. Nothing from the major sponsors, however -- the women hoped for a Marine; I wanted large fries.

Our next race shop stop was totally different. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI to the locals) is Mecca for diehard race fans and a sight to behold for anyone. For the unwashed: Dale Earnhardt (The Intimidator) was a very successful driver who was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Here we found a mammoth museum and even larger gift shop, but no racing cars under construction. That unseemly stuff is probably done behind the building in the dark of night. We don't have a photo but this shot from the DEI website of the building exterior and staircase to the Executive Suite will give you an idea.

It was fun to see these two, very different, race shops. Seeing one without the other would have left us with a distorted view of the business.

Saturday afternoon we all went to the Plaxco's home on Lake Norman to swim, fish, kayak, ride in their speedboat and eat. At 32,510 acres of surface area and 540 miles of shoreline, the lake is very large by our Western North Carolina hydro lake standards. We even saw some small cruising sailboats.

Cruising around part of the shoreline to view the McMansions was one of the most delightful activities for Judy and I. Two types of cake at supper was the other for me.

Our first WBCCI rally was great. We were befriended by nice people, had fun and learned a lot about our trailer from experienced folks.  Sunday we leave for Tryon -- this time we really mean it.

Cabbage patch
Posted by Sam on Tuesday, May 16, 2006

We know almost nothing about this, but the home of Cabbage Patch Kids is just up the road from our campground in Cleveland, GA. They call the plant 'Babyland General Hospital' where 'Births occur almost every day.' I think that means they have factory tours 'almost every day' to watch the dolls being manufactured.

It seems a long time ago that these dolls were hot, but the following quote from the website suggests there's still a demand:

2006 Collector Club Spring Event Kid

There are just a few girls left that can be adopted from this edition. Registered attendees and registered non-attendees may adopt these for $350. Members of the CPK Collector Club may adopt these for $500.

There are no boys, no espresso and no Asian eyes left. If you are interested please email your request with a brief description to: linda.loggins@cabbagepatchkids.com

There will be NO phone calls accepted in regards to these request, email correspondents only. Your email will be answered in the order it is received and it may take at least 4 to 5 days to get a reply.

We didn't visit the 'hospital.' Perhaps we should have.

Tomorrow it's back to the barn. The shakedown trip was successful, and we have tasks awaiting at home.

Disappointing day
Posted by Sam on Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Our final day here was disappointing. This morning we drove back to Gainesville to tour its historic district but there wasn't much to see. There is, indeed, one street with a dozen or so beautiful mansions of the late Victorian period, but they're located on an busy artery into town, and have been converted to commercial use.

To console ourselves we went to the Batesville Country Store for lunch. Who wouldn't go -- they advertise 'The Best Biscuits in Batesville.' What we didn't know is that they're the only biscuits in Batesville. But lunch was ok, and the biscuits were tolerable, so it was only a minor mistake.

A bright spot: On the way home we stopped at the picturesque Old Sautee Country Store.

Yes, it is a tourist stop, but it's nicely done with a 'museum' side as well as a modern merchandise side. Across the street we bought good tomatoes and boiled peanuts (if you're not Southern you won't understand about the peanuts).

Foxfire
Posted by Sam on Monday, May 15, 2006

Here's one picture. Clicking on it will open a new window with more
thumbnails. Clicking on each will show you a larger version.

Remember the Foxfire magazine and books on Appalachian life and skills? As a young fellow I was fascinated by them. The publishing Foxfire organization is located in Mountain City just a little way from here, and today we had a great time touring their museum. The weather was perfect (sunny, clear, and high 60's) as we poked through the dozen or so original and replica log buildings. Casey loved it, running around like a puppy sniffing and whizzing on everything.

Fried chicken
Posted by Sam on Monday, May 15, 2006

Keep this to yourself because you now know the secret of why we came here. Our friend Steve told us the world's best fried chicken is at the Clayton Cafe, and he don't lie. Even though he's a Yankee, Steve knows fried chickin' -- it's wonderful! A fried chicken breast, tea, and three really good side dishes (turnip greens, black eyed peas, and carrot salad with raisins) for $7.50. We've never eaten better.

Last stop
Posted by Sam on Monday, May 15, 2006

Yesterday we moved from Forsyth to Leisure Acres, a campground north of Gainesville, GA. From here we can make day trips to several towns and places we've wanted to visit.

If you check the map at right you'll see that the trip required us to tow up I-75 to the Atlanta beltway, around it, and onto I-85 east. I will readily admit to major apprehension at this first trip through major traffic, but that's not where the problem occurred. And it was me, not traffic that caused the problem.

