I’m going to try to stay on top of this reporting business by doing less writing and doing more photo dumping. Let’s see how this goes. (Frankly, it’s hard for me not to write, but I don’t have much time.)
Airstreams are parked by backing four up to each sewer, water, and electric pedestal station, two from one direction and two from the other. If there’s room, they’ll be parked in a spiral. Go Tracy and the RAT team!
This is a huge fairgrounds with long distances between venues, so people bike and ride golf carts everywhere. Everyone leaves their bikes (even expensive e-bikes) parked willy nilly and unlocked outside the buildings for vendors/demonstrations/seminars, etc. Often it’s just as hard to find your bike as it is to find your Airstream.
One cool vendor’s booth made from Airstream parts where they display their interior modifications.
We went inside every new Airstream on display and rated the pros and cons. I’ll spare you photos I took of the giant bathroom in the 33-foot one, but every person who went inside when we were there said, “WOW.” (This photo is inside a van, which was less WOW and more wow. Also, Tracy saw this over my shoulder as I was typing and says he looks silly, but I figure better than the photo of the toilet.)
The vintage Airstream club had an open house where they invited us to appreciate their decorations outside and decor inside. There were people inside every one so I couldn’t take many pics, but suffice it to say each one was unique.
The stripes here were based on a stripe somewhere in the decor when these folks found this one in bad shape and restored it. Beautiful wood and leather throughout, fabulous small details like cabinetry hardware.
Gotta appreciate their enthusiasm here. The bedspreads are pink chintz.
A 1947 Curtis Wright Airstream (but can it be pulled by a bicycle?).
This one has a lovely display of year-appropriate camping gear outside.
Including this American Girl Airstream. Now really. Even I can dig that.
Simple is beautiful. Accent on the shiny.
I stopped in the women’s building (the state fair names these, not the rally folks) where crafting is going on, and I spotted this guy making a cross stitch of Monticello. He was amazed I identified the building from yards away and from the back of it. I am a Virginian; of course I could spot this from across the entire fairgrounds. (Okay, this is not an Airstream-themed photo, but it’s indicative of the variety of events, interests, people here at the rally.)
I ended the day with an amazingly fun meetup of fulltimers who know each other from a Facebook group that I just now found. I can’t believe I’ve gone four years on the road without being a part of this network! Woohoo for day 2!
The logistics of this event must be a nightmare, but wow… the diversity is impressive.
It’s not fully volunteer-run, but mostly, which is amazing. I get the impression very few people show up and just enjoy the events; nearly everyone volunteers if even for just a bit.
I can only imagine the glare you must have walking through a sea of Airstreams. I’d probably have to double up on my sunglasses game! Super cool, for sure.
The older Airstreams were made with slightly different aluminum and they’re even shinier than the newer ones. So, walking through the vintage section, shades for sure.
That American Girl trailer and the license plate are darling! 🙂 I like your “photo dump” because it is all fun to see. Thanks! Have another great day.
Thanks, Charla! I was impressed by the guy’s American Girl display, frankly. All the camping gear = precious.
Wow, there’s some incredible designs there… talking of diversity, there doesn’t seem to be much diversity among airstream owners…
This is true, but it’s true across RV owners in the U.S. “Male, pale, and stale” applies, to a certain extent.
Pretty true of my group of friends too… or at least their partners