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Nelson's Airstream Page

This is my half of our home page. Pauline's half is here, and the story of how we each built ours is on the front page. I typed this one myself in Notepad. Every tag.

The Trailer

A 1972 Airstream Overlander, 27 feet. We bought it used in the spring of 1986 from a widower in Sun City who had kept it under a carport and never let it see rain. It had 48,000 miles on it then. It has a lot more now.

We pull it with a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with the towing package. Before that we had a Ford pickup that did the job but didn't like the hills.

When we're home, it sits in the side yard under its own carport. Mesa is no place to be in July, so every summer it takes us up to the high country around Pinetop for a few weeks at least. Those trips aren't on the list below. The list is the big ones.

The Big Trips

Miles are round trip from our driveway, off the odometer. Nights are nights in the trailer.

When	Where	Miles	Nights
Oct. 1986	Lost Dutchman State Park, right up the road. The shakedown trip.	50	2
July 1988	Grand Canyon North Rim, Zion and Bryce Canyon	1,180	12
June 1990	Yellowstone and Grand Teton	2,560	21
Feb. 1993	Big Bend, Texas	1,560	14
Aug. 1995	The Oregon coast and the redwoods	3,020	24
Sept. 1997	Old Route 66 from Kingman to Seligman, then east to the Petrified Forest	720	6
July 1998	Glacier National Park	3,410	28
June 1999	White Sands and the Gila Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico	1,060	9
Total		13,560	116

Best: Glacier. Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed to anything as long as our rig, so we left the trailer at the campground and drove it in the Suburban. Pauline didn't open her eyes for the first ten miles and then didn't close them for the rest of the day.

Worst: Big Bend in February. Beautiful country, but we had a flat on the trailer forty miles from anywhere and I found out the spare had been low since 1991. See my list below. That's why it's on there.

Next: the Natchez Trace, in the spring, if Pauline's knee allows.

What I Check Before Every Trip

Thirty-one years in a shop teaches you to use a checklist. This is mine. It's taped inside the door of the trailer.

Tire pressure on every tire, truck and trailer, and both spares. Cold, before we leave.
Lug nuts tight, trailer and truck.
Hitch ball greased, coupler latched and pinned.
Safety chains crossed under the tongue.
Breakaway cable hooked to the truck.
Brake controller set, and test the trailer brakes before we leave the street.
Running lights, brake lights and both turn signals. Pauline stands behind and waves.
Propane tanks full and the valves checked.
Roof vents down, everything inside put away, cabinet doors latched.
Walk all the way around it one last time.

Number 10 is the most important one. Every time I've skipped it, I've been sorry.

About This Page

I built it the way I'd build anything: read the plans first, measure twice, and if it doesn't work, the mistake is yours. It has one picture, a table and a list. It loads on our 28.8 in about four seconds. Pauline says it looks like a shop manual. I take that as a compliment.

Visitors:

If you have an Airstream too, or questions about mine, write to me at [email protected].
Back to the front page | Pauline's half

Last updated 9/18/99. Made with Notepad by Nelson Nott.