airstream life — winter 2013

AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM 1

AIRSTREAMS TO FEED YOU • JOINING THE AIRSTREAM COMMUNITY

Winter 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS traveling well

The official Airstream lifestyle magazineWinter 2013

4 EDITOR’S PAGE

6 INBOX

11 Benefits of Airstream Community LIVING THE LIFE

15 Camp Cooks in the UK RIVET BIT

17 Donuts with Rivets AIRSTREAMING

20 The Skinny Pancake AIRSTREAM FOOD

2 AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

An Unforgettable Experience, Page 15

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Donuts with Rivets, Page 17Benefits of Airstreaming, Page 11

The Skinny Pancake, 0


Fresh new program of tours, seminars, and fun!

Meet fellow Airstreamers at this great winter escape for a fantastic five days in sunny Tucson. You’ll experience the best of Tucson with a full program of escorted tours, outdoor activities, great meals, music, and the world famous Gem & Mineral Showcase.

This event got rave reviews in its first year and we expect a sell-out, so don’t delay in registering! Limited to 120 sites, and Tucson’s campgrounds are always fully booked due to the popularity of the Gem Show.

é Five nights full hookups with cable, wi-fi, and two heated swimming pools

é Daily guided explorations of Tucson’s cultural sites, shopping, architecture, and history (lots of new places on the program!)

é Daily active adventures: hikes, walking, bike rides

é Evening presentations by local historians, storytellers, and other experts

é Two catered breakfasts, one catered dinner, plus optional lunches at great Tucson eateries

é Musical performance by Edgar Cruz

é Daily Happy Hours with door prizes, vendors, and an indoor new Airstream display

All activities and events are subject to change before event dates.

Visit www.alumafiesta.com for full details and online registration. Or call 802-877-2900 ext. 4Register now with your smart phone by scanning this code

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/alumaevents

Like our page on Facebook at Alumafiesta for regular updates

AlumaFiestaFebruary 4-9, 2014Lazydays RV ResortTucson, Arizona

$465 for two adults and five nights premium camping, meals, seminars, door prizes, tours, and musical performances.

“Walk in” tickets (no campsite) available for $120 per adult, $55 for kids 15 and under.

As always, we guarantee you won’t have to shovel snow! Tucson’s average daily high in February is 68 degrees. Don’t miss your chance to get a break from the winter and meet a lot of fellow Airstreamers.

A I R S T R E A M L I F E P R E S E N T S

Alumafiesta_2014.indd 1 10/18/13 8:47 AM


EDITOR’S PAGE

Airstream Life has changed quite a bit since we started publication nearly ten years ago. This magazine started in Summer 2004 with just 800 paid subscribers, and an Editor/Publisher who frankly didn’t have a clue about the magazine business (me). I wrote about half the articles myself because I didn’t have enough staff, and I lived in fear that someday I’d run out of things to write about

Well, I needn’t have worried. There’s no end of stories in this community, and Airstream Life is lucky to have a great group of writers who make every issue fun to read. (I’m particularly proud of the fact that five of the writers who contributed to the first issue are still with the magazine today, a decade later: Forrest McClure, Charles Spiher, Tom Bentley, John Irwin, and Bert Gildart.)

Today, Airstream Life reaches about 13,000 readers quarterly in print and online, and about a third of those readers have had their Airstream for less than two years, or don’t own one yet. That means our community is still growing, and still evolving.

When this magazine launched in 2004, everyone wanted to get it in glorious colorful print so they could hold it in their hands, put it in the Airstream’s magazine rack, and save it on a shelf. Back then I could count the number of requests I got for a “digital edition” on one hand.

That’s changing, too. Now I’m hearing from readers who get nearly all their information online. Half of the retail purchases of “The Newbies Guide To Airstreaming” are either in Amazon Kindle or Apple iBooks format rather than paper, and the requests for Airstream Life magazine to get hip to the online age are becoming more frequent.

It makes sense. In 2004, we didn’t have all the tablet computers (like iPads) and smart phones that are so common today. Almost nobody had mobile Internet capability in their Airstream, or wi-fi in a campground. Now we can’t seem to live without those things.

