Back on track

We left Madison and drove two and a half hours. This took us to Central Illinois. Beth got on the Blackberry and found us a nice state park to stop at for the night. Unfortunately, Shabbona State Park only had one empty sight and it was first come first serve. We were 45 minutes out when we called and the lady at the park said come on down and hopefully we would get there first. When we pulled in there was a huge diesel pusher at the check in. I just knew he was there before us. Sure enough, he got the last spot. However when the rangers saw Anna sitting there, they said "we will find you a spot, no problem". 

Turns out that there was a handicapped space in each loop and they must be held until 8 p.m.. None of us are handicapped, but thank God for National Disabilities Act. It worked out well for us. What a great site we were given. The entire park was beautiful. Totally wooded, nice semi private sites with clean pit toilets a short walk away. The shower house was also a short walk away.

Turns out a few vintage trailers were there for the weekend. They were on their way to Indiana for a vintage trailer rally. Real nice folks. This is a 1965 Tag-a-long.

Not sure of the make, but they told me it was a 1966.

And a 1965 Shasta.

I was up at sunrise. I let the girls sleep a bit longer and headed down to the lake to enjoy Mother Nature waking up. This was a great campground and it was such a treat to stumble upon it. I highly recommend anyone passing through this region to stop in.

Farmers are turning to some alternative crops in Illinois. This guy has a very healthy field of windmills.

I find these windmills to be very beautiful and enhance the the landscape in a way coal fired power plants could not.

We passed into Indiana and changed over to a blue line highway. Actually it was a thin red line and the choice was perfect. The road was dead flat and as straight as an arrow. Along the way we found this sculptor. 

He turned old farm implements into whirlly gigs and flowers.

Finding things like this is what makes the trip worth the effort.

"Days Gone By"... a very good day for sure.

We are now parked in front of my Sister in Law's house for a few days. Anna looks out of place in the midst of suburbia, but maybe the natives visiting will come away with a touch of aluminitis.

The great escape(s)

I came to Wisconsin to see Wisconsin. My very good friend Steve helped me do just that. I thought I would show you all a few day trips we made. I needed to get away from camping on the asphalt and Steve helped a brother out to say the least.

We loaded up our families and headed for downtown Madison. State Street is closed off to vehicles and makes for a nice walk. The stores are very interesting and there is something for everyone.

Some of the stores were very welcoming to the rally goers. This is House of Wisconsin Cheese Company that many in our group visited. The owner was very welcoming and I took him a Frank's Trailer Works T- Shirt. He gave me a bag of cheese curds and gave Ava a bag of dill flavored potato chips.

Like I said, something for everyone.

I wanted to go have a drink here but no one in the group seemed too interested in drinking. Wonderful old neon sign to say the least.

Not sure what is up with the cows, but this place had a small herd of them .

This is some kind of public art at the Court House. I like neon, but do not understand what this has to do with Court house. Liberty, justice, and art for all...

We were able to squeeze a few group meals in. I threw out the offer for pot luck at my trailer, but the offer was met with deaf ears and a glazed over look. David Winick took me up on it though. He even brought his neighbors over too. The WDCU was on it like stink on shit. Good thing the WDCU was parked together. We had great feasts together under Anna's awning.

Another great diversion was Steve Klohn's kick Ass Cheese Tour. He took us way out into the heart of Wisconsin dairy country. The landscape was verdant and said "DAIRY" with every curve of the road and every roll of the hill.

Unfortunately none of the cheese operations we visited were producing cheese during our visit. It appears Thursday is the pressing and packaging day. Wednesday or Friday would have been more ideal. The process was explained and we did get a tour, even if we did not see the curds being separated from the whey.

This is an artisanal cheese that is aged in cave like conditions. These wheels are just a few weeks old.

As they age, they form a thick rind and mold grows on the exterior. We could not help but buy a half pound of this stuff. We also bought some 10 year aged cheddar and some baked cheese.

The best escape was from the rally itself. We left three days early, without ceremony and got our vacation back on track. Others had the same idea.

We saw a few trailers heading away, just as we were. Next up will be our fabulous trip South. Stay tuned for that.

A few pictures from the vintage section

I wanted to share few pictures with all of you. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of vintage trailers. I cannot help but shoot tons of photos when I see vintage trailers. I had stated in my last post that our group was sent to another area than where the rest of the Vintage Airstream Club was parked. We were told that there was just not enough parking for us. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are some that there was room for....

