Our trial trip in the new Silvermine came 3 days after we got her home and just four days after she came off the Airstream line on March 11th! There was plenty of time to pack in all the camping equipment needed for our first run and I hurridly took a few pictures before we headed out for Findley State Park.The new trailer was still winterized, and we loaded in jugs of water to flush the toilet, wash dishes and make coffee. The vault toilets were open at Findley and some electric sites were open. That’s all we needed. It was beautiful and 70 degrees as we arrived at Findley State Park, set up camp and took the pups for a walk. But it quickly clouded over and Tom had to rush to get our steaks cooked on the grill outside before the rain cut loose. That’s OK – it was a nice excuse to stay inside the new trailer and try out some of the many new “systems” that we have! The choice of Findley State Park was strategic in that it is only 20 minutes from Lou and Larry’s house – Larry was lined up to help Tom install the new style hitch we had selected – the Pro Pride. The hitch had been delivered to our house and then stowed in the truck – it was a monster of a hitch with the purpose of eliminating trailer sway. Tuesday morning we made the drive to Lou and Larry’s for an afternoon hitch installation and an evening of camping in their full-service driveway! The hitch was a tedious and time-consuming install; Tom could never have done it without Larry, retired truck-driver, DIY mechanic, and Airstream guru. Starting at 10:30 in the morning they were mostly finished by 5:30, and both were exhausted. Wednesday morning there was one more minor adjustment made to the hitch before Larry took Tom off for a test-drive and practice backing session. Lou made us scrambled eggs and sausage, and fed and ready, we were on the road by 10:00. This destination was an Ohio State Park we had not visited before – Rocky Fork, just one hour from Micah’s house, and a 4 ½ hour drive for us. Electric sites down by the lake were functional, and a bath house was open. There were several other campers in residence, but a cold front was moving in, and the temperatures were going down. I initiated the oven with a meal of roasted Cornish Hens for dinner! Thursday morning we drove into the town of Hillsboro to visit Ohio’s oldest continually used Courthouse – built in 1832. Sadly it had been updated and chopped up in recent years and nothing of the original interior remained. In the courtroom you could see where the dome had been covered over during renovation. Even the woodwork in the courtroom was not original. Thursday afternoon back at the campground the clouds moved in and the temperatures dropped. Micah was coming out to eat with us and we took the easy way out and bought some KFC at the restaurant in town to heat up in the oven. Friday morning we headed for home, happy with the performance of the new trailer -- both living arrangements and towing. Not many pictures to document this trip, but I did get this one of the back-up system in the new truck -- makes it kind of hard to not hit the target the first time!. I'm still waiting for a "real" camping trip -- the kind where you camp just for the camping! That is coming up this weekend at Deer Creek State Park with old-time camping buds Alan and Carie from our TAB years!
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For the day of March 11, I think we towed home the newest Airstream in the USA as independent driver/owners! Backing up a bit . . . we visited our new Airstream on the factory line on Tuesday, and when we went back Wednesday for another visit she was off the line and being inspected! On Thursday morning she was picked up at the factory for the drive to Haydocy RV dealership in Columbus, and Friday we drove to down to take ownership! From off the assembly line to our hands in 48 hours – I have to think there was no newer Airstream on the road being towed by proud owners! From the looks of things at the factory, where Airstreams are flying through the line and setting production records, I don’t think we will hold on to these bragging rights for very long. It was a drizzly morning as we towed our little 16' Bambi to the dealership for trade-in. I kept my eye on her in the rear-view mirror for this one last tow-trip. I know she will go to a new loving owner. Tom sailed through the paperwork in 15 minutes to nail down the purchase and transfer of ownership of our new 23' Front Bedroom, Flying Cloud, Airstream. Eric Davis (our salesman) spent 3 hours going over every single feature of the new Airstream. He pretended we knew nothing about Airstreaming, and his walk-through taught us much that we did not already know. By 3:30 in the afternoon, we were hooked up to our new truck and headed home! Eric posed for a picture as we left the dealership. As we drove out of Columbus on our way home, I looked in the rear-view mirror -- and could not see any difference at all! I hate to say, but from the front view or the rear view Airstreams all look alike! Tom was delighted with how the 7 new feet of extra trailer length pulled and how the truck accelerated and handled the tow. At home by 6:00 pm and backed onto the concrete pad, Tom worked to unhook while I immediately set to work packing in our camping supplies. Off came the two layers of plastic wrapping on the mattress and on went the new bedding. It didn’t take long to figure where dishes, cookware, drink-ware, paper goods, silverware, bathroom necessities, electronics, and personal and sundry items would fit. And there are closest, drawer and cubbie spaces left ! Those spaces will be filled in tomorrow as we continue packing and readying the Silvermine . . . and his II for her first trip out -- in the very near future! Meanwhile, here she is for her first picture at home!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |