Hello
WDCUers,
Feb. 15, 2003
I
want to open this newsletter with some personal thoughts and then get into the
unit news.
First,
I hope everyone will join me in prayer for the lost astronauts of Columbia and
their families. The whole NASA
family mourns the loss of these brave pioneers.
I
spent the latter part of November and the month of December caring for my father
who was sick with cancer. He pasted
in January and I’ve been helping my older sister get my mother and younger
sister relocated. So, it has taken
me awhile to get back to thinking with a clear head.
Unit
News and Business
Officers for 2003
At
the 5th Annual Joint VAC/WDCU Rally, the new unit officers were installed. Barry Heckenswiler, 2nd VP
for Region 2 performed the installation.
Barry, thanks for the great informal ceremony.
Many
thanks go to Wayne, our past president.
His tireless energy in performing the duties of President are greatly
appreciated.
The
new officers are:
President
Garnett Horner
1ST
VP
Harley Muse
2nd
VP
Karen
Waldo
3rd
VP
Marc
Weimer
Treasurer
Margaret
Natof
Trustee
John
McHugh
Trustee
Bob
Waldo
Trustee
Doug
Rowbottom
Past
President
Wayne
Moore
Founder
Tom
Howarth
Additionally,
Marc Weimer has agreed to be the web master and it’s my hope that the web site
will reflect the most current information about our rallies. Check the unit web site at http://www.servintfree.net/wbcci-dc/
and look at the great job Marc is doing.
Thanks Marc (and Becky)!
Also,
Harley Muse has agreed to be the rally corrdinator. All of our rallies for 2003 are set so
Harley will be working on next year’s schedule. If you would like to host a rally in
2004, get in touch with Harley. We
need members to come forth and volunteer to be rally
hosts.
New Members
Please
join me in welcoming Bob and Sharon Patterson as new members of our unit. They live in Canton OH and have a 1953
Flying Cloud. Bob tells me he has
done quite a number of repairs to the trailer to get it ready for
traveling. I look forward to seeing
Bob and Sharon at the Cherry Blossom Rally.
Old Members
Our
treasure, Margaret Natof, says that we have some members who have not paid their
2003 dues. If you are one of them,
please pay your dues, $50 (US), to
Margaret
Natof
17216
Hobble Bush Ct
Rockville,
MD 20855
Past Rally Report
Report
by Harley Muse for the 5th Annual Joint VAC/WDCU Gathering, Westmoreland State
Park,
Colonial Beach, Va, October 24-27, 2002
There
were 31 units present over the weekend at Westmoreland State Park, several of
them arriving as much as two days early so as to get in a little fishing on the
side as the Rockfish were running on the Potomac. We had a total attendance of 62 adults
and 7 children, all in good spirits and primed for a final weekend of the season
in the Northern Neck of Virginia, birthplace of two Presidents and of Robert E.
Lee. Our hosts were John Gilliland
and Harley Muse and they greeted each member on arrival.
The
weekend was filled with all sorts of activities, foremost of which was our
traditional evening happy hour and potluck dinners. A large turnout began gathering each
evening around the fire and continued on into late evening. A round of ghost stories read by Will
Weimer, Marc and Becky’s son, highlighted our last evening. It was Halloween weekend, you know? Tours were held at both George
Washington Birthplace National Monument and Stratford Hall (birthplace of Robert
E. Lee).
Friday
morning broke with a bit of rain and overnight fog that lingered, but it burned
off by day's end and became sunny and bright. The leaves had just begun to turn. Friday evening's happy hour and potluck
dinner were held at a local clubhouse and we were entertained by a local
professional genealogist and period reenactors, who portrayed Charles Washington
(George's younger brother), John Washington and other Washington friends. (I might add that Mr. Hunt Jones gave a
very good rendition of shenanigans during the reenactment). As always, the potluck was well received
and everyone was fed.
Throughout
the previous night we were serenaded to the sound of raindrops and acorns
hitting our trailer. On Saturday
and Sunday morning John Gilliand prepared hot sausage biscuits and hot English
muffins along with our breakfast fare.
Saturday
afternoon’s open house drew a number of people from the local area that had
heard of our rally in the park.
Also, there were a number of new people whom we had never met, so
everyone’s trailers got a preview.
Reporters from two local newspapers were also on hand taking pictures and
interviewing the owners. The next
Wednesday our rally was a featured front-page, above-the-fold,
article.
Our
Washington DC unit installation ceremony took place late afternoon on Saturday
around the campfire in the Rowbottom’s back yard and was followed afterward by a
spontaneous potluck dinner once again.
The group gathered once again for stories and chatter afterwards around
the fire and stayed until late evening.
Sunday
morning, as usual, is a time for packing up, stowing away, and preparation for
the drive home. This rally was no
exception, and we had participation from as far north as Toronto, Ontario and as
far south as Burlington and Winston-Salem NC and as far west as London OH. There were many, many miles to be driven
before final destinations and departures continued from early morning until
noon. We hope all made it back home
safely and without troubles and hope to see each and every one of you somewhere,
someday DOWN THE ROAD!
