Airstreams in The Wilds

[DanB]

a wild kid.....

[DanB]

Please note that a new gallery has been created to hold our Wilds images: http://www.airforums.com/photos/brow...?c=3405&userid=

[TinLoaf]

Folks,

I've posted about 40 photos to an online photo gallery that I create for every rally I attend. Check it out. There are at least 10 other rally galleries as well, including last weekend's Cape to Cairo Caravan.

At the top of the gallery page there's a button that allows you to upload your own photos to the gallery to share with everyone. It's been very successful in the past.

http://web.mac.com/skmentz/Airstream



Here are some highlights.

[DanB]

Very nice album!

Hope everyone got home safe. I very much enjoyed the weekend & I hope everyone else did also.

I do have a couple of "found items". Maddie's pink hoodie. Basket of plastic animals (nicks?), and a chair.

I'm looking forward to some more photos!

[64airstream]

Well there are a few photos safely locked away in our camera that we’d like to post, but we’re experiencing some challenges. As best I can understand, as a "not so sharp" computer type, we are experiencing Norton’s version of organ rejection. Our computer no longer recognizes or accepts the camera as a compatible organ. In fact, since installing Norton’s 360, none of the drives are compatible, except the hard drive. Marie will perform the necessary surgical procedures. I’m confident, the patient will either survive or it won’t. So, before the Operating Room commences activities that could result in somber family gathering, allow me to post the following:

The rally was great!
DanB, the idea was excellent and we truly appreciate all of your effort and coordination. On the drive into the location, just as I was starting to think the road was pretty rough and dusty, it dawned on me, Pee Wee and the 1959 caravanners would have been thrilled to have roads this good. He confirmed that Friday evening by saying, “that would have been a super highway to them in many areas they travelled.” So, to me, that was actually a great way to start the rally. That evening, Pee Wee regaled us with eye witness accounts of the trip and answered questions until there were no more to be asked. The mood was clearly set.

The open space, the dry grass, the odd small tree here and there, maybe one could envision an overnight somewhere on the savanna of the dark continent. Add some rustically hung black and white enlarged photos from 1959, a central campfire, and a clear night sky with stars so close you don’t really need your iPhone to pick them out, and perhaps we’re even one step closer. Now, some good food and good drink (although way too much of both to draw a fair parallel) and another step is taken. A service project with some teamwork and “moderately” heavy lifting, pulling, pushing, sawing and digging takes us a little closer still. Everyone pitching in for a community “pot luck” lunch was probably a frequent experience on the real caravan. Now, throw in the safari. Some kind of cow that looks like a bear and walks like a bear, camels, wild dogs, Cheetah, deer with racks the size of a Buick, unicorns (really Nick, ask your daughters), Zebra and many others greeted us. We even got to pet a Rhinoceros. (That was a first for me, although many of you probably pet Rhinos all the time.) So now, we’ve taken a few more steps toward Africa and 1959. Then, watching the caravan documentary video around the campfire, with Pee Wee to fill in answers to any new questions, surely we’ve made it to the 1959 caravan experience. Well, probably not. Not until you add the one ingredient that can’t be easily measured. In a very short period of time, people with a common interest and excitement about Airstreaming, came together, worked together, ate together, and enjoyed each other’s company. We became friends with a common memory of a very special time. That is likely the single thing most like the 1959 caravan, and that is an experience worth its weight in gold trailers.
Thanks for allowing us to be a part of the experience,
Marie and Roy

[Sugarfoot]

Nicely said, 64airstream. And I hope you and "the patient" survive to upload again.

Just got home late this afternoon. Had a bad flat this morning on I-81. Thank goodness for AAA. I found out that roll-backs can tow too. He pulled my whole rig to the shop and I baked cookies for the guys while they worked on my Titan.



Just uploaded a bunch of photos to TinLoaf's gallery. Again, in reverse chrono order and some flipped orientation with the upload. Oh well.

I had a great time. Thanks Dan, for putting together this rally.

[66Overlander]

Since I made all of you pose for photos (except PeeWee, who I missed somehow, so I had to crop him out of an action shot), here are the photos of all the attendees at "Airstream in the Wilds". I know that in a few cases I missed little ones, but as you know, time was often short to get the photo's. Sorry for those that I missed.

Here are the 1st half of the attendees (alphabetical after the 1st two):
PeeWee (our Special Guest)
DanB (our Hosts): Dan, Dawn, & Drew - 1970 Safari
3streams: Andy & April - 1961 Overlander
3streams (April's) parents: George & Suzanne - 1967 Globetrotter
64airstream: Roy & Marie - 1964 Safari
66Overlander: Joe & Lorrie - 1994 28' Excella
atobols: Jason, Andrea, Parker & Mason - 1974 Overlander
bertro: Robert (Hanna & Ben not in photo) - 1971 Safari

[66Overlander]

Here are the 2nd half of the attendee photos:

