Hi Gang,
One of the experiences we have with our shiny Airstream is the number of
strangers who come up to us with questions about it. They ask how did we get
it to shine like that, is the inside restored too, do they still make them,
are they as easy to tow as they look, where can I get a used one, and on and
on. Many just want to talk about the Airstream they once owned.
We didn't realize how much of a conversation piece our shiny Airstream would
become. After all, she was the same Airstream we had been towing around the
continent for years with rarely a comment. Here are a few that occurred
during the Fall 2003 Lighthouse Color Caravan around Michigan's Peninsula.
1 - While refueling just before our caravan rendezvous, a man in his 30s
pulled up to the next pump. There was a woman and two children in the front
seat of his pick-up truck. After he replaced the pump nozzle, he looked over
at me and asked: "Did you restore that Airstream?" I nodded, "Yes." He
asked, "How long did it take? " I replied with a grin, "Forever." He asked,
"How often do you use it?" I answered, "Each Summer, we travel with it for
several months."
I added, "The two biggest parts of restoring it were doing the mechanical
work to make it reliably roadworthy and refurbishing the interior. The
smallest part (10%) of the restoration was making it shiny. That was done
last Winter by a friend who specializes in refinishing Airstreams."
For a moment, he reflected on what I said, then mumbled, "Looks sharp" and
walked off to pay his bill. After I paid my bill, he walked with me back to
our vehicles and asked, "Where can I get one of those?" I replied, "The
Airstream Classifieds on the Internet. There were about 300 of them on the
list last week." We exchanged email addresses and I offered to answer other
questions he might have after he returned home.
2 - At a Taco Bell Restaurant, we parked along an edge of the Restaurant's
parking lot near two young men (20s) walking to their very large dump truck.
They looked over at me as I got out of our Suburban and commented, "I'll bet
that diesel has no trouble pulling your little Airstream." I replied, "It
does okay." One man asked, "Is it easier to pull a shiny trailer?" I said
with tongue in cheek, "It's much easier especially going downhill." In all
seriousness, he answered, "Yes, that makes sense." They continued walking
toward their truck. I smiled.
3 - In a McDonald's parking lot near Petoskey, a man came running out the
restaurant to ask me what kind of wax I used on the Airstream. I told him,
"There is no wax on it because wax would dull the shine. It's only the plain
raw aluminum with the oxidation buffed off." He was in disbelief. "How long
does it take to do that?" I replied, "Ten hours per running foot. This is a
22' Airstream." In disgust, he marched off muttering something about "too
much work."
Then, while waiting in line to order, he came over and asked, "What's the
inside like?" I told him all the woodwork is refinished, it has new foam
cushions, new upholstery, new drapes, new Berber carpet, all appliances work
perfectly and everything is white glove clean. His next question was
predictable, "What's it worth?" With some people I give a direct answer.
With him, I asked, "What are you willing to offer?" He replied, "Oh, I was
just curious." He didn't linger while my order was being taken, nor did he
express further interest.
4 - In an Arby's Restaurant parking lot, a father and son came over and
said, "We have a '67 Airstream just like yours," then asked, "Why do you
have solar panels?" I told them. "The solar panels keep our batteries fully
charged without being plugged into a utility box." They asked about rainy
days. I replied, "Our two solar panels charge our two deep cycle marine
batteries every day rain or shine AND every Winter even under three feet of
snow." They seemed especially interested, so I gave them a copy of four
handouts I wrote a few years ago when I did seminars on solar power.
Next, they wanted to know if I had trouble locating parts for our vintage
trailer. I asked if they had a computer at home. They said, "Yes," so I gave
them the website address of the Vintage Airstream Discussion List and told
them they could access 50,000 pages of archives describing everything about
restoring and repairing old Airstreams AND finding obsolete parts.
They hadn't heard of the Internet list, so I told them, "The Vintage
Airstream Discussion List is an e-mail based discussion group for Vintage
Airstream travel trailer owners and enthusiasts. The list is open to all
comers regardless of Airstream ownership or not. They do not need to be a
member of either the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) or the
Vintage Airstream Club (VAC) in order to participate in the discussions of
The Vintage Airstream Discussion List."
The father asked about the number of people on the list. I said, "As of last
week, the discussion group had about 800 members who read all comments and
questions every day of the year. Within a few days of asking a question,
several replies will appear in the daily digest. Many friendships are
started on the list long before we see each other or our Airstreams."
Both father and son seemed sincere, so I encouraged them to contact me
directly by email if they have any difficulty finding parts. I know from
experience it can take persistence and ingenuity to track down some of the
"difficult to find" parts. As every good investigative journalist knows,
intense leg work is often needed when tracking down leads.