I don’t foresee Airstream Life ceasing print publication anytime soon. Lots of us still love print. But for those who want the convenience of having their magazines on their iPad, I have good news. We’ll soon be launching a new Airstream Life iPad app, so you can subscribe (and buy back issues) through the iPad App Store. We plan to have all the back issues through at least 2008 available for purchase.

Everyone who downloads the free app will get one issue for free, just for trying it out. If you are currently a paid subscriber to the print edition, you’ll get four free issues instead of one.

This may be the only way you can get most of the great back issues of Airstream Life. We sell the printed back issues through our online store (airstreamlife.myshopify.com) but they’re nearly all gone now. So I hope you’ll try

The Future Is Digital (But I Still Like Print)

ABOUT OUR COVEROur cover image is adapted from the “Tin Can Travels” poster series by Matt Boorstin. Matt is a full-time Airstreamer and graphic artist, and illustrator of “The A-To Z-Of Getting Organized: A Grown-Up Picture Book For The Chaotic And Cluttered.” Matt is also a programmer of customized WordPress websites and a PhotoShop expert. Learn more about his services, and submit requests for commissioned artwork at FindYourPalette.com.

WHAT’S COMING• 1962 Airstreams

• Traveling in the Redwoods

• Cleaning Tips

• Boondockers WelcomeSUMMER 2004

traveling welltraveling well

50’s Martini Party Party tips

+ recipes

AIRSTREAMLife

AIRSTREAM

West Coast Airstream RestorersWest Coast Airstream Restorers

Montana’s Crow CountryMontana’s Crow Country

10 Questions for the Trailer Park TroubadoursAirstream’s Unoffical Band

10 Questions for the Trailer Park TroubadoursAirstream’s Unoffical Band

Under the Skin of the Airstream RenaissanceUnder the Skin of the Airstream Renaissance

PLUS: Events and CampgroundsPLUS: Events and Campgrounds

Wa l l y ' s ' 4 8 C a r a v a n • B u y i n g o n e B a y • N e w We s t f a l i aWa l l y ' s ' 4 8 C a r a v a n • B u y i n g o n e B a y • N e w We s t f a l i a

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

our app when it comes out sometime in the first quarter of 2014, and enjoy the convenience of having years of Airstream Life knowledge at your fingertips without carting around 40 pounds of magazines!

If you’d like to be informed when the Airstream Life app is ready, just “Like” our Facebook page (facebook.com/airstreamlife), or join our e-mailing list (eepurl.com/ktWCr), or follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/airstreamlife) or check our website (airstreamlife.com) for an update. The Airstream Life magazine app will always be free, so I hope you’ll try it out.

While much of the country is waiting for winter to end, some of you will be on the road in warmer places. This winter we are sponsoring two events in February, Alumafiesta in Tucson AZ, and Alumaflamingo in Sarasota FL. Since we’ve now got an event at each side of the country, we’re hoping you can come to one or the other.

Alumaflamingo in Sarasota will be a big one. It already has (at this writing) over 140 Airstreams signed up and we expect something in the range of 250-300 this year. We’ll have a lot of fun camping just a few miles from the white sand beaches. See the ad in this issue for more details about seminars, entertainment, tours, and other special activities that are planned.

Alumafiesta in Tucson is more intimate, limited to 120 Airstreams in a resort-style setting. The program focuses more on “behind the scenes” tours in the local area, great meals, active adventures, and engaging evening talks by local Tucsonians—plus the amazing city-wide Tucson Gem & Mineral Show venues.

Either of these would be a good excuse to pack up the Airstream and head out of the cold in February. Personally, I’ll be at both of them, so February will probably be the most amazing (and busy) month I’ll have all year! The entire family is looking forward to it, and we hope to meet you at one or the other.

See you on the road,

Rich LuhrEditor & Publisher

Fresh new program of tours, seminars, and fun!

Meet fellow Airstreamers at this great winter escape for a fantastic five days in sunny Tucson. You’ll experience the best of Tucson with a full program of escorted tours, outdoor activities, great meals, music, and the world famous Gem & Mineral Showcase.