Foiled Again & PrudencePB: Paula & Karen: 2006 Safari
Ganglin: Gary & Peggy - 1971 Overlander
Grand Master: Mike & Mary - 1963 Tradewind
Shacksman: Doug & Terry - 1960 Ambassador
Sugarfoot & soldiermedic: - 1960 Tradewind
TinLoaf: Steve - 2006 Safari
vinfan: Mike & Margaret (kids not in photo) - 1984 Excella 270 Motorhome
wiegand01: Nick (Grace & Faith not in photo) - 1964 Safari

[wiegand01]

I just wanted to say thank you to each and every person that made it to the rally. My daughters Grace, Faith, and myself had a fantastic time and are looking forward to meeting up with all of you again. It was by far my favorite rally because of the boondocking and the trip through the Wilds. Thanks to all of you

Nick

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by Sugarfoot

Just got home late this afternoon. Had a bad flat this morning on I-81. Thank goodness for AAA. I found out that roll-backs can tow too. He pulled my whole rig to the shop and I baked cookies for the guys while they worked on my Titan.

Attachment 87518

That was such a nice thing to do for your mechanics. Glad the flat was on the tow vehicle and not the Tradewind.

[CrzyCorpsman]

Geez. You guys have all the fun!! Looks like it turned out to be a great rally. Wish that I could have been there for this one. I haven't seen any Airstreams over here in Guam, but I'm looking all the time

Thanks for all of the pics.

[Foiled Again]

The trip back was less epic than the "foggy mountains" inward. Glad to see everyone is home safe with nothing worse than a flat on a tow vehicle. Whew.

I'll remember this trip for a long, long time. The field at the top of a mountain was fantastic, though I sure wouldn't have wanted to bring a 34 tri-axle up that road! The second night I watched the deer come up the path and explore the Airstreams. They really weren't too happy with our invasion, but since we left it as we found it, they're probably frolicking there right now.

Perhaps we could have a "world's dustiest Airstream" contest, eh? That last couple of miles covered mine thoroughly - and I hadn't washed it befor departing Va. Beach. I know How I'm going to be spending this weekend!

This could easily become an annual event!

Paula

[Grand Master]

This weekend rekindled fond childhood memories for me. I can clearly remember my Dad talking about wanting to go on the African Caravan. I will always remember seeing Wally at a pre-African Caravan rally that he attended to promote the caravan.

Dale "Pee Wee" regaled us with stories of the caravan.

Great people.
Great food.
Great conversations and fun.

It reminded me of the people I met as a child Airstreaming. Nice people of all ages and backgrounds that enjoy travel & adventure.

Mike

[oldtrucksrul]

WOW, Tinloaf, your photos are great. Sugarfoot, The photo of the nissan on the car hauler pulling the AS is great, sorry for your luck though, glad your feeling better! I would love to make it to this rally next year if it's going to become a annual event. I have to schedule my vacation a year in advanced. Does anyone know when it might be scheduled next year, so i can pencil it in?

Cory

[TinLoaf]

Originally Posted by oldtrucksrul

WOW, Tinloaf, your photos are great.

Don't give me all the credit. A majority of those photos were uploaded by other photographers in the group. That's what makes the gallery such a success. You get to see the rally from everyone's perspective, not just one. Heck, that's the only way I ever see a picture of myself.

[prudencepb]

I'll root for this becoming an annual event!
Even though I only a "silversister" to Foiled Again (She calls me the heir apparent) I had a great time.
Prudence-pb
aka Karen

[64airstream]

Success! The patient survived, Norton's 360 has been surgically corrected and we can get to our pictures.

With that said, Steve, great job on the photo gallery. We've got a set of almost all the same photos, just taken from a different seat on the bus. So here's a couple of subjects, I didn't remember seeing.

Parker as dapper as ever in his pith helmet.
Mattie custom cutting a bench support.
The service project is ready to be tested.
"Marlo" always looks sad when she's leaving camp.

Roy

[66Overlander]

Maybe soon I'll get to adding my photos to the gallery, but for now you'll have to just go with the attendees photos I posted to this thread yesterday.

My main reason for writing, however, is to pass a big
THANK YOU!!!
to DanB for organizing this event and to his family for being so accommodating and to Pee Wee for attending and sharing his stories. I also want to thank everyone else who attended for the great time and fascinating conversations. This was our first ever boondocking rally and we really enjoyed it and the out of the way camp site.

[TinLoaf]

Several folks have asked for my Apple Crisp recipe, so here it is:

Apple (or Rhubarb) Crisp

Crust
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup oatmeal

Mix together. Save about a quarter of the mixture to crumble on top. Press 3/4 of the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Add 6 cups of sliced apples on the crust. I used Granny Smith but Wealthy or McIntosh are better.

Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 Tablespoon cinnemon

Combine and boil until syrupy. Pour hot syrup over apples and crumble remaining crust mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Enjoy.

[DanB]

- If anyone has some images of the kids at the rally, would you please post them or email them to me? Please be sure to identify who they are!

- We had some amazing food at the rally. If you provided something special (lots of people did) could you post the recipe? I especially would like the bean recipe from friday.

Thanks!