Future Rallies
For
the latest on our rallies check our web site, http://www.servintfree.net/wbcci-dc/. The next rally, the Frost-Bite Rally,
was cancelled due to insufficient interest. Thanks to Wayne for working on the
details for the rally.
Cherry
Blossom Rally
Our
unit’s signature rally is the annual Cherry Blossom Rally. WDCU
charter members Clayton & Christi Rogers have again agreed to be our hosts
on their 140 acre farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, which is a central location
between Washington DC, Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland. This
year we will have a special treat.
Stuart Natof, barbeque Chef Extraordinaire, assisted by Linda Moore will
be cooking a pig. Stuart says he
has “the cooker of all pig cookers” so I guess we’ll just have to wait to see
Stuart in action with his cooker.
Parking
at the CBR will be in a semi-circular wagon wheel layout. The total number of rigs will be limited
to the first 40 registrants. So,
sign up early and please do so by March 22. Limited water and electricity are
available. So, come with you
holding tanks empty and your fresh water tank full. There will be electricity for keeping
your batteries charged.
Some
web sites with information about the National Cherry Blossom Festival may be
found at the following web sites. http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/ and http://www.nps.gov/nacc/cherry/ The Rogers farm is an easy drive
to the New Carrollton Metro Station which will give you access to the Washington
DC metro area.
Cherry
Blossom Rally Agenda
Thursday:
Arrival
Lunch
on your own
Dinner
on your own
Friday:
Breakfast
7-9am
Continental breakfast
Lunch
On your own
Happy
hour
4pm
Dinner
5-7pm
Pig
roast
Campfire
7-?
Saturday
Breakfast
7-9am
Continental breakfast
Lunch
12-1:30pm Left over pig
Open
house
2-4pm
Happy
hour
4pm
Dinner
5-7pm
Bring a
pot luck dish to share
Campfire
7-?
Sunday
Breakfast
7-9am
Continental
breakfast
Business
meeting
8-9am
Departure
Cherry
Blossom Rally Registration
Cherry
Blossom Rally (CBR)
April
3-6, 2003
Rogers
Farm
Upper
Marlboro MD
Name
of
adult(s)___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Names
of children attending
_________________________________________
Address
_________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip
_____________________________________________________
Phone
___________________________________________________________
Email
___________________________________________________________
WBCCI
member number ______________________
Trailer
type, length, and year
_________________________________________
_________
I need Handicap parking
1
Adult,
$75
2
Adults, $100
Children
are free
There
will be a limit of 40 trailers and RVs.
The registration deadline is March 22, 2003.
Make
check (US dollars) payable to:
WDCU
Mail
to:
Gayle
McClelland
PO
Box 4796
Ft
Eustis VA 23604
I have invited Wayne Moore,
our past president to be a contributor to the newsletter. Wayne seems to have a real knack for
telling stories about his vintage trailers so here is his first
column.
Vintage
Tales
Wayne Moore, Contributing
Editor
In Our last installment of
Vintage Tales we related a story leading up to another one of our Vintage
Rescues. I’ll start by recapping, to jog your memories as well as my
own!
In addition to
belonging to the Vintage Airstream Club, Lin and I, are also members of Tin Can
Tourists. Along the way we discussed finding a small unit of "Ham Can" design
for these Rallies. During our trip to North Carolina, we had a number of vintage
sightings. The last day of the Rally when folks were preparing to leave and say
their farewells, we decided to stay an extra day so we could go look at a Unit
that Linda had discovered at a Flea Market. She told me that she saw a Turquoise
Stove through an open window of an aluminum sided trailer.
It took about 30 minutes to
get to “Thieves Market”. As it came into view I could see it was an 20 foot
aluminum sided trailer with 2 doors and it was listing to the curbside about 5
degrees (flat tire or no wheel). We did the obligatory walk around and looked
into the broken window. It looked promising inside so we decided to get the key.
Upon entering the trailer it was quite obvious that this was a find for $400. In
addition to the Turquoise stove we discovered it had matching color appliances
that all appeared to be in original condition. The birch interior although in
great overall condition, sadly needed major work in a number of water scarred
and damaged areas. This was beginning to sound all too familiar. All the cabinet
hardware was there as well as all the original fixtures.
From the ID tags outside and
the age of the interior components we guessed its age as circa 1960. The
manufactures tag read "Yellowstone Coach Co. Wakarusa, IND". We were close to
making an offer but the next thing to do was to inspect the frame and see why we
were tilted. A quick look at wheels revealed they were 6 lug same as the
Airstream of that same vintage and one had a flat. We had a spare with us but
needed to take a closer look at the frame. Up front it had a two-inch hitch ball
same as an Airstream we were almost there. One last look at the back! OOPS!! The
frame was shot from just behind the rear shackle to the back of the trailer and
would need a total restoration.
