Road trip

I bought a classic vintage Airstream Land Yacht Sovereign... Yep. Airstream, the name brings up visions of wide open spaces, travels to unknown vistas, happy camping days, freedom and then some. All I had to do was to go pick it up in Phoenix, AZ.

I knew I couldn't do it by myself so I asked my good friend Steve if he could come with me. He accepted, thank goodness. So I booked a flight, a truck and made travel arrangements.

Many things come into play when towing a trailer. First, you need to have the right truck. I went to the forums and got many suggestions (thank you!) I also asked Steve the seller who was kind enough to go to uHaul twice and check out their trucks. Other things to consider were the proper hitch ball size, the right height for the truck's hitch and a matching electrical connection for the brake and blinker lights. All these things come in different configurations but Steve in Phoenix was able to work it all out. He even offered to pick us up from the airport, an offer I did accept.

Steve and I flew out of Burbank on Southwest. The plane was late and overbooked. We thought for a second about the offer for $200 and the next flight but we had people to see, places to go and an Airstream to tow. Here's a picture of Steve with the desert seen through the window. We're flying parallel to the I10 and I can't help but think that tomorrow we'll be driving in the opposite direction at 1/12th the speed.



Looks pretty dry down there...

We land in Phoenix after a bumpy descent where Steve (the seller) picks us up and takes us to uHaul. Of course the first truck is wrong so we get another, hoping it's the right one. We're off to Steve's to meet the baby and there it is!


Gee... She's purty... Steve (the seller) shows us around and explains the basic functions of this and that. He also gives me the original owner's manual, bill of sale and mulrooney. I can't help but think about Mr. So and So in Oregon back in 1972 proudly buying his Airstream. I'd like to think I wasn't born but I'd be lying.

After all checks out (brake lights, hitch height, ball size etc - Halleluiah!) Steve and I leave to go spend the night at my friends David and Jenny who live close by. I have directions and we keep a close eye out for Shea Blvd. One detail about the truck is that it was rented to us with barely any gas. As we happily drive through Old Town Scottsdale with its fun outdoor cafés and beautiful people, the fuel empty light comes on. True, absorbed as we were with all the action, we missed 2 gas stations and there were none for a while. We keep on driving and driving but nothing. We finally find one on the opposite corner so had no choice but to get there. Our convoy is 45' long and maneuvering is not as easy as with a car, you need room to make wide turns. I make a right into a commercial center, a left to get back on Scottsdale Blvd. and, "oh surprise!", there's a gas station right there. We gas up and take off North again.



We're driving for what seems to be a long time as buildings and houses become sparser. Doesn't seem right. I eventually remember I have a cell phone and call David who tells me we went too far. It turns out that we had gassed up at the corner of Shea and Scottsdale Blvd and missed the sign for Shea because of our detour through the shopping plaza. We got to David's when it was dark.


Oh yeah, David's responsible for getting me into vintage trailers.

The evening was fun, It was David's birthday eve so us 3 boys went out to dinner. We went back to his place, hung out next to his '50s Boles Aero sipping some Happy Camper wine, talking about vintage trailers, wine, music, nature and more.

Arizona has great weather this time of year and it was wonderful to sit later with David and Jenny under their long porch on their huge property. They have a lot of space in AZ so lots are large. Many Angelinos moved there after the Northridge earthquake and settled happily. I don't have any pictures of our kind hosts because I believe they're under the Federal Witness Protection Program. Let's just say they are both talented artists, fun and cool people.



We had in mind to leave early the next day but David's learning how to play guitar and Steve being a musician and instrument maker, we took off at 9 am.

Off we were, on the road again, 45 feet of mean aerodynamic aluminum, driving at the top recommended speed of 50 miles an hour. We stopped at the first rest stop to make sure everything was honky dory and got to hang out with the big rigs. Notice in the photo that Steve sees something about the truck that will turn out to be very important. More on that later.



We drove through the desert, passed the Colorado River into California (I'll digress quickly to warn you to be prepared to gain a few pounds if you ever have lunch in Blythe,) cruised by Palm Springs and stopped to take a break in Cabazon.



You don't scare me, Mister T-Rex! I'm well protected in my Airstream! Come to think of it, the Airstream would probably look like a cool shiny sardine container to a dino.

