Second Annual 4CU Labor Day Rally

Over the extended Labor Day weekend, a bunch of us 4CU'ers got together at the Canyon Resort and RV Park in Williams, AZ. We had a great time seeing old friends and making some new ones. I say we because my wife, Julie came along on this trip. She's particular to having showers and full-hookups. We had eleven Airstreams and twenty-two folks in attendance. One of the highlights was Dale "PeeWee" Schwamborn and his wife Susan joined us on Sunday for the open house, potluck and campfire stories. Thanks Dale for your support and great stories. It was very much appreciated. What a great addition to have Dale share his caravanning experiences. Several of us went up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon but the weather was not really cooperating for any dynamic photos but we did manage to get a few. On Sunday, before the potluck, we played a card game and the winner received a scale model of an Airstream. The lucky winners were Bob and Lou Whitcomb from Dolores, CO. 

Stay tuned for the next 4CU Labor Day rally. Since last year was Winslow, we'll need to find another AZ town beginning with a 'W' to rally in. Maybe Wickenburg or Wickeup, Winkleman or possibly Wittmann, Winona or Whiteriver. There's also Window Rock and Willcox or Why. So many choices.

Fridge Repair

My Dometic RM2607 has been giving me fits for a number of years and I just haven't wanted to replace the entire the unit. Currently, the unit works fine on 110 volt but after about a day of running on propane, the 'CHECK' light comes on and won't cool. It has to stay off for at least an hour or so and then, maybe, it will come back on. I spoke with an RV repairman who was recommended and he came out and looked at it. He recommended replacing it with a new one. Because of cost, I couldn't bring myself to do it plus the new fridge's aren't the same size as my present one. Recently, I found a thread on AirForums.com suggesting a board replacement has fixed others 'Check' light problems. I ordered a Dino replacement board Micro P-711 and it has come in so I need to pull it out to replace the board. While its out, I plan on cleaning out the chimney as suggested by Lew Farber, the Lewster on the Forums. 

I'm hosting a 4CU rally at the end of this month up in Williams, AZ and will have full hook-ups so I think I'll wait to replace the board until after the rally and it cools down some here in Phoenix. Stay tuned for an update on the board replacement and I'll include contact info for the board at that time.

Early TradeWind Registry

It just occurred to me that I should let my blog readers know that I've been putting a registry together of '59 and '60 TradeWind's. To date, there are 71 Tradewinds listed and I'll ask if you have one of these, please let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to add your info to keep a record of floorplans, furnishings, unique differences and how each plant differed in assembly. I find all of this historical data so fascinating.

I Went and Looked At Another One

This week, I went and looked at a late '50s Terry trailer advertised on CraigsList. Fortunately, this one was right here in town. The owner only wants $300 for it but it was hard to see past all of the junk in it. It's last function was a one man recording studio years ago and it has been stored ever since. After the gentleman passed away, his sons went through the trailer and took out all of the old recording equipment to sell on Ebay and they just tossed everything else on the floor, beds and every where else. It had experienced some serious leaks before being stored under a cover so alot of the wood needed to be replaced. Just to overwhelming of a project for me since its not an Airstream.

Too Good to Be True

This past Sunday, Julie and I drove up to Kingman to look at a '50 Pan American trailer that was listed in the free section of CraigsList. Judging from the photos and the description, it sounded like it was in reasonable and restorable condition. The couple offering it said they had stayed in it for a year so how bad could it be? Sure, it will need some work, I expect that. Maybe some wood working to replace damaged or missing cabinetry, etc. The outside is aluminum and could use a polish. Besides, we need a new project and this sounded like just the ticket. 

After the 3 1/2 hour drive, we finally found the trailer park where it was residing and I was in shock. It was in much worse shape than I expected. Much worse. The exterior had about a sixteenth of an inch thick coating of SilverSeal to keep the thing from leaking. The interior was in real bad shape, the floors sagged and so was the ceiling. I doubt it would have made it 10 miles without falling apart. I couldn't get away fast enough. These pictures are the ones the owners posted on CraigsList and from these, it looked to be in fairly good shape. I guess you get what you pay for when its free.

Historic African Caravan

Last night on PBS' History Detectives show, there was a segment on whether a couple's vintage Airstream had been on the Wally Byam Caravan Club's African Caravan in 1959 and 1960. In the end, this trailer had not been on this particular caravan but the show has spurred my interest on this historic undertaking. I found on the web, a converted 16mm film of the famous caravan:

http://capetowntocairo.com/c2c1959-16mm

Take a look, it is a great historical overview of their wonderous journey. I would have loved for my trailer to have gone on this trip. It came off the assembly line in August of 1958 so the timing was right but it just wasn't meant to be. 

Image courtesy of Helen Byam Schwamborn estate.

Thought I Better Add a Pic of my TradeWind

We've had our TradeWind since 9/9/01 and have thoroughly enjoyed refurbishing it as well as traveling in it. We always get asked for a tour when we're either stopped at a gas station or at a campground. Complete strangers have no qualms about coming right up and starting a conversation. It's cool to arouse so much attention. And yes, they still make them.

This pic was taken in the White Mountains of Arizona over Labor Day 2007.

Aluminitus is Genetic

Well, my younger brother Barry, in central Iowa, has now gone out and bought a '62 Overlander. One I actually was turned onto so I passed the contact info and photos along to him. He's so jazzed about it and calls me almost daily for information about the proper size rivets, parts sources, vent caps, tools, types of aluminum, etc. I love it and am hopeful it will continue. If it takes aluminitus to get us to communicate more often then it isn't really a disease; its a blessing. His first order of business is similar to the physician's hypocratic oath; render no harm. So he's buttoning up or replacing the vent caps and replacing the seal around the entry door.

I'm New to Blogging

After visiting Uwe's, Rob's and Frank's blogs, I thought it was about time I started one about my 1959 Airstream TradeWind. Although there isn't much to restoration work to report on since its so hot here in Phoenix right now, I can still post about the 4CU and our upcoming Labor Day rally. We'll be rallying in Williams, AZ just west of Flagstaff off I-40 and taking in the south rim of the Grand Canyon. To learn more about this rally, visit the AirForums.com thread here: