September 2006 Issue No. 8 (click here for formatted PDF version with pictures!)Table of Contents
- Weekend in Camp Driveway
- Air Numbers
- Lug Nuts
- Camping Airstream Style
- A View from Shore
- Road Trip - California State Fair
- Zesty Pasta Dish
Quick Tip - Overlander63 After removing a wheel, remember to stop and check the lug nuts after several miles, in case they worked loose.
A Weekend in Camp Driveway
By Chaplain Kent This was the shortest distance we had ever traveled to a campsite. I placed the blocks under the levelers and raised the front end of Chummy about 8" to achieve level and shut off the ignition. We were spending the week camping in our driveway while having the wood floors in our house sanded and refinished.
We love to camp. Anywhere, anytime of the year, anyplace, we love to camp. Fran and I camp in the dead of Winter and in the heat of Summer. We enjoy driving rain storms, forcing us to be inside Chummy for a day; crisp Winter days that snap back at you; hot sunny days to lounge on the Lafuma; and even normal days. We love to camp.
When we thought about spending the week in Chummy, it never occurred to us that this might be different. Day one: We live in an older house and sometime last year the wiring from the house to the garage turned to dust. I replaced it with an extension cord hung from the back of the house to the garage. My wife starts work at 5:00A.M., gets up at 3:30A.M. She is very concerned about having an alarm clock, which works. I cannot sleep with a wind up clock ticking anywhere within fifty miles of my bed.
I plug Chummy into shore power which is really an extension cord plugged into an extension cord which is hung from one building to another building. It works, but sometime during the day goes out. I get it to work again. My wife goes to bed with the thought of never waking up in time. Just to be safe neither of us slept.
Day Two: EAA. We live by a small private airport 50 miles south of the EAA air show. During EAA, the planes use our airport as a holding area while waiting to get into EAA. During the night WWII, bombers were flying rooftop level with Chummy. Just to be safe neither of us slept.
Day Three: We packed no food since we could get into our kitchen. But today they stained the floors leaving the house filled with a horrible odor. Fran and I went out and had a wonderful Mexican dinner. However, we ate much later than we usually do and were unable to use the basement bathroom in the house due to the odor. Just to be safe, neither of us slept.
Day Four: We are not happy campers. Three sleepless nights and today Fran is off from work. The temperature is rising everywhere. For the first time ever, we can think of nothing to do. We eventually decide to see Robin Williams in ‘RV’ and love the movie. We come home to discover there is a problem with the finish coat on the floors. They might have to start over. Neither of us slept.
Day Five: We move back home, one laundry basket of dirty clothes and a stack of newspapers. The floors need to be redone but we can walk on them. The contractor said he could fix them without us having to move out again. We slept well that night.
Day Ten: The floors are finished and look spectacular. We are well rested and have several camping trips planned. All of our future trips will be far from our driveway.
For a list of campsites, please visit our campsite review section here...
Airstream Forums Tutorial They’re New - They’re Blue ... AIR Numbers
Did you know that each forum member is assigned a user ID number upon registering? This number is generated by the Forums software and never changes.
Recently, some Forums members figured this out and thought it would a cool way to identify forum members on the road. For many years the Wally Byam Caravan Club (WBCCI) has done something similar with red numbers. Unlike WBCCI membership numbers, your forum number will never expire; it is yours indefinitely.
You can find a link on each forums page on the left side of the screen to view the Forums number for all members. To find out what your number is open your User Profile (on the blue tool bar near the top of your screen - click user CP).
Look for more standardized number placement and size as our community evolves.
Got AIR?
Janet, AIR 3181
Camping Airstream Style - Rebel Beck I’m not a writer and don’t claim to be, but one of the other members asked me to share our family vacation I hope you enjoy and I’m sure some of you have had similar experiences.
Vacation 2006 with the Lacy family and our 1975 31ft Airstream (The Peppy), we bought our vintage Airstream from the forums classified section in November 2005 and have worked on it almost non-stop in preparation for our summer vacation. New floor, leaks found and fixed and new brakes, lots more to do but enough to get some camping in this season.
The weather has decided to surge the week we are to leave as also the gas prices. What the heck, it’s vacation time. This was the Big One. Sure a few camping trips to our local State Parks, but this was the big five days. Reservations were made five months ago. To us it was as if we were going to the Grand Canyon, but in reality, it was only three hours away.
Okay, now let’s hear a chuckle from all you far travelers. The morning of, I have tossed and turned all night thinking the alarm would never go off and when it does I can’t get out of the bed quick enough running around yelling get up get up, it’s time hit the showers, load the cooler, let’s go let’s go!!!
As we pull out of the driveway I yell STOP, we have to do the pre-flight check we all know about that left blinker, right blinker, brake, brake again and kick the tires. And then five miles down the road I wonder what I forgot? My husband calls me neurotic about road noise every time we start to stop I have to turn down the radio and listen for road noise (you know brakes squeaking, wheel falling off, or something worse).
Yes, I’m afraid to say so I am always the one who asks ‘WHAT WAS THAT’ every five minutes too, almost as bad as my son asking ‘are we there yet?’.
So by the time we do get there my husband is ready for an adult beverage. I always have to look in the mirror or just turn around and look back at the Airstream and smile as he is looking back at me with his cool sunglasses on. My husband told me once, it is still there.
We arrive at our destination J.P. Coleman State Park and find our spot, I just cannot believe it is right on the water about twenty feet from the trailer door. How lucky can you get? Huge shade trees to boot, gotta love those trees when you have an Airstream and it’s 105 heat index outside.
Now’s the fun time setting up camp the usual plug up, pull out the awning, turn the a/c on, set the flamingos loose, fill the Tiki torches and find a place to put them, go in and get the cd player, find the Jimmy Buffet cd, turn it on and sit down, oops get up and find the cooler with the adult beverages, get one and sit back down and enjoy the view, a water front property in Mississippi.