This event got rave reviews in its first year and we expect a sell-out, so don’t delay in registering! Limited to 100 sites, and Tucson’s campgrounds are always fully booked due to the popularity of the Gem Show.

é Five nights full hookups with cable, wi-fi, and two heated swimming pools

é Daily guided explorations of Tucson’s cultural sites, shopping, architecture, and history (lots of new places on the program!)

é Daily active adventures: hikes, walking, bike rides

é Evening presentations by local historians, storytellers, and other experts

é Two catered breakfasts, one catered dinner, plus optional lunches at great Tucson eateries

é Live musical performance on Saturday night

é Daily Happy Hours with door prizes, vendors, and an indoor new Airstream display

All activities and events are subject to change before event dates.

Visit www.alumafiesta.com for full details and online registration. Or call 802-877-2900 ext. 4Register now with your smart phone by scanning this code

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/alumaevents

Like our page on Facebook at Alumafiesta for regular updates

AlumaFiestaFebruary 4-9, 2014Lazydays RV ResortTucson, Arizona

$465 for two adults and five nights premium camping, meals, seminars, door prizes, tours, and musical performances.

“Walk in” tickets (no campsite) available for $120 per adult, $55 for kids 15 and under.

As always, we guarantee you won’t have to shovel snow! Tucson’s average daily high in February is 68 degrees. Don’t miss your chance to get a break from the winter and meet a lot of fellow Airstreamers.

A I R S T R E A M L I F E P R E S E N T S

Alumafiesta_2014.indd 1 7/22/13 12:02 PM


INBOX


The 1987 Sovereign 23 Is A GemDear Editor,What a pleasant surprise to discover Forrest McClure’s article on the 1987, 23' Sovereign dual axle in the Fall 2013 issue. I’ve had several Airstreams over the years including two other 23' models but couldn’t resist acquiring this one a few years ago when friends put theirs on the market.

P&S Trailer Service made the outside look factory new again and the inside was in excellent original condition. I replaced the carpet with a quality wood grain fiber floor covering product from Tarkett and added a microwave along with having other service work done.

I call this my “coming and going” trailer for brief trips from Florida north. Built in February 1987, and now 26 years old, this Airstream is a gem.

Doug PedersenDade City, Florida

A Lifelong Dream Comes True!Dear Airstream Life,My husband retired at the end of 2010 and the perfect Airstream arrived in our life on 1/12/2013. The local J’s RV Center took my husband’s motorcycle as a trade straight across for a 1993 25 foot Airstream. It needed a little work done on the floor and then we happily moved in and up the coast to beautiful Crescent City, CA by the harbor on 3/14/2013.

Just want to say thank you (God and Airstream) for this chain of events that made this move possible and a lifelong dream come true.

Thanks, Airstream!Sincerely,

Doug and Marie JohsonCrescent City, CA


It’s Safer Inside the Airstream!Living in an Airstream presents some unusual and sometimes exciting opportunities. Last year during a long road trip through the southwest we were camped for the night at Edwards Air Force Base when the camp host came around to warn us of an impending thunderstorm. Imagine his surprise when I took off out the door, camera and tripod in hand looking for an opportunity to photograph lightning.

Here is the result. The storm just happened to be in a position that allowed the Airstream to occupy the foreground with a large multi-forked lightning bolt providing the drama. Ten seconds later my better half headed for the cover of the trailer and informed me that if I had any sense at all that I would follow her. Follow her I did, too. Fortunately there was a bit of rain in this one, but no hail, so the experience was exciting … but not too exciting.

Jerry Harlin

Aw, ShucksYour Fall 2013 issue is especially well done. Keep up the good work!

Larry Larsen“Norcal Airstream”

[email protected]

Living in an

Airstream presents

some unusual and

sometimes exciting

opportunities.

INBOX


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!

One Weekend At A TimeDear Rich:I’m an avid reader of Airstream Life and a proud owner of an Airstream Bambi. My wife and I live in the Portland, Oregon area and we attended RV shows for years promising ourselves that we would buy an Airstream someday. That day came a year ago and we have been camping ever since.

