Think Pink! at Haydocy Airstream!

October is pumpkins and football and sweaters and comfort food! It is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month!! I have to admit that I haven't paid much attention to this because cancer doesn't run in my family and I have no relatives that have ever had breast cancer. The awareness part of the program though alerted me to the FACT that 80% of breast cancer diagnosis' do not have a family relationship to the disease! Whoa! That's staggering and shook me out of complacency and made me make an appointment for a mammogram.

 



My favorite Ohio RV dealership and sponsor of Girl Campers, "Camper College" program, Haydocy Airstream of Columbus, Ohio, is taking their support for women campers to a whole new level with their October campaign to support the Susan B Komen Foundation through the sale of their Tab trailers! Tab trailers has a "Tabitha" model trailer designed by the talented Mary Jane Butters from Mary Jane's Farm Magazine. The sweet Tab is "girly"! It has the touch of femininity that we girl campers appreciate. Haydocy has taken the Tabitha and "pinked" it for Breast Cancer Awareness month. For every sale of this special model Tab, Haydocy will donate $250 in the buyers name to the Susan B Komen Foundation.



When I asked Mike Harlan, GM of Haydocy, why this was important enough to put so much time and effort behind, he replied, "My sister is a breast cancer survivor and I am a husband and father to three girls. I want to make sure my 'girls' are aware of the dangers of this disease. If I can do something to make that happen, I am happy to do so." 




Our October "Camper College" at Haydocy Airstream.


Haydocy Airstream recently hosted the Girl Campers for Camper College. There were trailer tutorials, towing 101, Q & A's with the staff and really good food!

 



One of our Girl Campers being tutored by Mike on Towing 101 !!
She did it!!



Mike and I at Camper College. Another successful Girl Camper event! Thanks to Haydocy for all they do to support the Girl Campers!


FYI - Last year Haydocy Airstream sold trailers to buyers from 37 different states!!



Rally Ho! RV Family Travel Atlas Fall Rally!

I hate to see the camping season end and each year I extend it a little further into fall. This year I am winding up the season at the RV Family Travel Atlas Rally at the Philadelphia/Westchester KOA the weekend of October 23 and 24th. I attended the first ever RV Family Travel Atlas rally in the spring of this year and met some really great new camping buddies.

 

 Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi who are the voices behind the highly rated podcast of the same name really know how to draw a crowd. There were singles, and families and glampers and retirees! I loved the mix of those who love to camp. Stephanie and Jeremy's top rated podcast is sponsored by Go RVing and is chock full of tips and tricks for campers of all styles. They also write prolifically for many camping publications! The rally is sure to draw a mixed crowd and I am so excited to be camping there with my family!

 

 

Stephanie Puglisi getting those great photos we all love!!  

 

 

This trip is going to be a winner for my husband who, by trade, is a home inspector with a specialty in historic homes. We used to live in a house constructed in 1749 with additions in 1850 and 1905. My husbands hobby and new passion though is landscape painting which makes the Philadelphia/Westchester KOA the ideal spot to 'camp like a family'  for us.

 

 

This campground is in the beautiful Brandywine Valley which is home to Longwood Gardens and Winterthur Museum.  I really want to get to the Winterthur Museum and Gardens in Winterthur, Delaware which is a 25 minute ride from the campground. I have always wanted to go there and even though it is less than two hours from home and, last year had a beautiful exhibit of the Downton Abbey costumes, I have yet to make it down there.  In addition to the stunning gardens and grounds there is a DuPont built family manse that is now the museum. It is always fun to see how those blessed with extreme wealth lived in the days before the words carbon foot print even existed.

 

 

In addition to that there are the Longwood Gardens which I have been to in the past but never in the fall. Longwood is, according to their website,  a "horticultural display garden created by Pierre DuPont in the 19th century".  It too has a magnificent home/mansion attached to it. It looks like a starter castle compared to the "home" at Winterthur though. It is only 15 minutes from the campground in the same direction as Winterthur if you are hearty enough to do both in one day.

 

 

 I won't be doing that because my husband feels that once he has paid his admission fee he is somehow obliged to read every single little placard explaining every single little detail of mansion life. Our children have flat out refused to accompany him to museums anymore! I just endure and get the headphones tour so I can avoid what my grandmother called the "Pete and Repeat" syndrome.  Here's how it works...Rick and I are standing side by side  behind the velvet ropes with our maps and brochures in hand in a group of fellow curiosity seekers. The tour guide says, "The fireplace mantle came from a castle in Europe that was pillaged by torch wielding villagers and an agent of the duPonts was able to secure it at the fire sale and bring it here for their castle."  The head nodding group begins moving to the next fortuitous acquisition and Rick turns to me and says, "Hey honey, the fireplace mantle came from a castle in Europe that was pillaged by torch wielding villagers and an agent of the duPonts was able to secure it at a fire sale and bring it here!!! How cool is that?"  After thirty two years of stereophonic museum tours I have now developed a system that is fool proof. I pay for the headphone version of the tour and every time Rick tries to repeat to me what we all just heard, I gesture kindly, pointing at my headphone covered ears to signal that I am listening to a segment and can't chat right now. This is fool proof because there is no danger of Rick springing for the headphones himself. He has been asking since he turned 40 how old you have to be to get the senior discount! With the advent of the headphone option, I am now safe to enjoy the tour without back up!

My Mister doing what he does best! Caulking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Girl Camper News!!

Big News!! Breaking News!

I will be the opening speaker at the Southeast Tourism Fall Forum 2015!

