June 2014 Photo Contest

[tsunami]

Found our AS at Billy Simms Trailer Town in Lubbock TX. We completed the deal over the phone and drove from Northern Indiana to Texas three weeks later to pick it up. We left the dealership and drove south into New Mexico and spent our first night at Holloman Air Force Base. We packed everything we thought we might need into the bed of the pickup and after we got level and hooked up, we unpacked the boxes and stowed everything before stepping back and going "WOW, we did it"! Haven't had a single regret.

[Flying Gypsies]

Originally Posted by tsunami

Found our AS at Billy Simms Trailer Town in Lubbock TX. We completed the deal over the phone and drove from Northern Indiana to Texas three weeks later to pick it up. We left the dealership and drove south into New Mexico and spent our first night at Holloman Air Force Base. We packed everything we thought we might need into the bed of the pickup and after we got level and hooked up, we unpacked the boxes and stowed everything before stepping back and going "WOW, we did it"! Haven't had a single regret.

Wow- Texas to New Mexico to Indiana- what a shake-down cruise! That WOW feeling is incredible, isn't it?

[boliversr]

We bought our AS a couple months ago I have been so excited it is older ( 73 ) but great condition just needs tender love and care and polishing plus painting the bottom no big hurry want to enjoy it this summer. Our first trip next week to Richmond Ky family reunion will park in cousin's yard a couple days.
I still can,t believe I own an as it is great

[Flying Gypsies]

Originally Posted by boliversr

We bought our AS a couple months ago I have been so excited it is older ( 73 ) but great condition just needs tender love and care and polishing plus painting the bottom no big hurry want to enjoy it this summer. Our first trip next week to Richmond Ky family reunion will park in cousin's yard a couple days.

I still can,t believe I own an as it is great

Great- be sure to take a pic on the trip- family reunion should present plenty of opportunity! It's Ok if she isn't spit-shined, the emotions will come through anyway!

[Arcticfox]

Wow what a great bunch of stories and even better photo's!

Our story is sort of simple compared to most but here goes…. We retired a couple years ago and with retirement we decided that we better tour around a bit to see if we could not find a place that we could call home for the winter months. “You know - lets find a warm location we like and we will buy a house of something and get the hell out of winter”….

Anyway, after a bit of traveling and touring around (about 120,000 km over two years), we did find places we really liked. We also found one thing that we did not expect or were even looking for. We found that it was not the location (or destination) that attacked us, but the journey getting there… In the end, we found that we were happiest just doing a bit of a "Walk-About" and wandering around North America and were really not very interested in staying in one spot to terribly long and were more interested in just exploring.

Hence the shopping began for an RV.....

We spend months looking at different types of RV's. For a while we tried our best to talk ourselves into the 40+ Ft. motorhome. But then the reality of trying to tour in one of those things seemed to push us away from that thought. I guess they would be fine if you wanted to drive to a location, park for a month or two and I’m sure you would be as right as rain with that type of rig. Next we looked a the 5th wheel arrangements and again were pushed away by actual (drive ability) of this type of rig. The issue for us was we were not willing to sacrifice our "enjoyment" of traveling down the road for having more room or livability. (not that you actually have those things with larger rig's anyway)

So flash forward to this past spring and we located a 2013, 28' Airstream at a dealer in Seattle… We had looked at the Airstream products in both TX and AZ the month before so we had a vague idea what we wanted. (Or at least we hope we have!) Almost on a wing and a prayer, we jumped in the truck and drove about 2400 km to Seattle to look at the Flying Cloud that we had found on the net. It was in very good condition and had been very gently used by it’s previous owners. So without much fan-fair we emptied our bank accounts (LOL) and became the owners of a (new to us) 2013, 28’ Rear bedroom Flying Cloud:



We hooked up and before we knew it we were on the road heading home:



Our trip home was a bit of a "Learn As you Go" affairs as we had never pulled anything before so hooking on to a large trailer and hauling it across the Rocky Mountains for 2400 km in early April with ice, snow and below freezing temps just to add a bit of interest to the trip... Here is a shot in Montana after coming down a 6% grade for about 13 miles.... I think it was time to pull over and empty my shorts.....lol



Anyway - before this turns into a book. We made it home and here is a shot of our first night camping with our new baby! I call it "Out of The Clouds" as I feel we have come full circle in our lives and can now see us coming out the clouds and into a period of clarity as our new adventure begins....

