airstream life summer 2013

AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM 1

Online Edition Online Edition

Summer 2013

RUNAROUND SUE • MUSICIAN JOSH ROGAN • LETTERS FROM EVERYWHERE

TABLE OF CONTENTS traveling well

The official Airstream lifestyle magazineSpring 2013

4 EDITOR’S PAGE

6 INBOX

11 Runaround Sue INTERIORS

17 Josh Rogan: Following Musical Dreams RIVET BIT

2 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

Runaround Sue, Page 11 Josh Rogan, Page 17


Josh Rogan, Page 17


EDITOR’S PAGE

The Airstream universe just keeps growing. Last issue I wrote about the new Land Yacht concept trailer with a new Italian interior design, and now Airstream has announced that this exotic variant is going into production, at a six-figure price. Not long before, Airstream announced that the Interstate class B motorhomes have continued to roll off dealer lots at an incredible rate, making it the best-selling class B on the market today.

These new models are introducing more people to the Airstream world—people who in the past might not have been interested in the traditional image of “RV’ing,” but who are interested in beautifully designed vehicles that expand their travel opportunities.

Since Airstream is now a brand sold in nine countries (US, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Korea, United Kingdom, Holland and Germany) it’s no surprise that Airstream gatherings and caravans are popping up all around the world. For example, in the printed version of this issue we’ve got a great piece about some UK Airstreamers who took a little jaunt down to Morocco, and a letter from Germany in the Inbox section.

This summer we are traveling to Germany to meet some of the European members of our community, who share the joy of Airstreams both new and vintage just like we do.

Here in North America things are expanding, too. We just announced the opening of our newest event called “Alumaflamingo,” to be held next February in Sarasota, FL. You’ll see an ad for it on page 14. This event replaces the venerable Florida State Rally, which was discontinued this year. We’re expecting a big turnout for a great time near the sunny beaches of Florida next winter.

With that, we’ve now got four Airstream Life events around the country, and we are planning even more for 2014 and 2015. We hope you’ll give one of them a try, and meet your fellow Airstream owners. One of the people you can meet

The Ever-Expanding Universe of Airstream

ABOUT OUR COVEROur cover image this issue is entitled “Alumapalooza Icons.” According to the artist, the mowed field by the Airstream factory, with the big top tent, Bowlus Road Chief and the polished Airstream up front, along with several more Airstreams in reflection give some of the spirit of Alumapalooza.

This painting is by Don Lake, who was a Professor of Art for 38 years specializing in drawing and watercolor. Best known for his industrial imagery, he also has a long history of painting the prairie landscape. His work is held in numerous private and public collections including Springfield Art Museum, Illinois State Museum, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and many university and college collections.He has been featured in American

Artist magazine and in New American Paintings, and he has juried several regional and national exhibits. More of his work can be seen at www.donlakeart.com.

WHAT’S COMING• The Wild Side of San Diego

• Marfa: An Entertainment Oasis

• Find Your “Camping Style”

• Musical Airstreams

Airstreaming to Morocco

Editor and Publisher: Rich Luhr [email protected]

Associate Editors: Tom Bentley Becky Blanton

Layout and Design: OneTree Marketing [email protected]

Advertising Sales: Brett Greiveldinger [email protected] (802) 877-2900 Ext. 2

Editorial Illustrator: Brad Cornelius

Culinary Consultant: Eleanor O’Dea

Customer Service: David Winter

Associate Contributors: Jody Brotherston J. Rick Cipot Fred Coldwell Renee Ettline Bert Gildart John Irwin Forrest McClure Charles Spiher

CONTACTAirstream Life411 Walnut St #4468Green Cove Springs, FL 32043Telephone: (802) 877-2900Fax: (802) 610-1013www.airstreamlife.com

AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION You can get Airstream Life online, for free! Each issue we select 15-20 pages of the upcoming magazine and make it available on the Internet to readers who sign up at www.airstreamlife.com/online. It’s a sneak peek, with no cost, no obligation!

