Camp Dawg

ONCE AGAIN OUR ALUMINUM CITY MAGICALLY ROSE, this time in Sedalia, Missouri, for the 67th Wally Byam Caravan Club International Rally, aka Airstream Club International. Just shy of 1,300 Airstreams gathered in the railroad town of Sedalia with a population of 22,000. Here we settled in for a week of friendship, frivolity and a bit of goodwill, too! The fairgrounds, smothered in green grass, had full hookups (50 amp/water/sewer) for all attendees with an option for golf cart rental which made getting around the expansive grounds more easily.

Week-long activities included the opportunity to attend the Opening Ceremonies with over 100 clubs present with flags held high and wildly waved; we gathered with our home club, the Greater Los Angeles Airstream Club; attended several informative seminars and the vendor exhibits; enjoyed music provided by the amazing all-volunteer club band along with jam sessions that would pop up around the grounds; and even took a short spin on the Katy Trail, a 240-mile former rail line converted to an adventurous bike path.

Incoming Airstreams! Region 12 (California/Nevada) ready for Opening Ceremonies

International President, Eric with First Lady, LaVerne Jim represents Region 12

The Katy Trail!

The charitable events this year included the Bothwell Foundation which received funds to refurbish two hospital rooms and contributions to Breast Cancer Awareness Month via the sale of pink tee shirts. There were a total of 210 pounds of aluminum pop tops and $230 collected for the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City by the Future Streamers intra-club comprised of young Streamers. In addition, funds were collected for Hurricane Helene and Milton relief. Well done, everyone!

I always leave this event on a high with the friends we get to reconnect with from around the country; thankful for the amazing talents of the staff and volunteers who work together to bring this annual rally to our members; and the positive energy we project, together, as a club. Next year’s International Rally is scheduled for York, Pennsylvania. We’ll look for you down the road!

We remained after the event to enjoy Sedalia for a few days. Boonedocker, just shy of his 15th birthday, surveys his now wide open front yard!

WHEN POSSIBLE, we love to land at unique campgrounds, and this surprise I managed to pull off was right up Jim’s alley, or should I say….runway! Full disclosure, I’m married to a radio-control airplane fanatic. For as long as I’ve known this guy, RC flying has been a joyful hobby, but even more so since he’s hung up his big airplane and private pilot’s license a decade ago. Today, numerous RC planes are stored in Ojai so he does get the opportunity to fly when we land, pun attended, for an extended stay.

As we made our way across the country looking for an overnight campsite in Indiana, I came across the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) in Muncie, Indiana, which comes with both a campground and a museum…all on 200 acres. This unique campground is a great alternative to a traditional campground.

The campground is hosted by Patricia and Steve, who are flying enthusiasts and travel in a 1973 GMC RV with a matching Corvair, remember when?! Next up, they will be making their way to our corner of California and the Flying Flags RV Resort in Buellton, to join in the fun at their GMC Rally.

With no campground reservations made over the Labor Day weekend we were thankful to find the Bass Pro Shop in East Peoria, Illinois. This Bass Pro Shop, with a restaurant and bowling alley, welcomes RVers to overnight in their spacious parking lot over looking the Illinois River. When we woke in the morning it was fun to cheer on the runners at our front door!

I’ve enjoyed the Minnesota State Fair forever and simply enjoy grazing from one end to the other.

FOLLOWING AN AMAZING TIME IN NASHVILLE, and a great flight out & back from Medford, Oregon, I return to my favorite mode of transportation, rollin’ in our Airstream, the Silver Palace. Making our way through Jackson Hole, Dubois and Buffalo, WYO. This, right here, is why I Airstream.

KENNY CHESNEY + TITAN STADIUM is about as Tennessee as a Nashville evening gets! Take this Knoxville native, add in a (very) warm August Nashville night with 57,523 fans; sprinkle with a little Megan Maroney, Uncle Kracker, a lot of Zac Brown Band along with a good dose of Old Dominion and I call that a great way to close out another fabulous time in Music City. Until next time, Nashville!

