On the road

[Theo]

I am now resident in my new (to me) 1993 34 foot Excella 1000. All I can say is WOW. constantly all I can say is WOW.

It tows like a dream, looks like so beautiful, and is the most comfortable trailer I have EVER been in... WOW.. a new word in my vocabulary..

I am parked in a Good Sam, in Memphis, the only Twinkie in there, and will be pulling out on Monday, or Tuesday, for the west coast, then back to NM for a week, then up to Oregon district for a while.. I can't get the internet system yet a while, so that has to wait for some time, but should be within a couple of months, so I will be around here occasionally, in the next 3 days.. then I will get a friend to post things for me..

Theo

[myrna]

Congratulations on your new Airstream. I think WOW is perfectly normal for the entire Airstream line. That was my exact statement when we walked inside ours for the first time. Will get to take it to Texas the last week in March for the first trip. Can't wait. I know you are loving it. Enjoy. Myrna

[nds]

Originally posted by Theo
I can't get the internet system yet a while, so that has to wait for some time, but should be within a couple of months, so I will be around here occasionally, in the next 3 days.. then I will get a friend to post things for me..

Unless you already have all your campsites reserved, I've noticed that the majority of KOA's have data ports (a lot of them at no charge). You may want to check them out, if you need to keep up with your emails and such.

KOA Locations in the US

[Theo]

Thank you for the KAO information.. I will take advantage of it as often as I can.

Theo

[maxandgeorgia]

Has anyone seen the KOA free camp day advertisement? For May 14, I believe. If anyone is on the road then and can make a reservation ahead, it might be worth checking out. Just a heads-up. And congratulations on the beautiful rig and exciting planned trip! Enjoy!

[Theo]

May 14th, eh? I will mark my calander..

I leave on Tuesday morning.

I can't wait.

Theo

[Porky Pig]

Here's the link to the KOA offer with participating campgrounds.

May 14th Offer

[Theo]

Wow... still. I look at my trailer, now 10,000 miles later, a little grimy after a long summer in the Desert, and travel on Freeways.. We had a wonderful summer, the trailer was the most comfortable home I have lived in for a long while, and I can't wait to get back out in it. But, Work is calling, so a boring winter, of discontent...

I am relocating from Western Tennessee, to Northern Indiana, over the next 3 or 4 weeks, so interest will be perked somewhat.

About our summer though:

We stayed in many places, including a couple of Walmart Car Parks, and two State Parks. The first three parks were the hardest. The first, in Arkansas was tight, but at least a pull through. The second, in Arizona, was tiny, with no room to swing a cat, and all back in spaces. I learned to go backwards very quickly.. the only problems encountered the entire trip were, in the first week, staying in San Diego, we dragged noisily into a mountain like Rv Park, with back in spaces.. Backing was getting easier. The 5th week, We dragged again, getting into an Rv Park in Quartsite, AZ. In August, getting lost, in Conway Arkansas, I managed to break the Hensley hitch, by grounding on a humpback.. That was not fun. I drove gingerly back to Memphis, contacted Hensley, and they replaced the bit I broke, under warranty. That was very good of them, and cheered me up enormously. Then a little more travel, with no problems, backing is second nature, hitching is such that a couple of times ago, I forgot to remove the Hensley adapter, leaving it on the trailer, and backed, first try, hitching the rig by sliding the adapter into the receiver hitch... Not bad, a 2" bar into a 2" hole.... particularly considering that when I first got the Hensley Arrow hitch, it took me 20 minutes to get hooked up, one miserable morning, in New Mexico. Having a lot of cheerful campers watching did nothing to make it easier..

The only other thing of note was somewhat amusing... In Hemet, CA, 6:00 one morning, we were woken, by a pounding on the door.. Somebody had reported me for having a 12 year old child living with me in my trailer... The police thought it somewhat amusing, and apologised for waking us when Sarah presented her ID... She has been carded once or twice in the last few years, but never accused of being a small child before.

We used Passport America for the majority of the Rv Parks - making a tremendous saving - we stayed for a month each, in two parks, and toured the area - having only $200 for each month, to pay for parking was very much appreciated.

Well, being back in a house, even for a short time is not much fun - the place is not as cozy as I have become accustomed to. Having straight walls is a little annoying too. But, not for much longer. Though relocating to Indiana, I will not be resident there much, this winter, but will be travelling, and working, living in the Airstream once again. The only major breakdown we had all summer was the inverter, and therefore the battery charger went south. So now if it isn't sunny, we have dead batteries - I need to figure out how to get the electrical system back to standard..

Anyway, it is good to be back online for a while, and read about all your adventures.

Theo

[maxandgeorgia]

Theo, I don't know whether to say "Welcome back!" or "So sad to hear. . ." that you are in from the road for a while. It was fun to read about your Airstream summer. Thanks for sharing your stories, mishaps, and adventures!

[Theo]

I have gotten truly fed up with not being in my tubular cave... Time has come to once more, hitch up the New Truck.... and vanish again, but this time, with the benefit of three of the many companies Wi FI hookups, to keep online at least once a week. We are heading out, as soon as the snow lets me haul the Airstream onto the drive, (a couple of weeks) going first to Florida, for a couple of weeks near Jacksonville, and then on to the west, taking a month to get to California.. When the weather gets better, round May time, we will be heading up to North Dakota, to see friends, then I am not sure where we will spend the summer.. Last summer was WAY too hot, the little protecting stops on the overhead cupboards melted onto the wood, and stuck the doors closed. We may go over to Oregon, for the hot time in the summer, than back over to Arizona in the fall.

The house I bought, to store things in, here in Indiana, is not much bigger than the Airstream, and no where near as comfortable, but it is secure, and cosy, so I will probably spend a week or two here every so often.. Just so I can have the anticipation of going off on the road again.. I really do wish that diesel fuel would get lower priced though. Last year, when we started out, the first tank cost $1.43 per gallon. Today, I saw it was up to $2.07... that is very annoying, as another 10,000 miles at that price will eat up the budget very rapidly.

Theo

[jimrogers]

Good to hear about your travels...glad to hear you and Sara are doing fine....glad to know you ar still enjoying your Airstream...and seeing a lot of our great country....good luck on your next trip...Jim and Phyllis

[Theo]

Hi there Jim, We are still enjoying this beautiful trailer,so very much.. Again thank you thank you.... We could not be happier. It is a shame that we have not gotten back to Arkansas yet..

Theo

[Theo]

The snow has gone, but now mud is stopping me from getting the airstream out onto the driveway.. I do not want to yank it out - it might get dirty.. I will wait another week or so, when the weather is supposed to dry up..

Theo

[Theo]

The time has come.... We set off in a couple of days. I tried to post a new thread to this effect earlier, but as usual, the software is being a pain. Why is it that I can add to a thread, but not start one?????

I have a couple of problems with the brand new tow vehicle - It has the wrong type of connector for the Airstream, so tomorrow I adapt the thing to make the lights, brakes and charging system work... The truck has a 7 Round pin plug, and the trailer has the usual 7 pin blade type plug... cayn't fit the dang'd thing in the hoyle..

When that is resolved, we pull out, in a hurry, to get to New Mexico in a couple of days.....

I wonder what adventures are in store for us, this year. We truly enjoyed last years travels, and this time, we are going for good. Within 2 months of leaving here, this house is for sale, through an agent, and we don't have to come back here at all.

I will be documenting our travels with my new Pentax, and intend to keep you all updated, as well as adding to my WebShots pages; not only that, but with the ever spreading marvel of wifi, and our two wifi able IBM Thinkpads we will be able to keep in touch with all of our favorite websites.

Theo