Calm Before The Storm

[FCStreamer]

So tomorrow my new adventure begins. A 1000 mile trek up the east coast of the United States to pickup our first ever travel trailer, then 1000 miles back to its new home. A few stops along the way to make our first trip more enjoyable. And all the while I'm thinking "I've never done this before, it should be fun!".

Ignorance is bliss.

I remember 15 years ago when we purchased our first boat. I had never even been in a boat before. My wife had, when she was younger, and was constantly nagging about wanting to have a boat someday. We drove by a boat store often and she would say "I wish I had a boat". Well, one day, I decided to grant the wish. "I've never done this before, it should be fun!".

Ignorance is bliss.

After a 1 hour orientation I was a "sea captain" and the sales rep bid us farewell. There are no licensing requirements for sea captains in Florida. We only had a online Coast Guard safety course. And it did not explain how to dock a boat. Driving the boat was fun. Docking it, not so much. That first docking was... interesting.

Fast forward 15 years and 3 boats, and docking was cake. Going in and out of almost any marina was a breeze. We avoided rough weather and rough seas and stayed close to the coast. We went three times to Key West and many other times to several other marinas along Florida's west coast. I learned a LOT. And most of all, we did have fun.

However, the enthusiasm wavered, the costs of maintaining a 15 year old boat soared, and we used it a lot less frequently than I liked. For the expense, it became not worth it. Time to change.

So we sold it. For 15 years we had "something" to do on weekends, and now we had nothing. It was weird. At least to me. Because we were at the boat almost every weekend, even if we didn't go out. And if I wasn't at the boat I was thinking about the boat. It gave me something to do other than work. I needed something else.

We had been looking at RVs for a year. It was like boating, right? But on land.

Ignorance is bliss.

We embark on this new chapter with a sense of hope and yearning new adventures. We've read and learned and observed, but now it is time to do. Life is too short. We should enjoy every minute. Find something you love to do, and do it. Don't wait until next week. Who knows what can happen next week. Do it now. And have fun. It doesn't matter if there is a water leak, or a tire blowout, or an electrical malfunction. Fix it, move on, have fun. Enjoy. And learn.

Because ignorance is bliss, but knowledge ain't too shabby either.

[lsbrodsky]

Indeed, I also moved from boating(sailing) to Airstreaming with similar sentiments. Many ex-boaters in RV's, it seems. While an Airstream has many positive features over boating, nothing compares to being anchored out, alone, in a desolate anchorage or 15 knots of wind on the beam all day.
Prepare yourself for the negatives, as well. This creature is not nearly as well made as a boat and maintainability was never a part of the design.

Fair winds and following seas!

Larry

[xrvr]

Might want to stay near the dealership one night in case something needs to be attended to.

[FCStreamer]

I see a lot of similarities between the problems I read about here and my boating experience. I was a power boater, so I had one or two really big engines I had to worry about and maintain. Sea Ray (the boat manufacturer) is very similar to Airstream in that is was considered a "premium" builder. Things broke. Every. Single. Month. But I never let that detract from the overall experience.

On the way down to Sarasota a bolt came loose somewhere in the engine bay, making my port (left) engine inoperative. So I got to Sarasota on one engine (and I have called for a tow once or twice) and called to have it repaired. Stuff happens.

As long as my wife and I are healthy and together, we both speak English and have credit cards. No problem we can't handle, even it it involves renting a limo for a 500 mile ride. As long as we are healthy and together, nothing else really matters. It can be solved. It can be worked around. It can be fixed. That's my philosophy.

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Might want to stay near the dealership one night in case something needs to be attended to.

Yes, we are spending the first night AT the dealership. They have offered to help me hitch up the next morning as well. We intend to do a thorough check before we sign and after we sign that first night.

Thanks for the tip. We recommend that to everyone!

[stsammy]

We, too, are a sailing family, but don't own a boat, ha. We're members of an active racing club in our city, and my husband has always been in high demand crew-wise.

In our case, we spent nearly 10 years talking about our theoretical purchase. My husband wanted a racer; I would consider a racer-cruiser that I could sleep on. Well, here we are, with our family of three in our Airstream, and my husband races weekly with the odd weekend regatta. Best of both worlds. And I didn't have to throw all my money into Lake Ontario - which I'm pretty sure is the only guaranteed outcome with a sailboat 😝

[SeaLevel]

It's interesting reading your posts, since we did something very similar last December - drove from Jupiter, FL to Colonial and back when we picked up our AS. Also, based on all your questions and planning, I'd say our bliss was a bit more ignorant than yours, and it worked out fine for us. The only thing I would do differently would be to take a little more time coming back, but we were dealing with cold weather and not wanting our dewinterized systems to freeze, so we hightailed it out of there.

[DanB]

My 27' sport fisherman went away when the Airstream came.

Best advantage: Airstreams don't sink when the owner messes up!

Another advantage" everything is cheaper on an Airstream 'cause it doesn't have the words "marine grade" or "boat" attached.

Now I do miss the ability to make a run at sunset on Lake Erie, but a campfire in the woods is a nice replacement.

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by SeaLevel

It's interesting reading your posts, since we did something very similar last December - drove from Jupiter, FL to Colonial and back when we picked up our AS. Also, based on all your questions and planning, I'd say our bliss was a bit more ignorant than yours, and it worked out fine for us. The only thing I would do differently would be to take a little more time coming back, but we were dealing with cold weather and not wanting our dewinterized systems to freeze, so we hightailed it out of there.

