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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.

Airstream Names

Several Airstreams belonging to SNU members have names. Some of these Airstreams have a photo gallery. Those that do, click on the name to see the photo gallery. Here is the current list of these Airstreams.

Whats in a name

Published in the January 2017 SNU Newsletter

Pepsi, Bubble House, Miss “B”, RussBuss, Suzy and Fred. Who are they? They are the Airstreams and Argosy belonging to various SNU members. There is also Josephine and Ruby. Gene & Carmen inherited the name Pepsi when the bought their Airstream. She had been named by previous owners who hoped that the name would go with the trailer. Bubble House is what Vicki has called her and Randy’s Airstream almost since they bought it. Miss “B” is the Argosy trailer Kevin & Sherry bought last summer. It’s name comes from the Coast Guard ship their son is assigned to. Suzy & Fred belong to Bryan & Diane. Suzy, the 1975 Ambassador told Bryan her name many years ago. Fred, the BVan soon let Bryan know what his name was. As for Josephine & Ruby. Josephine is Bryan & Diane’s 1976 Overlander. Ruby, although not large enough to go camping by herself, is the name given to Randy & Vicki’s beautiful little Airstream that Randy built for the SNU Anniversary celebration. It seems naming Airstreams has been around for a long time but recently the phenomena is gaining more notice. This is due in part to a recent promotional idea from Airstream Inc. They have now set up an official name registry on their website. When you sign up, you become part of a virtual caravan. Airstream Inc also sends you a letter, certificate and a nice metal tag to acknowledge that your Airstream has been officially recognized. It’s pretty neat checking through the virtual caravan and seeing other Airstreams, the names they have been given and why or how they got that name. Some Airstreams seem to let you know their name almost immediately. Others take their time about revealing their name. One owner recently commented that his Airstream hasn’t told him her name yet but when she does, he’ll get it registered. Check out the Airstream Inc Name Registry. If your Airstream has told you its name, consider signing up. Also let the SNU know the name so we can add it to our own list.

Russ Buss

When I asked Russell how is Motorhome got the name Russ Buss he sent me a great story. Here is what Russell said.

It all started when I saw the 1983 Airstream 310 motorhome for sale here at the Washington Land Yacht Harbor a couple of years ago. When I called the owners, I found out that their asking price was dirt cheap. They were selling it because of their now old age, and not Airstreaming anymore. Before we bought our 30’ Airstream Excella Classic trailer, I had actually looked into buying on old Flexible bus to convert to an RV. There are many of them out there, but many were in horrible condition in the price range we were willing to pay.

Well, after chasing down a few, then realizing just how much work that would be, Debbie said that we would be better off to buy a trailer instead. That is when we started looking for a used Airstream. We found the used Airstream trailer on a lot in Napa, CA and bought it, but, the ‘bus’ idea still lingered in my brain. So, when I saw the 1983 Airstream motorhome, and the asking price, I couldn’t pass it up. It reminded me so much of the other ‘bus’, so I bought it. Well, I immediately fell in love with the Airstream motorhome, much more than the trailer. It wasn’t so with Debbie. She loved the trailer more. Maybe it was because we had just finished installing brand new flooring and upholstery inside. Yes, I tend to go full steam ahead on projects like this, and after a while, the Airstream motorhome was looking pretty nice compared to the trailer. Debbie soon realized that my love for the ‘bus’ was over riding that of the trailer, and when I approached her with the idea of selling the trailer and truck, then buying a tow vehicle for the motorhome, she wan’t too happy, buy gave in anyway. She realized how much fun I was having upgrading the ‘bus’ and she started referring to it as Russ’s Bus. Well, in no time we both started calling it the “Russ Bus”. The name stuck! I went down to our local vehicle licensing place and found that “RUSS BUS” was available for a personalized license plate and ordered it. So, when other motorhome owners are describing their rigs as an “RV”, or a “Coach”, or a “Motorhome”, or a “MoHo” (a name Deb hates, btw), ours is loving called the “Russ Bus”

We sold our 30’ Airstream Excella Classic Trailer to some nice folks in Glendora, CA. They have since re-named it “Lucy” (from Lucy and Desi). I traded in our 2005 Ram Diesel pickup for a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco-Diesel that we tow. The nice folks at Roadmaster in Vancouver did all the work to make that happen. They let us overnight in the back, and even provided us with a 120v drop cord to run a heater at night. I HIGHLY recommend their products, and if you are ever traveling trough Vancouver, WA, plan to stop and take a guided tour through their factory. It is quite impressive.

Russell & Debbie Decker WBCCI #3426

Other Names

The story behind some of the other Airstream names listed on this page.

Bessie -

Sadie’s House On Wheels -

Lucille – Lucille was named as a reference to the movie the Long Long Trailer and the rocks Lucille Ball collected as mementos of the places she and Desi visited.

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