The Clipper, 1936

 The Clipper, 1936, at the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art

The accompanying note dubs this an "airplane without wings", and says Wally Byam was taking advantage of the burgeoning aircraft industry in Los Angeles which enabled him to hire skilled craftsmen.  This was named after the Pan Am Clipper.

Thanks to CJ for this photo!

Velcro

When our Airstream had carpeting (ozite) on the walls, we used Velcro hook self-stick tape to attach things.  Just stick it on the back of a decorative badge, a picture, a router, a modem - whatever - and stick it to the wall. 

Now that we have removed the carpeting, we could not give up Velcro.  Here we used it to attach a lamp to our table.

  Just be sure you select a good aggressive Velcro - preferably from a hardware store.

Adventure Travel - Dust Storm

This blog has so far mostly been about renovation - or retro-vation as we call it. Thus, it has mostly discussed construction and products, which is interesting to us, but we never forget the purpose behind all this and our ultimate goal: TRAVEL.  We are mostly stuck right now for a variety of factors, but we did have a little adventure travel recently.

On a trip (without the Airstream) on Interstate 10 near Casa Grande, AZ, we ran into one of the infamous dust storms there.  The desert develops a hard surface over time, so only disturbed soil generates dust.  In that area, there is a lot of farming (Pima cotton comes from Pima County and Pinal County), and some construction.  Thus, if the wind is strong, there are terrible dust storms, some of which occasionally result in massive pile-ups and shocking death tolls.  No one seems to know what to do about it, including the AZ Dept. of Transportation.  The only advice I've heard is get off the road - like onto the desert - and turn your lights off so no one follows you. 

The problem is, you really have no time to react.  It was that windy kind of day.  The radio had alerts not to use leaf blowers and for people with allergies and respiratory illnesses to stay inside.  We could see lots of dust devils and a brownish haze.  Then, as we were driving south, a dust cloud rolled over us, instantly reducing visibility so we could not see the truck right in front of us.  It was only for 3 seconds or so, but it was amazing to suddenly be so blind.  Luckily, it was that brief and from then on it was fine, and the beautiful Arizona sunshine returned.

Tow Vehicles - Part 2

Having decided to replace our F250, we - that is, Max - started to look around for a suitable replacement.  There were 3 changes we wanted:  1) better gas mileage, 2) a gas engine, and 3) a blue truck.  There was one change we didn't want: less towing capacity.  We found 2 local vehicles to fit these criteria:  a Toyota Tundra with a double cab that would tow 11,000 GVWR, and a Ford F150 XLT Short Bed Crew Cab with Eco-Boost that would also tow 11,000 GVWR.  (BTW, both are made in the US, a bonus!)  We chose the Ford, mostly because Max was confident in their engines and because they would take the F250 on a trade-in. 

And here it is.  The color is actually darker than it appears here - a Navy Blue.  The coolest thing is the Eco-Boost.  Here is how Ford explains it:

EcoBoost® Engine

Ford engineers drew from their extensive experience using direct injection technology and turbocharging in diesel engine development and created the innovative EcoBoost® engine option that's unsurpassed in combined power, efficiency and capability. Direct injection produces a cooler, denser charge that generates more power per every drop of fuel, while the two small air-to-air intercooled turbochargers spool up much more quickly than a single large turbo. What you experience is instantaneous low-end torque responsiveness with virtually no turbo lag. EcoBoost generates 90 percent of its amazing 420 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,700 to 5,000 rpm. And can it tow? F-150 with EcoBoost has best-in-class maximum towing capability at 11,300 lbs.

The power is instantaneous and incredible - just like a sports car.  That's a huge safety factor and fun to boot! 

It also has the Tow Package and built-in Trailer Brake Controls and Electronic Locking Rear Differential and a Tailgate Step.  The digital control panel gives a constant read-out of average mpg plus "miles until empty".  And, the mirrors even when not extended (which they do) give the best rear view of any truck we've had.

So, all in all, we are delighted with the new F150, and hope to use it for many years and many aluminum adventures!

Tow Vehicles - Part 1

Of course with all the attention on the trailer you're pulling, we don't always focus on the tow vehicle.  But they can make your life either a breeze or, if they are malfunctioning, a misery.  We have had 3 different tow vehicles, all Ford trucks. The Airstream 25' Safari is about 6300 GVWR dry weight and 7000 loaded.  Many tow rigs are right on this cusp -- pretty adequate most of the time, but when you get to those long slogs uphill, they are not happy, which means the owners are sweating it too.  That was certainly the case with our first 2 F150s.
We live in Arizona which, although not directly in the Rocky Mountains, has a lot of topography - the hilly kind that is! Just drive through the Salt River Canyon.  It's about 5,000 feet of upward climbing, then an abrupt 5,000 foot descent, then a steep 6,000 feet of up again to reach Showlow and Pinetop.  It's absolutely gorgeous, but your truck is probably not enjoying the view!

Thus, in 2006 we traded the last F-150 for an F-250 diesel turbo with 11,000 GVWR.  It was one of those loss leader types of advertisements to get you to the dealer, and then you are supposed to find something else you wanted.  But we knew what we wanted - a great price on an F-250 and, arriving first thing the morning of the sale, we got it.  Wow!  It was a wonderful truck.  You didn't even know the trailer was behind it.  And, it was a Lariat, with leather seats, etc. etc. etc.!

But, all good things come to an end.  First the truck had a little adventure.  It was stolen from a Lowe's parking lot.  The thieves, a couple young guys, were caught the same afternoon for speeding, and took off through the desert with a Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff right behind.  When they came to a gate, they abandoned the truck, unfortunately leaving it in neutral.  It rolled backward into the Deputy Sheriff's "unit", as she called it.  She soon had them under arrest, and wasn't too pleased about the damage to her vehicle.  Although our truck was returned and did not suffer any major damage, it had some cosmetic scratches (cactus?) and the back bumper was bent.  The thieves are out on probation, and they are supposed to each pay us $50 per month for the damage.  We have received one $50 payment in 6 months. 