I had planned our route with Google maps, not exactly trusting MapQuest. Next thing you know, we are past San Bernardino on the road to Vegas, and getting closer and closer to it. I keep checking the map which all of a sudden strikes me as odd: we're going North-East where we should be going North-West. So much for trusting Google. It's the high desert, cold and for the first time in my life, I can't wait to get to Barstow.


This is what the road looked like.

Steve and I share the driving, a great thing because at 50 mph, the road is going by reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllll slow.


Weird thing about Steve, he can drive with his eyes closed. Don't ask me how...

Another Strange thing is a huge long, solid, yellowish cloud above our heads coming from the West. It's from the Ventura County fire and it extends all the way East past here.



It's getting dark and our plan to get to our final destination that day doesn't look so good anymore. We eventually make it to Barstow and head West towards Mojave. We pass small desert communities with no name, scrap yards with the coolest buses you've ever seen and that never ending white line in the middle of the road. The fire cloud provides a neat sunset.



We're pooped and the road is starting to look blurry. Our sweeties had told us the night before that there was a wind advisory, to be careful, so we decided to stop and let them know we're OK. Fingers crossed, the wind hasn't been an issue and we're still awake. I have no idea where this picture was taken but I do remember we were close to the 395 and a place called Boron, home to a chemical company that makes Borax....



At that point, all we can think of is getting to Mojave but the mountains we recognize in the distance never seem to get closer. It's completely dark by the time we get there so we decide to stop at the Road House and have dinner. After a meal, a Martini and Gin & Tonic, we wisely decide to spend the night in the Airstream right where we parked it. Yep, we're right off the highway but we figure traffic would stop at some point during the night. Traffic sure did but let me tell you about trains. Trains never stop, they run all night and they make a terrible sound that shakes the ground like an earthquake. We didn't really sleep and got up at 6:30, had breakfast at the Road House and took off for the Super Secret Place.



I can't tell you where the Super Secret Place is because if I did, it wouldn't be secret anymore, would it? Instead, I'll describe it. Imagine Southern California like it used to be: open range, pristine golden hills, free roaming cows (keep an eye on the road, they're everywhere!) horses, ranches here and there, oak trees, wide open space for miles. You get the picture. We drive through a canyon that's a cross between Malibu and Topanga Canyons, with a creek along the side. Our windows are rolled down, the air smells great and the sound of water is sweet. We're almost there...



The Aistream has been very good, easy to tow, that's my baby.

Finally, we reach our destination. We park our convoy, survey the property and decide on the best place to park the beauty. This is so exciting, we're there! Yeah, well life's funny sometimes. As I drive to get on the property, the truck can't make it over a little hump. The soil is very sandy and the tires start spinning. We can go backwards for a while and keep trying to rock it back and forth forward but eventually, the truck is stuck.



The Airstream doesn't look so good either blocking the road and its bottom dangerously close to scraping.



Part of the problem is that uHaul gave us a truck with bald tires so there's no traction. That's the detail Steve had noticed at the truck stop. Good thing he didn't tell me, I would have been worried all the way. I had checked the Airstream's 4 tires and they are new but not the truck's.



We are miles away from services, cell phones don't work here and we have nothing to work with. No shovels, no planks, just our hands and rocks. We dig, we put rocks under the tires, nothing works. We are stuck and I already imagine another night in the Airstream with nothing to eat or drink, our wives worried we didn't call, probably calling every hospital from Mojave to miles around.

I have traveled some and have learned to be resourceful and not panic. Plus I guess Steve and I have guardian angels. Somebody drove by in a Suburban-like truck. I waived because people are like that out there, they're friendly even if you're a stranger. I got a wave back and the truck passed by. It drove back a couple minutes later and the driver asked, "need any help?" Steve cracked me up because he said, "we sure could use a shovel!" I knew we needed more than a shovel.

That's how I met Mike, his wife and their children. His parents own the ranch just north of our place. They're the kind of people who ask newcomers like me if they need water because they know we don't have water wells. Mike lives up the road.

Mike and his wife took control; they must have had experience with that sort of thing. We un-hitched the trailer but the darn truck wouldn't come out on its own. He pulled it out after almost getting stuck himself. Once the truck out of the way, it was the Airstream's turn and I was bummed thinking that we had towed it all the way out here without a scratch but that it would get banged up 50 yards away from destination. Mike pulled it up gracefully, with nothing scraping and parked it exactly where I wanted it to be. Mike's cool.

So here it is, glorious, beautiful, a haven in Heaven. Sure, there's a lot of work to be done but it's a beautiful start to another wonderful journey.