CUSTOMER SERVICEAirstream Life’s world headquarters are the dinette table of a 2005 Airstream Safari 30 We’re always glad to hear from you, but if you have a simple question, please check our website for help first. There you can subscribe, renew your subscription, change your address, get advertising information, download writer’s and photographer’s guidelines, notify us of an address change,and get answers to frequently-asked questions. See www.airstreamlife.com or call (802) 877-2900.

Airstream Life (ISSN 1550-5979) is published quarterly by Church Street Publishing, Inc., 411 Walnut St #4468, Green Cove Springs FL 32043. Subscription price is $24 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Ferrisburg VT and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Airstream Life, 411 Walnut St #4468, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043

© Copyright 2013 by Church Street Publishing, Inc. AIRSTREAM® is the property of Airstream, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in CANADA.

traveling well

The official Airstream lifestyle magazine

is Josh Rogan, a young musician who took to an Airstream to pursue his dreams of a musical career. Rogan and his wife will be at Alumapalooza this May, and Josh will be performing.

In this issue you’ll also meet “Runaround Sue,” a beautifully-designed and “eco-friendly” Airstream. Unlike most Airstreams we feature in the magazine, you can buy Sue if you like her. She’s on sale now in the Airstream Life classifieds for $90,000.

I hope you’ve got great summer travel plans. If you’d like to follow our travel plans, just check out the Airstream Life blog called “Man In The Maze,” at airstreamlife.com/maze. See you on the road!

Rich LuhrEditor & Publisher

Runaround Sue


INBOX Camping in AustriaAttached you find a picture of our Airstream 684 International. Over the New Year’s holiday we spent a couple of days at a camping resort in Tirol Austria, just underneath Germany’s highest peak, the “Zugspitze.”

This was our first winter camping experience and it was a great one! Even at lower temperatures and with snow outside it felt very comfortable in our Airstream.

This was for sure not the last time we will be out with our Airstream in Winter!

Best regards from Germany,Armin Heun, Airstream Germany

A Perspective on SpeedI would like to comment on the towing article in the Spring 2013 issue. My Dad was a traffic engineer and I remember him talking about not having trucks and cars going different speeds to lessen the chance of accidents (example California with actual different speed limits for each type of vehicle). Obviously going uphill with a load slows down the big rigs—rarely down to 45 or less and usually on sections of the freeway where an additional lane is available for the climb, and the road is marked to expect the slowed vehicles.

I am glad we have plenty of power and are not going 45 and causing other traffic to slow and making them consider cutting out in front of another vehicle and causing a possible accident to get around us. We will keep our overpowered vehicle and spend a few more dollars at the gas station for the peace of mind to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic in all conditions. I hope anyone choosing to go slow would stick to multiple lane roads or pulls off regularly to allow others who want to drive the speed limit to travel on.

Nancy Fisher


More on MotorhomesI just received your renewal letter and have just renewed on line. Saw the show on HGTV and thought it was excellent.

You ask for comments, so here’s mine: How about more editorial on the classic motorhomes. We own a 1994 360 Classic. It always gets great attention and many questions.

Peter RachtmanCorrales, NM

Peter, we haven’t forgotten you and other owners of the Classic motorhomes! We are looking for a few good articles for future issues. In the meantime, collectors of our back issues may find some interesting articles in the 2005 magazines. We’re also looking for contributors to write about the Airstream Interstate motorhome series, which are the most popular B-vans on the market today.

A Tight Fit In ZionMy husband and I went to Zion National Park with our 2010, 30’ Airstream. We live full-time in our Airstream, for 5 years now, and love it. We volunteer in different campgrounds every summer and winter to escape the cold and hot seasons of Missouri. Here’s a picture of Jerry at the entrance to the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel, 1.1 miles long through the red Navajo sandstone.

