Last Ride, New York, 2007

Cari and I headed out on our last ride together before I head West. A beautiful fall day in Dutchess County, New York. We had a small show at her farm last night featuring my meteorites, jewelry, and the rest of my ecclectic collection. Also, RJ and Cari did a demo--advanced horse tricks!

RJ

Cari, me, RJ, and my Airstream (new axles and all!). Read more on RJ at www.cariswanson.com. He starred in the Disney film Hidalgo and is a unique and talented horse.

Posing with RJ in front of the barn.

Don't let this guy fool you. He's looking a little lackluster here. This horse is no trail hack. He's got brains, talent, and athleticism. He plays dead (a lot of horses die on film in action sequences), rears on command, bows, looks on command, and does a thousand other things I've never seen a horse do. RJ came to her from one of Hollwood's top horse trainers--Rex Peterson.

"Now That's Not Something You See Every Day"

New York City

I am here in New York to peddle my meteorites. Just arrived back from Denver (via air) and have spent the past three days hauling meteorites around town.

Be sure you get this picture. Beautiful fall day. September. New York. Jim lugging 80 plus pounds of meteorites around the city including up and down the stairs to the subway. I've been commuting in from Brooklyn in the mornings and cold calling rock shops, fossil shops, antique dealers, and jewelers with my borrowed and very heavy rolling case of rocks from space.

I sold a few.

Highlights of the trip included seeing my friends Kim S and Michael M.

Michael, a Utah friend who now resides in NYC let me stay at his place in Brooklyn. Kim let me use her mid-town office as a base camp to somewhat limit the amount of stuff I hauled around with me during the day.

I loved seeing the meteorite exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. The guard commented on my bag of meteorites that I took with me in to the museum that "that's not something you see every day."

The museum has the best meteorite exhibit I've ever seen including the largest meteorite on display in any museum in the world: the 34 ton Ahnighito Meteorite, part of the Cape York from Greenland.

Go to http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/meteorites/what/ahnighito.php for more information.

The biggest highlight of the trip was seeing the city itself when it was booming and in the glory of fine fall weather. New York is amazing. They started filming Sex in the City the film while I was there. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte, and Mr. Big were on the streets of Manhattan again, and I was there too! Now that's a thrill. ; )

An Education in Denver

I'm in Denver at Martin Zinn's big fall show. I did his spring show here and there is no comparison with the fall one--it's a much bigger show in September!

The bulk of my business this year has been selling Campo del Cielo meteorites. These are iron-nickel meteorites--hunks of iron, often rusty, from outer space.

In August I acquired two collections of meteorites including dozens of different types. The problem was, as a neophyte, I didn't know how to price these little gems from space. I knew enough to know a good deal when I bought them, but that was the limit of my expertise.

Yesterday I was privileged to receive unlimited and free assistance from one of the world's top meteorite dealers: Blaine Reed. With Blaine's assistance I was able to price my new meteorites at fair market prices.

Working with him was a hell of an experience. While I've learned a lot about meteorites this year, I obviously know infinitely less than a top dealer who has passionately collected and dealt in meteorites for decades. His knowledge was impressive. He could easily distinguish one type from another among over 50 different types of meteorites. At one point I questioned him about a price he was suggesting and he replied: "I can't even begin to communicate all of the subtleties of why some meteorites are more valuable than others. I can just help you price them." There was nothing arrogant in his tone. It was a reminder as to how much I have to learn. Blaine was impressed with my meteorites which included some he hadn't seen in a while.

Yesterday I purchased a flat of material from the so called K-T boundary. This is the line in the geological record between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. (Geologists use the letter K to abbreviate Cretaceous.) The K-T boundary material contains the clues geologists used to give credence to the theory that a meteorite took out the dinosaurs. The story is a fascinating one. In short, a giant meteor is believed to have entered the earth's atmosphere 65 million years ago and crash in to our planet at the Yucatan peninsula. Among other things this not so little rock from space is believed to have created tidal waves a thousand feet high that cruised hundreds of miles inland along thousands of miles of coast lines. Enough matter was thrown in to the atmosphere to shut down photosynthesis and disrupt the food chain killing over 70% of all life on earth including all of the dinos (except for birds who are modern day dino-survivors).

