Quality of Life

[ajjohnsons]

Hi Folks,
For me the best part of traveling (which I have'nt done enough of yet) or meeting people from some where else, is talking about where they come from, what it's like there, and how the people are. Maybe it's because I've never really lived anywhere else. I look at the map of the Country and it's pretty pathetic how small an area my everyday life goes by in. So if you do'nt mind writing in with how things are in your area, and how your Airstream fits in too. I'd love to here about it, and maybe someone else might too. My wife and I both are seeing to many negatives and not noticing the positives here lately. Ex.Terrible Traffic,and Drivers, Seems like no room and too many people,lots and lots of rules and fees and penaltys to go along with, ect.... Thanks, Al

[Chas]

Got your Airstream, right? Well hit the road and find out! Try to stay away from Texas for a while, not the drivers, not the traffic, just too dang hot!! Canada sounds like the place to be, maybe the Rockies, up high where it's cool. How's the "Big Dig" coming along, done yet? Don't matter where you're from, you want to be somewhere else, just human nature.

Chas

[montanaandy]

Jump on the interstate and head out West to Montana! We are very RV friendly (everyone here camps and has an RV - why we live where we do). Plenty to see and do (Yellowstone, Missouri Breaks [Lewis & Clark], Rodeo, Fishing, Etc. Plenty of space to spread your elbows out. You won't be disappoiinted.

Montanaandy

[Pahaska]

A wild estimate would be state parks, 20%, WBCCI Airstream rallys, 30%, music festivals, 10%, long trips, 30%, other 10%. Long trips include my 50th F86 sqadron reunion in Colorado Springs in September and, the Airstream Homecoming in October continuing on to PA to see my brothers. "Other" may include things like the First Tuesday flea market, some CW dancing, or fall colors.

I try to use the trailer a minimum of twice a month, even in the hottest months. I visit state parks mid-week when the crowd is not there (like tomorrow and the next day). Best state park times, though, are mid-week in the winter when I may be the only one in the park.

[59toaster]

Well Atlanta SUCKS...stay away! Traffic is horrible almost all the time! DON"T COME DOWN I85 because of road constuction going on till the end of the year.

Now North GA/ SE TN is great! Lots of nice state parks. Hellen is pretty fun for a tourist trap. Chattanooga is not to far away and Ruby Falls is worth the time. Rock City as well. Chattanooga Choo Choo. Plenty of fishing available in the Northeast corner of GA if your into that.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the Bitlmore house in Ashville NC. Great place to kill a day or a weekend if you do the full tour.

The down side to the Southeast in the summer is the humidity. You Yankee's (I was one but I'm naturalized) will have a time with the heat. Now late Sept early October is great time to visit and catch the fall colors.

I picked up a magazine about the BlueRidge area the Blue Ridge pkwy today. Lots to do that I didn't know about. You could run down the Pkwy from VA and make several 2 day stops and not see half the things they list there is to do and see.

As far as our Airstream...work in progress. We have not had a chance to enjoy it.

Help us out here...what sort of things would you like to do?

[thenewkid64]

We use our unit whenever we can. Mostly traveling around Florida, but sometimes longer trips too. In the last two years we have gone to Dallas, Willamsburg, Miami, Pensacola twice, and those are the big trips.

We use it to just go sight seeing. It is great to have it all with you and be able to get to a spot and decide to stay for a wile and see it all without need ing a hotel. Last fall we spent 9 weekends in a row out the MH between rallies and sighseeing, and getting together with forum friends. We have even stayed at Fort Wilderness and done the parks using the MH as a home base. We only live 90 miles form Disney, but it was nice.

We have 1 rally a month from Oct to May with our local unit and then there are all of the other events we attempt to make. We are still working so weekends are about it. Here in Florida it is hot now, but come fall it will cool off. We have a diffrent way of tourist season here because of the weather, but if you plan it really does not affect how and when you do stuff.

All I can say is get in and go. Even if it is to wander the western part of the state and camp in a national forest for a night. It is amazing how fast you can recharge your menal energy, and how tolerant you can be knowing you ar leaving in X days to do it again.

[ajjohnsons]

Thanks so far, This is great hearin about what's good and not so good. Ive been down to Atlanta for the IWF show(every 2 years) for the last few years , but I didn't see much but the show. As far as what I plan on so far, this year were goin beginning Aug 1st. Startin up in Vermont on Lake Champain, headin thru upper state NY to Niagra Falls, then down to Lancaster/Hershey Penn. for a time. Depending on how we're doin might try coming back up the Hudson. I'd love to see West Pt. Next year hopin to finally see California, kinda the head out the Northerly route maybe come back thru the South. I'm self employed but I'm still workin, got along way to go on that yet.

[Ultradog]

The glaciers in the St Eliahs mountains up in the Yukon territory.
Overwhelming. Humbling. Immense...
I remember the local guy down in Texas who was running for county sherriff. A simple man. He was able to tell me his whole life's story in just a little while. He was a very good man. I would have voted for him if I had lived there...
I think of the Mormons out in Utah. I swore at them and was unkind to them yet they were kind to me and won me over. Not to their religion but to their gentleness.
I remember the guy in Latrobe Pa who was out of a job but he was still confident of his wife's love and he didn't really care about the job because he knew he'd find another.
I think of the Ute Indian guy I knew in CO who I used to harass unmercifully and call him all kinds of names and he loved me and I loved him too. As men love one another.
I think of the old guy from KS who told me that he didn't want ALL the land just that which "joined him"
And he was a drunk and very bitter but he still knew how to laugh.
I think of the woman who rubs my arm as I write this and has hope for us.
There is so much goodness, so much life, so much potential for fulfillment, so much wretchedness, so much Godliness, despair, wealth, sarcasm, edifyingness(if that's a word) and kindness and filth in this place we call a nation.
Go forth. Buy an airstream. And look around. Go beyond your narrow circle.
See the industrial might of this nation. See the gladness of others as they see your face.
And smile.
There are very many things for you to rejoice at.
Go, and be glad you did.
The trips I have made have made me better, kinder, wiser.
Go.
Jerry