Jerry & Grace Abbott

Where’s the Key?Some incidents never die; they just haunt you for life. I thought it might be instructive if I aired my dirty laundry and related why my wife, another couple, and four former teen-agers, now reasonably mature adults, have been goring me for the past ten years.

Our two families, towing trailers together, were on our way to Glacier Nat’l Park, when just east of Cut Bank, MT, we blew a tire on our single axle trailer. I had placed a key lock on the spare wheel years before and, since it had never been used in the previous five or six years, I confidently assumed the required key was on my key chain. It wasn’t. Four normally rational, sane vacationers trashed both the car and trailer to no avail. In desperation, I unhitched the car and my friend joined me for an unscheduled round trip into Cut Bank. I located a very helpful tire dealer who loaned me the tools necessary to remove the lock: a heavy hammer and a strong chisel.

This was for sure

not the last time we

will be out with our

Airstream in Winter!


INBOX When my friend and I returned to the site of my wounded trailer and impatient families, we completed the task at hand, rehitched the trailer and slowly drove to town. Why slowly? Because the spare tire came from an old Airstream of my father’s.

Of course, my travails were not over when we reached civilization. No one in town had a tire of the size my single axle trailer required. Fortunately, the now amused tire dealer was treating me with quiet disdain rather than adding to the verbal abuse I was enduring from my own family. At that time, Cut Bank had a handy overnight camping park for wayward travelers so we parked the trailer and bid our friends farewell as they drove out of sight toward Glacier.

The tire dealer now became my savior because he had a truck in Great Falls picking up some tires, and he called to be certain that his driver found one tire of the size I required. And lo, the next morning the truck arrived with the required tire protruding from the top of the load. By noon, we were on the road toward Glacier with warm thoughts on our minds about the courteous, helpful treatment we had received from a town we had known previously on weather maps as the coldest spot in the nation. Our traveling ‘friends’ applauded when we finally entered the Glacier campground.

Why does this experience still haunt me, even after having sold the trailer many years later following many other interesting and no less eventful trips? It’s because we recently decided to purchase another trailer. When I told my wife I had found the perfect Airstream for us, she asked two questions: “Does it have a lockable spare? If so, where’s the key?” Now I ask you, was that fair?

Daniel S. ObornMesa, AZ

We’d like to see your Airstreaming pictures and hear your stories. Email us at [email protected]. High-resolution (not reduced) photos in JPG format are best. You can also mail letters and photos to Airstream Life, 411 Walnut St #4468, Green Cove Springs FL 32043, but keep in mind that photos won’t be returned.

Why does this

experience still

haunt me?

Your “quick start” guide to traveling, camping, and owning an Airstream travel trailer!This fun guide is filled with succinct, practical and tested answers to the most commonly-asked questionsand typical new owner challenges. Includes sections on all kinds of “newbie” topics: understanding all thesystems, camping, towing, solar & generators, maintenance, winterizing,simple repairs, packing, backing, dumping, filling, winter travel,Internet, cleaning, tools, myths, and sample checklists.

Makes a great gift for new Airstream owners, and a handy reference even for experienced owners. Includes

over 30 illustrations, and an indispensable eight-page “Jargon Guide” with definitions of commonly used Airstreaming terms.

Spiral bound (so it lays flat while you're reading it), and 6x9" paperbackformat so it will fit on Airstream shelves. 104 pages. Written by Rich Luhr(Editor of Airstream Life) with contributions by Airstream Life staff.

$9.95 at the Airstream Life store at www.airstreamlife.com/storeand Amazon.com.

Available as an eBook for Kindle and iPad/iPhone too!


Interior UpgradesWe recently purchased our second Airstream and love it as much as the last one (went from a 25 International to a 30 International). When we returned from Panama 4 years ago, we didn’t like the real estate market so we thought we would

just buy an Airstream and come and go, but this last year we still didn’t like the market so we upgraded, remodeled to include a second bank of kitchen cabinets, a Temper-pedic queen bed, two Stressless chairs and a mod wool carpet throughout. So now we are used to the smaller space and in no hurry to buy a house.

