Sunrise over AlumaFlamingo
{By Kelly}
Our first full day of AlumaFlamingo started bright and early. Jackson got up at 6:30 a.m. which meant I did too! I walked the dogs, then rode my bike to the restrooms since we don't have a toilet or black tank yet... TMI, I know! The beauty of getting up that early was the gorgeous sunrise over acres of Airstreams. ^
The rally was serving coffee and doughnuts so I picked up breakfast and took it back to the trailer. Justin was still passed out (highly unusual for me to wake up before him). He worked his butt off preparing for this trip, many late nights followed by early mornings, so I let him sleep in. I made a run to Publix for some snacks, beer and dinner fixins. Then, we made it to the 9 a.m. "Boondocking" seminar. They covered security and safety, how to conserve water and electricity, and recommendations of great places to camp off the grid.
The next stop was "The Vision of Wally" at 10 a.m. presented by Dale "Pee Wee" Schwamborn. Pee Wee is Wally's first cousin and accompanied his mother and Wally Byam (the creator and first president of Airstream) on many caravans and later worked at the Airstream factory. He gave a detailed history and shared some great photos of the early Airstreams and caravans, as well as scans of Wally's notebooks. I was really inspired by Wally's business philosophy and work ethic. His keen marketing skills helped elevate Airstream to the coveted brand it is today. I also related to many of the statements found in his journals:
Our first full day of AlumaFlamingo started bright and early. Jackson got up at 6:30 a.m. which meant I did too! I walked the dogs, then rode my bike to the restrooms since we don't have a toilet or black tank yet... TMI, I know! The beauty of getting up that early was the gorgeous sunrise over acres of Airstreams. ^
The rally was serving coffee and doughnuts so I picked up breakfast and took it back to the trailer. Justin was still passed out (highly unusual for me to wake up before him). He worked his butt off preparing for this trip, many late nights followed by early mornings, so I let him sleep in. I made a run to Publix for some snacks, beer and dinner fixins. Then, we made it to the 9 a.m. "Boondocking" seminar. They covered security and safety, how to conserve water and electricity, and recommendations of great places to camp off the grid.
The next stop was "The Vision of Wally" at 10 a.m. presented by Dale "Pee Wee" Schwamborn. Pee Wee is Wally's first cousin and accompanied his mother and Wally Byam (the creator and first president of Airstream) on many caravans and later worked at the Airstream factory. He gave a detailed history and shared some great photos of the early Airstreams and caravans, as well as scans of Wally's notebooks. I was really inspired by Wally's business philosophy and work ethic. His keen marketing skills helped elevate Airstream to the coveted brand it is today. I also related to many of the statements found in his journals:
"My ancestors did not work for others. It is not in my blood."
"What I want is freedom to come and go and work when I want to."
"You can live tomorrow today."
And my favorite:
“Don’t stop. Keep right on going. Hitch up your trailer and go to Canada or down to Old Mexico. Head for Europe, if you can afford it, or go to the Mardi Gras. Go someplace you’ve heard about, where you can fish or hunt or collect rocks or just look up at the sky. Find out what’s at the end of some country road. Go see what’s over the next hill, and the one after that, and the one after that.”- Wally Byam 1896-1962
"What I want is freedom to come and go and work when I want to."
"You can live tomorrow today."
And my favorite:
“Don’t stop. Keep right on going. Hitch up your trailer and go to Canada or down to Old Mexico. Head for Europe, if you can afford it, or go to the Mardi Gras. Go someplace you’ve heard about, where you can fish or hunt or collect rocks or just look up at the sky. Find out what’s at the end of some country road. Go see what’s over the next hill, and the one after that, and the one after that.”- Wally Byam 1896-1962
Pee Wee showed a slide with two cows hitched to an Airstream. Wally Byam was forever marketing his beloved Airstream!
Justin and I ate lunch at the camper, then I attended "Full Timing Prep" while he worked on Riva's plumbing. I think it's amazing that I haven't come across anyone who regrets selling all their stuff and hitting the road in their Airstream full time. They discussed what to do with your home (sell or rent), how to handle mail, insurance and other things that one might not think of until the time comes to ship out. I really admire all the folks who are traveling the country full time. My intent is not to wait until retirement to take such an adventure. Hopefully we can take the leap to full-timing it in the next year or two!
At Happy Hour, we met another young couple who is full-timing, enjoyed some drinks and exchanged Airstream stories. Our awesome neighbors, Becky and David, shared their grill and we dined together on NY Strip steaks and caprese salad. Glamping is the life for me!
At Happy Hour, we met another young couple who is full-timing, enjoyed some drinks and exchanged Airstream stories. Our awesome neighbors, Becky and David, shared their grill and we dined together on NY Strip steaks and caprese salad. Glamping is the life for me!
After dinner, we loaded up David's truck with our chairs and drinks and headed to the communal AlumaFlamingo campfire. It was a beautiful, clear night and I saw the first shooting stars I've seen in years. It was the perfect ending to a great day! When we got back to the camper, Justin crashed on "the dogs' bed" with Jackson. Two tired puppies.
Jackson looks a little dismayed to share "His" bed.
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