Like most people who own an Airstream, we can’t help but take countless photos of our adventures and I’ve attached one that we took recently at a campground on the beautiful Oregon coast. This photo is also the wallpaper on my business computer to remind me that life is about the journey and not the destination.

We didn’t wait until retirement to buy our Airstream. We’re living the “good life” before we retire, one weekend at a time.

Sincerely,Brad Sticka

Hillsboro, OR


New Airstream GameMr. Luhr,After reading the latest edition of Airstream Life [Fall 2013], I sat and wondered what you could do with the article and self-assessment on page 31. I am, by education and inclination, a systems analytical type of person. That means a substantial portion of my education was statistical analysis of various things, from combat operations in Viet Nam to the stock market to success rates in social programs.

I kept thinking, “well, you could enumerate the categories, then do ANOVA...”Then I had a flash. What would a Socializer do? He or she would make a game out

of it. No social progress, no enlightenment, just some amusement. Herewith is attached the game of “Who Is It?” The Rules should be first read, then the Game Sheet and finally the throw-away game slips. I freely grant you the use and rights to it.

I recently read Phillip Caputo’s book. I would thank you for helping him get going, the book was worth it. Correctly pointed out as belonging with Blue Highways, Roads To Quoz, Travels With Charley and the other road books I’ve read over the years.

And, by the way, I’m a newbie Airstreamer (2013 25FB Flying Cloud—already modified, redecorated, changed, custom aluminum generator platform added, and messed with, so you know which box I belong in. We’re getting ready to take off for the Central California Coast in a couple of weeks, but I’m already loading (another tip off, right?)

Ten cuidado, socio.George D. Clark, Jr.

Paradise Valley, AZ

Anyone interested in trying this game can download all the materials from our website at http://airstreamlife.com/extra/whoisit If you improve the game, please share your updates by writing to [email protected]!

Comic Tales of Airstreams and CrimeDear Rich,Maybe this will find you somewhere along the trailer. Seems it was 2005 when I first starting inviting you down to the Keys to go sailing. You never made it, seems like a project restoring an Argosy took up all your time.

You had a little blurb on the upcoming February meet in Sarasota [Ed. note: Alumaflamingo, see ad in this issue] and two new books about Airstreams, and this is why my note. I write comic crime fiction stories.

My protagonist and his wife live aboard a 34-foot Airstream painted yellow like real ‘Key Lime Pie,’ and sitting on an Astro Turf forty-foot barge. The Airstream is as much a character as any of the wacky people.

Just wanted to know who to contact for get-togethers in both Sarasota and elsewhere. I’d like to attend to familiarize camping folks with my wacky stories of a young couple who live in an Airstream while falling over the shoe strings of their boat shoes, while selling Big Blue Crabs by the side of the Card Sound Road in Key Largo.

The crimes just seem to find them without advertising. I mean, what else do you do after riding in a caravan for hours on end if not for a good book? We can only sit in the shade of our Zip-Dee awnings just so long without brain stimulation.

Sincerely,Gerald Dowling

Gerald, we’d love to have you come to any of our events and show us all your stories. Contact us at 802-877-2900 ext. 4 for more information or registration, or visit any of the event websites: alumaflamingo.com for Sarasota FL; alumafiesta.com for Tucson AZ; alumapalooza.com for Jackson Center OH; and alumafandango.com for Canyonville OR.

We’re living the

“good life” before

we retire, one

weekend at

a time.

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


LIVING THE LIFE


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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

There’s really no doubt about it. Owning an Airstream is only part of the experience of being an Airstreamer. Granted, owning the product with its iconic mystique and quality is a worthwhile experience. But if you want to get the most mileage from owning an Airstream, plugging into the Airstream community is key.

Why? Well, there are three huge benefits. First – Connecting with the dynamic and adventurous community of

Airstreamers unites you with like-minded people who share your interest in Airstreaming, camping and travel. And if the company of people who have a zest for living life to the fullest inspires you to do the same, then you’re in the right place. Life-long friendships often develop through the bonds of campfires, potlucks, and roads traveled together.

