Made it to GSM

So the trip to Plattsburgh, albeit LONNNNNG, was more or less uneventul. I left at 4AM Sunday morning and shot out the Mass Pike and turned north on 87. For those of you considering the trip to Colin's, eat a lake George... there isn't much north of there until you hit Plattsburgh. Beutiful country but empty. I mentioned this to Colin and he suggested that if I had crashed the rig, that I should grab the plate and the ssn number and run.

I took my boxer Gimmie on the ride, but had forgotten his breakfast on the table. So feeling pretty bad about this I treated him to bacon and eggs at McDonalds. He enjoyed it but afterwards I did have to vent the cabin on a regular basis. Eggs and boxers make methane, as I found out. I've figured out why his little gumdrop tail wags so fast, it's an air methane distribution system. Good thing I didn't get him sausage ;)


So the to do list for my rig at Colin's sounds as if it is shorter than other peoples. Effectively, I am having his shop jump start my process by doing the heavy lift and load work, as well as some finer work around the hatch and potentially new stainless grey water tanks built into the frame. As I have written before, I would like to make the 2008 season with the rig and avoid becoming one of the vintage restoration casualties.

I recently read a thread on airstreamforums about a fella out west working on a cruiser who just ran out of steam and life presented him with other priorities. I think he was mulling over the option of selling it, which I hope he does not. A good friend of mine, who is from Connecticut and redid his 59, posted some good words of advice, which was keep the project and on occassion go sit and think in it. I personally believe this is the best advice and that when you reach the valley of depair or just run out of funds, put the rig aside and work on it later. The one thing I am very much enjoying is the visualization and planning process that is going into this trailer. For me it's like a playing a puzzle and exercising that part of my brain, which my job has ceased to do. I would like to do this rig right and make changes to it that complements the past while preserving it for another 50 years. Taking a little extra time to figure out all the details will pay off over the long haul. I will have to remind myself to read this post in another 8 months.



Here are a couple updated pictures.