[VAC] Re: WBCC #65 "Bubble"

[Richard Dais <rdais@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Gerald, 
Actually it's #165 -- it belonged to Oscar and Etta
Payne from Laramie, Wyo., and yes, it is the Bubble
that was on the African caravan. Etta wrote the book
"Home Was Never Like This" about the '56 European
caravan, which was featured in the National Geographic
in 1957.  If you have Bryan Burkhart's book "Airstream
-- The History of the Land Yacht," there is a photo of
the trailer entering El Salvador on page 124. There is
also a pic of it in "Trailer Travel Here and Abroad"
-- the caption reads "A Small Mudhole Near Negelli"
[Africa]. In the mid-60s the Paynes moved to the
location where the trailer is now and started their
own trailer park.  I have a photograph I took of it at
an A/S rally near Cody in 1969.  It was pretty ratty
even then, but I was fascinated by the world map on
the side along with all of the countries they had
visited painted in red lettering. I had always
wondered what happened to it, and then this summer I
came zipping by and, lo and behold, there it was.  As
you seem to have done, I am being deliberately vague
about where the trailer is located; I think the little
guy is happy just where he is.
Best Regards,
Rich
Denver, CO 
(formerly of Cody)