Second – The Airstream community is a great place to learn about destinations. In fact, those in the Airstream community have a breadth of experiences to share when it comes to adventure, travel, camping, and touring. And isn’t that what Airstreaming is all about? Escape daily routine. Find peace beside a lake. See what’s over the next mountain.

Third – A wealth of technical information, creative ideas, and suggestions exists within the Airstream community. If you have a problem you’ll likely find someone else who has had it and solved it, or knows where to get it solved. Want to learn the basics, refurbish a trailer, find extra storage space, or get ideas for your interior? Veteran Airstreamers are generally eager to share the benefit of their experiences.

By Renee Ettline

Getting Connected: Three Benefits of Airstream Community


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

Order your copy now from www.airstreamlife.com/store, just $14.95

Also available as an ebook for Kindle and iPad.

If you want to reap these benefits, here are a few ways you can plug into the greater Airstream community.

Join Clubs to Build Your Network The Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) is the largest and oldest Airstream owners’ organization, advertising “fun, fellowship and adventure.” Formed in 1955, WBCCI boasts a history that extends back to the founder of Airstream. Their website outlines the organization’s array of local clubs, rallies, and caravans. www.wbcci.org

The Vintage Airstream Club (VAC) is an intra-club of WBCCI that serves the interests of those who own Airstreams that are 25 years old or older. WBCCI members with newer trailers can become associate members. Certain publications are available to non-members. vintageairstreamclub.com. The VAC’s technical advisor, Colin Hyde, is an excellent source of information on Vintage Airstreams. [email protected]

The Airstreamers Club (TAC) is open to anyone who is interested in Airstreams as well as those who own Airstreams. Focused on “just camping” and “having fun,” this is a loose affiliation of owners who pay no dues and have no formal structure. Gatherings are organized online. www.theairstreamersclub.org

Attend Rallies, Events and CaravansSit around the campfire with friends after a nice hike. Join in the festivities of a high energy special event. Launch out with a fleet of aluminum trailers to see the world. The options are limitless. Club-related activities, spontaneous gatherings, and privately sponsored events offer a smorgasbord of opportunity for plugging into the Airstream community.

So where do you start? Explore your options by visiting websites for the clubs mentioned above. In addition, R&B Events, an Airstream Life affiliate, offers four notable Airstream events around the country (see the sidebar for details), one of which is held at the factory in Jackson Center, OH.

LIVING THE LIFE

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Alumafandango September 2-7, 2014 Canyonville, OR www.alumafandango.com

Alumafiesta Feb 4-9, 2014 Tucson, AZ www.alumafiesta.com

Alumaflamingo Feb 18-23, 2014 Sarasota, FL www.alumaflamingo.com

Alumapalooza May 27-June 1, 2014 Jackson Center, OH www.alumapalooza.com

Forums rallies offer yet another source of fun with Airstreamers. These are camping gatherings with no official organizational sponsor. Members of the AirForums website (anybody can join) organize events and publish the information on the AirForums website to invite others. Furthermore, AirForums also allows clubs to post their events on the AirForums website. www.airforums.com

The annual Vintage Trailer Academy is an educational event geared to serious restorers of vintage Airstreams. Every year novice and experienced restorers gather in Albuquerque, New Mexico for this intensive four-day hands-on and classroom event. www.vintagetraileracademy.com

Join the Online Community to Discover Resources AirForums is the largest community of Airstreamers online. A broad spectrum of subjects are discussed in their forums ranging from technical to Airstream lifestyle topics. Classifieds, rallies, photos and even a registry of Airstreams round out the offerings.

Don’t forget to explore Airstream Life magazine’s website. You’ll find classifieds, interesting blogs, a handy reference of articles previously published in Airstream Life, and a library of useful resources for Airstream owners. If you’re new to Airstreaming or have a friend who is, you’ll want to order a copy of The Newbies Guide to Airstreaming while you’re there. www.airstreamlife.com

We’ve mentioned the technical advisor with the Vintage Airstream Club and the discussions on AirForums. There are other sources of helpful technical information as well. There’s a “Maintenance Info” tab at wbcci.org and the WBCCI member publication includes articles on maintenance subjects.

