Shake Down Camping Trip

We went camping this past weekend to a nice campground about 30 minutes from home.  Tranters Creek Resort and Campground is located in Washington, NC on Tranters Creek, the deepest creek in the area.  In some places 30-40 feet.  Jack went over early last week and snagged a great campsite right on the creek.  It was beautiful!  The weather was iffy, cold by North Carolina standards and grey from Friday to Sunday, but it was great being away from home for a couple of days.  I cooked dinner on Friday night on our Weber BabyQ outside in the gathering darkness.  It reminded me of camping trips with my family when I was growing up.  Dinner was delicious - italian sausages, peppers and onions, mozzerella, tomato and basil salad and a cool glass of wine.  Keith drove in on his motorcycle and we all relaxed after dinner and watched movies.  It was warm and welcoming in the Airstream.  On Saturday we hung out after breakfast and then took a ride to some other local campgrounds.  Saturday afternoon and evening was spent visiting with other campers and hearing their stories of camping and fulltiming.  That night although it was blustery outside, it was toasty warm inside.  Our weekend was a good one to get a look at what it will be like to live in the Airtream full time. This weekend there were 3 of us...3 adults and we realized quickly that the space is too small for 3 for any length of time, but it fits two pretty well.

This was the first time we had been camping in awhile and we were focused on our space and what we will need when we go on the road.  Our 25 has lots of storage space.  We realized that we need to have room for our books (Jack and I are both big readers), so he is going to build two small bookracks for our bedroom.  We also quickly determined that the beds need to be more comfortable.  I am going to start with mattress pads and a memory foam topper and see if that helps.  Our list is just starting, but we are figuring it all out.  We have some big ticket items that we want and need; solar panels and new tires for both the truck and the Airstream.  Jack would like to get a porcelian potty to replace the plastic one.  We also need a cap for the truck.  We have already started selling off some of our stuff on ebay and Craig's list and turning the proceeds into the things that we need.  I know this is only the beginning, but I am getting more excited everyday.  It is a big challenge for us and one we are looking forward to it together.
Happy Travels,
Noel

Taking the First Step

After 28 years as a banker in Baltimore, my family and I moved to a small town in North Carolina. I was born and raised in Baltimore and had this very unfounded fear of moving. You may know the feeling - everyone and everything you know and feel comfortable with is in this place that you call home. My husband Jack doesn't have this same fear. He was born in Florida and has lived in California, Upstate New York and Baltimore. He has been dying to move for years, but I just couldn't tear myself away. So over the last year as I saw the bank I was working for heading toward receivership (that's right, FDIC), I was forced to broaden my box. After a visit to North Carolina I started looking for jobs in the eastern part of the state. Jack is a semi-retired cabinetmaker so he can practice his craft anywhere. After searching for a while, I found a job at a community bank. We found a rental house in a pretty little town and we made the leap. Our 18 year old Keith moved with us. It didn't take him long to decide to join the Air Force. He leaves in the next couple of months. When we moved this past summer, it quickly became apparent that all my fears of moving were completely unfounded. Our family was really excited for us and given the small world of cell phones and internet, being 6 hours away hasn't really impacted our lives as much as we thought.




So about now you are probably wondering why this blog is called Airstreamers on the Move. One of the main things that we moved was our 25 foot Classic Airstream. Once we moved down here we realized a couple of things: First - Home is where ever you make it. Second - I personally realized that banking is the same or worse than the same, everywhere. The second point has propelled Jack and I to make a decision to go on the road. I had no idea that we would be empty nesters this soon and earlier than all of our friends and family. But here we are. So we are talking about and planning our future, living in a 25 foot rv and seeing the US. Our goal is to see all of the national parks. We love to travel and have travelled internationally - our favorite place being Ireland so far. I guess the main thing to know about me is that I am a planner and I have dug in my heels over the years (remember my fear of moving?) and the thing to know about Jack is that he has wanted to do this for a very long time and he loves Airstreams and the possibility of going on the road in one is making him positively giddy!



Bottom line...we are tied in here for one year and at the end of the that year (next August) we will be full timing. As we get ready, from eliminating our debt to divesting of our stuff I hope you'll take the journey with us and give us your thoughts along the way.



Happy Travels....Noel