airstream adventure

life in 150 square feet on the open road and beyond

airstream, travel, full-time RV, road trip, america.

Filtering by Category: "airstream"

DETOUR.

"life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans" – john lennon

i can't think of a single phrase that sums up our past few weeks more perfectly. if you've noticed it's been quiet 'round these parts for some time you would be correct. our las vegas christmas adventure started pleasantly enough; we won $100 on a $1 slot machine, we had some great eats at mon ami gabi in the paris casino; we even saw an old school classic vegas-showgirl-esque show called "jubilee" – and boy, did it deliver, with glittered and bejeweled bodies everywhere complete with campy dance numbers. ahhh yes...vegas.

the grand adventure we did not expect was a trip to the ER on christmas day. the day started well enough – opening christmas goodies via video on skype (god bless skype) with family back in atlanta. about mid-afternoon, richard started complaining of shortness of breath and some odd heart palpitations. once we got to the hospital and ran through some tests, it was determined that he would be admitted for some follow-up tests the next day. ugh. great. merry christmas! the next three days ran pretty much like this:

test 1: EKG - a few odd findings, but not in panic mode.

test 2: echocardiogram - no real significant findings. whew! when do we go home?

test 3: chemical stress test - a few more odd findings. starting to get in panic mode. not going home.

test 4: cardiac catheter/angiogram - major blockages found – some 100% – in multiple heart arteries. the bottom drops out.

the news that followed from the cardiologist was that richard would need to have a quadruple bypass. like, pretty much immediately. QUADRUPLE. as in four bypasses. i cannot truly express the shock that i felt standing in that hospital atrium, by myself, in las vegas, with no family or friends around to soften that blow. all i could do in that very moment was find a quiet corner away from the strangers in the lobby chairs and quietly fall apart. one day you're exploring the vegas strip, free as a bird, and the next you are in a hospital with your 41-year-old husband who's about to undergo major heart surgery. it wasn't fair. our young marriage wasn't supposed to endure this sort of thing. i was scared. he was scared. despite this, it wasn't a time for me to express fear; it was a time to pull myself together, wipe the tears and walk into the cardiac testing unit and confidently tell my husband that it was all going to be OK. the tears could wait until i was in the car, in the airstream, somewhere. anywhere. but not in that hospital room.

after some phone calls to atlanta, my sweet mom went into "supermom" status and left on a jet plane to vegas almost immediately. anyone that knows my mom well knows that woman can pack a suitcase like no other. and i don't mean in an efficient, minimalist way. more like a "ma'am, you have overweight baggage" kind of way. i digress. as my dear aunt bec says, "when the ox is in the ditch, you gotta pull him out." {say what? i know. it took me a minute, too. but now i love it and it's one of my favorite southernisms.} it simply means that you do what must be done when it's got to be done. and i needed some emotional back-up out here STAT. that's right...you guessed it. i was the ox. and i was most definitely in the ditch.

later that evening, i returned home alone to the airstream for a few hours of much-needed sleep. when i walked in, i was met at the door by our dog, trixie {aka miss pickles}. hmm. that's odd. trixie always stays in her crate when we're away and OH MY GAAAAAAAA heyyyy waaaaiit a minuuute whhhaatttt??? there were chocolate wrappers everywhere! not only had she hound-ini'ed {that's right, she's the canine houdini} out of her crate {that little $%#*&! stinker} but she had also gorged herself on the e-n-t-i-r-e contents of my chocolate bar-filled santa stocking that was sent from atlanta. any of you that have dogs know what this means. chocolate is extremely toxic (even lethal) to dogs and she had plowed through about five various chocolate bars. i completely lost it. LOST. IT. it was just too much for one day. not only was my sweet husband in the hospital about to have heart surgery, but our 11 year-old dog had just ingested a potentially lethal amount of chocolate and needed to get to an animal ER immediately, and i was in a completely foreign city with no knowledge of vets or animal resources. {sidebar: big thanks to ashley and giles - with animal ER experience - who really helped me get through that ordeal with 3AM pet ER googling.} luckily, a 24-hour pet ER was just three minutes down the road. a blessing amidst chaos.

