I am very passionate about restoring, modernizing and repairing vintage travel trailers, mostly Airstreams, because that's what I do for a living. It's not my hobby, although at times I wish it were. I have wonderful clients around the world and it is a very rewarding business. I don't just restore them, I also own several of these American icons, ranging in years from 1958 to 1968.
I woke up about 7 a.m. to...
I woke up about 7 a.m. to a magnificent desert sunrise. A quick trip to the front office to pay the $30 fee and I was off.
My favorite is the 1963 Overlander International, after which my company was named. It is 26-feet in length with a 23-foot body shell, and I rescued it from a moldy meadow in Washington State, then painstakingly breathed new life into all its systems, creating a camper that met my wife's, and my requirements. Not to mention that of our two cats. The build took 18 months and in some ways, now 6 years later, it is still not quite finished. I admit, the unit does serve as a test bed for products before I install them in client projects, which require frequent changes and updates. This is the trailer that I hitched to my rig to get to one of the biggest events in North America-the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Wally Byam Caravan Club
As a member of the Wally Byam Caravan Club's four corners unit, I had the privilege to be invited to camp next to the balloon field, in one of the organization's VIP areas. My good friend Ken Johansen organizes this opportunity annually, as one the many Airstream rallies the FCU members get involved with. Of course the VIP's get front row parking, immediately by the entry to the balloon field. The requirement, however, is that lucky front row campers must be there by sunset on Thursday before the event, due to parking regulations. That was a deadline that couldn't be broken, or I'd miss my opportunity to participate. After some quick preparations, I finally got on my way at around 7:30 on a Wednesday evening, armed with a 100-watt solar panel, full water tank and propane. I was ready for four days and nights of dry camping and not much else.
The desert is full of strange...
The desert is full of strange and curious stops, including this one where you can buy fireworks and Indian jewelry.
My route from California was SR-57 to I-40 and then to I25-N to the Alameda off-ramp into Albuquerque. Traffic just leaving Southern California was awful for no apparent reason. A tiring tow already, and I haven't even really made it out of town yet, and was already getting frustrated with the drive.
My original goal was to cross the Arizona border, and spend the night at the first rest stop off Interstate 40. Realizing that it was already late, I set a new goal to make it to the first rest stop off I-40 east, which should have been at mile marker 28 or so, near Newberry Springs, California. Newberry Springs is where the movie Baghdad Café was filmed. The original filming location still exists, and is a functioning coffee shop today.
The drive out to Barstow was OK, engine humming, wheels spinning, looking forward to a well-deserved nap, and a light dinner in my trailer. Soon after the I-40 interchange, heading east, I saw that the rest stop was closed. I was faced with having to make another plan if I wanted to make the deadline into New Mexico. If I could make it to the next rest area, about 80 miles further east I'd be fine. Then another sign further down the road said the rest area was closed. Now tired, hungry, growing frustrated with semi-trucks and a lack of caffeine, I decided to keep driving.
Where do all our DMV fees and taxes go? I later discovered the reason for all the rest-stop closures: budget cuts (as I had expected).