When we decided to buy this particular Airstream trailer, a 2005 Safari 30' Bunk Bed, we did not know how special this model was. Just about 78 units were made, and as I read recently in Airstream Forums, this number is going down as some units have shipped outside the USA.
But also, as it turns out, we were lucky to get an Airstream with a documented pedigree of exploration and happiness. We have been able to contact the previous owners of the trailer and they have been gracious enough to answers some questions and share the trailer's past in their blog.
In the time honored tradition of baptizing objects of utility and/or desire, we have named the trailer Silver Whale--a clear, if not obvious morphological reference. The trailer's former name was Shackleton. I have not asked, but I suspect it is a reference to Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish explorer.
At the back of the trailer we found a small whiteboard with a heart-warming message wishing good luck and enjoyment signed by the former owners, the Welshes. We plan to leave the message in place as a remainder of this unique opportunity that we are about to embark upon.
Well, Happy holly days! Since the last posting very little has developed in terms of making headway in the preparations for the trip. The only long, dragged event was taking the trailer to Camper Clinic for some repairs that I could not perform due to lot conditions and weather.
The experience that we had at Camper Clinic fits with the current state of Healthcare: Inflated service prices. So the "Clinic" part of the name should warn you on what to expect.
The experience at this authorized Airstream dealer was, for the second time, very frustrating and disappointing. Labor charges seem to be in check with other repair outlets, but part prices are around $100 more expensive than any other retailer.
But the most aggravating part of dealing with this service shop, is the inflated bills for unnecessary parts and labor. After haggling on the $30 cracked housing on the center fan, Camper Clinic insisted on replacing the housing along with a brand new $300 fan.
After this second and hopefully last experience at this place, even though we needed quite a bit of water hook-up supplies, we could not, in good conscience, spend one more cent at this place, so we drove across the street to buy our supplies elsewhere.
I would continue on more detail on how Camper Clinic estimated the repair of the known issue for the front stress crack, but at this point, I am starting to suspect that once an Airstream service center quotes a price, they link it to the trailer vin and make the inflated quote stick no matter where the owner tries to fix it. We will see, when I repair this, probably in Arizona.
After the fiasco experience in Camper Clinic, we drove the trailer back to the muddy lot, but this time we got lucky and parked in the graveled side of the lot. This was also the very first time that Vicky and I hooked and unhooked the rig, and as everybody has suggested, Vicky performed for the first time her role as hitch-guide and back-up guide. We did it surprisingly fast and well. These videos helped me visualize what needs to happen while backing up and correcting paths.
Well, the fist test trip is coming up. We need to stock on cooking and eating utensils, sheets and blankets. The Silver Whale is anxious to hit the road!
OK, I know I wrote that this blog is not about photography. But since there is not much going on in the Trip Planning front, why not drop some promo here on the book that I just finished?
This selection of photographs comes from a collection of approximately 3,000 images taken during an excursion in the fall of 2006. One objective was to get photographically acquainted with the landscape characteristics of the North American Southwest and to lay the foundation for a personal body of work that portrays this remarkable area of the world.
As you may have started to guess, photography will be a big part of next year's trip. A lot of the route planning is based on hitting certain areas of the country at the time of the year when they are at their best. Besides expanding my current body of work of landscape photography, I am planning a couple of documentary projects.
Called the Camper Clinic yesterday and...they are still working on the trailer. Tic-toc, tic-toc...
On the meantime, two little project popped-up. The aluminum ramps arrived unceremoniously at our doorstep. No knock on the door or door bell. I opened the door to go out for an errand and they were there, two huge ramps leaning against the house wall. Unpacking and assembly was a breeze, and they work perfectly. Two very nice unadvertised details on these ramps are:
Hinged tongues that stay flushed against the bed gate regardless of un-leveled ground.
Security straps that prevent ramp slip off. This feature will save me from appearing in America's Funniest Videos while loading and unloading the truck.
The second project involved doing something about carrying my mountain bike into the truck. There are a number of solutions out there to go about this. I had my eye on this FastTrack. But after looking at it carefully, I decided to get in touch with my inner red neck and do a home made crude rack out of a 2"x4". By the way, the same 2"x4" that I used to unload the generator last week. So far it has worked pretty good.
As Christmas approaches, I may start winding down on the trip projects and spend some time with family.
Whatever I could fix with no power tools, I have fixed. Due to inclement weather and a muddy RV storage lot, I decided to bite the bullet and have the vents installed at the nearest Airstream dealer in Buda TX. So today was the fist time "Blue Bailout" (truck name) and the "Silver Whale" (trailer name) hooked-up for the first time. Hooking the Hensley Hitch was a bit of a dance.
With Jose's help, we got it done in about 15 minutes. Hopefully as I get more practice, Vicky and I will get proficient at this process. Once hitched, the Primus IQ brake controller worked as advertised, easy operation with no fuss. The Allison transmission in towing mode worked its magic, specially noticeable was the automatic downshifting in downhills to aid braking...nice.
The most unsettling aspect of hauling the 30' of aluminum is the gargantuan blind spots behind the trailer. Extended towing mirrors help a lot, but do not eliminate the blind spots near the rear areas of the trailer. Silver Whale will be in the Camper Clinic for a couple of days getting some repairs done:
Rear and front roof factory vents are busted. I got a couple of MaxxFans to replace them. I liked this design better than the Fantastic Fan, because the Maxx design allows you to keep the vent open during rain, when condensation builds up inside the trailer.
Also, they will check the stress crack issue that some owners have reported in this trailer model.