We did get a bonus, though.  There were 36 Wendy's hamburgers stuffed in bags (human smuggling?) and a sheet of drywall in the bed (to hide bales of marijuana?).  But, best of all, nothing else in the truck was touched, even some credit cards tucked into the door pocket.  It was a lesson in not living out of your vehicle.

The real negative, however, was that the truck got about 11 mpg while towing, and diesel fuel is about 70 cents more per gallon than gas where we live.  That adds up really fast.  Since the truck is 6 years old, we decided it was time to trade, and that is why I am speaking of this truck is the past tense.  As of today, it is history - a fond memory.

A Little History

In late 2000, we made a deal for the purchase of a brand new 25 ft. Airstream Safari at a great price if we would pick it up in Kansas City before the end of February 2001.  We were living in Vermont at the time, so after attending a meeting in upstate New York, we hightailed it across the states of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri and arrived with no time to spare.  The people at the dealership told us our sales person had not come into work in days (I still wonder what the story was), but there in the shop was our beautiful shiny Airstream - our Silver Twinkie. 

After the tour (I was desperately hoping that Max, at least, was listening, because I certainly couldn't), we bravely took off through rain and sleet on Interstate 70.  Max's beaming grin, however, quickly turned to puzzlement.  We had seen the photos of Wally Byam (Airstream's founding father) towing an Airstream with a bicycle.  Ours was pulling like a brick.  We pulled into a truck stop - that was a fun novelty - and discovered, verified by a phone call, that the dealer (who shall remain nameless) had forgotten to check the tire pressure.  The Airstream had been sitting on his lot for who knows how long!  But soon we were on our way, smiling foolishly again.  When we stopped at a rest area mid-afternoon and took a quick nap in our new bed, we were completely sold.

Through the years, we have traveled to many wonderful places and taken many cross country trips with the Airstream.  We have enjoyed Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado and, the place we eventually settled, Tucson.  Here we are the first summer in Hershey, PA, a memorable trip with our youngest son, then about 15.  (I'm not sure it is a fond memory for him - cozying up with Mom and Dad in 100 square feet of living space.)

We spent our 25th wedding anniversary in the Twinkie at the Grand Canyon, and our next anniversary at the North Rim.  We have enjoyed several trips to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) in Mexico where the RV park is right on the ocean's edge.  When the weather gets hot in Tucson and we can get away, we escape to the mountains.  Here we are in San Bernadino National Forest in California:






But, our Airstream is definitely a multi-purpose vehicle and has more uses than aluminum adventure.  We lived in it while building our first home in Tucson, and after we sold a later home in 2010 along with most of our furniture, we lived in it full time for a year (with the help of a storage shed).  Here is our patio and art studio in Western Way RV Park - a fun crowd!

But, there have been other uses also.  When Max became an auctioneer (a lifelong dream - and he has a great chant!), we used it as a base for a large equipment auction he held in Vermont.

And we used it as a sales office at Starr Ridge in Tucson before the model homes were open:

And in 2010, we stayed overnight in it to shorten our commute (and lessen the time we were imposing on friends) while engaged in a renovation project in an industrial park in Vermont.

It is truly a wonderful, versatile, cozy home.  When we purchased it, my sister asked me how many hotel nights we could pay for with that amount of money.  Obviously, it is so much more to us than an anonymous room, but I know that we long ago passed the point where we are receiving a huge return on our investment - both in delight and lucre.

It will be a vehicle for adventure for many years to come.  And the next adventure is - The Retro-vation.

Retro-vation 2011

Having lived in our Airstream full time for a year (2010 to 2011), we were ready for a change.  I should mention that we have lived in 7 different houses in the last 10 years, many of which we renovated or finished ourselves. (This does not include a lake cottage which we also fixed up, or a rental property which we renovated, the year in the Airstream, or some miscellaneous other building projects.) Thus, the only thing consistent about us is our inconsistency.  Change is good!  As such, the Airstream actually had a pretty good run in going ten years without a “renovation”.  But, there were a couple minor projects.   This photo shows the results of both (did I mentioned we also had a real estate business while we were living full time in the Airstream?).  We call it Home Sweet Office.

Carpet

     

The first (which probably should have been done a lot sooner than we did it) was to eliminate the baby blue carpeting that it came with.  (Yes, you read that right – pale blue.)  I know the Airstream brand has a certain sophistication to it, but someone apparently forgot that it is for camping. 

The first solution was, of course, put throw rugs everywhere.  But, we finally broke down a few years ago and installed laminate flooring – a nice Pergo medium brown.  It was great, but not indestructible.  There was the time the lock on the closet door failed and the TV tumbled out and made a serious dent in the floor (the TV was fine!).  And there were a couple dog water dish accidents that raised the edges on some of the boards.  Thus, stay tuned for the new look.

The Couch

Airstream comes with a wonderful couch (see above picture) that pulls out into a bed, has storage underneath, and has storage bins under the arms.  Too good to be true?  Yes.  It was, sad to say, uncomfortable to sit on.  We inevitably ended up sitting on the dinette cushions and letting the dogs sleep on the couch (on horse blankets – which I highly recommend).  So, when we were moving full time into our Airstream after selling our house, we took out the couch, traded it to a local dealer for some maintenance work, and replaced it with a couple leather wingback chairs.  They were wonderful as long as we weren’t traveling.  We did put non-slide pads under the feet, which really helped on the road, but they were heavy and awkward.  Now that we have a house again, they are in our living room, so we are again challenged with seating.