Spring Break is Over – for the Airstream

When we get home from the Southwest, after negotiating our driveway and doing some unloading, we wait until the ground firms up and then park the rig — and forget it for a month or so. About two weeks ago, I moved it down to the only semi-level spot we have and now it time to start to tackle some of the many niggling items that I wrote down as we spent fifteen weeks living in it.

The Safari waits for repair work and local travel.

Of course, I’m always thinking about alternatives to the ’99 Safari and read advertisements weekly for newer and larger units. One week it is a longer unit with a slide out, for which we’d need a new truck, and likely, given our driveway, a new home. Then it is upgrading by about ten years to get more windows and less repairs but it seems that it’s mostly the same, just more expensive. So, we sit tight with our budget rig where we know it’s problems and attributes, and keep fixing and tuning things up.

We have had a vent/fan in our bathroom that has not worked for several years. The fan blade disintegrated after many years of use and the motor sounds a little suspect. So today, I visited our local parts dealer, Vintage Trailer Supply, to see if they had a replacement. This is not a “vintage” part per se but they had one in stock and I was in business. We are very fortunate to have this great outfit right in town — most of their sales are online but it’s neat to be able to talk with them in person.

This replacement fan unit should slide right into the opening for it.

My list of tweaks is fairly long: leaky faucet, loose shower stall, cabinet that needs gluing, new hangar for paper towels, and perhaps, a new back bumper. I’ll peck away at them this summer — and stop wasting time on want ads. This rig is just what we need for most of our traveling and is a known entity.

We plan to take it to Massachusetts this weekend while we visit Jen and her gang after too long an absence. Penny and I will boondock in the woods — it will be a good time to see what other fix-it items show up.