That's a great story Sam. Although I am not familiar with modern Airstreams
- I don't really lump them in with the 100k RV type group. I think it is a
bit different and they kind of have their own little niche in the "camping"
arena. I love the vintage models - I think they are almost as cool as our
Vanagons.

On 4/25/07, vt <samcvt@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 12:35 PM
> Subject: Vanagons and RVs
>
>
> "Someone asked about the large complex RVs people seem to favor now,
> "Thats
> Camping?"  No, there is a whole new class of recreation called "RVing". It
> is different from camping.   I've met lots of them during my travels,
> "RVers" and they often be the first to tell you they aren't camping, they
> are RVing...."
>
> I've been thinking about our ever so appropriate biases re those behometh
> RVs, and wanted to identify that there are really some decent folks who
> consider themselves to be campers and their RVs and/or trailers as mobile
> "camps.
>
> A few years ago, when I was a full time Red Cross disaster service
> instructor for several different courses, our region was "visited" by the
> Air Stream group.  I was truly impressed by their pre-arrival request that
> we offer their attendees some of our national disaster response courses
> during their time in Northwestern Vermont.  More, meeting with their
> pre-arrival planning group and, later with the hundred or so who enrolled
> and completed the course offerings, I found the group we worked with to be
> genuinely nice folks, interested in learning so they could offer their
> services anywhere they might be on the road in the neighborhood of a
> weather
> or other type of disaster.
>
> Of course, they smiled, made some jokes and chortled as I entered their
> "beer can town" with my 84 Westy.  But, when I showed them that I could
> use
> the van as a disaster response communication center and temporary
> residence,
> they began to think about how else they might be assisting communities
> around the country.  I teamed up with their ham radio group to discuss
> that
> aspect of disaster response operations.  I have no idea how many might
> have
> followed up and actually volunteered, but the group of people I met were
> fairly down-to-earth and just as proud of their roadway homes as we
> Westyites are ....
>
> Sam Conant
> M
>

--
Thanks,

Jeff
90' Carat (It's Blue, It's Beautiful, It's naked inside - IT'S ALIVE!)
86' (We call this one Parts)
85' GL (Sidelined and feeling neglected)