There is much more to this tale but one of the key results was opening the door in the evolutionary chain of events that allowed for the rise of mammals who until that time could not compete with the dinosaurs.

Hence, a meteorite is responsible for our very existence. It's quite a tale and the K-T material I purchased yesterday holds the evidence of this cataclysmic event. I've had many people request pieces of it before and now I have some! It's not expensive, but it is a must have for collectors.

You can read a little more on the K-T boundary at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Tertiary_extinction_event

It's been absolutely wonderful to connect with the meteorite community and especially to see Jose G (my Campo man) whose support has been invaluable in getting my business going this year.

September Morn, Dutchess County, New York

Ohhhhhhhh . . .

Life on the farm
Is kind of laid back
Ain’t nothin an Airstreamer like me can’t hack
Early to bed
Early in the sack
Thank God I’m an Airstreamin’ boy

Since early August I've been based at Windrock Farm, my sister's place between Millbrook and Amenia, New York. Still traveling a lot too.

I’ve been Airstreamless since August 13th!

It’s a crime.

Reunited with my trailer briefly from August 22nd to the 28th.

It’s at Colin Hyde's in Plattsburgh, New York getting new axles and a thousand other little things including some replaced floor and new floor covering.

This Airstream is becoming high cotton.

Pick up my home around September 19th.

In the meantime being at Windrock Farm is like taking on the lifestyle of the rich and famous. It's a spectacular property, especially if you like horses. The main house is huge, about 10,000 square feet. The barn apartment isn’t too shabby either. I’ve stayed in both. For pictures and more info go to http://www.windrockfarm.com/
Pictures don’t do it justice but you can get a sense. Go to http://www.cariswanson.com/ for more on my sister.

She has treated me like visiting royalty (so I like to think).

Today I leave for a trip to New York City and Denver traveling by plane, train, and rented automobile. There’s a huge rock show there and I am showing some premium meteorites I’ve acquired in the past month. For more on the Denver show go to
http://www.mzexpos.com/colorado_fall.htm

Since leaving Aiken in early July (see below) I’ve been to too many places to mention. In brief: 14 states plus D.C. Mostly in the East but I also spent a weekend at a seminar in Las Vegas with my mom and my sister Elise (of Idaho). As of this writing I’ve been to 25 states plus D.C. so far this year. Not one state is a “new” state for me!

Famous people I’ve seen since Aiken (famous in my world, not including immediate family): Jim, Alison, and Kim Range, Colin and Suzanne Hyde, Rich and Eleanor Luhr, Valerie Leonard, Harley Muse, Christy Williams, Jim and Tally, James Ray, Tom Sullivan, Martin Zinn, and many more.

Become an Airstreamer and buy a meteorite. Your life will never be the same.

Sunday Morning
Windrock Farm
New York

The Nevada Trip

My mother and I at Lake Mead. Photo by my sister Elise. The three of us met in Las Vegas for a seminar by James Ray.

Colin Hyde

Colin in front of his family's early 1960s Oldsmobile (awaiting restoration). Colin is one of the world's leading experts at Airstream restoration and also an infectiously great guy. I met him at Perry, Georgia earlier in the summer. He would have my Airstream at his shop in Plattsburgh from August 13th until late September. I made three trips up there: first to drop it off, second to help with the work, third to pick it up. Plattsburgh is less than 50 miles from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Crossing Lake Champlain

My first crossing of Lake Champlain going from Grand Isle, Vermont to just north of Plattsburgh, New York and just south of the Canadian border, Quebec. I would cross the lake with my truck three more times but this was the only crossing with the Airstream. The Airstream was about to get new axles and have a thousand other things done to it (many by me directly) at my friend Colin Hyde's Airstream restoration shop in Plattsburgh, New York. His business is called GSM Vehicles.

Rex Peterson at Windrock Farm

I had the priveledge of spending three days with this man at my sister's farm. He was there teaching a workshop. This guy is an authentic Hollywood wrangler/horse-trainer. He's worked with many top stars and has been involved with countless films for over 30 years. He's the man behind the horses in the movies. I've been around horses my entire life and am not a bad rider myself. I've seen and sometimes worked with some very talented horsemen (and women) including both of my sisters. There is something about Rex that sets him apart. He's more than a horse whisperer, he's that and more. The things he can do with horses are incredible. And he's just a damn good guy. Rex flew in from California to do the workshop at Cari's.