We love the magazine—read it cover to cover. It looks like Airstream will continue to be in our future.

Bob & Vicki Webber

Wally Loves To TravelThis photo shows my 2003 International CCD, being pulled by a 2006 Ford E350 cargo van. The yellow lab’s name is Wally, named after Wally Byam.

Duncan Orr

Objects In Mirror ...I wanted to share this photo from a two-week trip my wife Laura and I took across the Southwest, including camping outside of Santa Fe, NM, Monument Valley, and Capitol Reef. The photo was taken on our return to Denver as we drove east on I-70 during a storm. Hope you enjoy it!

Arne Beck

Western Sunrise Over AluminumAttached are photos of our 2006, 25 ft. Safari LS as we were preparing for an early morning departure from our home in Evergreen, Colorado. Our much anticipated trip was taking us to Oregon for biking in the Columbia River Gorge and fun in the sun on the Oregon coast. We spent 17 nights in our Airstream only to return to a blizzard in Colorado.

Helen & Gary CappsEvergreen, Colorado


Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. and its affiliates, Mayfield Village, OH. Roadside Assistance is subject to policy terms.10D00070 (06/10)

24/7 roadside assistance. Your weekends are spent on the open road. What makes it even easier is knowing

that with Progressive’s 24/7 Roadside Assistance you will never be stranded. In fact, Progressive will tow your

RV and your vehicle, even if your vehicle isn’t insured by us. Drive comfortably. Call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, go to

progressive.com or call an independent agent.

is on call 24/7 if they should ever need help.

will call the road their home this weekend.

ProGressiVe.coM


This 1961 Airstream Safari began a total renovation in 2009 by New Prairie Construction in Urbana IL. The 22-footer was purchased in Arizona, and hauled back through fierce dust storms to Illinois for an environmentally friendly transformation, which included replacing everything and polishing the exterior to a mirror finish. It’s name, “Runaround Sue” was respectfully borrowed from a 1961 Top 40 hit by Dion and the Belmonts, which can still be found on vinyl records.

Julie Birdwell and Jill Mulder, co-owners of New Prairie Construction have been in business since 1988 specializing in historic renovation, straw bale construction, green building methods and materials and energy efficient construction. Their staff of approximately 17 includes craftsman that have been educated at many universities and bring their hands-on experience in carpentry, attention to detail, design skills and enthusiasm to the group. They have been awarded numerous Historic Preservation citations for their work, and decided to apply their combined talents to an Airstream.

The interior of this Safari was completely gutted, as one of the main goals in restoring the Airstream was to reduce the level of VOC (volatile organic compounds), which are the toxic chemicals that off-gas from many household products. These suspected carcinogens can be found in carpeting, upholstery, paint, and numerous cleansers, and can cause many serious physical problems. Almost all of the new materials specified for the interior are VOC free.

In addition to a VOC-free interior, the color scheme supports natural light through light color values selected for the vertical surfaces and flooring. Nyloboard® made from recycled nylon and other materials provides a strong new subfloor for the Marmoleum® flooring, a linseed-oil based material with jute backing. In both the upper shell and bottom pan, lightweight soybean-based polyurethane foam insulation was added for increased air tightness, strength, and energy efficiency.

By Jody Brotherston, ASID

Photos by Nick Burchell

INTERIORS

Breathe Easy in “Runaround Sue”

Almost all of the

new materials specified

for the interior are

VOC free.

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. and its affiliates, Mayfield Village, OH. Roadside Assistance is subject to policy terms.10D00070 (06/10)

24/7 roadside assistance. Your weekends are spent on the open road. What makes it even easier is knowing

that with Progressive’s 24/7 Roadside Assistance you will never be stranded. In fact, Progressive will tow your

RV and your vehicle, even if your vehicle isn’t insured by us. Drive comfortably. Call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, go to

progressive.com or call an independent agent.

is on call 24/7 if they should ever need help.

will call the road their home this weekend.

