I'm flying to N.C. early Saturday to meet Bob and after he finishes tweaking his job, we'll be pulling out of Raleigh, in the new Ford to drive to Michigan to pick up our "new" 76, 31ft Sovereign. I'm a little nervous about pulling an AS that long and a little nervous about what our beloved Argosy will think when we pull up in Oklahoma towing this huge silver thing. This trailer is now owned by an elderly gentleman who has maintained it superbly. Since agreeing to sell it to us, he has refurbished the central heat, the Dometic frig, new water heater, all new tires, fixed any rough spots on the interior he completely built himself about 1990. He has never let anyone with shoes on into the trailer. I know it will not look as good as the pictures; however, it should be a good project for us and a wonderful rear bedroom luxury down on the lake.
Juel, safe travels to you. Don't worry about sibling rivalry - your Argosy knows he's loved (although he probably wouldn't mind if you bought him a little gift to remind him!) Our Safari was NOT pleased the day the Caravel came home, but they've learned to get along together in the two years since.
Can't wait to see more pictures of the new addition!
It's 1:00 AM and I'm getting ready to leave for the airport. The PO emailed me that he had put silicone on everything and I almost fainted. Come to find out he sprayed silicone lubricant on all the outside door hinges, levelers and anything that moved. This should be an adventure. Be warned we'll be pulling this thing home from Michigan to Oklahoma by mid-week. Keep an eye out for some nervous people pulling a big silver sausage.
It's a little after 2:00AM and the new trailer is HOME. It's more than we ever expected. I took pictures of the trip, but they will have to wait till tomorrow (or is that today?) I found it hard to believe, but the first part of our trip I was certain I had bought a new F-150 with no turn signals. Did you know some men don't actually use turn signals. As it turned out they worked just fine when I was driving.
2004 16' International CCD
1997 25' Safari
hamilton
, Montana
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 387
Yay Juel,,, so excited for you,, bet you cannot sleep,,, have lots of fun with it and do some driveway camping,,, the Twink will not be jealous,,just do not totally ignore him,,, waiting for the pics,,,, donna
The "new" silver one is home. My husband's work camera died a cruel death and won't let me have any of the trip pictures, but here is a picture of the trailer parked in his winter spot. What a drive we had home without stopping. The thought of being able to sleep in your own bed sure makes you do some idiot things. Note in one picture the original tag on the stove. The PO wanted us to know how it all worked, so he saved this tag and replaced it for us. What a wonderful gentleman he is. He took such good care of this Airstream.
Glad you made it home safe and sound. It's great when you find a trailer that has been well taken care of. The new trailer looks great and BIG! Best of luck with it.
You might be able to salvage pictures from the trip if you pull the memory card from the camera and put it in a card reader. Maybe....
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Richard Wally Byam Airstream Club 7513
Got the pictures of our first sighting of the Sovereign and the hectic drive home. Didn't get pictures of when Bob pulled into the rest area and in to the "cars" side. That was a hoot! I do have one picture of him blocking the drive in to the gas station. He'll learn.
I wanted to take the time to thank the PO of the 31footer I just brought home. I keep waiting to find something wrong with this trailer; however, we even hooked it up to shore water and not one leak. He has kept this trailer in near perfect condition. He's kept all the appliance literature, made many upgrades, and made sure everything worked before we got up to Michigan. He even put four new tires on it at no charge so we could pull it home safely. All the tambour works, the carpet pad and carpet is wonderful to walk on, have a full set of towels and bath mats, full set of silver, dishes and glasses. Spare light bulbs, spare parts, vacuum cleaner (with bags) and equalizer hitch. What a great gentleman he is. Thank you so much for loving this trailer. We will keep it safe for you and continue to have as much fun with it as you did.
Congratulations on such a wonderful find. That's the kind of luck we all wish we could have. Looks like you have good axles, too.
Pulling a 31' Airstream is not much different than your 24' Argosy now is it? Just swing a little wider and pull a little deeper into the gas pump island! I hope you have many miles of camping pleasure ahead.
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821 https://streaminacrossamerica.com/
Wow you make me jealous, I just purchased a 1975 Sovereign that was abused for many years,,almost starting from scratch but your photos show me what it is supposed to look like
I don't know! Looking at the picture I posted, it looks like they are pulling away from each other. I'm sure when they realize we love them both, they'll get along. I myself just love to go out and stare at them. It's hard to believe I now have "multiple Airstreams". I'm catching up with balrgn!!!!
Goingthrough the "new" Airstream I found the original letter to the original owner. It listed all the options on the Sovereign along with the price $13,300.00. There was also a Welcome letter from Airstream and an inviation to join the WBCCI. There are two RV catalogs for equipment dated 1990 and 1998. All the original appliance manuals are there, along with the warranty information. It has installation manuals for everything including the Armstrong AC unit. Everything has hand written information on the front giving the Serial # and Model #.. There is a receipt for upgrading the gas bottles in 1990. I am now trashing them because they cannot be upgraded to the new valves and are not aluminum. What a trip back in time. What a well cared for trailer.
2004 16' International CCD
1997 25' Safari
hamilton
, Montana
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 387
Cool Juel,,, how wonderful that your trailer was loved and well taken care of,,, how neat to find all of the manuels,,, i know you are having just too much fun,,, donna
Got the new gas bottles painted, and sanded, primed and painted the tongue. Not as much rust as I found on the New Mexico, Argosy when we got it. The only real rust problem we have found is the rear storage compartment which we have sanded, primed with rusty metal primer, sealed and painted. I'm including an original price list that I found in the Airstream. Very interesting. I've turned the frig on and am hoping it works on electric. If it doesn't, I guess a call to Palamino Supply will be next.
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It's Almost Time to Bring the '76 Home!
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