[PeterH-350LE]

Be here now and enjoy it while you can!
We are alive in a very special time, the age of the motorized vehicle.
I never had the patience to wait for retirement to explore this great planet.
I crossed the ocean 30+ times and everytime its like a new beginning.
I travelled the US extensively and found wonderful places, some of which I call home.
The reason why I know they are home, is because we keep on going back to them. To name a few: The Ouachitas of Arkansas, the San Juans of Colorado, the Salmon wilderness of Idaho, Montana and Alaska. And of course there is Taos, NM.
Since we are 'Streamers' a whole new dimension was added to our already exciting travels: meeting great people and making lasting friendships...
Thank You!

[Pick]

I say get out and enjoy this country while you can. You never know when your time is up. Many of my relatives retired and did nothing but sit at home, or drink their lives away. Not me. You are right, there are many negatives in this world, look for the positives.

I always wanted a horse, since I was about 6. Parents would never let us have one. We always helped the neighbors with theirs and the let us ride whenever we wanted. When I got out of high school and got a job, I bought one, and boarded it out at a friends house. Didn't tell my parents. After 9 months, I mentioned getting a horse to my mother. She told me I could not afford one. "Well", I said, "I've had one for the last nine months!" She about fell off her chair! I married a "horse woman" and we still have them.

You should always follow your dreams, no matter how far fetched they seem to others. You will always have detractors. If you put your mind to it, you can do just about anything.

My favorite place to camp is Pennsylvania. The Kinzua Dam area is wonderful, as is the Titusville area. Soon you will be able to bike from Titusville, all the way to Emlenton, about 50 miles one way. Very scenic. Erie has some nice campgrounds in the area, some right on the beach.

[85MH325]

Airstreams have been both a fascination and lifestyle for me. Since I saw the inside of a new Airstream Caravel as a youngster, I've been hooked. As I've said on many posts, we've travelled extensively in a '70 Safari, a '61 Bambi, a 325 motorhome, and now have begun our adventures in our 34' trailer.

I lived in the Safari for eight months. I lived in the Bambi for two. We've restored and refurbished Airstreams, and we've been able to use them as we got them.

We have covered most of the western states. We have raised three kids in Airstreams. Our family Pug found us in Wendover NV while we were in the Safari ten years ago. He's been our Airstream dog ever since. He sits at the kitchen door and begs to go out to get into the trailer. Our youngest son began the Airstream lifestyle at age six weeks.

We've been to National Parks, state parks, county parks and stayed in parking lots and on side streets. We've been hopelessly lost, but always found our way. We've visited relatives, old friends, and met dozens of new friends. We frequently stay in local campgrounds and do Tues thru Thurs nite go-to-work and come-back-to camp camping so we miss the weekend crowds.

We've had minor catastrophes, mechanical breakdowns, birthdays on the road, and many, many wonderful times. Life's journey happens one day at a time, but if you don't start today living the life you want, you won't be living it tomorrow either.

I can't begin to tell you how our lives have been enriched as a result of owning and travelling in Airstreams. We extend our best wishes to all of you who want to come along!

Roger

[thenewkid64]

Pick,

I have to agree. GO, DO, SEE!

I was fortunate enough that we were able to sell a business and full time for a couple of years. I was 31 at the time, and called it my first retirement. My wife and I say too many people put it off and wait until after they retired to do things. Then their health was not that great and they wished they had done it sooner. I enjoyed it and was able to take life at a slower pace for a while. Now I am back in the race and spend as much time in the rig as possible. Heck I even use it for work when I can get away with it. I do some travel and it is cheaper than a hotel.

[Silvertwinkie]

Well, getting back to the orig question, the answer is simply that traffic in the Chicagoland area is pretty horrific. There are a few nice places, however, you need to deal with the traffic to get to them.

Fees, well, compared to Indiana, Illinois fees are reasonable for what you get. I have a 1985 camping guide that shows fees in Illinois were $6 for electric and showers. Today that fee is $11. Not too bad. Indiana was also about $6 and is now $20 something I recall from what we just paid when we went to the Indiana Dunes for the Chicagoland Rally a few weeks ago.

To put the traffic into perspective, the dunes are 65 miles from our door. It took almost 2.5 hours one way leaving at 3pm to get there and leaving for home at noon took the same time.

Also while on the subject of fees, the toll roads around the area can get kind of costly if you have a bunch of axles. I think we spent $5 getting to the dunes on the Skyway and 294 cost about .75 a stop with the big stop costing $1.15 heading north to our Wisconsin neighbors.

Eric

[gwsullivan]

Al, get in and go. It doesn't matter where you go because there is good and bad everywhere. We have traveled to 26 states in three years and we both work full time. I have fallen in love with places I would never have dreamed of going. I hope to retire within the next 4-5 years so I can spend more time exploring every corner of this great country.

[Kistler]

Hi ajjohnsons... Tucson, AZ is a little warm at this time of the year many people leave our area for their "other" homes or for cooler climates.

Our experiences with RVng have been wonderful. As teachers with two boys camping/rving was a less expensive way to travel....35+ years later it is not only less expensive but more convenient.

I see you are in Boston; we haven't been there but would like to see south Boston especially. Spending time in any area gives one a feeling for the people. NH last fall was one of our great experiences....the people were fantastic. RVers seem to be well received most places.

As far as our Airstream...it is easier for me to deal with--hitching up, etc. I like being able to back up after I have made a "mistake" without unhitching.....toads don't back too well