ProGressiVe.coM



Bamboo plywood and shiny aluminum set the stage for this earth-friendly interior makeover. Nickel fixtures and cabinet pulls by Rejuvenation, Kohler, and Delta accent the interior, while natural fibers make up the upholstery and stuffing.


INTERIORS

AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM 13 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM 13

The cabinets, furniture and trim were hand-crafted from reclaimed redwood and Plyboo® plywood made of bamboo. All casing and trim is finished with tung oil and non-toxic solvents, and staining was done with non-toxic aniline dyes. All of the cabinets and countertops were designed and built by the New Prairie crew, and bathroom elements in wood were fabricated from redwood salvaged from a deck. Cabinets, drawers and window niches were made using aspen framing and Plyboo. The interior side of the trailer door is covered in maple veneer, stained in aniline dyes and finished with a 100% tung oil and citrus solvent.

Cushions in the trailer are 100% natural latex, which does not off-gas. The upholstery on the couch and bench seating is post-industrial and post-consumer recycled polyester. A checked fabric from Burch Fabrics’ “Earth Friendly” series covers the couch, and a check fabric is repeated on the bench seating in the front of the Airstream on both sides of the dining table. Throw pillows were hand made from organic cotton, hemp and Tencel® blend fabric, and stuffed with Kapok, a natural fiber that comes from an African seed pod. Window coverings designed with rod pockets are a contrasting neutral tan in an organic hemp fiber with natural dyes, installed on silver rods.

The light fixture over the dining table that suggests art deco design is from Rejuvenation. Natural light is “harvested” from the large bathroom window through the Plexiglas door designed by Julie Birdwell. New Prairie’s crew constructed the door frame


INTERIORS

Brought to you by the same people who produce Alumapalooza, Alumafandango, and Alumafiesta: R&B Events.

Register on your smart phone by scanning this code.

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New Airstreams on Display and for Sale

On-site Running Gear Service by Dexter

Tons of Great Door Prizes Bluegrass Jam Sessions

Held at the former location of the Florida State Rally: the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, just five miles from white sand beaches! 3 amp electric, water, and dump, OR upgrade to 30-amp Handicapped parking section available Kids very welcome

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Airstreamers are flocking to Sarasota for this all new event!



from solid maple for the lightweight Plexiglas®, which becomes a light source during the day. The pewter door handle was supplied from House of Antique Hardware.

The kitchen galley cabinetry provides terrific storage in a light value plywood made from bamboo.

The galley sink manufactured by Spinflo has a removable Plexiglas

cover, dish basin, drain board, cutting board and cutlery rack. Lighting over the

sink, in a linear fixture by Progressive, is larger than those found in most new Airstreams, and provides excellent task lighting for this specific area. Cabinet pulls in polished nickel are from Rejuvenation. The flexible faucet is from Delta in brushed nickel finish. Heating register covers were supplied by Reggio Register.

The lavatory has many unique features, beginning with the shower seat and console made from reclaimed redwood. As in the front, the original plywood subfloor was replaced with Nyloboard, which will not warp or rot, and is completely hypoallergenic. The shower pan was custom made from stainless steel. The shower curtain was also custom made for the space. The shower valve and hose are Delta, and the shower head, wand, and vertical glide bar are Hansgrohe. The under mount stainless sink bowl and nickel finish faucet are Kohler products.

The composting toilet is made by Nature’s Head, which separates liquids from solids and uses moistened peat moss to help compost the solids. Composting is facilitated by mechanical turning of materials. A 12 volt fan provides fresh air piped directly to the composting materials and carries away odors to the outside through a vent pipe. The air supply discourages the development of anaerobic bacteria which cause odors, and promotes good bacteria that facilitate decomposition. Contents of the toilet can be removed and disposed of when it is full, and may facilitate 3-5 weeks for solids and 3-4 days for liquids based on two people camping.

