Not long after finishing the floor replacement we hosted a pig roast.  The pig wasn’t the only thing we roasted!  We also roasted the old, rotted floor in a sacrificial offering to the Spirits of Airstream in hopes that our offering would help protect the new floor from premature decay.

This past weekend I flew into Columbus to visit family in Ohio.  Frontier airlines charges only $49 for the one way flight from the little airport 2 miles from my house.  John was with my parents in Ohio.  They all came to pick me up from the airport.

We spent a few hours touring around Columbus.  I took them to Buckeye Donuts so they could sample my favorite apple fritters.  Then I took them on a brief walking tour of the Ohio State University campus.  I showed them the old physics building including the rooms were I took freshman physics, quantum mechanics, and electricity and magnetism courses.  Ah, the good old days.  Next I took them all to german village where we visited the Book Loft, which I hadn’t been to in years.  Finally we went to Schmidt’s Sausage Haus for lunch.  Almost every time I’m in Columbus I stop at Schmidt’s for the Autobahn buffet.  Bratwurst, macaroni and cheese, sour kraut, and german potato salad.  Mmmm, mmm, good.  John had a hamburger served on a pretzel bread bun.

As we headed out of town on our way back to the town(s) where I grew up I suddenly realized, “It’s Thursday and we could take the tour at the Airstream factory!”.  We drive past the factory at least twice each year, but can never go on the tour either because we don’t have time or because we are passing through when they are closed.  This time, we had a good chance of making it there in time for the tour.

The drive up US 33 through rural Ohio was beautiful.  I kept checking the time to see when we would arrive.  I had a vague recollection that the tour started at 3:00 PM and it looked like we would be cutting it close.  I passed the exit to Jackson Center and had to take an extra 15 minutes to circle back to the correct route.  We ended up at the factory at 3:05 PM.  The guard at the guard shack told us that the tour started 5 minutes ago.  I said, “I was afraid you were going to say that.  (Sigh)”  She said, “I’ll tell you what, … park your car right over there and I will show you where to go to catch up with the tour.”  I must have thanked her 5 times as she led us into the building.

As we entered the factory on our way to catch up with the tour group we passed stacks and stacks of new refrigerators, toilets, and cooktops.  I wished that they would fit my trailer and that I could take them home with me!  When we caught up with the group we saw the factory workers installing floor on a frame, riveting outer sections of the body together, and riveting window frames into the rear of a trailer.  We saw the robot that cuts the pattern of holes out of large sheets of aluminum that make way for windows and access doors.  We saw workers installing new doors.  We saw the leak test chamber.  We saw wiring being installed, floors being sanded in preparation for flooring, plumbing being installed, and furniture being fitted.  Essentially we witnessed the entire process from beginning to end.  I took pictures all along the way with the camera in my phone, not learning until near the end that I was supposed to.  Because I wasn’t supposed to be taking pictures, I won’t post them here.  Well, … except for one.  Here is the nameplate on a Flying Cloud bound for the new dealership in Beijing, China!

Many thanks to Airstream for their hospitality.  I’m sure we will return for another visit soon.  Maybe we will make it to next year’s Alumapalooza!