Local Airstream Company Expands

The Plattsburgh Press-Repulican had a nice article about the continuing expansion of an Airstream sales/renovation company just across the lake. 

PLATTSBURGH — New models of an American icon are now available from a local business that has doubled in size within the last year. 

Nomad Airstream President and Sales Manager Steven Clement said they are now an authorized Airstream dealer with exclusive rights to the New York and Vermont sales territory.

“We’re getting calls from all over,” he said.

Market holds promise

He and CEO Guillaume Langevin see great potential for the market, particularly the Burlington area. Clement said it is difficult to find Airstream trailers in Canada, so they even expect to have customers from the Montreal market.

“We know customers will be coming down,” he said.

The company has already received some new 2013 inventory.

The International Signature and Serenity series includes models from 19 feet to 30 feet. The Classic Limited line has model lengths of 27 feet, 30 feet and 31 feet, and is the flagship of the Aurstream line.

The Airstream Eddie Bauer edition is available in 26-foot and-28 foot lengths. It features a wide rear hatch to accommodate outdoor gear such as a kayak or bicycles. 

“It really fits in with the Adirondacks,” Clement said.  Read the whole article.

What Will Be Our Birding Base?

We’ve had a stretch of cold, windy weather here in Vermont and along with questioning our sanity in staying here this winter, I have been battling a painful nerve situation in my neck, arm, and hand.  So I’ve had plenty of time to work on writing and reading projects. 

As you have noted in my blog posts, we do a lot of our birding in warmer places of the U.S.  We haul our ‘99 Airstream, set up in state parks, and see some wonderful birds and meet some fine people.  The Airstream is easy to pull and works pretty well for us but the truck-trailer rig can be tricky to drive so I do all the driving.  Mary would like to help with that chore. 

Last winter, I was intrigued with some of the Class B and larger RV rigs that we saw in various state parks, particularly because of their ease of handling and setup.  I never did anything about them but last week, facing the completion of repairs on the Airstream and dithering about upgrading and or upsizing, I came across a post from a guy about his success on buying RV’s unseen (except for photos, videos, etc).  He was from Vermont and wrote that he had a Chinook -- a rig I’d never heard of.  In a brief exchange of emails, he raved about their reliability and quality, and scarceness.

A random email exchange introduced me to Chinook RVs

Diving in headfirst, I joined the Chinook Yahoo group, visited some Craigslist and RVtrader sites, and wrote to the Chinook RV Club.  Next thing I know I was learning the different models and their layouts and getting advice on possible rigs for sale.  Hey, I have a snow-covered Airstream that has a few weeks worth of work before I can even move it.  And we certainly don’t have a bank account that can handle two rigs at time  -- especially a newer pricier RV.

But, after a few more days research, I’m getting hooked on getting a Chinook.  It may never come to pass but I’m planning a trip to Georgia in April for a rally to look one or two over.   Of course, Georgia birding will be in full operation and I’m outlining some sites we can visit while we are there.  

Seeing the many rigs that are sold because of health reasons of one or both of the owners makes one realize that fixing up old rigs is perhaps not to efficient a use of time.  Going in style to prime birding and tourist spots (note the priority) is why we are thinking of upgrading.  Stay tuned or better yet, sign up by RSS feed or via email  over at vtbirder.com to follow us in this “What’s Our Birding Support Base” decision.

Our Airstream Takes A Ferry Ride

The repairs by Colin Hyde to our Airstream are finished.  It took nearly eight months from the mishap but once we got started, the work looks great.  Here are a couple of final photos.

The interior back in place

The two end panels all fixed and the awning and trim reinstalled.

Today, I went over and picked up the 'Stream and brought it back across Lake Champlain.  It was a beautiful day and and easy trip -- excepting the fact that the electric jack seems to have died.  Just another project to tackle before snow.

The truck and Airstream riding the ferry homeward.

A calm day on Lake Champlain, looking back toward the Adirondacks

The sister ferry passing us on its way to New York

So now the trick is to work on the interior and get the walls polished so that I can install the beds and cabinets.  We are thinking of using it for our Thanksgiving trip -- if it's ready by then.  

Airstream Repair Photos

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I dropped off the Airstream at Colin Hyde's repair facility in Plattsburgh, NY.  The other day, I got a bunch of photos showing the progress on the replacement of the panels.  They have to remove both the inside and outside panels to be able to rivet so that the rivet heads are proper.  Looks like good progress.

The top panel is gone and the lower one is being removed.

Airstream Has An Appointment

After months of waiting, I got an email yesterday saying that I could bring the Airstream over to Plattsburgh, NY next Tuesday for the "facial" it needs to repair the dents I put in it last winter.  I just winterized it -- which is good since it below freezing this morning, and it should be all set to move.  

I'll wind my way through Montpelier and head up I-89 to the Champlain Islands and take the ferry across to New York state.  I have no expectations that this work will be a quick deal -- not sure when Colin Hyde and his gang will get to it -- but it is good to finally get it on the way.  I think I'll keep this blog active to cover the results of the repairs but still invite you to visit my other blog, Vermont Birder, at http://www.vermontbirder.com and sign up through the rss feed or email signup.

Vermont Airstreamers is taking a sabbatical

Since we have decided not to travel to the Southwest this winter and since the Airstream is sort of laid up due to the damage to the back, I am putting this blog on hold for a while.  I invite you to visit my other blog, Vermont Birder, at http://www.vermontbirder.com.  I hope you'll consider subscribing through the rss feed or through email signup.

Airstream Turns 80

The Airstream recreational vehicle, all curves and chrome, was originally designed to evoke the open road and the aviation age. Hawley Bowlus, the man who created the brand's toaster-over-in-a-wind-tunnel look was also the chief designer of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. His America was all about going places and the Airstream was intended to be both a way to get there and a way to stay.

Over the years, the vehicles have gone from being associated with innovation to being of a piece with thrift store Americana -- what Instagram is to cameras, Airstream is to vehicles -- yet, in 1932 when company founder Wally Byam was just moving beyond tinkering in his back yard, he was engaging with a very modern notion: Mobility is the ultimate luxury.

The irony, of course, is that a company catering to Americans' travel yen has itself been nothing if not stationary. The popular vehicles are still manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio and their names still betray these roots. Buyers can choose between Sport, Flying Cloud and Classic Limited models. There is also an International, but that seems almost antithetical to the whole endeavor.

Despite its proud middle-American sensibility and heritage, Airstreams have always been more than middle class kitsch. They helped ferry generations of children and parents to beaches and wild places. They may not have conquered the West, but they certainly made it more accessible, allowing the denizens of America's growing suburbs to get back into the outdoors. If Airstreams now look tiny next to the rolling mansions being offered by recreational vehicle manufacturers, there is a reason: They were designed to help us get away, not to help us schlep everything along with us.

Eighty years later, an Airstream in the driveway still means one foot out the door, an American stance if ever there was one.

Many thanks to Reminisce Magazine for providing a background on Airstream History.

Review slideshow from Huffington Post