First Winter Camping in the Safari SE!

We're heading out tomorrow afternoon on our first winter trip and we're going to Yosemite. The park doesn't take reservations in the winter months so we're hoping to get a spot but I'm not too worried about it. There are lots of sites in the park and lots of NFS land outside of it. While the weather forecast shows lows in the upper 20s, I noticed that it was only +9 F this morning so we'll see how the Airstream furnace does on keeping the tanks toasty. Since the furnace draws so much battery power I've also brought along the Mr. Buddy to supplement the heat so I don't have to use the furnace quite as much. I also have a spare battery in the form of the Duracell/Xentec battery/inverter. Last time out I used it for watching a couple of movies and for Sadie to watch a Sesame Street and it worked out great. Of course I always travel with the generator too so those things combined with fully charged batteries, a 110 watt solar panel, and many of the interior lights being converted to LED, I think we should be okay.

I don't expect to get all the way into the park tomorrow afternoon/evening so we'll probably pull over somewhere along the way on Highway 120 and set up for just the night and pull into the park early in the morning on Friday.

Both Carrie and I need a snow and mountain fix since we've not been to the mountains since early last year when we camped in the Hope Valley (between Markleeville and Kirkwood, one of the nicest boon-docking areas imaginable!).

We're all excited about the trip. I'm burning a couple of movies for Sadie to watch on the drive (more Sesame Street, actually), got the cameras, the Autonet Mobile wireless (let's see how that does in the park....), iPhones and chargers, bicycles, and firewood. Carrie got lots of good camping food and we're fired up. Hopefully I can sleep tonight and will be able to focus on work to get the last bits wrapped up before we shut down for the day.

What I've Done So Far

While at first I didn't think there'd be that much that I'd want or need to add to my Safari SE 25' FB, it turns out I've done a fair amount. I'll try to compile my list here:

added a solar panel and charger (see earlier post)
added Xantrex 400 watt pure sine wave inverter--while I don't use it a lot, it is good to know that I have 120 volts available at half the trailer's outlets when dry camping if I want it; I put the remote switch on the galley wall, using the pre-wired cabling
replaced the stock 10 watt recessed halogen bulbs with 5 watt for virtually no discernible difference in light output but reduced power consumption by 50%
added a 19" 16:9 Polaroid LCD/DVD player TV to the bedroom, mounted on a Peerless articulating wall mount; this draws 3.5 amps on 12 volts and doesn't require an inverter since it comes with an external power 'brick' that converts from 120 volts to 12 volts, perfect for dry camping with relatively low power drain
added an AppleTV with 160 GB hard drive; I keep this at home and have it automatically sync new movies & music and pop it into the trailer when I go out
I am in the process of replacing many of the incandescent bulbs with LED's, warm white in color though it still is a little 'cool', slightly warmer than fluorescent but not quite halogen or traditional incandescent in color/temperature but uses 10 - 15% of the power
added a TriMetric battery monitor; since we usually dry-camp, this is an indespensible device for monitoring charge state, power consumption, and percentage of power left
replaced the stock water pump with a ShurFlo Extreme 4.0 pump; it's almost silent and no more pipe rattling!
I just ordered custom fitted flannel sheets

There's still more experimenting to be done with LED lighting on my end, though I may wait to replace the halogen lights until the color is better tuned
I like the idea of another solar panel but I'll have to find room on the roof
Probably going to replace the factory vent in the bedroom with a second Fantastik Fan but I'll wait until it's warm out
The factory mattress leaves much to be desired so at some point I'd like to replace it with something more akin to the Tempurpedic we have at home but hopefully lighter and nowhere as tall

We've made at least 15 trips with it since getting it at the end of March this year and have slept in it at least 30 nights and really like it. The walk-around perpendicular queen bed is a mixed bag--nice size (over the full size in the old trailer) but since I sleep on the side closest to the front of the trailer, it's a hassle getting in and out of it, not to mention making it is a pain, the 27' is mounted length-wise and is probably more convenient but adds weight and cuts down on the number of places you can take it

Sky Gypsies, Rodeo NM

I've been following Rich Luhr's blog for a year or so. Rich produces the highly regarded Airstream Life magazine, a very nice quarterly magazine about travels, restoration, and Airstreams. Rich and his family have been full-timing (or awfully close to it) for at least the past 2 or 3 years and for some periods before that. Anyhow, this sounds like a great trip and the combination of flying with camping with vintage Airstreams sounds great to me.

Sky Gypsies, Rodeo NM: "

Our last(?) stop before Tucson is an assignment I’ve given myself, for the magazine.   There’s a little airpark in the very remote town of Rodeo NM, where a group of ‘Sky Gypsies’ fly light sport aircraft from a 7200 ft packed dirt airstrip.  While I like flying, the real reason we are here is because this park contains a small array of vintage Airstreams, polished and arranged in a semi-circle next to the runway.