of course, i couldn't burden richard with the stress that our dog was in the pet hospital with vomiting, diarrhea and on IV fluids. it turned into the lie that was okay to tell. in fact, he didn't know about the entire ordeal until the day he was discharged almost a week and a half later. again, when the ox is in the ditch, you pull that sucker out.

the bypass surgery was on december 30. happy new year! mom and i arrived at the hospital at 6AM. surgery started at 7:30AM. he was out four hours later. those were the longest four hours. ever. again, major blessings amidst chaos: we landed at the best hospital in vegas and the head of the cardiac dept was his surgeon – we were told by many nurses that he was the best heart surgeon in the hospital. the surgery was successful and richard made it through with no complications. when they allowed me into the ICU just after the surgery, i have never felt such a flood of relief in my life. yes, he had tubes coming and going every which way. he had a ventilator down his throat to help him breathe. he was connected to a million IVs and wires. there were machines beeping and sucking and whirring and he had an incision in his chest eight and a half inches long. but he was out of the OR and alive and was going to be OK...ohh thanks beeee to god! although he was still under anesthesia, i squeezed his hand and asked if he could hear me. he wiggled his eyebrows groucho marx style up and down {no doubt, trying to open his eyes} and softly squeezed my hand. a small and utterly sweet victory. tears of joy.

the next few days were a blur of hospital visits, phone calls to the vet to check on ol' sweet-toothed hound-ini, cold, crappy fast food meals eaten on the go and a new complication – acute bronchitis for me, and then an upper respiratory infection for my mom. WOW. really, universe? really. this kept me away from the hospital for about two days, because frankly, i was sick as a dog and just could not go. more importantly, i also could not risk spreading any germs to richard post-surgery. that was pretty tough. although he was on some serious pain med cocktails, he no doubt felt alone and scared in the hospital by himself for those few days. ugh. heartbreaking.

after about a week here with me, my mom flew back to atlanta even though she was not totally well {what a trooper}, but richard was going to be discharged and needed to be able to rest and recover without a crowd in the airstream and exposure to her cold. i went into "airstream sick ward" detox mode. lysol, anti-bac wipes on every surface, all linens to the fluff-n-fold laundry, air purifiers, you name it. i stole a box of surgical masks from the hospital {that's right, i stole them and i ain't apologizing for it either} because i was terrified i would spread my coughy-coughy germs. he was discharged two weeks ago and we are continuing the recovery process day-by-day. i am so, so proud of him. while we still have some recovery ahead of us, his physical healing has been fast and he's doing what it takes to get better. i guess that's the advantage of heart surgery at 41 – the body heals faster than it does at 71. what you don't probably expect is the emotional and mental toll that a surgery like this brings. all very new and scary territory. we'll be staying in vegas for about 4-6 weeks while he gets back to a better version of his normal self {now improved with all-new heart plumbing! yay!} and we'll be enrolling into a cardiac physical rehab and this will be really helpful on so many levels. the plans are to continue our airstream adventure once he's up for it. we have nowhere we need to be, and can stay here as long as we need to.

we certainly never saw this coming, and most definitely not while we were on the road, away from everything that would have been familiar and comforting. it's been an incredibly challenging few weeks and not the beginnings of 2011 we would have hoped for. i suppose the moral to the story is that you never know what life has in store, and for this reason, we feel even more strongly about picking up where we left off. there are still many places to see and we intend on seeing them. we've found the silver lining to this black cloud and that lining is filled with thankfulness.

thankful for being a city with top-notch medical care {believe me, we have traveled through some podunk towns along the way}.

thankful for a talented, easy-going surgeon who made us feel confident about such a scary surgery.

thankful for every ICU nurse that made me feel like my husband was in the best hands possible.

thankful for a mom who flew across the country to offer love, support and a warm body to sit next to in the hospital waiting room.

thankful for family and friends who have offered continued support and well-wishes from afar.

thankful that those blockages were caught early in life before any heart damage was done or a heart attack occurred. i feel sure this outcome would have happened if not for this life-changing surgery.

