Sometimes you just get an itch. The first itch took us to Alcoa, TN to visit Chilhowee (chill HOW ee) RV. We stopped in to see the Airstreams they had vs the ones we had seen at various RV shows and at a dealership in the DFW area. We were certain if we got one, we didn’t want to be too overboard and get an Airstream that would be too unwieldy for a beginner to tow. We looked at NEST. Too small. We looked at FlyingCloud. Too big. Not refined enough. We saw the Globetrotter. We’d seen a catalog and thought we’d like the blue color scheme. As with many things, in person the blue was not as good as in the photo. Copenhagen Creme captured our interest. We drove away wondering if we’d have the drive needed to make the investment.
Out of the blue, Itch Number Two took us on a three day mini-trip to visit the Airstream Manufacturing plant in Jackson OH. We signed up for a tour which happens every day at 2 pm. The plant was fascinating. The work environment at Airstream is so positive, the tour was lead by an employee who had been working there for 60 years. True story! We had passed a huge construction site on the way to the plant. It was the new plant dubbed “the mothership”.
On our trip, our BMW convertible began to throw chunks of tire. (What???) So, we googled “Discount Tire” and spent a couple hours making our car safe. While we waited, we decided we needed to stop by Chilhowee on the route back to Asheville.
We did it.
They Bought The Airstream
What were we smoking? Drinking? Eating?
All roads after Jackson Center led to Alcoa.
- We decided to buy
- We decided to quit beating ourselves about buying tiny when what we wanted was “not as” tiny. So, 27′ Globetrotter.
- We decided we could cash in some investments intended for retirement because this would actually BE a retirement
- We did it. We did it. We did it. Woohoo!!
This picture begins to illustrate our emotions. Bunner very excited. Wittmack a teeny bit apprehensive (what have we done??) We named it “Arthur” because we love alliterative names for our vehicles. As we continued to marvel at how amazing this Airstream is, Arthur quickly grew on both of us.
Wally Byam Rocks!
We were given a “tour” of our new Airstream when we went back to Alcoa to sign all paperwork and chip in our life savings. The tour was a 3 hour orientation. We should have videotaped. We should have taken notes. We should have…. MFI was overwhelmed in the first 30 min. TPM made it all the way through but had gaps…. Gapes? Gaps! Sooooooo many things to remember. The Airstream is not your ordinary RV. Wally started this biz in the 1930’s. Owners of each model were invited to input into future designs. The design of our 2020 Globetrotter was influenced by countless owners.
Sid Arthur left the Ranch yesterday at 1308 hours with Ms Fix It and The Pool Man on board. Packed to the gills, confirming we still have way too much stuff. More culling required. If CVS taught me anything it is how to cull, baby. Arrived at Navy Mid-South Midway RV Park in Millington, TN (northeast Memphis) after 2200 hours. First night on the road for only $23 (full power, water, sewer, laundry, and shower facilities). Our plan is to stay for a month before heading to Texas. Even encamped we continue to learn. As we speak, we’re hoping to make it through a night of subfreezing temps without losing water or exploding our tanks!
Wish us luck!
Finally, a shout out to our site designer Danielle Smallwood (daniellesmallwood.com – she’s amazing). We are clueless when it comes to designing a blog. “Just use templates!” they say. Imagine us with Orphan Annie Eyes and Sounds of Crickets. To be clear, the list of who “they” are is fairly long and includes friends, family, other relatives, and those who are already successful bloggers. And the next blog suggestion was “just link it to Instagram and Facebook”. Repeat Orphan Annie Eyes and Sounds of Crickets. Might as well make up the acronym now: OAESOC