The New Prairie Construction team strongly suggests reading the owner’s manual and directions on any composting toilet, which must be completely understood and followed exactly for maximum benefit and use. Besides the obvious environmental advantages, a composting toilet allows the trailer to operate without a black water tank.

Other technical additions to this Airstream include Kyocera solar panels with Sun Extender deep cell solar batteries, which power most of the lighting in addition to the water heater, furnace refrigerator and fans. The Airstream was completely wired with new electrical components to support all of the energy needs.

Design is about choices, and this Airstream renovation repeated the main goal in each choice: being environmentally friendly through the use of sustainable materials. The composting toilet is an unusual addition to a trailer, and the web site of the manufacturer is definitely worth reading. Runaround Sue has a beautiful reclaimed redwood and bamboo interior, with non-toxic finishes, allowing the new owners to breathe easy wherever this extraordinary Airstream travels.


16 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COMRegister now with your smart phone by scanning this code

• 5 nights full hookup plus cable, wi-fi, & indoor swimming pool• Numerous educational & fun seminars• Special events like wine-tasting & native American drumming!• New Airstream showcase by George M Sutton RV• Kids’ movie night• Catered dinner on Saturday• Live entertainment• Daily Aqua-Zumba fitness in the indoor heated pool• Open Grill nights & firepit gatherings• The infamous “Backup Derby”• Daily Happy Hour (with door prizes, of course) & other

opportunities to meet fellow AirstreamersOur setting this year will be the Seven Feathers RV Resort, just off I-5 in central Oregon. This resort has every amenity including landscaped campsites and free wi-fi Internet, plus a full service hotel with three restaurants and a casino.

It’s a great starting point for more northwest adventures, just 200 miles from Portland, 100 miles from the coast, and 115 miles from Crater Lake.

Space iS limited to 100 RVS, So don’t delay! $465 for two adults and five nights premium camping with full hookups, dinner, complimentary drinks for adults, seminars, door prizes, and shows.

“Walk-in” tickets (no campsite) available for $130 per adult. $40 for kids includes free kids admission to nearby Wildlife Safari.

Visit www.alumafandango.com for full details and online registration. Or call 802-877-2900 ext. 4

All activities are subject to change prior to event dates.

Be a friend of RB Alumafandango on Facebook for regular updatesFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/alumaevents

August 6-11, 2013Come enjoy the Pacific Northwest this summer! Join fellow Airstreamers in beautiful Oregon for a fantastic five days of fun at a top-rated resort!

OREGON COAST 100 MILES

CRATER LAKE 115 MILES


Josh Rogan and his wife Eliza bought an Airstream trailer for the same reason Josh decided to give up his career as a stonemason and to focus on his singing and songwriting—for the freedom to pursue his music.

No newcomer to the music scene, Rogan has been part of a popular hometown band called “The Rogan Brothers.” As a soloist he’s opened for Blue Oyster Cult, Fog Hat and played the Sturgis Motorcycle Festival in South Dakota in 2012. He’ll be playing at Alumapalooza 4 at the Airstream factory this May. His favorite gig of all time was playing recently with guitar-slinging Texas legend Jimmie Vaughn, the older brother of deceased musician Stevie Ray Vaughn. Their Airstream is giving him the potential to do more.

“We just loved the freedom and lifestyle Airstream represents,” he said. “And we wanted to follow our dreams. So we started with the Airstream. If you live out one dream, it gives you the confidence to live out another one. Then you just kinda start living your dreams. All of a sudden it’s easier than you think. You’ve just gotta go do it.”

So they did.Eliza, an artist and art gallery owner, sold her gallery, “The Flying Pig,” and

together they rented out their house, found an Airstream listed for sale on Craigslist, and drove to Grand Junction, Colorado to look at it.

“We’re standing inside it whispering ‘this is it!’ to each other, and we’re so excited about it, but trying not to show it,” Eliza said. “It was hard, but we managed to stay calm and to get a good price for it.”