An often overlooked source of information is the Airstream company’s online support at www.Airstream.com/service/customer-support/. There’s nothing like going straight to the folks that make the product to find out how to solve problems. If the site doesn’t cover what you need, call the free Airstream Technical Support Line at 1-877-596-6505. Realize that it is a voice mail system and your call will be returned within 24 hours. Be ready to leave your basic information as well as the last six digits of your Airstream serial number.

Get connected by immersing yourself in the Airstream community and experience the benefits. But beyond the friendships, information, and technical help, there’s also something more. It’s life enriching in an indescribable way. Get connected and you’ll see what we mean.

Colin Hyde, Technical Advisor for the Vintage Airstream Club, explains to fellow club members how floor repairs are done, at the Cherry Blossom Rally near Washington DC.



Being outdoors brings out the best in us. It seems that the farther we get away from the daily grind the closer we get to the ones we love. For over 37 years, we’ve been helping folks enjoy the great outdoors in campers of all shapes and sizes, and we’re eager to welcome you into our family. If you need service, restoration or a new silver cutie you’ll feel right at home dealing with us.

Cozy fire. Cozy family. Cozy camper.

Airstream Sales | Airstream Service | Friendly CampgroundSales 888.382.4224 | Service 888.424.4915 | 3200 E. Irvington Road | Tucson, AZ 85714

Lazydays.com

AIRSTREAMFACTORY CERTIFIED• Vintage & New Repairs• Warranty Work• Insurance Claims• Renovations• Grey Tanks Installed• Plasticoating & Painting• Metal Damage Repairs• Parts Shipped To You

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It’s perhaps one of the more unusual commercial uses for an Airstream trailer – a US-themed catering business run by British drag queens.

Called Camp Cooks, the group of eight cross-dressers wearing pink spend their time touring music festivals where they deliver their own unique style of serving American food combined with singing and flamboyancy.

The idea was conceived by trailer owner Wynnie LaFreak, 44, who has been a drag queen for the past two decades. ‘She’ said, “I’ve always been interested in US culture and I’ve got a background working in clubs as a drag queen so when I thought of doing this type of catering, I decided I wanted a different vehicle – an average box trailer wouldn’t do.”

She surfed the internet and found a 1968 Airstream Overlander. The owner sent her pictures and the deal was done.

“I think the owner was in Ohio but he sent over photographs internally and externally and it was clear it needed a lot of work. It has nine panels where I’m told the best ones have 13, but I was happy with it and we got it in January 2012.”

Wynnie paid the owner around $3,000 for the Airstream, nicknamed “Pricilla,” with another $4,500 to ship it to the UK and import duties, plus around $4,500 to renovate it.

“We had to take out the fixtures and fittings in the bathroom, paint it and then put in catering equipment, cupboards, sinks, etcetera,” said Wynnie. “We did a lot of it but I also put an advert on the Internet for help, and I got a guy from Spain who helped in exchange for practice with his English.”

The end result was a retro, US-themed Airstream trailer with a distinctive pink décor. Wynnie said,: “We wanted to achieve a village, soda-girl type atmosphere. We sell jambalaya, hillbilly burgers, chili dogs, pulled pork, soda – everything American and we have one of the girls with a microphone singing or getting the customers to do karaoke.

By Ian Evans

Photos by Kino Pablo and Paul Jones

RIVET BIT

In a pink soda-girl outfit, Wynnie La Freak serves American food from a 1968 Airstream Overlander—a uniquely “American experience” in Great Britain.

An Unforgettable Experience



D nuts With Rivets


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“There has to be an entertainment element, making us a bit different from all the other businesses. It normally goes down a treat at the music festivals but we have been to a couple of events where, shall we say, the clientele was a bit older and they didn’t get it.”

This year has been the first full summer of festivals and Wynnie hopes to do between 20 and 25. The trailer is pulled by her Winnebago motorhome but she hasn’t ruled out buying another Airstream – possibly a motorhome – or taking Camp Cooks to continental Europe.