This is the fun part of my job.  I interview everyone I see, take a lot of pictures, and then write up the experience for the blog and (eventually) the magazine.

The Airstreams are housing for members of the park association as well as students who come here to get certified to fly light sport aircraft.  Neil Bungard teaches these folks in Air Creation planes every morning and evening when the air is relatively calm and the temperatures are moderate.  It takes about 28 hours of flight instruction to get certified, and so having the Airstreams as temporary housing is handy.

We parked our Airstream in the gravel lot adjacent to the field for a night.  There are no hookups and no formal transient spots for visiting RV’ers, but plenty of room to just dry camp.  At night it’s very quiet, but in the morning and evening it’s nice to hear the sound of little aircraft engines practicing touch-and-goes on the runway.  For a pilot, aircraft noise is a good thing.

We’re 30 miles from a very lonely stretch of I-10 out here.  This is a quiet corner of New Mexico.  It’s 60 miles to a grocery store.  Apparently it’s a popular place for retired astronomers to go, since the night sky is very dark and clear.  It’s also a great place for observing the natural desert world.  There are lots of interesting creatures here, including giant grasshoppers, tarantulas, and javalinas.  Emma found a black widow spider last night, which was exciting for her but then caused her to worry they’d climb into the trailer while she was sleeping.

Coming into the park requires a half mile drive down a washboard gravel road.  When making a 90-degree turn at low speed on this road, the right rear tire of the Nissan blew out. (The on-board Tire Pressure Management System that comes with the Nissan was no help at all — it alarmed 30 seconds after the tire blew out.)

I’ve been watching the Nissan’s tires for a few months.  They are nearly worn out after about 40,000 miles, and my plan was to replace all four when we reached Tucson.  Apparently I waited a bit too long.  This one seems to have failed as a result of wear, sharp rocks, and the added stress of carrying a trailer.  There was a two-inch long rip in the tread, emanating from a central failure point.  There was no sign of a nail or other object (other than rocks) that caused the failure.

We put the spare on but it’s a solid 80 miles to the nearest tire shop, so I am taking a few steps to reduce the risk of the other rear tire going.  We are going to transfer some cargo from the Nissan to the Airstream to lighten the tire load, and increase the rear tire pressure slightly.  We’ll also keep the speed down on the highway today, although lately we never tow over 62 MPH.

"

(Via Tour of America.)

RV economics

RV economics: "

Our great Four Corners circle tour is coming to an end.  Over the past month we’ve wandered from Great Sand Dunes NP to Silverton CO, Mesa Verde NP, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Kanab, Grand Canyon, Page AZ, Navajo Nat’l Mon., Canyon de Chelly, and finally here to Grants, New Mexico.  That’s in addition to minor excursions to Pipe Springs Nat’l Mon., Glen Canyon NRA, Grand-Staircase Escalante, Vermillion Cliffs, Navajo Bridge, and (on Monday), Hubble Trading Post Nat’l Mon.

All told, we’ve driven about 1,300 miles since the last oil change in Cortez, CO on September 2.  Since then we’ve visited 15 national park sites, camped for a month in some spectacular locations, and had a really terrific time.  Since we never drove more than 100 miles on any towing day, and because we were careful about where we camped, our costs were ridiculously low.  We spent a total of $500 on gas, and $471 on camping — for a month!

That means our daily cost for camping and fuel to explore the Four Corners was about $32 per day.  All of our other expenses were the same ones we’d incur at home (groceries, etc).  That’s a serious bargain.

Now, it has not escaped anyone’s attention that the economy is struggling.  The RV industry is being hit particularly hard, by the dual whammies of higher fuel prices and tight credit.  The manufacturers of behemoth fifth-wheels and expensive Class A motorhomes are getting hit the hardest.  The word on the street is that ‘the price of gas has made RV’ing too expensive.’

Nonsense.  We just demonstrated how incredibly affordable it can be.  If we’d been like the non-RV tourists who packed into buses or rented cars at Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon, and who stayed in the expensive lodges, we’d have spent our entire budget in a week.

The trick is to stop driving around so much.  A lot of people who have bought RVs in the past have a tendency to log miles instead of days.  If you’re going to drive 1,000 miles a week, you’re going to expend a lot of your budget on fuel.  Sometimes that’s unavoidable, but fortunately there’s a lot of stuff to do and see in this country without going too far. You don’t have to go to Alaska to have a great adventure.  We’ve visited most of the 50 states in our travels and there isn’t one state in this great country that doesn’t have fun and interesting things to do.

In other words, instead of point-to-point roadtrips of the classic style (drive 1,500 miles to the destination, spend four days there, then drive 1,500 miles back), the secret is in picking a specific region and exploring it.  By focusing on the Four Corners region and hopping slowly from park to park, we were able to keep our mileage to an average of 43 miles per day.

