AIR Midwest : Branson 'Spring is in the Air' Rally

[soldiermedic]

Susan,

What are you working on between your novels??????



Steve

[Alumatube]

The funniest things happen at Airstream rallies--we saw a really cool old trailer go down the road in front of the campground and said it would have been great if they would have seen us and stopped in. Oh well. We went back to the moho and then saw the trailer pull in! I ran out and flagged them down. Turns out that they are Rick and Eva from Harrison, Ark., and they saw the rally on the AirForums and wanted to stop in on their way back from Kansas from buying their trailer!

They had found it on the Internet and retrieved it from a spot in Kansas where it had been sitting for at least the last 25 years. Two-and-a-half hours (and many ground-off stainless skirting rivets later), they were on the road with it. Amazing.

It is a 1947 Westwood Coronado by Westcraft, and the interior (while needing a full resto) was GORGEOUS. The wood was just beautiful, and the kitchen was great! It has a gas-burning stove, fridge, and lamp, and they appear to be original! Here are some pictures:





Poor Rick and Eva--I really don't think they anticipated being flagged down and mobbed as they got into the campground! 'Streamers were crawling all over the thing! Hopefully they got some good info out of the deal. (We invited them to the BBQ dinner, but they could not stay.)



The back of the trailer said, "Not For Sale - NO!" on it.



I hope you have enjoyed the pictures! Rick and Eva, if you see this, enjoy your beautiful trailer!

Susan

[Alumatube]

Originally Posted by soldiermedic

Susan,

What are you working on between your novels??????



Steve

I was really hoping to get to bed before now...

Good night, all!

Susan

[Alumatube]

We missed you, Mike and Gene!!!!!!

Susan

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by wolverine

Steve:

Sounds like you guys had a great time--can't wait to see some more pictures. You mentioned that you were going to find a new campground for the fall rally. While, we have never stayed there, the Good Sam club has named Branson's America's Best Campground as the friendliest campground for the last few years. Maybe the folks who are from Branson can give you some feedback whether or not this might be an alternative for the fall rally.
Gary and Nancy

I couldn't make this rally due to my work schedule but we are headed down to Branson in a couple of weeks. We had decided a few weeks ago to camp at ABC rather than Compton Ridge. Another member of the forum recommend the site and I had received a recommendation a few years ago from someone else. We've been staying at Compton Ridge for over 20 years and quite honestly I had some fears when I found out that the original family owners retired and sold the campground. We decided to try ABC since it is early in the season and we don't have any loyalties since the ownership turned over. Based on how you were treated, I'm now happy that I'm going to patronize another campground. Bottom line on anyone doing a rally, get a written confirmation on any deals you make.

Now ABC is not as wooded as Compton Ridge but it also has a rally pavilion and the folks running it are supposed to be really nice. I saw the same Good Sam article on the park. The park is full hookups and there are some close by motels so I'll do some preliminary scouting and give Steve the low down. We also are going to check out Tall Pines which you pass prior to getting to Compton Ridge.

Jack

[wolverine]

Jack:

Look forward to getting your report on ABC since we have been considering staying there over the summer. Also thanks for the feedback on your Maxxis tires. We plan to have a set installed this summer before our next major trip--hopefully the Marathons will make it until we get back home from this trip.

Gary

[Alumatube]

Here's a shot of our Rockin' A in Spot 2:



And here is a small obstacle we saw on the way home:



We were headed south through Arkansas (not exactly sure where) and Brad said, "Sinkhole???" There was an orange sign that said, "Sinkhole" and the road was blocked in the right lane. The hillside had slumped below the road due to all of the rain, and eaten part of the road! Scary!

We also saw first-hand some of the tornado damage in Clinton from the massive twister that went through there a couple months ago. Just amazing. But they are bouncing back and it looks better there now.

Susan

[billberk]

Check this one out for fall...

Waters Edge on Table Rock Lake Cabins and RV Resort

We had a great time! Thanks to all. Of course the drive home was brutal...

berk

[overlander63]

Wow, te photos look great! Y'all had a lot of fun, and Steve got his trailer (sort of) fixed.
And for Steve, you can get a 2x4 and cut it down for the air conditioner, it will work just as well as the aluminum you don't have, and last as long as the air conditioner.
Just keep telling yourself, "They ALL leak, they ALL leak"...
Now, if you will excuse me, I've gotta climb up on the roof of Bertha, and fix another leak...