Wynnie – real name Wayne Harrison – said: “We’ll see how the summer goes and whether we want to expand but once you do that, it just means more paperwork, tax and so on. We may go abroad but we probably won’t try and do anything in the winter. We tried last year but it was just too cold and miserable.

“I love the Airstream because it is so different from everyone else’s trailers. We operate more as a collective than as a business but I think as the ultimate decision-maker, choosing an Airstream was a good decision.”

The Camp Cooks have received national media coverage in the UK, appearing on the British ITV show “This Morning” with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby (available on YouTube). They have their own website at www.campcooks.co.uk which introduces the rest of the drag queen team and the events they will be attending.

“We think we give our customers an ‘experience’ when they eat with us,” said Wynnie. “We’re always changing recipes and give demonstrations on how to cook and get people to join in with the singing. I don’t think our customers forget us too easily.”

RIVET BIT

Camp Cooks staffers pose with their Airstream (with New York license plates): Taylor Brooke, Cleo Taurus Lush, Lucy Lush, Wynnie La Freak.


AIRSTREAMING

Step into Bellevue Square in the booming Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Washington and you’ll run into the usual shopping mall scenario: packs of teenagers checking out fashion trends, moms with strollers catching up over coffee, and large department stores anchoring the ends of each hallway. But you might do a double take when you pass the Top Pot Doughnuts shop on the first floor between Vans and Billabong. Is that really a vintage Airstream trailer in there? In a shop inside of a shopping mall? It sure looks like it.

Long known for its coffee, it’s only been in the past decade that Seattle has embraced the obvious partnering of doughnuts, and Top Pot has led the charge. Founded in 2002, they can now boast of 14 cafés and one “café on wheels” around the Puget Sound area. That “café on wheels” is a renovated 1962 Bambi Airstream, and it fits right in with Top Pot’s vintage Americana vibe. In fact, Airstreams and the Airstream ethos play an integral part in the company’s design and branding.

“Our design has always been ‘post-WW2’,” says Top Pot Doughnuts co-founder Mark Klebeck. “We love and really appreciate the streamlined aesthetic from that era. Airstream has always played into that.”

A few years ago, Top Pot Doughnuts ran a series of print ads featuring their mobile café in Alaska Airlines inflight magazine. One particularly appreciative reader was Airstream CEO Bob Wheeler. “He reached out and we had a nice chat over coffee,” Klebeck recalls with a smile.

“Airstream to me is a beautiful American brand,” he continues. “They’re just iconic. It’s a beautiful piece of American art and culture that nobody else will ever be able to touch. Looking at it I’m always in constant awe about the quality, the level of detailed craftsmanship. It’s the Americana, more than anything, that we appreciate.”

Hand-riveted craftsmanship inspired Top Pot’s doughnuts, as well. “Our logo was derived from this old tooling company that went defunct,” says Klebeck.

By Leslie Irish Evans

That “café on wheels”

is a renovated 1962

Bambi Airstream,

and it fits right in with

Top Pot’s vintage

Americana vibe.

D nuts With Rivets


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

“Plomb Tools made hand-forged tools for airline mechanics. We refer to [our product] as ‘hand-forged doughnuts.’ It stands for what we feel is hand-forged quality. It’s not a big machine that’s cranking out products overseas. It’s something that’s made right here.”

Klebeck notes the serendipity of his product, Top Pot’s design aesthetic, and Airstream’s history: “Doughnuts [became really popular in the United States] in the late 1920s and early 1930s and we’re really reflective of that era. We’re making a glazed old-fashioned doughnut the old-fashioned way. It’s made with human hands touching the doughnuts. Airstream started around that time, too. They’re the one company that’s been so true to everything that they stand for. Once we realized we shared a similar design aesthetic we really knew what we wanted for Top Pot.”

So what’s the deal with their Bellevue Square café? Did they really put an Airstream trailer in there?