Tales of Aiken

Aiken, South Carolina . . . nothing like it in the world. This town is horse heaven. I had the privilege of visiting in 2003 and was back this week for a three day visit. It helps if you love horses, and if you have friends in town to visit.

When you turn on to South Boundary Avenue you find yourself surrounded by the American South at its finest. Live Oaks, a type of Oak tree with gnarly branches, line the street and the branches reach up from both sides crowning the thoroughfare. As I pulled my Airstream through this beautiful vista of trees and southern homes the sight overwhelmed me. My friend Gina lives along South Boundary, and her farm: Red Barn Stables is just a block off of this beautiful street. I turned down a side street to park at Gina's barn and set up my Airstreaming house for a few days.

I am a decent rider and Gina got me mounted up in no time. We did three wonderful rides--two of these were in Hitchcock Woods. The Woods are the legacy of horse lovers from over half a century ago. The land, all 2,200 acres of it, came primarily from just a few families. It is owned by a private foundation and open to horses, as well as people on foot. Hitchcock Woods is filled with the ubiquitous southern pines of course, but also many hardwoods. There are well maintained jumps for the horses (which we put to good use), and perfect footing of sand everywhere. The red clay country is some twenty plus miles away.

Aiken is the only town I've ever seen where you can live in an urban neighborhood (it's a small town, but still a city), keep horses on a couple of acres, and have access to great restaurants and bars and a place to ride where you can literally go for hours without crossing a road (you do cross a road or two on your way in to the woods, but the town is well equipped for horses with handy equestrian crossings).

Gina was a true southern hostess and she showed me a grand time. In addition to the great rides we had fun lunches and even funner dinners every night. (Is funner a word? Is now!).

I missed another friend of mine who lives there, due to my neglect in tracking down her number, but otherwise it was a perfect visit.

I even managed to conduct a fair amount of business during my "days off" there.

With 47 polo fields and more coming soon, Aiken is polo crazy. Between polo, foxhunting, eventing, steeplechasing, and regular horse racing, Aiken has it all including many looney horse people with their horse money. Such a town is bound to have more than its share of intrigue. I got my fill of tales from the town's dark side. I heard of a death in the hunt field (that's foxhunting--see my March 2004 entry for more on foxhunting near Aiken). I met a gentleman who banged his head so hard during a hunt he's still recovering and has a ways to go. I heard of an old-timer who died in his field with his cows--a heart attack in his eighties. A good way to go all things considered. Then I heard the worst one of them all. This one didn't involve horses (or cows) as far as I know. Last fall a man in his fifties dropped in to see his mother. He murdered dear mum, rolled her up in a blanket, put her in the front yard by some bushes, and proceeded on his way to his daughter's wedding. "Sorry honey, grandma can't make it." Damn . . . you have to wonder what prompted that--though with people it could have been anything or nothing. The crime scene is along our horse route into Hitchcock Woods.

Back to the sunny side of things . . . bad things happen everywhere after all.

It was a fun, fun visit.

Thanks Gina.

>>>>>>

Go to http://www.sciway.net/photos/aiken-sc.html for a view of South Boundary Ave.

Airstreamers Do Georgia

Late on June 25th I pulled in to Fair Harbor RV Park in Perry, Georgia. I was rendezvousing with the Vintage Airstream Club, a group I planned to officially join at the earliest opportunity. It was almost midnight.

After a good night's sleep in the Georgia pines I awoke surrounded by a contingent of Canadian Airstreamers. Like so many Canadians they couldn't have been nicer but this was the wrong group. The Vintage crowd was in a different section of the park so I moved over to join them.

Parked with the Vintage crowd I was in Airstream heaven! There were completely restored models dating back to 1935. Most were from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. There are very few Airstreams from the 1940s due to the war and the time after the war before the company got into full swing again.