By Becky Blanton

Josh Rogan: FOLLOWING MUSICAL DREAMS

RIVET BIT

Business author Mike Michalowicz, artist Eliza Rogan, and musician Josh Rogan gather at the Rogans’ Airstream to talk about what makes one musician stand out, in rural Virginia (with Harley the dog).


18 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM18 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

At last the complete story of Mr. and Mrs. Tin Hut can be told! If you love the Huts, or haven’t read all of their memorable adventures, here’s your opportunity to get 22 stories in a single volume. From nightmare trailer park to traumatizing family reunion to disastrous Mr. Ed Convention, Mr. Hut somehow manages to find the silver lining in every episode. His lifelong love, Mrs. Hut, tells her story too, while standing by her man as best she can in the wake of enraged farmers, insulted performers, horrified fellow campers, bewildered contest judges, and pierced in-laws.

Long a favorite of Airstream Life magazine readers, this is the first collection of Tin Hut stories ever published. It might be the last, too, considering that in this collection he manages to get stuck in a horse costume, hung from a tree, nearly electrocuted in bed, diagnosed with Fainting Goat syndrome, and set on fire. Includes all the hilarious illustrations by Brad Cornelius!

The Collected Adventures of Tin Hut

Now Availablein Print!

VOLUME I

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Still, the trailer needed a lot of work. “I re-plumbed all the lines and did a lot of other work on it,” Josh said. They stripped the turquoise paint off the wood cabinets, but left the orange door. They assumed the oven didn’t work and for months never even bothered to try to light it. When they finally did they were pleased to find they had a fully functioning trailer.

They started planning phase two—getting on the road. So they added Josh’s collection of Fender guitars, Eliza’s brushes and painting supplies, Harley, their dog’s food and bowls, and a stash of dark roast coffee and a coffee press to the cabinets. “Can’t do anything without this coffee,” Josh said, nodding at the thick, soup bowl sized coffee mug clenched in his guitar picking hand.

Then the couple hit the road, determined to make a living following their passion—music, people, art and motorcycles.

Eliza no longer owns a gallery, but she still paints, using the kitchen table as her studio.

“It’s small, but it’s inspirational,” she said. “Being on the road and meeting a ton of people and hearing their stories keep lots of ideas coming.” She’s the official photographer when they’re on the road, and staffs the product and swag table of CDs and items during concerts. She’s also the promoter, scheduler, and webmaster.

“But I still have time to paint,” she says. She paints commissioned works and sells her own concepts and paintings as well. The Airstream, she said, inspires her on many levels. Josh agrees.

The Rogan’s Airstream is temporarily parked on one of the several hundred acres his father and brother own north of Charlottesville, Virginia. They’re spending time with family before kicking off another music tour across the United States. They don’t have a plan other than to follow the gigs that pop up. That’s freedom.

He’ll be playing at

Alumapalooza 4

at the Airstream

factory this May.


The property they’re on is so rural it’s not on any GPS system. Five miles away, the Free Union Post Office is so small that more than six people standing in line means four of them are waiting outside the building.

Visitors have to drive up a long winding gravel driveway. The woods and isolation between the property and the gravel access road are so pronounced that you almost want to say, “Paddle faster, I hear banjos,” as you wind your way around the switchbacks at 3 mph. But at the end of the drive are a wide-open field, the Airstream, a small wooden shed and Harley the dog, who is happy to see visitors.

Josh’s brother’s house looms behind the Airstream. It’s a luxurious, two-story wood home that would be in character on any mountainside in Aspen.

“Even if that,” Josh nods toward his brother’s home, “Were mine and sitting on a mountain in Colorado, I’d still be hanging out in the Airstream. It’s a studio. As a writer, songwriter or artist, it’s amazing.”