“It would have been really impractical to put a real Airstream in there and have it meet the building codes, proper licensing requirements, and have it do what we need it to do. We had a design team build us an espresso stand with an aircraft-grade aluminum façade. They used our ’62 Bambi mobile café for inspiration.”

Top Pot Doughnuts currently has two other Airstreams, but Mark Klebeck isn’t ready to share the company’s plans for them yet, other than to say “they’re being worked on.” Until then, Seattleites and their Puget Sound neighbors can get their hand-forged, hand-riveted fix when they bump into the mobile café on the Microsoft campus, participate in the Top Pot Doughnut Dash 5K (their annual charity event) or rent it for events. Doughnut wedding, anyone?

A real 1962 Airstream Bambi is Top Pot’s mobile café and a big part of brand identity, but in the mall it’s a clever reproduction.

AIRSTREAMING

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A vintage Airstream with a similarly sizzling exterior lives in Vermont. Known as the Skinny Pancake Airstream, this 1963 model serves mostly students instead of “suits,” and the Airstream operates as the collegiate mobile outpost for a bigger, albeit truly local group of restaurants of the same name. The Skinny Pancake’s business is crepes, both sweet and savory, and owner-brothers Jonny and Benjy Adler are “on a mission to change the world” with their French-styled “pancakes.” How? By being local, as they put it “really” local. Keeping things affordable enough for everyday, they hope to “build a safer, healthier, and more delicious foodshed.”

So far, so good. Since its inception in September of 2011, the Skinny Pancake Airstream has joined with the restaurant’s other locations to donate 1% of profits to area nonprofits that directly benefit the local foodshed. All The Skinny Pancake’s meats are from Vermont producers, as are their cheeses, and the brothers oversee the buying and freezing of local berries and veggies, for seasonal Vermont produce year-round.

Along with their notable French press coffee drinks, the Airstream creperie serves breakfast and lunch weekdays. But what really makes the Skinny Pancake stand out beyond it’s über-green mission, is its golden airbrushed exterior. A video on the restaurant’s website outlines the creative process that went into the Airstream’s transformation by airbrush artist Ron Hernandez. The jumpsuit-clad artist who has lived and worked in Vermont since the 1970s, is shown sanding the trailer before mixing the colors and putting his “magic” to work with a hose and nozzle, upgrading The Skinny Pancake Airstream from silver to gold.

The Skinny Pancake Airstream normally is parked next to the University of Vermont green in Burlington, VT, but is presently off the road. Dents, resulting from young employees with not much experience with long trailers, have sidelined the Airstream. Benjy Adler says this is only a temporary setback, and after some thinking about a new plan he hopes to bring it back next season. In the meantime, the Skinny Pancake continues to operate from its main (stationary) location near the Burlington waterfront.

By Rebecca Withers

FROM SILVER TO GOLD: THE SkINNy PANCAkE

AIRSTREAM FOOD


SUBSCRIBE TODAY to get the complete Winter 2013 print edition of Airstream Life! See what’s inside...

2 AIRSTREAM LIFE | WINTER 2013 | AIRSTREAMLIFE .COM

TABLE OF CONTENTS traveling well

The offi cial Airstream lifestyle magazine

Airstream Classic 250 Motorhome, Page 14

An Unforgettable Experience, Page 11

Canyon Country, Page 42

Winter 2013

4 The Future Is Digital EDITOR’S PAGE

6 INBOX

10 The Skinny Pancake AIRSTREAM FOOD

11 Camp Cooks in the UK RIVET BIT

14 A Fast Getaway INTERIORS

20 The Classiest Car Hauler RIVET BIT

24 The Ultimate Prize FROM THE ARCHIVES

26 Understanding Load Capacity TOWING

32 Donuts with Rivets AIRSTREAMING

34 The Rare Airstream Caravelle BUYER’S GUIDE

37 How to End the Clutter FEATURE

42 Canyon Country NATIONAL PARKS

49 PUZZLE

50 A Small Collective With Big Ideals RIVET BIT

54 Benefi ts of Airstream Community LIVING THE LIFE

58 What’s this Soft Spot? TECH TIPS

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airstream life — winter 2013

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