As usual, we were navigating by GPS but I had turned off the audio prompts because they interfered with my concentration on the novel we were listening to on CD. Sounds smart, doesn't it? Need I say I missed a turn? When I noticed the 'off course' message Judy turned off the novel and I turned on the GPS audio. It instructed me to make an immediate right turn to get back on the correct track. I did, but as we stared down a narrow residential street with parking on both sides it was obvious that the GPS doesn't care a fig that we're towing a 29 foot trailer. It wasn't going too badly until we reached the next corner and were instructed to make another right turn. Very slowly we managed it and then another before eventually returning to the correct track.

I felt guilty and apologetic for making a bonehead mistake, but the experience was actually a confidence builder. For the first time we had towed through pretty heavy urban traffic, and had navigated small residential streets, all without mishap.

My copilot maintains I was just lucky it was Sunday.

Casey's pooped...
Posted by Sam on Saturday, May 13, 2006

we wore him out with a very full afternoon. Jarrell Plantation State (GA) Historic Site was the first stop. We assume "Plantation" is technically correct, but it felt more like a really neat farm.  That's because the buildings are located on a very picturesque hilly site and you can't see any of the nine hundred acres the Jarrell's farmed for three generations.

Here's one picture. Clicking on it will open a new window with more
thumbnails. Clicking on each will show you a larger version.

Because they had diversified beyond cotton, the Jarrell's came through the Bo Weevil devastation, but didn't fare as well when General Sherman stopped by. The second generation rebuilt and prospered, but it was never quite the same. (In part because their slaves were freed.)

We had fun poking about and marveled at what the Jarrell's accomplished. It was overwhelming to see how hard they worked.

In the late afternoon we visited High Falls State Park. It's close by Forsyth where we're staying, and is an especially nice resource for local folk -- lots of play and picnic areas, as well as swimming and fishing.

It was a great day. Tomorrow morning we head for the mountains of north Georgia.

It's working
Posted by Sam on Saturday, May 13, 2006

After about 10 days of shakedown, we're increasingly happy with the decision to buy an Airstream trailer.

We keep finding neat little features in the trailer, and with one minor exception, they're performing flawlessly. The exception was a leaking shower that we fixed with additional fasteners and caulk.  It's fine now. Oh yes, there was one other rather curious item: one of the cabinet catches was installed backwards. It was probably just a lapse in concentration ("Our lottery pool won what?") by the installer since all others were done correctly.  At any rate, it's now facing front side out.

The big uncertainty coming into this adventure was whether we, and particularly Casey, would be happy with a trailer. So far, at least, I'm pleased to report it's an unanimous 'Yes.' Casey is his usual curious and enthusiastic (ok, out-of-control) self on our sightseeing side trips, and even sleeps comfortably in the truck. With the back seats folded he has a wonderful bed platform that's probably 4' x 7'. Also, it's easy for him to scramble back and forth between his bed and the front seat.

After touring in the van, Judy and I find that sightseeing, going out to dinner, doing errands, etc. without having to drive our house is a real delight. (Judy's at Wally World as I write this - hope she brings me a very large latte.) Towing the trailer is more cumbersome than driving the van so nothing's perfect, but so far it feels like a good tradeoff.

FDR's Little White House
Posted by Sam on Friday, May 12, 2006

Today we had a delightful visit to FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA. It's about 53 miles west of our campground through surprisingly hilly, and very pretty, mid-Georgia country. (A special 'thank you' to our GPS for getting us there and back on small country roads.)

This is an original pix... not what it looks like today as a state park.

I won't bore you with the details -- more than you want to know is available at the above link.  The house reminded us, however, of the Truman Little White House in Key West because of it's simplicity, and because they're both of the same time period.

Traveling to the FDR Little White House, we made a serendipitous discovery: Barnesville, GA.  Not even mentioned in the AAA Tour Book, Barnesville is a treasure of truly impressive Victorian homes. Barnesville's history is nicely documented in the above link, but suffice to say, these folks were really well off, and flaunted it. Next time you're in the area we recommend a tour of Barnesville.

Fried green tomato day
Posted by Sam on Thursday, May 11, 2006

Today we had a wonderful fried green tomato lunch (with a side of sweet potato fries) at the WhistleStop Cafe in Julliette, GA.  Julliette is about 10 miles from the Forsyth KOA where we're staying.  (Check the map at right.)  This is the movie location for "Fried Green Tomatoes at the WhistleStop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg, not the cafe that inspired the book.  That restaurant is located in Irondale, AL.

"This will be a tourist trap," I whined, but Judy persisted, and I thank her.  The fried green tomato with bacon and cheese on rye bread was sensational, and the sweet potato fries were the best we've eaten.  The secret of the fries was that they were cut just a shade fatter than we've previously had.  Not much -- but it made a huge difference.  The sweet potato flavor really came through.