I think this is a sweet 1948 Class "B". The person using it has not been around all week.

Most folks do not realize it, but in 1960 Airstream built this slide out. The dual axle option was was a custom feature though.

Another 1960, but this one has the special triple axle version.

Oh, yes happy days here in in Wisconsin. 

Escape from the International

I had wanted to come to the International since I joined the WBCCI. My greatest interest was being a part of the Vintage Club. When we were parked away from the Vintage group on asphalt instead of grass like the rest of the group, I felt slighted to say the least. There are all kinds of activities going on over there that we are not a part of. I had been warned that my expectations might not be met due to the cliquish nature of the leadership. My expectations were dashed to say the least. In a club going through so many upheavals, splitting the group was a very foolish move in my eyes. The folks all parked near me are likely to never come to one of these events again. When we voiced our concerns to the President and First Vice President, it was met with deaf ears. They were of course on the grass and the situation was just fine with them. We are making the best of it none the less over in the Vintage Annex. However it is such a shame to have a group as passionate as the WDCU excluded from the Club. I hope they have enough support to keep going forward in the future, for I will no longer renew my dues to the VAC. I cannot support an organization that does not support me. 

     We came here to see the fine state of Wisconsin. Yesterday we began doing just that. 

My good friend Steve Klohn took us to Old World Wisconsin. OWW is a collection of historic buildings moved to this location and restored to their original condition. They have people dressed in period costume to explain the structures and way of life for the people that inhabited them. I was amazed by the sights we saw here. I took over 350 photos and wanted to give you all a sample of just a few. 

Thank you Steve for helping us escape the sea of trailers and showing us some thing truly special. I look forward to what today might bring us.

The caravan continues...

Pee Wee and I made a nice early start for the Vintage Airstream Club rendezvous location in Jefferson WI. We originally had planed another day of blue line highways but it was becoming clear that folks were not too excited about an eight hour day so the route was changed to express ways and highways. The travels were definitely sped up by this change. Very quickly we were traveling into Illinois at 70 mph.

Along the way one of the tow vehicles in the main body of the caravan had a blow out, but all in all it was a very smooth drive. We encountered very few troubles along the way. Arriving at the rendezvous was a relief to find a nice shady location with electric for just about everyone that wanted it. The weather seemed be relieved by our arrival too, for by night fall the temperatures were pleasant and remained that way since.

Our caravan leader Rob Baker had done a tremendous job. He made sure that everyone was brought through safely and is a natural leader. Anyone reading this that does not know Rob needs to get to know him. He is an outstanding guy.

Another outstanding guy is Dale "Pee Wee" Schwamborn. I have been very fortunate to have spent so much time with Dale. The illuminations on Wally Byam, Airstream, the WBCCI, and his life experiences have been a great gift to me. To say the least, I am a very fortunate man. Not only have I learned a great deal, but I have made a great friend. As with Rob, you should get to know this man.

On Saturday morning we all lined up to caravan to Madison. Everyone was ready an hour before we had to be. 

Seeing a row of vintage Airstreams a mile or so long is a very wonderful sight. What people must have thought seeing us rolling down the road.

We all paraded into the Rally site and snaked around through the entire grounds. Almost everyone was out along the route waving to us and welcoming us in. We were told we would all be parked together on the grass, but for some reason when it was our turn we ended up on asphalt. None of our group was very happy about this. Fortunately it is a short walk to the rest of VAC group. We are making the best of it. 

Happy Hour is a great time every evening and we are enjoying eating dinner communally.

There is really no way to express the sight of so many Airstreams. Wish I could do a better job of that.

On the road with the WDCU and others too....

Dale "Pee Wee" Schwamborn and I left about a half hour before the main body of the caravan. The river crossing into Ohio was very dramatic with dense fog hovering in the valley. 

And we peal off yet another state. Good bye Pennsylvania, hello Ohio. They make Airstreams in Ohio you know.

The Factory was our next stop. After 47 years Anna had returned to the place where she was built. The building where she was built is now where the Sprinter vans are converted to Class B motor homes. The Factory  was kind enough to empty a lot for us to park in and to camp in over night. Unfortunately it was 100 degrees outside and the aluminum was threatening to melt in the baking sun. We all ate something and went on the free tour.

