Airstream Dreamin’

 

Airstream night time
So when I first met my husband, Tavis, he mentioned a few times in the course of our conversations, that he really liked Airstream travel trailers… a lot. So much, in fact, that he had lived in one full time for several years when he was active duty in the military. To his credit, his parents always had an Airstream while he was growing up and some of his fondest childhood memories were the family trips in the Airstream and out on the boat. I wasn’t quite sure what the hype was all about but I would politely smile and nod when he would talk about them (and in the back of my mind I was questioning why I was dating someone who would choose to live in an RV, in an RV park when he was financially able to live in a nice house…)

A few months went by and we were quickly moving down the path towards getting married and he started talking more seriously about buying one so we started looking at floor plans, layouts, the different sizes, what year models we could afford, just like getting ready to buy a car. Through our research we discovered that for two years only (2005-2006) Airstream made a Bunkhouse model. During those two years there were only 78 made (Airstream makes approximately 2,000 airstreams total per year) so the particular one that we wanted was going to be hard to find. We decided on that model because, although we did not have any kids at the time (we were only dating, remember?),we knew that we wanted to have kids in the future and this was the only Airstream that has two separate, dedicated sleeping areas. The dinette makes into a bed and if you opt for the couch (rather than the side flip up table and chairs) that makes into a bed as well, but who wants to have to wake the kids up and make up beds just so you can have somewhere to sit and enjoy your coffee?!?! (Here is a link to an ad that has the floor plan and some pictures, this is not the exact one the we bought)

So we decided that we wanted the Bunkhouse and we would just sit tight and wait until a used one came on the market. It was 2010 so the trailers would be 4-5 years old, we figured that people might be getting ready to sell them and upgrade. A few weeks after that, I traveled with Tavis and his parents up to North Carolina to visit his brother. He was returning from Afghanistan and we all wanted to be there to welcome him home. As we were traveling north on the interstate, about 10 hours into the drive Tavis points out a lot filled with old run down Airstreams and says “that is a 2005 bunkhouse on that lot” I immediately tell him that he is crazy and that there is NO WAY that he could possibly tell what type of Airstream that was from the distance that we were…much less when we were traveling 70 mph.

Airstream Graveyard LeavingTheRut

We spent a few days visiting with his brother, it was the first time that I had met him, and then we began the trip back south. We had taken note of where the dealership was on the interstate and stopped on our way back home. I use the term “dealership” loosely. It was more like a grave yard for Airstreams and other similar travel trailers. In the owners defense, they had once been a thriving dealership and authorized repair center for Airstream but the owner fell ill and his wife did her best to run things but it started to slip. They lost their Airstream dealership status but still had one new airstream on their lot that they and not been able to sell for 6 years… It was the Bunkhouse!!  We couldn’t believe it… not only was it a Bunkhouse but it was brand-spankin-new!! It still had the plastic on the seats and that “new camper smell”!!! We took a bunch of pictures talked with the owners wife and exchanged info then continued on south down the interstate heading back home.Our Bunkhouse Airstream the way we found her

For the next few weeks we kept mulling over the idea of buying a “new” airstream. We originally had not wanted to spend that much but this was like a little gift had been handed to us.  It was like God had been holding this one aside and not letting anyone buy it because it was made just for us… (it felt that way at least).

After doing our research we discovered that we could probably get this airstream as cheap as used one. To some extent it is better to buy a well loved travel trailer than one that has been sitting in a grassy field for 6 years with no power running to it, completely exposed to the elements. We contacted Airstream directly to see if that particular VIN had ever been titled and then we started the negotiating process. I’m SO glad that Tavis is good in this area because I am most definitely not. After weeks of back and forth he was able to get the price down into our budget and it became ours!! It was our first big purchase as newly weds, and it was our “baby”.

We planned another trip up to North Carolina to visit Tavis’s brother and picked her up along the way.  We had to have the dealership put new tires on her because they were dry rotted from the years in the sun but other than that there were no major issues. We stopped to grab some fast food for lunch but just HAD to eat or first meal in our new ‘stream.The day we took our Bunkhouse Airstream Home

 

Our First Airstream trip Ft Wilderness DisneyTavis’s brother was going to be moving soon to his next duty location so he decided to buy an Airstream to live in full time until he was able to sell his house. As it would happen he picked up his airstream a day or two before we did and we had our first “rally” at his house in NC in his driveway. After a few days of visiting and helping Tavis’s brother pack his house for his upcoming move, we headed back south towards home. On the way we had to “officially” try out the camper at a REAL campground so we went to the only campground that could possibly qualify for this first time experience, Disney’s Fort Wilderness!!! (More on our Disney obsession later)

In the 3 years since we have had her, we have been on some crazy adventures… but there is time for all those stories later.

