Prepped for International
We are getting ready for the rally now. Today was scorchingly hot for Oregon -- 100 degrees and sunny -- and that slowed things down a bit, but we needed to get ready for the long rally and that's what we worked on today.
Most of it was routine stuff: laundry, cleaning the trailer, washing the exterior, and taking care of last-minute business stuff... We also sanitized the fresh water system, which I mention because it seems to be a big mystery for many people. Unlike many RV'ers, we do sometimes drink the water from our fresh water system. (It depends on how good the local water tastes.) So it's important to occasionally sanitize the system.
This is easy: we just add some bleach to the fresh tank, let sit, and flush. (I posted more detailed directions here last October.)
At the International rallies we are supplied with water and electricity. The fresh water is daisy-chained from one trailer to another, so technically your water is only as good as the next guy's water hose. For this reason, many people avoid drinking the water at big rallies. We haven't had a problem in the past, but this year we'll mostly drink stuff we've prepped ourselves. Eleanor made some terrific raspberry lemonade that I think I'll be consuming gallons of tomorrow ..
Parking at an International Rally is another mystery for people. The procedure seems complicated, but it's really easy once you know how it works: Follow "WBCCI" signs to the rally site, stop at an area marked "BULLPEN" and wait for a parker to come get you. The parker will have you follow them to a particular spot. They park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m most days with lunch breaks. If nobody's there, just wait. If you arrive after hours, you'll be there overnight.
Our plan was to arrive as early as possible in the morning but given that it's 10:45 p.m. now and Emma's still up, I doubt she'll be ready early. We'll still try to get there as early as we can to avoid the worst of the 100-degree temperatures that are forecast again. Tomorrow will be a busy day.
Tonight I went over to Gunny's again to try some more dusky shots of his trailer, but couldn't really get anything spectacular. Here's one of the out-takes.
Comments
I think I see a future magazine cover in today's posting!
It's spectacular enough. You could use Photoshop to bring out the rose tint that outlines the trailers's roof a bit, and drop in a few white spots for stars if you like, but for true AA (Airstream Aficionados), the rig is the thing. Sharpness is the factor I'd worry about, and tweak with Photoshop first if its necessary.
Does Gunny ever tell gullible types that it's an ultaviolet light, and it sterilizes the bottom of his trailer?
The blue neon under the trailer is very cool, and Gunny should get a lot of credit for having it installed. But it would absolutely be a hoot if he had a silver "wing" at the back edge of the roof. Who says that only little sedans can have them? It might even do more good on an Airstream than on a Mitsubishi.... :-) and it can always double as a rear-awning attachment bracket!
And the final question: does the trailer have "spinner" hubcaps?
Posted by: Andy | June 26, 2006 09:03 AM