I met Ken and Petey Faber of Michigan and Arizona. They toured me through their early sixties trailer and their beautifully restored 1955 GMC pickup. These two are famous for their vintage trailers. Magazines and writers of coffee table books do an excellent job covering the Faber's restored trailers. They've been Airstreaming for many years.

Dr. Holman was also there. He's the owner of a 1935 trailer his father built using plans from Wally Byam, Airstream's founder. He bills his trailer as the oldest Airstream on the road. I'd seen pictures in books. As I found myself standing in this trailer talking to him it was a little eery. Is this real or am I visualizing the images in front of me from photos I'd been looking at in Wanderlust (an Airstream book)? I couldn't get out of my mind the fact that this not so young man had been conceived in that trailer many decades earlier, a fun fact I'd just as soon rather not know but it was in the book.

I met Shari Davis the incoming president of the Vintage Club who was just in from Denver with her very muscular friend Jim. She had an adorable little trailer, 1950s or 60s--completely buffed up and shining like a mirror. She officially signed me up as a new member of the Vintage Club.

That's the cool thing in the vintage crowd, to buff your trailer and make it shinier than it was when it was new. I am sure I'll be buffing mine before too long. To be a vintage trailer it has to be 25 years old or more which puts us up into the not so distant early 1980s.

My favorite was the Belize Trailer. The guy had decked out his Airstream in a Belize theme. He'd printed a banner that said "Welcome to Belize" which he hung from his awning. There was a neon palm tree, a few pink flamingos, and a neon martini on a table. It was all done up to the nines and looked fabulous. I didn't get to speak to him until over a week later near the end of the rally. Just too many people to meet.

The next morning the Vintage Club paraded in to the main event, the 50th Annual International Airstream Rally, put on by WBCCI--the Wally Byam Caravaner Club International. Byam (Airstream's founder) was a flamboyant guy who led Airstream caravans on nearly every continent around the world. One of his most epic journeys was Capetown (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt)--a caravan they plan to repeat next year. Sounds like fun to me. Around fifty vintage units were welcomed at the Georgia National Fairgrounds where over 800 trailers (and some Airstream motor homes) had already set up. Fellow Airstreamers welcomed us with flags and waves as we caravaned in.

I was fortunate enough to be parked under one of the few trees there, a big old oak. For the next eight nights I was parked in this Airstream haven. I was pleasantly surprised by the weather. There were hot and muggy moments to be sure, but after three summers in Phoenix it just didn't seem that hot. If one more person mentions "the dry heat" as if it were somehow not actually hot I will have to slug them. Every night I turned off the AC and opened the windows. I'd never do that in Phoenix this time of year.

It was now time to meet my colorful neighbors.

On one side of me was a guy named Leo who informed me the only reason he came was to vote on some issue related to whether or not non-Airstream motorhome owners could be part of the Airstream club. His position was Hell No! He'd even set up a web site. He was a great guy, despite his passion for the club politics . . .

The guy on the other side of him was from Front Royal, Virginia not far from where I lived in Berryville in 2002-2003. We had some mutual acquaintances including some good friends of mine who were an arch-enemy of his. He's a hot air ballooner and my friends raise horses and don't like people ballooning over their property. His name is Paul. He has a 1968 Airstream and a 1966 International Harvester Travelall as his tow vehicle. Quite a good looking rig and not a bad guy either despite his hot air ballooning ways. He talked me into joining the DC Unit. I had been a member-at-large, but wanted to join a unit and why not DC? I'd lived there once and don't live anywhere right now.

Parked nearby were Colin and Suzanne who own an Airstream restoration business out of Plattsburgh, New York. They are Canadians and are super-cool. Their high profile job of the moment is an extensive restoration of a 1952 Airstream for the world's most famous Airstreamer: Matthew McConaughey. Matthew, as we referred to him, sold all of his real estate and has been full-timing for a couple of years. He'll soon have at least 3 or 4 trailers so he has room for guests (and maybe staff too). Colin installed some lights for me, updating my original running lights with LED lights. I'd lost two lens caps on the way to Georgia. The new ones look the same as the original, just brighter. I am going to have a few other things done by Colin in August.