And lastly, a contemptuous issue with a crack in the housing of the center vent, which happens to be a Fantastic Fan. It seems like the service department insists on changing (charging) for a full new unit when the only thing that needs replacement is the housing.
This is what I was thinking while I was struggling to unload a 150lb generator-inverter off the 33" tall bed of my truck. The crude use of a 2"x4", briefly upgraded me to "Missing Link" in the evolutionary scale. Tools...yes, that is it, humans use tools from Home Depot. But at the rate Home Depot is opening stores every 5 miles, soon even Monkeys will have access to these tools, and tall lattes.
Well, after priming the generator battery, filling its engine with SAE 10-30W oil and unleaded gas, the time came to put it back in the truck.
Here the relevant question became: What separates humans with back injuries from humans with healthy skeletal-muscular systems?
The answer in my case: - A 2000 lbs rated Come Along pull crank - 4ft of 3000 lbs rated chain - 2 1500 lbs rated 3/8" safety fasteners. - And...a temporary plywood ramp soon to be replaced with a Lund aluminum loading ramp.
As you can see, I have discovered the pleasure of dispensing weight ratings way over their intended use. With these toys I was able to lift the generator into the truck while drinking a cup of dark roasted coffee, black one sugar, thank you.
Now the only missing part is the 3 prong trailer-to-generator adapter.
Well, we finally got the generator for the trip. A big honking Yamaha EF 3000 iSEB that according to specs and testimonials, should be able to handle everything in the trailer, including the 13K BTU airconditoning unit.
The biggest challenge with this size generator (weights about 150lbs), in a Tow Vehicle + Trailer configuration, is where to place the generator for minimal movement and ease of operation. I have seen some people operating their generators out of the bed of their pick-up trucks. But for that, you need an open bed.
But Airstream decided to put the propane tanks and batteries on this area, so the generator will not fit there, unless the tanks are relocated to the back. So for now, the generator will have to stay on the truck bed.
Since we have a bed cap on our truck, we will need to find a way to:
Easily slide the generator in and out of the cap area
Load the generator on and off the truck without major spine surgery reconstruction.
This dilemma gave birth to our second Jimmy Rigged project (the first one was the bathroom). The idea to better handle this generator came when I was unloading the generator from the truck all by myself, it took two men to load the boxed generator onto the truck. I could have waited for Vicky but I was experiencing the anxiety of an eight year old on Christmas morning, I just needed to rip that box open and start the generator, for no good reason.
Although the generator has two handles, the ratio of weight to size is so small that there is very little leverage. It is like trying to lift a particle of dark matter. So I started scouring the garage for something to use as a lever. A crude 2"x4" did the job somewhat adequately...hey, I got that thing off the truck.
Now, this 2"x4" approach was definitely not a permanent solution. The prospect of performing that crude unl0ading maneuver, seemed a refutation on the theory of evolution. So sketch pad in hand, I set to improve on the basic idea of adding leverage handles to the body of the generator. As soon as I started sketching, I realized that these extensions, could also serve as anchoring points to secure the generator in the back of the truck.
So without further due, Jimmy Rigged Design Studio presents the Spine Saver Generator Handles, SSGH ver 1.0
Vicky helped on the material selection and she sanded the ends of the bars so the metal shreds (from the cutting) wont rip the rubber ends. Here she is demonstrating the whole burrito in action.
We got started with the smallest, less power hungry task, the bathroom. I was surprised and appalled to learn that peeling unglued linoleum, is a common trait in Airstream trailers. From the get go, this looked like one of those projects that will require 10 trips to Home Depot and another 10 to Lowes. Here is a photo of what needed to get fixed:
The design is just wrong. The aluminum piece, instead of acting as a nose / step guard, lays underneath the linoleum. My initial idea was to rip all the linoleum off and replace it with aluminum panels. I got into the design state of this and...Whoa! slow down Frank Gehry... That turned to be a bit more that I could chew with the tools needed to cut and bend aluminum.
Moved on to Plan B, which involved ripping the existing vertical linoleum, clean all surfaces, re-glue, double-side-tape tape all edges, and reinforce stubborn spots with broad head tacks. Also double-side-tape the edge of the second level. Also, removing the useless aluminum edge and replace it with new stock aluminum angle, finish all edges with aluminum bar, and finally seal all edges and gaps with clear silicone.
Here is the project finished.
My inner Frank Gehry had to settle for a pair of $15 sheer cutters. The rest of the tools just needed dusting. I think the last time I use them, was when I built my skateboard ramp.
After weeks of spreadsheets and 50000 ft style planning, we have stalled into a parade of delays, hurdles, and little annoyances in general. Snarky remainders that planning too much is just like a waving a red cape in front of a bull.
In the trailer department, we need to fix the roof vents, deal with a little crack in the skin, and fix a piece of peeling linoleum in the bathroom. In the truck corner, we have been waiting for the truck cap and side-steps for some time now. We need the cap to be in place to buy and store a generator that will be used for boondocking, but for now is needed to power our power tools needed to do some of the repairs.
To pile on the misery, for the last three weeks, it has been raining a lot. So we can not work much on the roof vents, and the lot where we are storing the trailer, turns into a mud pit with very little rain. The silver lining on all this? I finally got to use the 4x4 feature on the truck....when I got stuck in the mud after visiting the trailer in the lot.
Adolfo Isassi is a freelance photographer based in California.
When he is not traveling around the world collecting images, he concentrates on documenting the local arts scene and the American Southwest precious natural environs.
Posts
