Joining from Austin, TX

[Wanda Holmes]

My husband, Jim, and I just bought our first Airstream - actually our first travel trailer also. We moved up from a tent with a broken zipper. We are a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of our leap, but also very excited about the new adventures awaiting us. We intend to get ourselves broken in with a few short trips - neither of us have ever pulled a trailer of any sort and we are expecting something of a challenging learning curve. But then, we're thinking of taking to the road fulltime in a year or so when Jim retires. He's thinking of the contiguous 48 states, but I'm thinking of the Bering Straits to Tierra del Feugo. I was even told recently that during certain times in the year, one can drive over the ice of the Bering Straits into Asia!!

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Wanda Holmes

My husband, Jim, and I just bought our first Airstream - actually our first travel trailer also. We moved up from a tent with a broken zipper. We are a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of our leap, but also very excited about the new adventures awaiting us...

Ahhh...you bring back fond memories of when we were newbies and jumped right from a tent into an Airstream. You will find lots of great info on this forum. And, welcome aboard!

[ZoominC6]

Congratulations and welcome to the Airstream community! Happy Trails

[moosetags]

Welcome, Jim and Wanda. We, too, went from a tent to a 25' Safari named Lucy. We have only had Lucy since June, but have already spent 67 nights n her on several adventures all over the east coast. You are going to love Airstreaming.

There is a lot of great information on these Forums. The information gotten here has significantly shortened our learning curve.

[Waynon]

Congrats on the new AS!

If you ever get a little discouraged and think you've made a mistake -- think again!

Seriously, you won't be sorry. Hope you love yours half as much as I love mine.

Austin is my legal home base and I'm here every month or so usually. If I can ever help let me know. My son and daughter also live here.

Not that you asked for advice, but since you mentioned short trips at first there is a first class state park almost in the ciy limits just past the airport at McKinney Falls State Park. You probably already know about it. It's a nice place to get out of the city without going anywhere. Smile.

You've found the right place. Someone on here (never me!) knows something about everything. Took me a long time to learn how to look up answers using the search, but almost anything you haven't even thought to ask yet has already been cussed, discussed, and argued about, and then complimented. I have saved so much money since I found this place. Of course, with a shiny new one you won't need all the repair hints, but you'll find plenty you can use.

Welcome!

Waynon

[Bambi_Bandit]

Hello Jim and Wanda,

Congrats on the Rig. My wife and I are also in Austin (Proper) and go out at least once a month or more to get away from it all.

Since you're close by, why don't you come to Hill Country in Dec for a forum rally? Make your reservations now if you want to come!!

http://www.airforums.com/forum...-tx-27087.html

Kevin

[Pahaska]

I live out in the hills of Hays County, southwest of Austin, near the Salt Lick. My Classic 28 is stored at Dripping Springs.

We have one of the most successful and fastest growing WBCCI units right here in Austin, the Texas Highland Lakes Unit. We have many accumulated years of Airstream experience and would love to have you join us or come to one of our rallies or luncheons to meet us. We have a luncheon on the first Tuesday (see website) and a rally coming up in mid-November

Also, there is a forum rally at Blanco State Park the 8th to 10th of December. This will be our 4th year for this rally and we always have a ball. There may still be a few sites available if you hurry. Do a search for "Blanco" to find the thread on this rally.

[Goin camping]

Well you have nieghbors with Airstreams offering assistance and camping opportunities and your Local WBCCI seems happening too. Looks like the only thing you have to do to go have fun and adventure is fill up the tow vehicle and go!

If you take the offers on the table you will be having fun and learning all you need to know to get to Terra Del Fuego in no time!

P.S. This group loves pictures. Pictures of your trailer and of your trips.

[Pahaska]

You may have already discovered these parks, but others might be interested.

McKinney Falls has already been mentioned. We had a vintage rally there this February with over 50 Airstreams attending. It is a nice park with lots of trees and plenty of space between most sites.

Blanco is a favorite of mine because it is a small park (smallest state park in Texas) and it is just a nice stroll into town. Blanco does have some full hookups as well as W/E. There are a couple of nice restaurants in town and there is always the bowling alley cafe with pies that have 4" of merangue on top. You can fish at Blanco right by the campground. You can go west and down 183 to get oto Blanco without Austin traffic.

Pedernales Falls is even closer to you. Great campground with lots of trees and big spaces between sites. Nothing much nearby, though. There is fishing, but it requires a hike. The falls are fun to explore at any water level. Easy to get to down 183 to Johnson City and east on a FM road.

Inks Lake is my favorite local park. Big park with golf course adjacent. A fair distance from any town, but I like to kayak on the lake and hike around the park. The deer are quite tame and will often eat from your hands.

Bastrop and Buscher State Parks aren't much further, but both are old parks and I tend to stay west of Austin. Bastrop has one of the 3 state park golf courses in Texas.

It is well over a hundred miles, but my all-time favorite Texas State Park is Lost Maples State Natural Area. The fall colors are stunning and it isn't too crowded if you go in mid-week. It is a scenic and fun park at any time of the year.

[PWRSTRK]

Welcome from an Illinoisian who's in San Antonio at a conference at the moment. :-)


Tom

[Gunnyusmc]

I also home base out of Austin, but heading too the factory in the morning for hail repairs. Will be back approx. 15Nov.
I put my bass boat in at Jonestown when I get a chance.
If you need help, there are a lot of members in Austin, just give one of us a yell.

Don

[nilesrob]

Welcome to the world of Airstream! We didn't go straight from a tent to an A/S, but almost (we did have a box trailer for a while).

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving not too too far from you, in Big Bend NP. I'll guess you've probably been there many times if you have tented, but if not this ought to be on your list with your new A/S. Actually, Big Bend would be a great place for you to practice boondocking, since the best camping site in Big Bend has no water and no electricity.

Enjoy the show!

[ghatfield]

Brad....We are planning on a trip to Big Bend NP over the Thanksgiving holiday. Can you recommend places to stay....both RV parks and boondocking. Also, is there a preferred route into the park from the north? Thanks in advance.

George
#8600
Las Cruces, NM
Proposed FCU

[Pahaska]

Can you recommend places to stay....both RV parks and boondocking. Also, is there a preferred route into the park from the north?

From the west, you could come down from Van horn on US90 past Marfa (home of the famous Marfa lisghts) to Alpine. From Alpine, there is a good road down to Study Butte at the west entrance to the park.

There are full hookup parks at Alpine and around Study Butte and Terlingua. Once in the park, you can stay at Rio Grande Village (hookups available), or at the river near the mouth of Santa Eleana Canyon. Smaller trailers can also stay, without hookups, at the Chisos Basin.

I have stayed at all three in-park campgrounds. Nowdays, I have become soft: I stay at Study Butte with hookups and just about everything in the parks is as accessible from there as from any one of the campgrounds in the park.

Rio Grande Village is at the extreme SE end of the park and Cottonwood is at the extreme SW end. The park is huge and you can log a lot of miles just getting to another area.