Kitty-corner from me were Harley and John. These two were the life of the Vintage community hosting cocktail and dinner parties and just being damn good guys.

Every afternoon at 4:30, in the muggiest part of the early Georgia summer, the Vintage club met for Happy Hour under one of the big oaks. The Vintage-ites tend to be younger than the average Airstreamer attending one of these big rallies and we know how to have fun too.

For five days I set up shop as a vendor, peddling meteorites, jewelry, and my other usual wares. I even gave a talk on meteorites that went well. One fun moment came when I spent ten or fifteen minutes with Bob Wheeler, Airstream's president. I showed him some meteorites and the picture I show everyone of my truck and trailer in front of Ship Wreck Rock near the Utah-Arizona border. Bob's about my age and is on a more traditional career path. I also hauled my largest meteorite over to the Vintage Happy Hour one afternoon and placed it prominently in the center of the gathering. This may have been a vintage first.

Rich Luhr and Brett Greiveldinger were attending the rally and mingling with the crowds. Rich is the founder, publisher, and editor of a magazine called Airstream Life. He's been publishing it for a few years as he fulltimes with his wife and daughter. Rich is a friendly guy capably championing the Airstream way of life. Brett helps out on the magazine with marketing, ad sales, and other important functions. I am now a subscriber of Airstream Life and also own a set of all issues published to date.

Lost in a sea of shiny silver, I couldn't have had much more fun. My 1973 Airstream and I left Perry on July 5th.

Airstreamers rule.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A special thanks to Lloyd and Dona Garner of Ohio for introducing me to WBCCI. Thanks to Paul Waddell for welcoming me to the DC Unit. Apologies to the many many other amazing people I met who are not mentioned here.

To subscribe to Airstream Life (strongly recommended) go to http://www.airstreamlife.com/

To get in touch with one of the world's top Airstream restorers email Colin at colin@gsmvehicles.com

For more on WBCCI visit their web site at http://www.wbcci.org/

The Vintage Airstream Club can be found at http://www.airstream.net/

The DC Unit is at http://www.servintfree.net/wbcci-dc/index06.html

It's time to buy an Airstream or take yours out onto the roads of the world.

Ohio Woods at Clear Fork

Just did a beautiful evening hike through the woods along Clear Fork Reservoir. Jake was running around like a maniac, having a blast. Magic, my mom's dog, stayed closer. It's hard to photograph these woods, but they have a magic about them and are beautiful.

Jake with Magic

Jake poses with his friend Magic at a ruin of a 19th or early 20th century house. The house was eminent-domained in the 1950s to make Clear Fork Reservoir outside of Lexington, Ohio less than a mile from our farm.

Pre-Summer Solstice Update

I've only been gone from Phoenix for two months--a few days shy actually. Seems like ages ago when I pulled out of that metropolis.

The past two weeks have been dominated by my acquisition of the 1968 Airstream--my second. It needs a ton of work. I had no great reason to buy it, but I could, so I did. I had a blast working on it and prepping it for resale. It's already sold for early July pickup. It was not a profitable endeavor but I learned a lot and it was a fun distraction.

My mom had an open house at her farm last week featuring my business--Utahredrock. I saw a lot of family friends and they bought a few things too! Can't beat that. This weekend is my first in a month with no show of any kind.

I head out again next week for two to four weeks of shows. I'll be back in Ohio at least some in July before heading to New York via the D.C. area.

At the end of June and early July I'll be a vendor at the 50th Annual International Airstream Rally in Perry, Georgia. I can't wait to meet some more Airstreamers!

The 1968 Airstream

My 1968 Airstream parked at Animal Safety Products in Mansfield, Ohio. It wasn't welcome on the family farm. I guess one Airstream is the limit there!

My Home in Illinois

I had about 30 acres to myself at the Dupage County Fairgrounds west of Chicago. That's where my Chicago show was held. It was a great place to retire to after long show days. This is my 1973 Airstream. At the Chicago show I met Joan, a full time RVer and going solo at 80 years old. She was an amazing and fun woman. We had a beer in her motorhome and she told me of some of her adventures on the road.

