Throughout our trip to the Southwest, we were careful about cornering and getting caught in tight spaces with the Airstream. Many a time, we passed up a gas station because it looked too tight to get in and out of the pumps. Anyone who pulls a trailer or drives a big rig knows: you’ve got select your food and gas stops a little more carefully.

We did very well until the last day of the trip. We’d found that McDonald’s for coffee often worked well — the coffee is passable and there is usually room to park the truck trailer. Well, we pulled of I-81 north of Scranton at a little burg called Clarks Summit, which has a strip with many of the ubiquitous service and food outfits. We saw a McDonald’s and after a tough left turn, pulled in. We parked and I could see right away that it was a mistake — there was no exit on the “drive-around” side.

To cut to the chase — after getting some breakfast, we carefully circumnavigated around the facility and made a sharp turn out to the access road. Too sharp, as it turned out. When we got home, we noticed paint down the right side of the Airstream. We never heard a thing but Mary remembered seeing a pole over there as we left.

So, once the weather is warmer, it will be time to take out the lacquer thinner (which seems to work) and get the blemish removed, or at least looking better. It sort of matches a crease the former owner put on the other side. I’m glad it is a 1999 Airstream and not a 2009 model. It’s a little road rash but we’ll see how it turns out when cleaned up, washed, and polished. Just another item on the “to do” list for this Spring.
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