Now we were looking at a
flatbed and the excitement was waning. As I came out from behind the trailer Lin
turned to me and said "I don't want it now! Too much work for the last day of
vacation!” She returned the keys and we set out for the campground. During the
trip back we discussed the possibility of coming back next month. Her only
comment was "It's not going anywhere soon, besides I have their business card"
This is where our story
ended last time!
Since then and during the
months following, Lin had called and made an offer but the owner held fast,
after all it was only $400. Now the task of when and how we would get it back
the 750 miles from Manns Harbor, NC to Windham, NH. One alternative was to have
someone flatbed it back. This cost was over $1 per mile both ways bringing this
cost figure to $1500 for a round trip. Next, the simplest way to get it back
would be to tow it back if we were able to get the frame reinforced for the
trip. I tried for nearly 3 weeks to get a price as we made tentative plans to go
get it before our Fall Rally in Colonial Beach, VA. Around the time of the
Rally, as most of you will recall, the DelMarVa region was under sniper fire.
This along with other loose ends forced us to consider not making the trip to
North Carolina, although we would only be 300 miles or less away in Virginia.
The afternoon before we left, I got a price of $1200 to reinforce the frame and
there were no guarantees. We decided we didn’t want to spend that kind of money
on a repair as we could get a whole new frame made for a few dollars more and
could install in during the restoration. So we decided to
wait.
The next opportunity would
be near the end of November and as luck would have it we found someone with a
20-foot flatbed that was willing to loan it to us. So we made tentative plans to
take the flatbed to get it. Early in the morning the day after Thanksgiving, we
left for North Carolina, flatbed in tow! We spent 18 hrs on the road, which
included an unplanned stop to grease a dry wheel bearing and arrived in Manns
Harbor at 9PM. We checked into the “Fisherman’s Paradise Motel” as the Winds
howled and the temps hovered around Freezing. Lin slept with the lights on and
the TV blaring and pined “I miss my Airstream”!
The next day came quickly as
we hustled in the wee hours to get coffee and the tools to load the ’62
Yellowstone onto the Flatbed. The temperature was rising and would reach a balmy
60 Degrees by 2 PM. As we arrived at “Thieves Market” and began to take another
look at this hunk of Aluminum, Lin and I both looked at each other and made the
same observation, the trailer looked so much bigger than we had remembered from
last summer. Indeed the Yellowstone is 1 foot wider and 6 inches taller than
your average 22 foot Safari. So we began one step at a time gauging the progress
of setup and loading, ready at a moments notice to declare the whole process of
getting it on the trailer impossible, at which time we would just strip what was
of value and leave the rest.
First came the righting of
the frame and replacement of the wheels and tires. As I jacked up the Trailer
Frame to pull the wheels the rusty frame collapsed under the weight of the
trailer. Not to be deterred we got a 2x6 and spanned the collapsed section and
proceeded to replace the wheels. Next, we moved the trailer out to the front of
the building where the tow trailer was in a level spot for loading. Having taken
a good look at the A frame and hitch, I was skeptical about its Swiss cheese
appearance making the trip from the stored location to the front to be loaded,
but miraculously it made it. We lined it up for loading and Linda proceeded to
ratchet the trailer up the ramp, as I pivoted the front of the trailer jack up
and over the back of the tow trailer.
After a number of
re-handling and repositioning maneuvers of chains and tie downs we had it up and
on the flatbed. The position of the Yellowstone on the tow trailer was such that
it was necessary to place all of the heavy equipment, tie downs and ramps in the
front of that trailer to balance the tow load. This was to prove nearly fatal
for the frame of the Yellowstone as the weight hammered the frame to pieces
during the return trip making the unloading process most difficult. The entire
setup and loading process took nearly 6 hours and at 1PM that afternoon we
headed for home! We made the Chesapeake Bay Bridge by sunset, but as we drove
north the Temperature began to plummet from 55 to 32 degrees. As we passed into
Maryland a snow squall came through, reduced visibility, and along with strong
crosswinds, forced us to reduced our speed to less than 30 mph. It was shaping
up to be a long night.
We decided to make our night stop in Dover, Delaware.
As we got out of the car we noticed that it had gotten bitterly cold, local
temperature was at 20 degrees and falling, it was 9:30 PM and we were ready for
a good nights sleep in a clean, modern, and popular motel chain, by Request I
might add.
Normal Diving Time from
Dover To Windham is 9 hours. Towing with this rig we managed a respectable 12
hour drive home which included a stop in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey for short
visit with Hunt and Sue Jones. Upon our arrival in New Hampshire we negotiated,
with mild trepidation, our steep snow covered driveway. As we got to the top, I
heard Linda mumble something about
“Boy am I glad that this long trip is over”!!
I thought for a moment and
my better judgment got the best of me! I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had
already bought another Vintage Airstream. I leave ALONE for Los Angeles,
California in Early May 2003.
Stay
Tuned!
Wayne A.
Moore