Factory tours are always interesting. Even though my trailer was not made in this building, it was cool to see how the modern trailers are built. We were given strict instructions not to take photos. I do not know how it happened, but my camera went off by accident a few times. Hope no trade secrets were seen.

Here are some brand new trailers lined up having interiors installed and finished off.

A high priority for me was to see Wally's gold trailer. The closest I could get was ten feet away through a chain link fence. I wanted to see the trailer that made her way through Africa. The same trailer bandits had said was made of solid gold. Luckily they were not able to catch up to the caravan and steal it. Iodized aluminum is a far cry from gold. It was a shame to see the folks at Airstream have so little regard for such a special trailer, leaving it to the weather pushed into a far corner of factory grounds. I asked many people, but no one would allow me to go and see her up close. I had to walk through peoples back yards to get to her.

She looks so sad behind that chain link. The gold pigments weeping down the side. I hope someone important at Airstream reads this and realizes what an injustice they are doing. Those streaks look like tears running down the side. Bob Wheeler, you should send this trailer to me and get her restored by someone who cares.

I hope they do this one justice too. She was the very first trailer built at Jackson Center. 

Once the factory closed we all pulled around to the grass and had happy hour under the three large trees. Being on the grass was at least 15 degrees cooler than being on asphalt. Everyone pitched in and Rob Baker picked us up some pizza. 

I was up before the sun, ready for the next day. It had cooled off dramatically and the sun rise was so beautiful. Hope Anna enjoyed coming home again.

We rolled into Indiana. I wish I had something nice to say about Indiana. Oh, well....

They do have big smiles in Indiana. Must be all the corn.

One very cool thing about Indiana was our visit to Vintage Campers. Dan 

Piper was nice enough to let us stop in for a visit. Dan is a restorer and dealer of vintage units.

All these need homes. A very nice selection. He will sell them out right or he will restore them for you. 

How about a trolly top Zimmer? 

A 32 foot Vagabond?

I know, a Spartan Manor. I won't show you the one I am thinking of buying. You might snap it up on me.

The group is growing as we travel West(go West young man, go west).

I always love studying maps. I need to study harder for I never realized Indiana was next to Mexico. We continued on to our next stop, The RV Hall of Fame. They have a fantastic collection of pre war trailers.

The also have a few post war trailers and RVs.

Nice motor home....

One of fifty Bowlus Road chiefs. That trailer would be good training for living in a submarine. We could not go in, but it was very tight feeling even from the outside looking in.

And we decided to roll down the road to a local campground where those that wanted to could plug in. The temperature was close to one hundred and folks were melting. The choice was a good one, for there was a pool and mini golf for the kids. We all pitched in and got Famous Dave's BBQ for dinner. It was not up to Texas standards, but hit the spot none the less.

My next entry will be of the caravan to the Vintage Airstream Club's rendezvous to the International.

going to the country, gonna get away

Life is full of twists of fait. Some are small and you never notice them, but many are huge. Often when things do not go as planed it is viewed as a problem. I am slowly learning they are all golden opportunities. We are in the mist of a huge one right now. I would like to share them with you.

Ava and I towed Anna through the Appalachian mountains heading for the WBCCI International Rally in Madison Wisconsin. Looking back at the Piedmont where I live was a beautiful sight. See you in a few weeks we are off to the West. Every road sign I see, 12 West, 70 West, 31 West has a voice saying "go West young man, you West"

West Virginia is West, by God...

And so is the State of Pennsylvania. We headed to Pittsburgh to  a Cracker Barrel to meet the rest of the Caravan we are traveling with. When we got there Doug and Terry were already waiting for us and slowly other started to arrive. One of the guys to arrive was Roy. He saw the trailers and was curious. He talked to Doug and Terry about what we were doing and asked if he could camp with us for the night. He went home to get his rig.

His rig is 1964 through and through. But Roy wanted to see us have a better camping spot than the asphalt lot so he lead us off into the country.

If you have never caravanned, it is about time you try. The sights are something to behold.

Roy took us to his Mother in Laws house so we could camp on grass, have a fire, and not listen to cars whizz by all night long. The setting was very wonderful. Everyone was very blown away by the generosity of a total stranger. We had not planed on this change of venue, but it was so special. 

Thank you Roy. I owe you big time. You will always have a place to stay in Baltimore.

I will do my best to post about day two of the caravan very soon. I find it hard to squeeze the time in to do this during the day for there is just too much going on. Be patient with me please.