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the weather at Colonial will be in the 60s, so it should be perfect for us. We also planned on coming back and taking the whole week to do it. We planned a 5 phase trip:

http://www.ourflyingcloud.com/2016/0...ning-trip.html

I literally guessed where to say, and based on forum feedback I kept each leg short (some a lot shorter) so I could just enjoy the experience. Might as well, since I probably won't be back to New Jersey. Ever. There are 7000 places out West I'd rather go if I had that kind of time. Mount Rushmore is in my bucket list.

I read all those posts about winterization and storing the trailer through winter and just shake my head...

[Lily&Me]

Have a great trip!


Maggie

[dkottum]

Great attitude FCStreamer, I think you'll enjoy your Airstream adventures. One thing you won't have to be concerned with is good seating, you have one of the few Airstreams produced with factory swivel recliners, and they're pretty nice.

Have a good trip and take it easy coming home with your new Airstream, don't follow anyone close and take the corners wide.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by FCStreamer

. . .
Mount Rushmore is in my bucket list.
. . .

Got my attention! We stopped there in the 90's with our 25' and were amazed . . .

To echo some earlier comments -- being open to your schedule changing according to the weather, and your learning curve -- yeah, that's the ticket!

Have fun,

Peter

PS -- John Steinbeck said it best in Travels with Charley: In Search of America --

"A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."

[John&Vicki]

You will have a great time with your Airstream, guaranteed, because of your positive attitude. My wife and I bought our AS and joined the AS community three years ago. I was optimistic about the outcome, but having no previous RV experience, was determined to be as informed as possible going into it. Just the opposite of my "Ready, Fire, Aim" approach (which did work well starting an early Internet company, but that's another story).

So, following my new approach of "Ready, Aim, Aim, Aim, Fire" I joined this forum, talked to experienced RV friends - did the research. It felt a little itimidating at first here at the forum as the discussion can be dominated by problems and there are many belt and suspender types. Kind of a skewed look at the negatives. But that was OK as I needed to be scared straight given my usual appraoch of Ignorance is bliss.

In the three years we have covered close to 20,000 miles and have spent over 300 nights in our 25' Excella. And we have had a great time, truly a great time. We were prepared, we were optimistic, and this has turned out to be one of the most pleasurable experiences of our almost 50 year marriage.

See you along the trail - but you gotta get to the West!

Cheers,
John

[toothpull]

Yes Go West Young Man! Our first AS and 4 th RV... and this is the best. Quirky at times but with almost a year under our belt and close to 10000 miles... No issues. Pleasantly sitting in a beautiful park in Sisters Oregon... Blue skies... Crisp spring morning... Love it and so will you! So much to see... And time gets shorter each day.. Get a move on!

[Rgentum]

Dear FCStreamer,

My best to your & your family with your new Airstream adventure.

My experience is having been "messing around with boats," largely with sail but more recently with power, since summer camp on an island in Puget Sound while in grade school, too many decades ago to count. Last year, we got our first Airstream, and I have yet to have any regrets about it.

In the interest of boating, however, I don't recall ever hearing anybody say or write:

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about with travel trailers. Simply messing... about in — or with travel trailers. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

Sincerely,

RWills, with saltwater in his veins
A dedicated Airstreamer & confirmed boater.

[fwjumper]

Your 5 phase trip plan looks good. We have stayed at Cherry Hill (although years ago). It was pretty neat then. The kids enjoyed it too. As for your learning curve, by the time you get home, most hook-up, set-up and idiosyncrasies of your Airstream will be old hat. The winterization issue will clarify for you quickly. You'll get great help from the forum and your common sense will prevail. Have a great trip. We will watch your blog with great enthusiasm! Take some trips soon.

[WestieHouse]

Originally Posted by FCStreamer

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the weather at Colonial will be in the 60s, so it should be perfect for us. We also planned on coming back and taking the whole week to do it. We planned a 5 phase trip:

http://www.ourflyingcloud.com/2016/0...ning-trip.html

I literally guessed where to say, and based on forum feedback I kept each leg short (some a lot shorter) so I could just enjoy the experience. Might as well, since I probably won't be back to New Jersey. Ever. There are 7000 places out West I'd rather go if I had that kind of time. Mount Rushmore is in my bucket list.

I read all those posts about winterization and storing the trailer through winter and just shake my head...

Mt Rushmore is terrific. I am even more amazed with nearby Crazy Horse.

Great camp for AS is the Bar J in Hill City.
http://www.rafterj.com/

[Cannonball]

Download and read Rich Luhr's "Newbies Guide to Airstreaming". A hard copy may come with your trailer, but you will feel more confidant if you have read it in advance. I was petrified at the thought of messing with the sewer hose, etc. but a piece of cake. Good luck and have fun.

[Hittenstiehl]

You will be fine and have a fantastic time because you have the right attitude, some good skills and this forum when all else fails.

We salute you, safe travels in your new shore yacht.

[Seemore2006]

We enjoy Wind Cave National Park just south of Custer Stare Park. Bison roam through campground along with other wildlife. Rangers said you can always get a spot even during Sturgis! Recliners! Wish we had them. Enjoy!