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Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a recreational vehicle.

Some Observations from my Coast to Coast Airstream Trip

Randy Grossmann (#3352) wrote this story about a recent trip in his 2005 Safari.

I departed Carson City, Nevada in the beginning of October 2006 on a solo one month trip to Jackson Center, Ohio and beyond with my 2005 25' Safari Airstream. What prompted the trip was the need for some warranty work which the factory was best equipped to do. The trip also had the purposes of visiting friends and relatives at various places in the U.S. as well as making a coast to coast highway trip. The total distance traveled was about 6,500 miles. Here are some thoughts that I have developed about such an extended Airstream trip.

I must start by saying that my visit to the Airstream factory was wonderful. I had a number of warranty issues. Each one was gladly and properly addressed. I thought that one particular warranty issue involving a slanted rear overhead cabinet was going to involve major work. But the straightening of the cabinet was accomplished easily and quickly to my complete satisfaction. They even found and repaired a propane system problem that I did not know existed. The service personnel provided me with maintenance advice, showed me how to check and test certain things, suggested certain products which they found best to use, and answered all of my questions. The Airstream personnel are a great group of people. If any Airstream owner or prospective owner is in the vicinity of Jackson Center, Ohio, I suggest that they visit the Airstream campus, take a tour, and meet the people there.

I have never made a road trip of this distance before because I always flew my airplane when traveling any distance in the U.S. What really impressed me on this trip is how slow road travel is. Even a slow airplane is many times faster than a road vehicle. It seemed as though I would drive and drive and drive and still not get anywhere. Thank goodness for the nice rest stops on the interstates. I spent as many days driving as I did not driving. It was always a rush to get to my next destination. I had to pass up many places where I would have liked to stop and visit. A leisurely type of trip to the east coast would be nice, but I have determined that such a trip requires one month for each 1,000 miles out.

Speaking of the U.S. interstate highway system, it is great except for one major flaw. The interstates go through the cities where the traffic becomes far too congested and hectic. Many cities have built beltways around their city but the cities have grown out to the beltways. I believe that it would have been much better if the interstates completely bypassed all cities with feeder highways to and from the cities. This was a major infrastructure blunder in my opinion.

I found it quite a challenge to travel solo through the cities on the interstates. A navigator would have been so helpful. I had to read the road map, read the routing directions, read the road signs, take the proper Y’s and turn-offs, and be in the proper lanes while driving the rig and looking out for traffic. Then a heavy rain storm was thrown into the mix while going through Little Rock. These encounters with the cities made an otherwise relaxed driving experience one that was quite stressful. What is needed for a trip like this is a really good GPS navigation system. It would be nice to take the secondary roads and bypass the cities. But that would add even more driving time.

Too many fuel stops were required even with the increased fuel mileage of a diesel. For such long hauls enough fuel is needed to drive all day. Therefore, I am now looking for some type of auxiliary fuel tank.

Speaking of diesel, when I bought the Airstream a year and a half ago I also bought a diesel truck with which to pull it. The combination of the aerodynamic Airstream and diesel power made the driving a real pleasure. It was almost as though I was not pulling anything regardless of the altitude or grade.

While traveling, except for those times when I was parked on friends or relatives property, I spent the nights in Walmart parking lots. I basically traveled from Walmart to Walmart. These overnight stays worked out quite well. It is easy to find and get in and out of Walmarts, if any supplies are needed Walmart (and usually other stores) are right there, and the no cost overnight parking is quite nice. I stayed at only two RV parks during the entire month.

I learned that I should carry a saw and other limb/brush removal tools with me. The dirt driveway to my cousin’s house in Elizabeth City, North Carolina is long, curving, rutted, and has close trees and brush on both sides. We had to do some limb and brush removal for me to get my rig through. But I got through without so much as even a minor scratch!

I also learned that I should carry a ladder with me. My skylight cover blew off while eating lunch in Salt Lake City with rain threatening. I had no way of getting on top of the Airstream to seal off the opening. Luckily I was able to dismantle the skylight and seal off the opening with duct tape from inside the Airstream. The duct tape held and was water tight until I reached Jackson Center where they replaced the skylight cover. There are not many temporary repairs that cannot be made with duct tape. I would not be caught on the road without it.

In summary, I am really glad to have made this trip. It was a grand adventure. I am getting far more use out of my Airstream than I ever thought that I would. I consider it to be one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Article Source

Randy Grossmann WBCCI #3352, Member since 2005. Sierra Nevada Unit #157



Visiting relatives in Elizabeth City



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