Here's Sue

They found Sue's remains in Michigan and rebuilt them at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. A full size replica of her head was adjacent to my booth at the Detroit show I did. I made a point of going to the Field Museum while in Chicago because they have one of the world's largest meteorite collections. Only a fraction of it was on display, but it was definitely worth the stop. It's quite a museum.

Back in Ohio

I am back in Ohio for a respot before hitting the road again on June 20th. I just purchased a 1968 30-foot Airstream Sovereign. It's a rock star's dream. ; )

My 18 day tour was fun. I visited Detroit, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Chicago, and Toledo. It was productive too. I saw my friend Marc B who had an amazing run in Eastern Europe (especially Poland) in the 1990s. He started what became MTV Poland and sold to MTV. That was just one of his many venures there. He's now based in a beautiful house in Wilmette, IL with his growing family. The last time I saw him was in 1987 and the last time I visited him in Chicago was 1984.

In Columbus I met and conversed at length with the Chairman of Airstream, Larry Huttle. A very nice guy. He takes it upon himself to meet up with Airstream fanatics like me.

All's well. I am working hard and having fun.

The Ohio Base Camp

This has been the location of my residence for the past few weeks. It will remain my base until sometime in July though the Airstream will move a few thousand miles in the interim. This photo is at my family's farm just outside of Lexington, Ohio. It's very green here.

I head out today for an 18-day midwest tour.

Jake in Kansas Last Month

My boy Jacob Kanab Powell. He wouldn't look at the camera . . . then I finally got him. He's loving life as an Airstreamer and he especially loves hanging out on the farm in Ohio with his three new pup friends: Joker, Luke, and Magic.

Monday in Salinas, Kansas

I've been an Airstreamer for about ten days now--so far so good!

I'm en route from Denver to St. Louis where I'll see my sister Marcia and her family, then on to Ohio and a show in Cincinnati this weekend.

This past weekend was the Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show in Denver where I had a room. That show is at a Holiday Inn. You get a regular hotel room and set up shop there. There were approximately sixty of us dealers there. It was a slow show, that was the consensus from all the dealers.

I bought some fantastic things from other dealers who have good sources. These include various cabochons (gemstones cut in ovals or circles and polished, but not faceted) including cabs cut from high quality turquoise, fossilized dinosaur bones, fossilized palm wood, and Mexican crazy lace agate. These are pricey little stones but gorgeous and they will make beautiful pieces of jewelry.

Some of the turquoise is from a mine in Leadville, Colorado that has been closed since about 1970. This turquoise is almost impossible to find--it came from an old collection that was in storage for years. I love it! I have a strong personal affinity for Leadville where I spent time in 1988. It's the highest incorporated town in the U.S. at 10,152 feet. I also bought some Cripple Creek Turquoise. This is beautiful too. It's still being mined today but is expensive and hard to find. I got it from a gentleman who sells it straight from the mine.

I also met a few meteorite collectors and added to my meteorite inventory. There is nothing quite like a rock from outer space. I now have some Martian and lunar meteorites. How cool is that? They are tiny, tiny, but they're the real thing.

From a campground in Salinas, Kansas, with Jake (my pup) by my side on a beautiful spring evening,

Jim

Campsite Two above Bluff, Utah

This is where I ended up late at night last night after I got stuck in Navajo, Country. Not a bad spot.

At Window Rock, Navajo Country--ten miles northwest of Round Rock, Arizona

This picture cost me $69, four hours, and was the genesis of a mini-adventure. If I would have stayed where it's parked here for the night I would have been fine, but I was on a quest for the perfect campsite. Next thing I knew I was stuck in the sand with the truck's wheels buried. After over two hours of failed struggling to get out and a failed hitch-hiking effort, I unhitched, drove to town, found a Navajo man at a rodeo and talked him in to helping. He got me right out and I continued up the road at about 10 PM headed toward BLM land in Utah.

In front of the largest piece of Canyon Diablo Meteorite

Most meteorites are named for where they are found. Meteor Crater is in Canyon Diablo (devil's canyon) in northern Arizona. Hence, any meteorite found near there is a Canyon Diablo. They estimate that the meteor that created this massive hole was about the size of a football field. It shattered on impact into thousands of pieces of all sizes, and this relatively small piece is the biggest we've ever found.