All,
An early morning flight from LAX last Tuesday got us into Sacramento
Airport at 10:15 AM where we met the owner of our new Caravel. Marilyn and
I went out to the parking lot to see her in all her gleaming splendor. The
outside is very clean with the to-be-expected minor dents in the banana
skin. Did I use the right term her to describe the skin that turns under
the vertical skin?
Anyway, she presented well and had very good curb appeal, to steal a
real estate term. The interior is also very clean with minor deficiencies,
a few of which I already resolved with a quick trip to an RV store.
We drove with the former owner to the local U-Haul dealer and exchanged
tow vehicles. We rented a one-way, 14 foot box Ford truck and had a few
tense moments in the lot trying to get the 2" hitch to fit the 2" ball on
the back of the U-Haul. There's a curled lip on my hitch, the front of
which interfered with the L channel the ball is welded to. No amount of
persuading could get it to seat until I got out my trusty claw hammer from
the assortment of tools I brought up with me (thanks Gerald) and proceeded
to slowly and deliberately peen that front lip. Well, about 2-3 minutes of
moving and shaping allowed us to drop the hitch on the ball like a hand in a
glove.
We left Sacramento around 1PM and headed for Los
Gatos where I had bought an Equal-i-Zer brand of sway control hitch (17 to
22 foot model) on eBay and arranged to pick it up personally on the trip
south at the sellers home. The hitch is in perfect used condition and I
paid a very fair price for it. I did not hook it up as there's no receiver
on the U-Haul for such purposes so I just threw it in the back of the truck
where all the parts miraculously sat and didn't move around. Did I mention
that I also bought the Caravel on eBay?
From there we headed south to Monterey where my mother lives and arrived
there just before dusk.
Yesterday morning we headed south from Monterey for San Luis Obispo and
what was to be a quick visit with Jo Ann Wheatley of this List and her
husband Pat. Jo Ann has taken on yeoman duty restoring her mid 50's Bubble
by single handedly gutting the interior and removing all the rotted and
moldy flooring. She is now essentially rebuilding the Bubble from the frame
up. The work site is at the side of their lovely and inviting house where
two talented guys are doing Jo Ann's bidding assisting her with her custom
design ideas that are nothing short of brilliant!
Don't be surprised if you see her Bubble written up in some prestigious
magazine showing what cool things she's done.
Well, Jo Ann and Pat would have nothing of our rushing off and they not
only invited us to stay for dinner but Pat led us to a lovely State RV park
in Pizmo Beach, what turned out to be about a 15 mile trip each way. After
our self-registering and parking in a space, Pat drove us back to their
house where we sat down to a delicious dinner of baked ham and potatoes and
all the fancy stuff to go along with it.
Let's not forget the tremendous welcome their two dogs, Slick and Joan
Jet gave our pup Gwen. I might add that Gwen is a Guide Dog in training and
flew with us at our feet on the flight to Sacramento. Gwen showed her
gratitude to Jo Ann, Pat, Slick and Joan Jet by throwing up on their lovely
dining room rug just at the onset of dinner. I was mortified and apologized
up one side and down the other to all within earshot numerous times. Our
hosts were SO cool and calm about Gewn's little discretion and after I
cleaned up, we resumed our meal as if nothing happened. Thank you for your
understanding Jo Ann and Pat, I owe you Big Time!
When dinner was finished, we said our good-bye's to Jo Ann, and Pat
hustled us into his car again for the return trip to the State RV park.
Many thanks again to you, Jo Ann and Pat for your generous hospitality
to a couple of virtual strangers. We were very impressed with you two and
want to publicly extend the same offer to you if you ever make it down our
way.
This morning just after sunrise we headed for home from Pizmo Beach and
arrived in Santa Monica around noon with both the truck and the Caravel in
the same shape they were when we left from Sacramento Tuesday afternoon.
About the driving experience south. We hit every conceivable road,
traffic and weather condition known to man short of snow and black ice. The
9,900 pound U-Haul towed the Caravel as if it weren't there at all. The
engine was more than powerful to move us along at safe highway speeds and
despite unconsciously going over the speed limit at times, there wasn't even
a hint of fish tailing or sway, not even once. This included being passed
by, and passing semi rigs at slow, moderate and high speeds. Folks, I'm
talking almost no sway or buffeting whatsoever! What a great combination of
truck and trailer. Then there were the gusting winds (15-20, approaching 25
or higher at times) that followed us all the way south accompanied by rain
from light misting to downpour that even the wipers had a hard time keeping
up with. I tell you, what a baptism by fire we had. Hey, bring it all on,
after that I can almost take anything.
The truck is two darned bulky and the aft step platform is such as to
interfere with tight reverse turns to use it for the final tow into the back
of the property from the alley despite our two fence gates that make for a
12 foot access. Tomorrow our neighbor will assist with his Toyota Tundra
in the final move.
As to the feared and dreaded Questa grade, (thanks anyway Susan) I had
gained enough confidence at that point with the performance of the truck
that I took it without trepidation. The truck has overdrive which I used
all the time on the road. It came in especially handy on serious downgrades
like Questa where all I had to do was to disengage it with the push of a
conveniently located button on the end of the shift selector. In this
mode, my speed never exceeded 60 MPH without ever having to touch the
brakes. I kept a very safe distance between me and all vehicles ahead of me
at all times and never even got close to a panic situation. Well, that's
not true, I had four or five cases of cars slipping in front of me with very
little wiggle room to spare. That's when Dr. Adrenaline took over the
driving and he and I just backed off and let them go their way. There were
no real close calls at all.
Sorry to have dragged you through all this but I wanted to share with
you my successful trip home and thought some of you might enjoy the story.
I absolutely could not have done it without all the helpful suggestions and
support I got from the good folks of this List.
Now for my questions about where to find parts. Well, it's started
already, I need several items right off the bat. Is there a source for
replacement locker latches used in the 1969 Airstreams, specifically my
Caravel? I have in my hand a cream-white plastic, one piece latch measuring
2" X 2 3/8" with three mounting holes. This is the type that is operated
with one hand by squeezing the tab in order to open the locker door. This
one is tabless and there's no way to keep the locker closed. Sources
anyone? While we're on the subject, I could also use source information for
the one missing metal crank for the overhead vent. Lastly, I need to find a
source for the curtain slides that fit into the inverted U track over each
if not all of the windows.
So to recap, I need:
1. An exact replacement white plastic latch.
2. An exact replacement hand crank for the overhead vent (or two so I
can have one spare).
3. The curtain slides for the existing slide track.
Again, thanks to everybody who has been so kind to Marilyn and me with
advise and food.
Glyn Judson
Proud new owner of a 1969 Airstream Caravel, #508
Santa Monica CA
The plate outside by the door reads: C33 FJ above the words Land Yacht
A travel Trailer and below that, 018D9 S508 so I assume it's #508. What
does all the rest of the numbering mean?