This pretty neat pix taken at the WhistleStop Cafe happened when I was fooling about with the camera to see if the flash was on (Herrself wanted to take a secret pix, but that's another story).

This evening we had supper at Grits Cafe in Forsyth.  Grits advertises itself as "Southern Food with Flair," and AAA recommends it with three diamonds.  It was, indeed, worthwhile.  Judy had shrimp and grits, the signature dish, but it was unlike any we've previously had.  The shrimp were stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon, and served over a cajun cream and cheddar grits timbale.

Still relishing lunch, I had two appetizers: a green fried tomato napoleon, and Creole crispy fried oysters with cilantro aioli.  They were both very good.

Tomorrow and Friday are sightseeing days.  You'd be amazed at how much neat stuff there is to enjoy when you get off the interstate.

166 miles closer to cool
Posted by Sam on Monday, May 8, 2006

We're dying down here.  Was it this hot when we lived here?  Enough.  Today we started the trek to cool, and hope to be there in a couple of days.

Tonight and tomorrow we're at Traveler's Campground in Alachua, FL., which is just north of Gainesville.  We stopped here so Judy's dad can visit.  Can't offer photographs because nothing here is photogenic.

The trip from Lakeland was interesting -- exciting would be more honest when we passed our first vehicle. Who would have thought I could hold my breath that long?  Towing at 60 MPH we averaged 13.2 MPG.  That's dismal by automobile standards, but we're pleased.  The truck loafs along on the flat Florida terrain (1,500 RPM @ 60 MPH).

Tomorrow we need to plan the next two or three stops.  The idea of heading for a cool campground in the mountains is appealing, but we can't make it from here in one day.  Perhaps we can find an Airstream rally in Georgia or North Carolina.  Will let you know.

Check it out !
Posted by Sam on Sunday, May 7, 2006

Here it is... the advertising opportunity you've dreamed of !!!  Take only the left side, or only the right side, but for the best deal, take both sides and have your message read right through the hitch.  It just won't get better than this !!!

All seriousness aside, we installed these Enkay Rock Tamers to protect the Airstream from rocks kicked up by our truck and other vehicles.  The really neat thing is that the gold colored piece that supports the arms (under our license plate) is rather like a donut that threads on the trailer hitch.  This means that the Rock Tamers go on, and come off, with the hitch. They're there only when we're towing.

Wow, 21 miles in a just one day!
Posted by Sam on Saturday, May 6, 2006

This morning we struck our tent and left Tampa East RV Resort at the crack of 11:00.  We know, we know, that was impressive enough, but we then doubled down and towed an astounding 21 miles east on I-4 to the Lakeland RV Resort.  (You've undoubtedly noticed that 'Resort' in the name gives a place Class.)  It was good practice at towing, hooking up, and unhooking.

I'm thrilled to report that I broke nothing today.  Judy's also pleased, to say nothing of Casey.

This afternoon we had an enjoyable tour through the historic section of Lakeland.  It's a nice town with quite a few restorations of Arts and Crafts bungalows, and just as many ongoing.  The residential areas often wind around beautiful small lakes.

After the house tour, we took Casey on a walk in a large park that bounds one of the largest lakes.  Things were going pretty well until we reached this sign:

Hisself wasn't intimidated, however, and whizzed on the sign.  I wasn't quick enough to catch it on film, but in this shot he's just finished and prancing away.  You can see how pleased Judy is.

Since we haven't found any problems with the trailer, we'll spend tomorrow here and then start home.

Our very first trek... 1,056 feet
Posted by Sam on Friday, May 5, 2006

We pulled out of Bates RV at 3:07 P.M., drove a grueling 2/10 of a mile, and at 3:09 P.M. arrived at our home for the next two nights. We're comfortably ensconced at Tampa East RV Resort (in the arrogantly shabby Palms section; altitude 51 feet above sea level and 49 feet from Mickey D's soft serve vanilla ice cream) -- life is good.

Last evening we moved everything out of the truck and into the trailer.  After living in sailboats and a 19' RV van where we were extremely limited, this is too much space.  If we're not careful we'll fill it up and be over weight.

Today we vegged and chilled.  Well, two did. One of us slaved over a hot laptop as you can see here:

Herself broke under the strain and went shopping.  Since the TV was still attached to the TT her only option was the campground store.  Oh well, shopping is shopping and postcards are better than nothing.

This afternoon passing fellow campers hailed me to say "Great rig."  I was pretty puffed about the Airstream; but wait... they're lusting over the truck.  It's a hard world.