and one more...on a personal note...thankful for a husband with a heart of gold {really! the surgeon confirmed it! amazing!} that is the best friend and partner that every woman deserves.

everyone wants to get lucky when they come to vegas, and as odd and counter-intuitive as it sounds...we were. while we'd prefer the winning-thousands-of-dollars variety, we were blessed nonetheless. life isn't so much about what happens to you, but how you handle those circumstances and what you make of it. we debated about keeping this off of the airstream blog because, well, it's incredibly personal and even talking about it is kind of like reliving it again. but this blog is supposed to be a chronicle of our life on the road, and we felt like not including this would somehow rob authenticity from this experience.

we'll be off exploring again in just a few weeks, and until then, we'll use this time to get caught up on all of the great places we've been and just haven't had the time to blog about. until then...happy trails to you, friends. take care of yourselves and hug your loved ones. really. go do it. now!

xo
jen

p.s. miss pickles is fine. $700 later. little stinker.

IT'S OFFICIAL!




“...I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

well, folks, (insert mary tyler moore music) we're gonna dooooo it! we're puttin' our money where our mouth is and gearing up for the granddaddy of all road trips. after much thought and deliberation and serious logistics wrangling, we've decided to put everything we own in a storage facility and become full-time airstreamers and travel the U.S. until...well, we get sick of it. say what?!


we're planning on an early august 2010 departure, so there is much to do between now and then. pack every stitch of our house, sell my car (bye bye little blue passat wagon!) and make sure we are equipped from a business perspective for life on the road. being that we both are in the very fortunate position to have jobs where we can work from home, we figured that home could just as easily be a silver twinkie, no? that means some pretty serious techie stuff, but after a few trial runs in savannah and charleston, i think we've sorted that end out and we're both able to do our jobs (quite well, i might add) from the road. we've even upgraded our truck (affectionately dubbed "tundy too", since we traded in the '08 tundra for a swanky, more comfortable '10 tundra).

i can't tell you how personally exciting this is for us. but you might wonder exactly why we are doing this. living in approximately 200 square feet with your spouse and (often times a lil' gassy) dog means a few things for sure: you had better get along really well, have a top-notch sense of humor and not get hung up on little idiosyncrasies that living in a trailer can present. as cushy and creature-comforty as the airstream is, it's still a small space and let me assure you, every nook and cranny counts. but all of these little things pale in comparison to the idea of seeing this country via the winding back roads, the small towns and the big cities, too. weekends will be filled with route 66 oddities, fall festivals in towns we've never heard of, quirky local attractions, and the natural beauty of state and federal parks and delightful people whom we'll meet along the way. when you are pulling your home behind you on wheels, it's a new front and back yard every week. i love that.

aside from the incredibly compelling adventure-of-a-lifetime bit, there are also some significant savings to be had from paring down for a while and living a little simpler. sure, you have park fees, but you also have no rent/mortgage and no utilities. my car payment and insurance goes away, too. so we figured, why not save some decent cash, and when we're tired of living like gypsies, we'll have a nice little down payment for a house upon return.

we do hope you'll follow our adventures in the wild blue yonder through this blog and also via twitter (@airstreamADV). we'd also love to hear some "must sees" from all of you – feel free to share the places out there that can't be missed, whether that be a legendary diner, a museum or a roadside produce stand.

see you down the road, friends!

xoxo,
jen & richard



REVIEW: Best Holiday Trav-L-Park, Chattanooga

Don't let the antiquated name fool you into thinking this place is best left alone. Kind of reminiscent of a tacky 60s trailer park, right? Wrong. It is one of the best places we've stayed at! While it isn't flooded with nature or particularly quaint or picturesque, it was clean, easy in and out, well-maintained, and best of all, just a short hop from downtown 'nooga. (That's Chattanooga, folks.)

We showed up at our usual time (10:30 PM, waaaay after sundown and far too late to hope for any sort of daylight to illuminate the area). Fearing the worst, we got to the office and picked up our site info. Pull-through. Nice.