As nightfall sets in and the torches are lit, a small campfire is built, the real bliss of owning an Airstream sets in. The shimmer of the light from the Tikis and the shadow from the campfire shining off the aluminum made me wonder, where all have you been my Peppy with your 31 years of glory, what all have you seen and experienced, how many rally’s have you been to?
Man oh man this is the life and I think to myself this is Camping, this is camping Airstream Style. And then the silence is broken by “Mom can you come turn the TV off, I’m tired.”, and I just laugh and told my husband ‘another Great day of camping’. And that’s what it’s all about. (Priceless)
The View from Shore - Dijer It’s evening; the pink orange hints in the clouds tell me so. It’s high tide and I stand on our deck looking out at our resident turtle lolling about 12 ft out from the shore. He’s lingering in the shallow water, seemingly oblivious to the erosion cutting away this stretch of the beach. It’s a steady process; not cruel but indifferent.
Strident waves undercut our land, then large unsupported slabs fall below. Grand aged trees tip over into the sea, their root skirts exposed to the sky. The process is turbulent, relentless. Our local newspaper reports on it, people converse about it, and I live with it.
As I open the door to my Airstream to step out, I look across a patch of scrubby beach grass to the warm ocean beyond. The water is clear turquoise and when the light hits it just right, it looks as if the sunlight has shattered into a thousand shards of broken mirror across the surface. The beauty and lazy peacefulness of the shallow water lead to the agitated waves at the reef, which protects us from the true ferocity of the Pacific Ocean. This reef provides us a false sense of security, as we are really at the mercy of the sea.
Daily we can see the effects of waves on our shoreline. We live with the constant roar from the force of powerful waves crashing against coral. It's been politely suggested that we are crazy to live so close to the water and to have my Bambi parked so close as well. We are close enough that as I sleep with my feet towards the reef, more than once I have awakened from a dream of incoming ocean, a sensation of waves on my toes. But, we are determined to try this Hawaiian beach lifestyle and all that it entails: erosion, salt spray, endless window washing, endless Bambi waxing, endless Pina Coladas and Mai Tais.
We are in a tug of war with the sea to keep hold of our land. And so long as I can step out of the Bambi, walk a few feet to the sand, step into the clear, clean water while looking to a distant horizon, these efforts just add to the reward.
Click on this link for more information on this topic.
Road Trip - By Codybear A pleasant time was spent at the California State Fair in Sacramento. The Fair runs until September 4.
Exhibits run the gamut: Superheroes ready to pose and chat with you: Superman, Batman and Robin, Cat Woman, Bat Girl, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern. I was even able to get an autographed photo signed by none other than Noel Neill, the original ‘Lois Lane’ in the Adventures of Superman with George Reeves.
The Animal Exhibit featured miniature Herefords and Horses as well as newborn Calves and Piglets, a 4-horned Goat, an Alpaca and Llama, newborn Quails and Chicks. An interesting Old Medical Equipment Exhibit displayed Bedpans through the Century as well as an Emerson Respirator, and Dental Equipment.
In the Discovery Exhibit, one could find a Yellow Jacket Nest, as well as a variety of Insects and Amphibians. And of course last but not least, there was the Food, the Carnival Games, the Rodeo, and the Midway.
Great Recipe - By Codybear Sweet Basil and Tomato Pasta
Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced (optional: cut into slivers if you don’t like to eat bits of garlic)
- 3 TBSP Cup Fresh Basil, rinsed, paper towel dried, and then leaves stripped off stems and chopped
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/4/ Tsp Pepper
- 2-3 Medium sized Fresh ripe Tomatoes, rinsed, cored and diced
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Dry Romano Cheese, grated
- 12 Oz. pkg.: Mostaccioli, (featured in this recipe) Angel Hair, Capellini, Fideo, Fusilli, Linguini, Spaghetti, Vermicelli, Fettuccini, Penne, Rigatoni, or Large Shell Pasta (any of these work great)
Directions:
In Small saucepan heat garlic, oil, basil, salt and pepper on medium heat, stirring until basil just turns deep green in color, and garlic is tender about 2-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized bowl filled with the tomatoes, sugar, and cheese.
Let sit on counter about 15-20 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook for 8-10 minutes or al dente. Transfer hot cooked pasta to large serving bowl.
Toss pasta gently with the mixture. Serve with a tossed green salad with vinaigrette, and a fine red or white wine.
Newsletter Staff: Editor: Paula Wong (codybear)
Senior Writer: Chaplain Kent
Contributing Writers:
- Janet Humphrey - Forums Moderator
- Overlander63 - Moderator
- Rebel Beck
- Dijer
Rally Calendar Manager : Uberlanders
Photo & Design/Layout Editor: Paula Wong
Community Founder: Andy R
- All Members are welcome to submit articles for consideration for use in upcoming issues when submitted by the 15th of each month.
- All Articles are subject to editing. Any relevant photos should be sent in .jpeg format, no larger than 800x600 pix. Please send your articles and photos by private message to Codybear.
- Suggested article topics, but not limited to: Quick Tip, Great Recipe, Road Trip, Don't Do What I Did, Travel with Pets, Upcoming Event, Poem, Human Interest.
The AirstreamForums.com Newsletter is published for Members of the AstreamForums.com. Articles appearing in this issue reflect the opinions of the writers, and may not be used without written permission. All rights reserved 2006.
It was a Design Contest by the General Motors Marketing Compartment of GM Europe. The new design is not painted or sprayed on the Skin, it is a foil that can be removed afterwards. 
Maybe that is a nice idea if you to change the look of your Airstream from time-to-time?!
