My First Week in the Airstream

In my first week, I knew I wanted to hit the Alabama Hills area of California (near the Eastern Sierras). It’s an area that’s been made famous in several movies, but that isn’t why I wanted to go. I just wanted to explore this incredible scenery!

Harvest Hosts

When I looked at the distance between Santa Cruz and Lone Pine, CA - I knew this wasn’t a trip to be made it one day, especially for a noob. When I was planning to go full-time in the Airstream, I came across this incredible membership service called Harvest Hosts*. They offer camping at 2,100+ wineries, breweries, farms, and more. I knew that a winery would be the perfect stopover for me, and I truly lucked out. I came across Tobin James Cellars in Paso Robles, CA. The thing with Harvest Hosts is that you have an annual membership, which provides you access to camp for free at any of these locations. Now, it’s not totally free as they ask that you patronize the spot, but hey…I was going to buy some wine to celebrate my first night anyway! I grabbed a delicious Sauv Blanc, rolled into the wide-open spot for RV’s, and made some yummy dinner to hunker down for the night.

My HH spot for the night - right across from the winery!

Alabama Hills

I had a pretty uneventful drive from the Harvest Host location to Alabama Hills. I did notice one of my tires getting fairly low from my TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system - look at me with the cool RV acronyms - just like the corporate world!) When I pulled in, I noticed incredible rock formations and waved goodbye to my cell service. As Alabama Hills is Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the cost is $0, and the views are stunning. I, however, did not have any luck with finding a spot to camp. I drove around for an hour, and finally ended up pulling through into what I think was actually an OHV area. It was almost dark and I didn’t want to mess around anymore. I stayed hooked up to my truck so I could try again in the morning.

Remember that tire? Well, when I woke up the next morning, it was almost flat. My 2nd night on the road and I already had a flat tire. Are you kidding me? I had to laugh at myself for not paying better attention and checking out the tire once I stopped. So, I pulled out my trusty truck (Hank, if you were curious) and drove into town in search of a tire shop. A nail in the tire deemed it un-patchable so 15 minutes and $150 later, we were on our way.

Mr. Tire Changer Man

Tuttle Creek Campground

While I was really enjoying the beauty of Alabama Hills and Movie Road, I decided that I was more comfortable staying somewhere that had solid cell service in case that new tire didn’t work out. I searched the area and found another BLM spot for $5/night called Tuttle Creek. It was just 5 minutes from Alabama Hills, so I could still go and hike the area, while having a bit more connective security in my first week. I’ll deem this one a learning: don’t do it for the views, do it for what works best for me. And guess what? I still got some pretty incredible views!

Now for another moment of learning: those chains on your trailer? They do a really great job of catching your trailer if someone should (ahem) not have the trailer as perfectly chocked as possible. Imagine my horror when I removed one chain and the trailer jolted back, made the other chain taut, and Hank held solidly to that chain as if life depended on it (it did). It had already taken me nearly 45 minutes to get the trailer level, and then this happened. I thought it was properly chocked, but I busted out some that go in-between the dual axle tires so I could back Hank up to loosen the chain and remove it. I should’ve taken pictures but I was so caught up in the moment of trying to problem solve - I’ll get better at documenting the drama to bring you along :)

You’d think the drama is over, right? Not so fast, dear friend, not so fast. When I tried to remove the chain from Hank, the enclosure wouldn’t clear the tow ring. Like, it had somehow loved on that thing so hard it just didn’t want to let go. Fine, you needy thing, just another problem to solve. I took a few deep breaths and thought it all through. Oh! I know, I’ll remove the pin on the sling hook and go that route…moments later…success! My learning here: take a breath, take a step back, think logically and not emotionally - don’t panic. There will be a way to figure it out.

5 Days of Enjoyment

During the next 5 days, I enjoyed some solitude, took Charlie Brown on a few hikes, and generally tried to fully relax and take in the views. I’m trying to get used to having freedom from a perfectly set schedule, which is difficult to do. That’s something I’ll definitely be tuning into more deeply over the next couple months.

Prior to leaving that beautiful spot to head to Utah, I had a coaching client call that was easily done from the Airstream, proving this whole thing is possible. I sighed in relief and breathed in that fresh mountain air.

*If you use this Harvest Host link, I get a small kickback if you join, and you get 15% off!!!