Since I first stumbled into the Hatch Show Print Shop almost 20 years ago on Lower Broadway, I fell crazy in love with this 19th century American institution. Known for its vintage, hand-carved images, this shop, established in 1879, is well known for their letterpress posters. Credit goes to Gutenberg back in the 1400s for one of the greatest printing presses, but Hatch continues today to hand turn posters for artists and events around the country and across musical genres.

With upscale honky tonks moving into Lower Broadway and more room needed for the letterpress business, Hatch Show Print found a home in the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2013. Gone are their early days located behind the The Mother Church of Country Music aka the Ryman Auditorium; then in a 19th century building on Lower Broadway where resident cats kept a watchful eye on the small counter area as the ever increasing number of visitors entered to soak up the walls simply smothered in vintage posters. The new, polished location continues to use the various presses which date from the late-1800s through the mid-1950s, along with the large selection of hand carved wood block designs which covered an entire wall in the shop.

Today, you can take a tour behind the scenes and have an opportunity to turn your very own Hatch Show Print. Unable to visit Nashville? This link is a great source about this historical printing shop. https://www.hatchshowprint.com/

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, with its rotating exhibits, is always a highlight of my visit to Nashville. How surprised, and a bit homesick was I, to see Southern California prominently displayed with a Los Angeles Country-Rock exhibit. Emmylou, Dwight, Buffalo Springfield, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys and Graham Parsons were noted along with James Taylor and Carole King who cut their respective albums Sweet Baby James and Tapestry, in LA. Both (original) albums are still in my vinyl collection today. When in Nashville, a visit to this museum should be on the top of your list!

NASHVILLE HONKY TONKS. According to those-in-the-know, a honky tonk must 1) Provide adult beverages, 2) Remain open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and 3) Provide live music. There are more than you can count here in Music City and it seems every entertainer now has their name in neon on Broadway these days in Nashville. From Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert, John Rich and George Strait’s soon-to-be honky tonk; to Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks’ recently opened, Friends in Low Places. On Lower Broadway, the five-block stretch between the Bridgestone Arena and the Cumberland River will yield no shortage of honky tonks at which to dine and imbibe.

While Lower Broadway has changed dramatically since my first visit in 2008 as today’s Country musicians renovate establishments where old school honky tonks and businesses have weathered the years, I continue to enjoy walking this area to hear musicians who share their music with the 16 million visitors who flock here annually. One of the best, longest standing and not-to-be-missed? Be sure to swing into Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, connected to the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium.

Note: This was an Airstream-free excursion. While Jim attended his high school reunion in Ashland, Oregon, I jumped on a (smooth!) flight from Medford-SLC-Nashville.

The melding of agriculture + tourism is on the rise. If you’re an Airstreamer, you are most likely already familiar with this experience as a down home way to connect with local farms. An annual membership to Harvest Host gives you access to a myriad of choices whether it’s honey, cheese, wine, berry farms, orchards and more! This membership provides you with a comfortable campsite, an alternative night’s stay to a conventional campground as you cross the country in an RV; and gives you an opportunity to connect and support local farms that provide a great product or experience to enjoy.

Our stop in Minnesota gave us time to explore and enjoy a unique agritourism opportunity at the Alpha & Omega Farm in Princeton, Minnesota. Here we (almost) devoured an entire wood-fired pizza pie leaving little behind. All that’s required is reserving a ‘pizza crust’ online which is your reservation, then we hopped into my trusty stead to explore the backroads and savor the wide open fields where corn will surely be ‘Knee high by the Fourth of July’, a childhood saying I fondly recall.

Once we arrived at the Farm, we visited the Fainting Goats, alpacas, pigs and chicks. Following a few days of heavy rain, the fields were soggy but it didn’t deter the fun and an incredible pizza which was amazing! Of course, having my grandson, Jack, and a couple of Airstream friends along made the visit even more enjoyable. At Alpha & Omega you can enjoy dinner and book a glamping tent and stay the night!