We breathed a sigh of relief to find our site well marked and easy to navigate, with ample room for our sweet little aluminum adventure cottage-on-wheels. Actually, it's big enough for even far larger rigs. Pulling into our site was easy, and all sites had some sort of light to make it easier. We pulled in and hooked up with minimum muss and fuss.

The RV sites all had electric (some up to 50 amp), water, sewer, and cable hookups. Of special note, we were overjoyed (ok, maybe overjoyed is a strong word) that the sewer connection was situated a little lower than the pad, making a nice gentle slope from the Airstream to the connection. That would mean no messing around (literally...ewww) with the sewer hose on disconnect. The less time that thing is in your hands, the better. Nothing turns a good day bad when you've got, um, you-know-what running down your hands. Bring on the Purell. As for the cable, a fair amount of channels to be had. I don't think we watched more than a couple of minutes of TV, with good reason. We're not ones to sit around and watch the clouds roll by, as we're primarily using the site as HQ.

Location, location, location: Best Holiday Trav-L-Park is smack dab in the middle of tourist central Chattanooga, TN. And yes, there is such a thing as The Chattanooga Choo Choo. We've seen it. We stood where the engineer would stand, if this train still moved. Currently, the cars behind the Choo Choo were converted to (rather tourist trappy, overpriced with aging bad 80s decor) dining facilities, and some of the other cars at the station were converted to be guest rooms for the Holiday Inn that adjoins the museum. That actually seemed kind of cool, although we didn't recall them feeling particulary clean. Maybe we're just used to Wally and prefer our own germs to others'. If you're into toy trains, the museum has a toy train car collection, which should be enjoyed for those that are into that. All aboard.



Next up: Rock City has been a tourist trap for decades. However, it still is an enjoyable place to visit. The view from Lover's Leap is fantastic; get your cameras ready. No picture could ever adequately describe the view. When we finally got to the "top" we were pleasantly surprised to hear a bluegrass band playing some old timey tunes with a nice crowd gathered around. It was nice to sit down for a bit and enjoy the breeze.


4th of July evening fireworks found us, once again, heading to where the crowds wouldn't be. There are a good many overlooks if you wind your way up Lookout Mountain, and we settled on a nice view near the Incline Railway station. Speaking of the Incline - yep, another heavily populated tourist trap, but still neat. The Incline is the steepest passenger train in the world, boasting a 73% grade near the top of the mountain. That's downright almost vertical, people. The ascent (or descent) takes about 10 minutes and is truthfully a little lackluster until you get to the steep bit. The "station" at the top is a bit of a disaster: an outdated building with bad carpet, a snack bar that needs a good deep cleaning, and all the magnets, shot glasses and keychains you could shake a stick at. Not our scene.


Finally, one of the more interesting tours is that of Ruby Falls. Best thing: it never rains on Ruby Falls, nor does the temperature get above 58 degrees. Why? Because the Falls are underground inside Lookout Mountain! During the day, there are normal tours with plenty of artificial (and some call...errr...tacky) light. However, we chose to do a nighttime lantern tour. Why? Less crowds, and just a cooler, off the beaten path experience. So all lights were turned off, and the only available light was from our flashlights. This definitely added a bit more adventure. The most incredible thing was when we finally arrived at the falls, the tour guide ran a lantern up more than 200 feet of rope to illuminate the falls. They were completely inside a large cavern, collecting in a large pool on the ground. Interesting fact: they know where the waters end up, but still cannot figure out where the source is coming from.

Bottom line – we'd recommend Best Holiday Trav-L-Park, and the city of Chattanooga makes a lovely weekend jaunt from lots of places in the Southeast.

Until next time...happy travels.