A few weeks ago when I was being interviewed by a L.A. Times reporter for an article about RV’ing, he argued that my claim of economy was invalid because it didn’t include the cost of ownership.  He figured that a travel trailer sitting in the garage at (for example), $477 per month made the true cost of an Airstream trip much higher.  (I’ve figured a $50,000 loan on a travel trailer for 15 years at 8.0%. That would get you a heck of a nice Airstream.)  The reporter was correct if you leave your rig in the garage most of the time and only take it out for two weeks a year.

But how much of a premium are you really paying even in that ‘worst-case’ example?   A year of payments would be $5,724.  Add in insurance, a little maintenance, and even some storage fees, and maybe you’re up to $7,000.  Now, go take a two week trip and spend $500 on fuel and $350 on camping (full hookups every night!)  Your trip just cost you a total of $7,850, and for that you paid for the trailer for a year.  No question, that’s expensive.

Now go price a two-week trip for a family of three to any popular destination in North America.  Add in airfares for everyone, hotels for 14 nights, rental cars, tips, 42 restaurant meals for three people, rental car fuel, excess baggage fees, etc. That’s about $5,000.  That’s expensive too, and we’re close to paying for the Airstream already.

Take just one more week-long trip with your family, and you’ve paid for that travel trailer for the year. Not only that, but you didn’t have to go through security checkpoints, sleep in unfamiliar beds, tip bellhops, live out of a suitcase, comply with a rigid schedule of hotel reservations or tour schedules, etc.  It’s still a no-brainer from my perspective.

The real economy of this form of travel is for people who have lots of time and want to explore North America.  If you take just one week of vacation a year, or you prefer your vacations to be spent in Paris, an RV is probably not for you.  But if you like to take lots of road trips, it’s still a great way to go — even with gas prices. We’re certainly happy with our $971 month-long trip through the Four Corners.

"

(Via Tour of America.)

Going Solar

After thinking about it and researching solar for the past year or so for my Airstream I've finally committed to a system. I'm going with AM Solar's AM100-22B system. I'm stoked about it--the panel is rated at only 100 watts but it runs higher voltages than most and in conjunction with a controller that can handle the higher voltage it will turn the additional voltage into amps so that it effectively acts the same as a normal 130 watt panel system. This is going to be very cool and should be a pretty easy install. The recommended installation method is to use 3Ms special adhesive tape so that there is no drilling on the aluminum roof and it bonds like a magical adhesive. The cables will run down through the refrigerator vent and I'll mount the control panel next to the TV in the lounge area (backside of that is the fridge). The only part that will be challenging is running the cable up to the batteries with the temperature probe under the aluminum underbelly.

Hopefully I'll get the system in next weekend!

The Dream

I couldn't take it any more, I had to have a Safari SE front-bed. It's just so cool, while still being totally iconic and classy. So it's with its rightful owner and everyone is happy.

So it's a worthy replacement for my 1972 Trade Wind though it's a little heavier and wider but it's such an outstanding floorplan with the door at the back of the coach, a dinette for 4 and the very back, a full-sized lounge, then the galley, followed by a water closet on the right and a full shower on the left, then the bedroom.

Going, Going, GONE!

Well, that didn't take long! I posted my ad on Craigslist North Bay (SF) and Sacramento, started getting e-mails the next day, and had people scheduled to come out and view it for both Saturday and Sunday. I received offers from the first two groups of viewers and took the first one. They came out from the Sacramento area and already had a similar vintage 23' Safari model but it was all-original and hadn't been updated. They, like the second group, were looking for something that was ready to go immediately, which, of course, mine was. I had just washed it, cleaned the windows, and scrubbed and dusted the interior. I do have to say, it was looking pretty good when people viewed it and I was feeling some remorse about selling it.

After they gave me the deposit I contacted the other interested parties and let them know that it was sold. The second group was interested in using it for a very cool documentary project that would be traveling around the US and I have to confess that I would love seeing my Trade Wind in a documentary but first come, first served.

What was particularly interesting to me is how much people took to it being ready to go. A part of me had felt guilty about replacing the original appliances with modern automatic-lighting pilot appliances (fridge, water heater, oven, etc.) but it turns out that everyone I talked to really wanted those things already done. Of course, much of my trailer was still faithful to the period in appearance (I'll post some photos later). In thinking about it, there are a ton of vintage Airstreams out there that have been neglected, partially updated/restored, but few are truly ready-to-go. If someone had the space and time, it could actually be a viable business to get them dialed in and resell them. There are few shops that do it around the country and the better-known ones tend to do major restorations (and as a result the whole project can be $40k+). Interesting to me....

Selling My Vintage Airstream

It's happening, after a year of ownership, 30 - 40 nights of camping, and a lot of work getting things working perfectly, I'm selling my 1972 Airstream Trade Wind. I'm asking $11,750.

Welcome to AronStream

Because spring is upon us and my mind turns to camping, I would hate to overload my technology and career blog with too much noise on Airstreams, so here we go!