Casey's doing good.  Even though it's hot, he spends a lot of time outside on his 20ft. leash.  He also seems to accommodate the truck.  With the rear seats folded down there's a huge space for his bed, and Judy bought him a memory foam pillow to make another bed between the front seats.  Don't even think we're bribing him with Mickey D's ice cream.  That's ridiculous.

Tomorrow we hit the asphalt again.  We'll attempt to exceed our personal best.  Perhaps even a full mile!  Stay tuned.

A trailer is delivered
Posted by Sam on Friday, May 5, 2006

That's a real Airstream Bambi on the Bates Sign

We spent an incredibly hot and often stressful Wednesday and Thursday at Bates RV.  Did I mention hot?  Yesterday our truck thermometer reported 105° at 3:00 P.M. as we finally towed the new trailer away.

Wednesday we arrived at 10:00 to have a Hensley Arrow trailer hitch installed.  We had purchased the hitch directly from Hensley and brought it with us to insure it was there when we needed it.  The technician felt, however, that we one of the major components was incorrectly sized, and wouldn't work -- major stress.  Three hours later the hitch had been installed with no problem.  I'm truly glad we ordered it directly and didn't rely on Bates to order it for us, the implication being that they would have ordered the wrong size.

While the hitch was being installed we were given a good briefing on operating the trailer systems.  It's not as complex as a motor home, but there's plenty to learn -- and plenty to break.  I must say, we are impressed with the Airstream quality and attention to detail.

We had left Casey at my mother's house, which turned out to be a good decision given the extreme heat. It was mid afternoon by the time we were ready to leave, and as we were very hot and tired, decided to spend another night at mother's and pick up the trailer Thursday morning.

Thursday was to be a piece of cake... we'd stop for a Starbuck's latte, arrive at Bates about 9:30, hook up the trailer and ease over to a shady campground for a cool and relaxing afternoon.  You already know it didn't happen, don't you?  The latte was great, but it was the only part that was.

I'd like you to believe it wasn't my fault, but if you believed that you'd be the only one.

You see, the Hensley hitch is wonderful in eliminating trailer sway, but it requires finesse to hook up.  (Finesse is obviously not one of my best things.)  Cutting to the chase, I managed to bend the electric jack that raises and lowers the trailer's front end.  It can't be repaired, only replaced, so that's what happened.  I'd prefer not to mention the cost, but I will say we were finally ready to leave for the shady campground after 3:00.

All's well that ends well.

MPG on the TPK
Posted by Sam on Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Yesterday we left Tryon headed for Bates RV on I-4 east of Tampa.  Last night we stayed in Gainesville, FL with Judy's father, and tonight we'll stay in Haines City, FL with my mother.  (Click on map at right to follow along.)

With the truck heavily loaded on the G'ville leg we averaged 18.6 MPG @ 70 MPH.  On the G'ville to HC leg we slowed to 65 MPH to see if MPG would improve.  Not much -- 19.4 MPG.

We realistically expect much less when towing a trailer that can weigh up to four and a half tons, but thus far we're pleased..

A trailer is born
Posted by Sam on Tuesday, April 25, 2006

After what's seemed like an interminable wait, our trailer has been built, and yesterday was scheduled to leave the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, OH. for Bates RV in Tampa, FL. We bought it at Bates and will accept delivery there on Wednesday, May 3rd.

Airstream laid the cornerstone on April 11th (trailers probably don't have a cornerstone, so they may have popped a ceremonial golden rivet). Anyway, construction finished on April 19th. This was followed by two days of inspection and testing.  It was ready for shipment on April 21st, but that was a Friday so we assume it rested until Monday.  The delayed start on its first trip is prophetic as we're infamous for being last out of the campground every morning, .

We'll post more details and photos when we pick it up, but here's an overview: Ours is the 28' long Classic model.  That's pretty much in the middle of Airstream's size range -- their smallest is the ultra-cute 16' Bambi that looks like a toaster on wheels, and the longest is the 34' model with triple axles and an expandable living room.  For obvious reasons, the Bambi is primarily for weekend use and the 34' is usually purchased by folks who live in it full time.

This is a photo of a 28' Classic, but it's not ours.  (In yachting magazines it would be called a "Sister Ship.")

A new TV (but no LaVerne & Shirley)
Posted by Sam on Sunday, March 26, 2006

For you who are interested in the details, here they are:

• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
• Crew Cab
• 4 wheel drive
• Duramax 6600 V8 turbocharged diesel
• Allison 1000 series 6-speed transmission
• 6.5' bed
• 3.73 axle ratio
• LT3 interior package
• Maximum towing capacity 12,000 lbs.

Our only regret is not getting the optional rear seat DVD player so we could watch re-runs of LaVerne & Shirley on the new TV.
 

"An itch you've scratched a long time."
Posted by Sam on Friday, March 17, 2006