Rogan, once part of a family band, “The Rogan Brothers,” was always popular in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. But after making a CD with his brother, and cutting two CDs on his own, he helped make a movie trailer called “The Rogan Road,” (available on Vimeo) about life on the road. Somewhere along the way he planned to discover, share and support the stories of others doing the same thing.

The Rogans happened to be in the right place at the right time when best selling business author and businessman Mike Michalowicz was in town in November.

Michalowicz doesn’t just advocate risk for entrepreneurs he follows his own advice.

“One of my buzz team members said, ‘I think you ought to hear Josh Rogan play. Oh, and by the way, he lives and runs his band out of an Airstream, and he could use some business advice.’”


Josh Rogan dropped his career as a stonemason to live in an Airstream and pursue his musical dreams.


“I didn’t even know what an Airstream was,” Michalowicz said. “I thought it was a commuter jet.” But he drove to Free Union, VA to “check it out anyway.”

No one disputes Rogan has talent. Michalowicz is impressed. So are Rogan’s fans. Now Josh just needs to know how to get the attention of more people so he can keep doing what he does—singing, playing, traveling and living the Airstream dream.

Sipping from a thick coffee mug filled with dark French Roast and eating one of Eliza’s fresh pumpkin muffins, made in the Airstream’s tiny propane oven, Michalowicz began his business advice with Seth Godin’s story of the “Purple Cow.”

“There are millions of talented singers and songwriters all trying to get noticed. You’ve got to be a purple cow,” Michalowicz tells the couple. “Being a purple cow is the art of transforming your business by being remarkable. You’ve got to stand out.”

“This,” Michalowicz says, lifting his coffee mug up in the air and gesturing around the Airstream, “This is different, but it takes more. This song is amazing. Invite people to bring their guitars to wherever you’re playing and teach it to them. Talk to them about why you wrote it, answer

their questions. Give them access to you. “What will happen is they’ll learn the song, go back and play it for their

friends. Their friends are going to love it and ask them, ‘Hey, what’s that song?’ and then they’ll tell them about the amazing evening they spent sitting around with you jamming and talking and learning to play the song. That’s purple. Don’t be just grassroots. Be the ultimate in grassroots. Be the guitar guy other guitarists want to be.”

Michalowicz picks up one of Josh’s guitars and begins to play. “Do you know Halleluiah?” he asked. Eliza goes to the computer and produces copies of the lyrics and chords.

The two men move over the to bed and spread out the sheet music and words and begin to play and sing. It’s a great moment for both.

Catching Michalowicz’s attention and support is a lucky break for Rogan, but that’s what following your dreams is all about.

“Build it and they’ll come,” Josh said. Even down a lonely back road in the country 40 minutes from anywhere, they’ll find you, especially if you’re in an Airstream.

He’ll be playing at

Alumapalooza 4

at the Airstream

factory this May.


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2 AIRSTREAM LIFE | SUMMER 2013 | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

TABLE OF CONTENTS traveling well

The offi cial Airstream lifestyle magazine

Edward Tufte, Page 10

Airstream Anglers, Page 42

Crepes Mille, Page 59

Summer 2013

4 EDITOR’S PAGE

6 INBOX

10 The Sculpture of Edward Tufte RIVET BIT

13 To Morocco, By Airstream DESTINATIONS

20 Josh Rogan: Following Musical Dreams RIVET BIT

24 Streamline Design FROM THE ARCHIVES

26 1938 Airstream Clipper OLD ALUMINUM

31 Marital Bliss in an Airstream LIVING THE LIFE

35 Classic Motorhome in the UK RIVET BIT

36 Runaround Sue INTERIORS

42 Airstream Angling Addicts NATIONAL PARKS

48 PUZZLE PAGE

50 Wheel Bearing Maintenance TECH TIPS

54 Stop Airstream Thieves! FEATURE

59 Crepes by the Thousands AIRSTREAM FOOD

64 MARKETPLACE & CLASSIFIEDS

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2_TOC_SUM13.indd 2 4/18/13 1:45 PM23 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

airstream life summer 2013

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