Sheriff Spiffy Came to Blogtown.

we can do better and we knew it.

perhaps it's a late case of spring cleaning taking effect, but we decided it was time for a major blog overhaul. see the new graphics?! new palette!? and from here on out...better content, like:

more stories that actually do happen on the road (and beyond!) but never quite seem to make it to the page. also, more pictures that i am constantly taking of our travels but don't make it off the camera card. (shameful, right?)

we are gearing up for another weekend trip, albeit close to home, to the north GA mountains. just a few nights away can be such a nice change of pace from the same four walls you face during the week. hot, juicy topics of conversation around the house regarding the coming trip include:

- biscuits and egg beaters for breakfast (regular style or southwestern? hmm. these are serious decisions. )
- will the AC stand up to 96 degree temps this weekend?
- will miss pickles (our boston terrier) ever stop having anxiety attacks everytime we travel?
- the "fishtail": our new secret weapon for maneuvering the trailer out of some tight spots and campsites. (try getting a 27" trailer into a back-in...takes some practice.)

oh, yes. i told you the content was going to be better. (tantalizing, even.)

we hope you'll love the love we're putting into sharing the airstreamin' life with all of you.

happy travels,
jen

{new blog airstream image courtesy of steven myers photography, design courtesy of miss pickles press design + paper goods}

Review: Table Rock State Park, SC

Review: Table Rock State Park from Richard Mageau on Vimeo.



We spent yet another 'interesting' weekend in Wally. Started off scary (got there late at night) and got much nicer as the weekend progressed.

The park is nice, very rustic. Most of the original building we built by the CCC's in the '30s and '40s. There are a few cabins (some being renovated) that are available for renting, as well as the campground of course! The Lodge was currently being rented out for a wedding,as it's a beautiful place for it. The view of the mountains was just fantastic.

The town has a lot of local flavor. We had a surprisingly good meal at Aunt Sue's in town (just look for the giant inflatable gorilla). Also were some small shops nearby.

Note to self: Leave early enough where you are not attempting to set up in the dark!

3 Days and a wake up!

Our First Issues with the Airstream from Richard Mageau on Vimeo.



Finishing off cleaning Wally for the trip Memorial Day Weekend. Just need to wash the floor, and some other things packed like outside rugs (keep the outside outside!). Learned a bunch of things about what to do (and not to do) on our last trip.

Are we there yet?

The anticipation of a trip. Preparing, making sure all things are ready, and packing up. And the inevitable return home. Beginning, middle and end of a cherished memory. What else can I say?

Wally (our Airstream) is sitting at Carolina RV, getting some work done. The converter/inverter/charger met the great bit bucket (in other non geek words, it ain't working) and needed replacing. That explains why the battery wasn't charging. Ah, the joys of warranties! After we pick it up next weekend, we'll be getting ready for a trip to Destin, Florida. We'll be staying at Destin RV Beach Resort. Just a quick walk from Wally to the beach! Nice. Definitely need some down time this Memorial Day Weekend.

So here's the list:
1) Get Wally (you did name your rig, didn't you?)
2) Spruce it up, spring cleaning.
3) Pack some stuff, clothes, beach towels, etc
4) Before leaving, fill the fresh water tanks, gas, cool down the fridge.
5) Fill fridge with snack packs!
6) Get out of dodge!

Top of Georgia WBCCI Park


Willa: Winter Host at Top of Georgia Airstream Park WBCCI from Richard Mageau on Vimeo.


Stayed here for the first trip of the season, this is nice! Full hookups, sewer, and a babbling river right behind us.

To be able to camp here, you have to have:
1) an Airstream
2) a membership in WBCCI

To get here, we had to go through what I call "Lil Bavaria". Meant to look like a German village, we ate at a restaurant in town that had seating outdoors, which was great as we didn't need to leave Miss Pickles in the truck while we ate. They even brought her a bowl of cool water with ice in it. Nice! And the bratwurst was good too (just a little too much sauerkraut for my taste).

They had just dewinterized the campground, so we had our choice of locations. We met Willa, the winter host there, and had a great conversation about the campground and WBCCI in general.Check it out!

Easter at Lake Lanier


Easter on Lake Lanier from Richard Mageau on Vimeo.

A bad day camping is better than a good day..you know the rest. Even if there's a ton of rain, your campsite is on a hill, not level, and consists mostly of gravel and mud, it's still better than being in front of a PC. Even with tornadoes looming. And you're stuck in the aforementioned gravel and mud, sliding ever closer to the lake.
Well, it wasn't all bad. Friday was the worst, Saturday was the best. After it dried up, and the backhoe towed us out of the campsite, we got another more level, drier, and all around nicer campsite.