[CJ of Okla]

Great Weekend – meet so many people – seen some wonderful trailers new and old. Thanks, to all who opened their doors to strangers. Everyone was great; food was great Friday and Saturday.

James and I stayed at the Compton lodge and the beds were really nice. You know usually you wake up with back aches because you're not in your own bed. The room was clean a basically quiet. Of course the season wasn't busy. Now if we had people stomping around up stairs and slamming doors all night that would have been a different story.

My goal was for James to talk to those that have done repairs on their AS. He got lots of ideas as to what he can do. James was afraid to cut any of the welded angle iron. After looking under the 70's trailers we discovered our AS was missing the belly skin that covers under the bumper compartment. We guess the PO must have cut the skin welded an extra angle iron and push the belly skin up where it rested on the angle iron. Then they welded a massive piece of iron (RUST) as the floor to the bumper compartment. James is going to cut all that out. We will fix the new belly to cover under the black tank to the bumper. This should get rid of some extra weight. As the 69's didn't come with a gray tank we are thinking we can put in a small gray tank while the bathroom is apart.

For you scrapbookers I found a shop in Branson and she has die cuts for pink flamingos. She is going to search her book to find a die cut that will work for Airstreams. If anyone is interested I have her phone number, I am sure she can mail you the flamingos if you can't find them anywhere else.

Looking forward to the Fall Branson Rally, James is talking about the Rally in Illinois in June. So I guess we better get our AS back together.

Thanks to everyone for making this a great weekend Steve, thank you for getting the Spring Rally setup.

Carolyn & James

[Jim Lee]

CJ- Regina and I enjoyed meeting you and James and looking at your pictures of your rehabilitation of your Airstream.

We've been there, done that, and glad we are not doing it again. But when you get finished, you will know what you got and that will be a great trailer.

Also any future buyers will know what has been done to the trailer.

Jim

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by billberk

Check this one out for fall...

Waters Edge on Table Rock Lake Cabins and RV Resort

We had a great time! Thanks to all. Of course the drive home was brutal...

berk

Looks nice but it's electric only with scattered water. For a many of us this is close to or is the last campout for the season and I appreciate having the availablity of a full hookup site. That lets me get the blackwater tank flushed out before I take the trailer home to winterize.

Jack

[billberk]

The map online is a bit confusing to distinguish, but they actually have 40 sites with full hookups. Just throwing it out for consideration. I know there are plenty of great campgrounds out there and we will have fun no matter where we end up!

berk

[billberk]

Hey Susan! Thanks for posting the pics of the vintage trailer that passed through. I did not get to see inside when it was there.

berk

[Alumatube]

Originally Posted by billberk

Hey Susan! Thanks for posting the pics of the vintage trailer that passed through. I did not get to see inside when it was there.

berk

You're welcome! I'm sorry you didn't get to get in it. It needed a full resto, but was in GREAT shape for it, and the wood was beautiful. The fridge was pretty darn neat, too.

Susan

[osolow]

am still new but that last campsite on the lake looked pretty nice.
even in the fall it would be nice to back up to a lake and have a enjoyable weekend. as long as they have a fire pit it got my vote.

[Isadora]

Well, we missed the Branson rally because we were on our way home with our new-to-us-Argosy, and didn't get back in time to stop by. But we are looking forward to a rally in the fall, it will be our first, and our Argosy should be looking pretty spiffy by that time.

[linc54]

More pics from Branson:



Unique clay flower-pot cooker




The "jet heater" was welcome Friday night




Taste-testing the bacon




Friday night's spread just before the attack




Steve (Host) and son Collin




Friday night's food attack




The reason for front bedroom floorplan




Westwood's kitchen

[linc54]

OK, the pictures didn't post as planned!

[cosmotini]

Hey everyone! Terri and I had a great time and are looking forward to the fall rally wherever it is.

The weather turned out to be just about perfect (for me).
Other than my burned ribs incident , it was a great weekend.

Here are a few more pics.