2017 October

San Diego is home to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot where over 21,000 enlisted recruits a year receive their initial training in the United States Marine Corps, whose motto is Semper Fidelis* (Always Faithful). The official motto of the Marine Corps League is “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.” For many of us who have or had an Airstream, that special esprit de corps rings true to us Airstreamers and is the theme in Rich Luhr’s post, One community, indivisible …, “I’ll keep touting the message that no matter which Airstream you own, you’re a part of Airstream Life. Special interest groups within the Airstream community are cool, but in the end we’re all people united by a common love of travel, adventure, learning, socializing and —well, to be honest—eating.”

Airstream… it all started with a dream, words, and actions of Wally Byam as seen in Airstream’s new video, Airstream Anthem: The Creed.* Our Airstream adventure began nearly eleven years ago with a trip to Southwest Coaches where we placed a custom order for an Airstream Safari trailer. We entered a world of enjoying nature, stars, rainbows, sunrises, sunsets, birds, turkeys, bighorn sheep, sights and trails and meeting people and sharing ideas and food while appreciating the iconic beauty, form and function of Airstream.

Ten years ago this month, we began our annual fall-winter-spring camping season with a trip to William Heise County Park in San Diego’s Cuyamaca Mountains. This trip is documented in my “SilverGate’s Safari is Home at Last!” thread, starting with post #295, which includes turkeys, the Plague Doctor, Día de los Muertos decorations, Flamingo Hat, cooking and a visit to the nearby town of Julian and the gravesite of Marshal South. All of this came 3 months before I “welcomed aboard” readers to my first History Safari Express blog post in January, 2008!

After 10 years of camping in San Diego’s beautiful beach, mountain, and desert sites, we listened to our minds and bodies and decided to lessen our workload and stress by selling our Airstream to a younger family who will use and love this Airstream as we have (See The Selling of our Airstream trailer). We are currently researching the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid* as an alternative compact crossover sport utility vehicle to continue to enjoy our day trips (RAV4 stands for “Recreational Activity Vehicle: 4-wheel drive”) . Although we don’t intend to tow, it’s nice to know that the 2018 RAV4 Hybrid can tow 1,750 pounds (enough for a Wolf Pack*) and the 2018 RAV4 Adventure all-wheel drive can tow up to 3,500 pounds (enough for a Basecamp or Nest, expected early 2018)!

So this “always an Airstreamer” will continue to go places and celebrate the esprit de corps of the Airstream community, indivisible, and Airstream Life by covering Airstream-related items on this blog, including highlights of past trips and tips, news and views, seasonal celebrations, interesting videos, and new, exciting products such as the all new 2018 Airstream Atlas B+, Airstream’s most luxurious Touring Coach to date. See the videos: Airstream Spotlight: 2018 Atlas Touring Coach* and Colonial Airstream’s Patrick Botticelli’s Walk Through 2018 Airstream Atlas B+ Touring Coach Mercedes Sprinter RV.*

*This is a link to a YouTube video.

In our younger years, we enjoyed tent camping, so shortly into our retirement, 11 years ago, we rekindled the dream of camping and explored the RV options that would make it more pleasant and comfortable. After visiting dealers of pop up and white box, and finally Airstream trailers, we came to the conclusion that it would be Airstream or nothing! After doing almost a year of homework and exploring all of the information and opinions in AirForums and Airstream Life, we bought a 2007 Airstream Safari SE 23′ trailer and brought it home in January 2007, as detailed in “SilverGate’s Safari is Home at Last!”

For the next 10 years our family enjoyed the form and function of this iconic trailer* while camping in the beautiful desert, mountain, and beach parks in San Diego County and meeting and making new friends along the way.

As I entered the seventh decade of my life, my body began telling me that I should lighten the workload and yet still enjoy being a California day-tripper.* So we decided to find the right person to buy, enjoy and love this Airstream as we have. To this end, we first contacted friends and then placed our ad on AirForums’ Airstream Classifieds on September 13. The first responses were from dealers who wanted to buy it for resale. There were 18 other inquires and I asked each one to tell me something about themselves, interest in Airstream, RV experience, how they would use the trailer, and what they would use as a tow vehicle.

Two days after the ad was posted, we got a positive response that looked promising from a local, young family who came to see the trailer and decided after a few days of serious contemplation that this trailer would be a perfect match, and we agreed! The transaction was completed with a cashier’s check, bill of sale, and the Notice of Title Transfer and Release of Liability. I then reviewed with the buyer how everything worked and assisted in hitching up the trailer to his 2016 RAM 3500 truck. I then followed him in our truck, filled with camping items that we no longer needed, and assisted him in parking and unhitching the trailer.

Our Safari was beaming, looking happy, and right at home in its new homeport!

Also looking happy, the new owner said he and his family are absolutely thrilled with the trailer!

And we are happy and thrilled to pass this iconic Airstream trailer on to a younger generation that will give it love, good use, good care, and a good home!

*Encore YouTube videos: Paul McCartney – Two of Us and Transfer – Reflections of Home and Losing Composure

History Safari Express

Once an Airstreamer, Always an Airstreamer

The selling of our Airstream trailer