Hope everyone enjoys the image and hope to meet our fellow travellers as we move down the road of life:

[tsunami]

Originally Posted by Flying Gypsies

Wow- Texas to New Mexico to Indiana- what a shake-down cruise! That WOW feeling is incredible, isn't it?

Also got to Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas, Illinois, and Missouri, before getting back to Indiana. Heck of a shake down cruise. Didn't have one problem the entire three weeks. Billy Simms treated us like gold. Great dealer!

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by Flying Gypsies

FAN- that is a wonderful story- thank you for sharing- and FWIW, there seems to me that our Airstream has recuperative powers too! One day, I finally realized that the reason I was so eager to make those once a month camping trips in the Airstream is that it was the ONLY time I could totally relax! Now that we have both recently retired, we are not limited to one weekend a month, and can't wait to hit the road. Love the pics of the fog rolling in!

FGs, congratulations on your retirement. "Recuperative powers" - that's a wonderful expression.

You chose a good subject for this month's contest. Reminds me of a quote - the road ahead looked so familiar, going back.

Am also laughing at the first Cascades photo. Note how truck is still hitched to trailer. I was scared I wouldn't be able to hook-up again! Now, unhitching/rehitching is a relative breeze, even if I have to do it solo.

[Flying Gypsies]

Arctic Fox- that is a great story, and I love the "Out of the Clouds"photo and metaphor.

Tsunami, if you have one of those maps of the states, you could have filled up half of the states on your FIRST trip- way to go!

[Flying Gypsies]

FAN- I was so worried about the topic that I chose - I am glad that you like it- I was afraid that no one would enter. The stories are as important as the picture, I think. It is such a privilege to be allowed a peek into everyone's adventure!

[PharmGeek]

Arctic fox and fan - awesome!!!!

[StreamNugget]

We bought our AS at Colonial in Lakewood, NJ in May 2013, but we didn't take possession until August. We stopped in Seaport RV Resort in Stonington, CT on the way home. Put up our lights, poured glasses of wine, lit a fire, and sat down to take in the view. We were smitten...still are in fact. Love the nugget!

[Flying Gypsies]

Originally Posted by StreamNugget

Attachment 213620 We bought our AS at Colonial in Lakewood, NJ in May 2013, but we didn't take possession until August. We stopped in Seaport RV Resort in Stonington, CT on the way home. Put up our lights, poured glasses of wine, lit a fire, and sat down to take in the view. We were smitten...still are in fact. Love the nugget!

Wow- just beautiful! I am originally from RI but have not been back for many years. Planning an Airstream trip to include New England this Summer- maybe we will cross paths....your golden nugget glows beautifully with those lights!

[Bigskyrider8]

Our first trip out for an overnight was on my wife's birthday in May.
We stayed along the Yellowstone river in Paradise Valley Montana.
Great time with a warm spring day, the river running full and snow on the mountains.......!

P.S. Note the cooler alongside to keep the champagne extra cold.

[Flying Gypsies]

What a wonderful Birthday present- a trip to a gorgeous location! Breathtaking!

[Arcticfox]

Originally Posted by Bigskyrider8

Our first trip out for an overnight was on my wife's birthday in May.
We stayed along the Yellowstone river in Paradise Valley Montana.
Great time with a warm spring day, the river running full and snow on the mountains.......!

P.S. Note the cooler alongside to keep the champagne extra cold.

This is a very well executed and exposed image - well done! Having the cooler with the correct beverage don't hurt either....lol

[jgp1968]

Stripper get it l lol

Sent from my XT1028 using Airstream Forums mobile app

[Charlie M]

This is our new 2008; packing for a trip to Rapid City, SD. in 2008.

[Flying Gypsies]

Originally Posted by Charlie M

This is our new 2008; packing for a trip to Rapid City, SD. in 2008.

Tell us more! How was that first trip?

[Charlie M]

Well, in a sense it was. We were at the National Hobo Rally (WBCCI) near Blythe CA. We bought the new trailer there and pulled it home. The S. Dakota trip was in July. As of this writing the 2008 Airstream has about 43000 miles on it.

[RyeL]

I just bought a 75th anniversary edition 19' Bambi, outside Eugene Oregon. Then enjoyed a drive down the Oregon/California coast with my chocolate lab, Dixie, bringing the trailer home to show my wife. Next weekend will be our first trip together, which isn't very scenic, to a racetrack outside of Bakersfield. So our Bambi will be my "drivers lounge" for the weekend. After that we're planning a 10 day trip up into Canada to the Banff and Lake Louise area in July. Really looking forward to that.