Also, I told them, "It's common for many restorers of Vintage Airstreams to
hold off beginning the restoration until they have another identical trailer
to use for parts. They want their own mobile parts supply building. And,
there are others who buy any year of wrecked Airstream from a junk yard,
scavenger it for parts, and then sell it back to the junk yard."
5 - At a shopping mall parking lot outside of Mackinaw City, a man and his
wife stopped to ask how we liked our "small" Airstream and if it had a
bathroom. I told them we like it and prefer it for caravans instead of our
larger Airstream - specifically because of the bathroom.
I mentioned last July, when 200+ families walked through our Airstream at
the Vintage Airstream Open House during the International Airstream
Convention in Burlington, VT. The predominant comment was about the spacious
feeling in our 22' Airstream and its bathroom. One woman told us, "Your
bathroom is even bigger than the bathroom in our 34' Airstream."
Although I hadn't thought about it this way before, Sandie surprised me when
she said the bathroom in our 22' Airstream is twice as big as the one in our
32' Airstream. She misses the even larger bathroom we had in our '77 31'
Airstream.
6 - At a Wal-Mart parking lot, another Airstreamer (not with the caravan)
pulled up alongside of us, greeted us and said our Airstream was too shiny.
He wasn't smiling so I replied with, "Maybe so, it sure helps when I'm
recruiting for WBCCI and our local Unit." His next comment was that WBCCI
membership is down and some of the local Units aren't getting new members.
That was an opening I hadn't seen coming, so I told him about the Washington
DC Unit (WDCU).
"Several years ago, this new WBCCI Unit was started by a handful of folks
who owned both Vintage and newer Airstreams. Our group came from several
states in the Union. The name Washington DC was chosen because it
represents every state in the Union. Membership in WDCU has increased each
year since. Many of our members own two Vintage Airstreams, while a few own
several."
I mentioned to my Wal-Mart Airstreamer there are local WBCCI Units who are
increasing their membership by increasing their emphasis on activities for
owners of Vintage Airstreams. They join the Vintage Airstream Discussion
List and talk up the local rallies and caravans. New owners are invited to
rallies."
He wanted to know what I meant by "activities" for owners of Vintage
Airstreams." I told him about a recent WDCU rally where we held Two-Minute
Show & Tell Seminars on the nitty gritty of owning an old Airstream - and
about the International Rally where we held an Open House event with prizes
and ribbons for various categories. "Merely by adding a few different kinds
of activities to traditional activities, new owners and restorers of vintage
Airstreams are becoming more involved and many end up joining the WDCU."
There was more I would have mentioned, but I saw a glaze coming over his
eyes. My enthusiasm for talking about recruiting new members was on a roll,
but I sensed he had turned me off and was waiting for an opening to
"Yeah-but" me. I paused to see if I was right. Sure enough, he jumped in
with, "Yeah-but there aren't enough owners of Vintage Airstreams to make any
difference in WBCCI's membership." I thought to myself - "Really?"
With the rain coming down harder, I pulled back and let it go with, "Maybe
yes, maybe no. It'll be interesting to learn how it turns out. Perhaps we'll
see you again some time and can compare notes." I decided this was one of
those conversations which needed more involvement than I had available.
7 - About midway during the Lighthouse caravan, I commented to another
caravaner we had a "lady-in-waiting" (a '63 22' Flying Cloud Airstream) at
home which hasn't been restored yet. His immediate question was, "Why did
you buy a third one when you're still working on this one?" My simple answer
was, "She has smooth graceful lines that will shine up beautifully, her
interior is 1960s elegant, and there are only a handful of this model in
existence."
As soon as I spoke those words, I knew my problem. The more I learn about
which models are rarest and which have the prerequisite features for a good
restoration, the more difficult it is for me to ignore the opportunity to
buy one when I'm staring it right in the face - particularly when the price
is right.
Sandie and I have come to think of restoring these old Airstreams as a
healthy hobby. There is more fun and satisfaction in making all systems
"good to go" than we dreamed possible. It's a pleasure to pick out materials
and fabrics for refurbishing these old beauties. It's true that traveling
with a thirty to fifty year old Airstream and its mechanical needs can be
both a challenge and a treat, but there's a lot more to it than that.
It's about rubbing shoulders with similar minded people who spark on solving
problems where there are no manuals showing construction or engineering
details. It's about friendships with seasoned owners who share their wisdom,
their experiences and their insights. It's about creatively and diligently
bringing one of these most recognizable RVs in the world back to life and
into full dependable service.
It's about camaraderie with a wide variety of Airstream owners. It's about
the excitement, the exhilaration and adventure of traveling wherever,
whenever and however we choose with either a Vintage or a newer Airstream.
Before Sandie and I reach age 90, we may be forced to settle down and become
traditional "old folks." That day isn't close, but when it does arrive, I
hope we'll be able to embrace it with a style and easy poise similar to how
our shiny Airstream feels when cruising along. Maybe that's when we'll
write another book.
Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net