After 8 months of working and waiting, the big day finally arrived. I was on my way to the Pismo Beach, CA. vintage trailer rally. I think I was more excited than a 5 year old at Christmas! This was HUGE. All my hard work. All the friends I met last September at the Casini rally. All the wonderful people who have patiently offered me moral support and answered my endless questions thru my Yahoo groups. 3 days of wall to wall aluminum. Yipee!!!
On May 14th I was all packed and ready to roll. I couldn't sleep so I got a nice early start to my trip - out the gate by 4:30 am. At least I would beat the traffic thru the Bay Area! The ride south went off without a hitch. No problems or complaints. The RR towed like a dream. Its almost like the old trailer could sense it was time for its debut. 314 miles later, around noon, I pulled into Pismo Coast RV Park. There were vintage trailers everywhere. I had to remain focused to avoid hitting something! I got the RR all set up in my space and then set out to explore.
First person I found was my buddy Tom. He was there with his '66 Cardinal Deluxe. Another red and white beauty! It was like Tom and I were old friends. Gosh knows we had spent hours talking - he does have the gift of gab ; ) I found the host site and picked up my registration packet and t-shirt. Now it was official. I was a rally participant!
On Friday, the rest of the trailers pulled in. My dear old friend Jo arrived from L.A. with her Silver Streak. My "Casini" friends all showed up - Jerry and Francis from L.A. with their '69 Cardinal; Margaret and Steve from Roseville with their Cardinal; Anne-Marie from Oakland with her teardrop; "Professor" Mike and Sherri with their Airstream. And my fellow Yahoo groupies - Craig and Patty with their Airstream; Rachel and Joel from Sacramento area with their Shasta; Marti from Chico with her Shasta. So many cool trailers and even more way cool people.
Saturday was the big "open house" and flea market. I was torn between wanting to be a good hostess and staying at the RR and doing the trailer tour. So I divided my time between the two. There were 218 trailers of all makes, models, shapes and sizes. From the tiny teardrops to the big dual axle rigs - they were all fun to see. But I have to admit, one of my favorite things was a '60 VW rag top! As far as the trailers went, I really enjoyed seeing the Shastas and a few Daltons. It took me back to the times when I had camped as a child in these classics. I also managed to find a few treasures at the flea market. I bought a burnt orange chenille bedspread that matches the colors in my curtains perfectly. I picked up an old gallon size water jug that will look good when I "stage" my campsite at the next rally. I purchased a vintage style awning from Marti's Awnings. I chose one with bright yellow and white stripes. A perfect accessory for my trailer. Saturday was capped off with a pot luck. Good food and more good conversation. There were some late evening shenanigans around the bonfire. I'll spare you the long story, but it had to do with a certain person waking me up at 6:15 am and a stolen chandelier :) My partners in crime were Jerry and Francis and the "Marti Girls" (Marti and her 3 sisters). I get the feeling this was only the beginning in a long running series of pranks. I'm already plotting my next moves!!
Sunday was a group breakfast, more socializing and the wrapping up of the rally events. Most people had to pack up and head for home. A few of us were lucky and could stay until Monday. Overall, it was a wonderful event. One big happy family all with 1 thing in common - the disease of aluminitis and a strong desire to share it with others.
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