Airstream night time

 

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Comments

  1. Thanks for your post on the Airstream forum about your blog and your 2005 bunkhouse. DH and I have the same year/model (blue interior) Looking forward to reading more :-) My family is Disney obsessed too! Please thank your husband and his brother for their service.

    • Ashley says:

      Carolyn, Thanks for stopping by! We really like the blue interior and wish we had it, but we really didn’t have a choice 😉 Before we moved to Puerto Rico we would go to Disney 5-6 times a year, one of the perks of living only a few hours away. :)

  2. Hi, Ashley, Thank you for visiting my blog. I love your blog! Your photos are fantastic! I love your story of getting your Airstream (Or Silver Pickle as we have been taught by our current camp host). I recently found another blog that I think you might enjoy. http://www.bumfuzzle.com/ They are also a young couple with a different lifestyle, young children and a very different camper. I love that you add recipes to your blog. I did that a lot on my last blog – http://townsendtales.blogspot.com/ (I have been blogging since 2006 and have had quite a few blogs since then). We also spent a year on our sailboat and I had a blog for that – http://www.sailblogs.com/member/tobiascruising/ Love blogging and getting to know others through their blogs. Have you ever looked at 365project.org? It is a fun way to share your photos. I have bookmarked your blog and will keep an eye on you! Suzie

    • Ashley says:

      Suzie, thanks for stopping by!! Your blog caught my eye because you lived on your sailboat and you now RV, we have similar interests. We almost bought a boat to live on full time while we were here in PR, but since we moved here when our son was only 6 weeks old we thought the transition would be a little easier to move into a house. I will checkout those other blogs, thanks for posting them!!
      Ashley

  3. Sounds like so much fun! You will build a life time of memories~
    Jenna

    • Ashley says:

      Jenna, We have only had her for 3 years and I feel like we already have a lifetime of memories. We lived full time in her for a while and have explored a good portion of the southeast US. Cant wait to see what the next few years bring!

  4. luckyyyyyyyyyyyy. Giggle, how wonderful. You will have so terrific adventures I am sure of it. Big Hugs. P>S. you can still link up your post to my Thursday Favorite Things blog hop ♥

  5. Ashley says:

    Thanks for stopping by Katherine. We can’t wait to get beck to the states for our next adventure 😉
    I did stop by and post my link in the blog hop, thanks for the invite!

  6. I fantasize about converting one of these into my office one day.

    • Ashley says:

      Carmody, It’s not too hard to find an old one that is in need of some love. If you don’t want to tow it or live in it you can get get them pretty cheap since you don’t need the kitchen, axels, tires, ect. to be functional. It would be a fun remodel project!! :)

  7. I loved your blog post! We love to travel as well, ( we are avid cruisers)
    I found you on Happiness is homemade, and would love it if you stopped by for a visit!
    http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2014/04/giggly-girls-on-cruise.html

  8. What an awesome story ~ I love it when prayers are answered like that! What a wonderful lifetime of memories you’ll have to share!

  9. It totally sounds like this airstream was meant for the two of you. Things like this always happen for a reason.

  10. These airstreams look amazing…I am now plotting on how to get one to Greece! Love your posts….:-)

  11. cloudninegirl says:

    Ashley, thanks so much for sharing this post on the Epic Friday Linky Party! I’m picking it as one of my favorites this week! I hope you’re able to stop by again tomorrow ~ we’d love to have you… (p.s. I LOVE your Airstream story, and I’m totally addicted to Disney too!) 😀

  12. Thanks for linking up on the Epic Friday party last week. Airstreams look so cool.

  13. TS Gardner says:

    If you are ever interested in selling your Airstream please let me know. I’d be interested in giving her a forever home. :-)

Trackbacks

  1. […] The tough part is that the Airstream is so small, there are counter top and storage space challenges. I have one countertop space that is 2 feet wide by 2 and a half feet deep. That is it! If I am not cooking on the stove I can add a cutting board to the top of the stove to add a little space but it still isn’t much. I have 3 small drawers and one cabinet for kitchen items so space saving gadgets and appliances are a must! You can see picture of the inside of our Airstream here. […]

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