I am so excited to be traveling to the beautiful state of West Virginia! It really is 'Almost Heaven'. I will be bringing along my little vintage Go Tag Along trailer because they will be having one heck of a street party in Charleston!! The theme of my talk will be, "Girl Campers; going places, doing things!" 

I will be dishing the dirt on how to join in on all the reindeer fun and sharing some photos of all of the best adventures we go on as well as the beautiful trailers. I am so excited about this because as you all know, I never get tired of talking about Girl Camping!! I want everyone to have as much fun as we do!!

The Sisters on the Fly at the Santa Monica Pier after they completed the entire Rte 66 tour!



Hershey Pa RV Show

The Largest RV Show in America is taking place in Hershey, Pa the week of Sept 16-20th! I will be there hanging out with my friends Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi from RV Family Travel Atlas. They will be at the Progressive Insurance booth talking shop and sharing tips and tricks from their highly rated and popular Podcast, RV Family Travel Atlas. I will be stopping in on Stephanie before I get my running shoes on and check out all the potential Girl Camper trailers! 

www.rvfamilytravelatlas.com

 

Stephanie Puglisi working her camera magic at the Rhinebeck NY Country Living Fair

 

Country Living Fair

It's that time again and there are so many things to look forward to!

I will be at the Country Living Fair with Go RVing in Columbus, Ohio the weekend of September 18-20 at the Ohio Village at the Ohio History Center. I will be speaking on the Main Stage on Saturday afternoon along with Sisters on the Fly, Pam Elson and Louise Grivetti, about all of our adventures! We will also be doing some demos on Dutch oven cooking, organizing your trailer and trailer safety!

This is always one of my very favorite events of the fall. The shopping, the food, the fun, the trailers, the sisters on the fly and Go RVing!! I also get the chance to catch up with all of my favorite vendors! I get to shop their fantastic booths before the show opens!

 

 

 

Airstream Dream!

When I leave the Country Living Fair I am heading straight to the Airstream factory for a tour and talk with their Public Relations spokesperson, Molly Hanson. I can't wait to visit the factory where this icon of American tourism is built.

A Sister on the Fly took this picture at Potato Creek State Park in Indiana. It looks like a perfect setting!

The Riverside Retro!

It's no secret that I think the Riverside Retro is a great alternative to a vintage camper. The Sisters on the Fly had a hand in designing a Sister on the Fly model and I have been pleading with my friends who are connected to the manufacturer to help me persuade them to build me a custom Riverside Retro for my upcoming summer of 2016 tour of National Parks!! After rebuilding 10 vintage trailers and camping for the last ten years in vintage ones, I know exactly what I like and don't like in floor plans and design choices! Now, if only I could get someone to build me my dream trailer!!

The kind folks at Stones Camping World in Berlin NJ were nice enough to let me glamp up their Riverside!

Kevin Stone and I chatting about the Riverside at their dealership in Berlin, NJ.

More News!!

Girl Camper, the Podcast!!

Yes, it's happening! It's happening in September! I will be bringing you via the Podcast world all of the Girl Camping news and some extended interviews with the Girl Campers profiled in my Go RVing blog as well as the wonderful women I meet on the road. There will be news about what is happening in the RV world, tips and tricks for safe and healthy travel, shares on great campgrounds and towns to visit on your travels and stories from the road!! Stay tuned!!

 

 

Camper College - Columbus, Ohio

Camper College Ohio Style!  Haydocy Airstream and Janine Pettit, Girl Camper,  will be hosting a Camper College on Friday, September 18, 2015. If you have ever thought about joining the Girl Campers but don't know a thing about owning, operating or towing a travel trailer, please be our guests at this complimentary event. The staff at Haydocy will take us through all the steps involved in hitching up a trailer, getting the systems working once you arrive at a campground and what is involved when you are ready to leave. A question and answer session will take place after the demo and light refreshments will be served.

Haydocy Airstream and RV 3865 W Broad St Columbus, OH 43228

These Camper College events are designed to help those considering an RV purchase gain knowledge and confidence. The RV dealerships that I partner with are carefully chosen and have a supreme reputation for service. They understand that they are building partnerships of trust and that the immediate "sale" is not the goal. Successful RV dealerships know that "service" is an ongoing commitment and relationships with buyers extend past the contract stage of purchase. I believe that any dealership whose buyers hail from  39 different states has got a reputation that precedes them! That is Haydocy!

I have been working with Haydocy Airstream for several years and came to know them through their appearances at the Country Living Fair. Like most people, I harbor the Airstream dream! The team at Haydocy has opened their doors to the Girl Campers for after hours demonstrations and given us the grand tour of their line up of Airstreams and, the ever popular with Girl Campers, the Tab trailers.

At this years Country Living Fair I will be displaying one of their Tab trailers which will be all decked out for Girl Camping. If the vintage trailer scene is not your thing, fear not! There is charm and hot water on demand for discerning RV buyers!

Tabs come in many different styles and can be color matched to your car!

The Tab trailer of Sister on the Fly, Crystal Garman Baker!

All the fun and none of the restoration!!!

To RSVP for this event you can call Haydocy Airstream at 614-279-8880.

Upcoming Camper Colleges

Stone's Camping World, Rte 73 Berlin NJ 856-767-5422,  Sept 11, 2015 at 6 PM - RSVP to Yvonne or Maxine

http://www.stonescampingworld.com/

Girl Camper friendly dealership!

Need RV help in Colorado? Ketelsen's Campers in Wheat Ridge, Co. http://www.wegocamping.com/

303-431-2211

Your Sister's a Glamp !

I love the attitude of this sassy, not always so classy,  (that's why I can relate to her!) glamper of a gal! Her blog posts are full of all the things we love to look at and be inspired by!! I am sharing the love! If you want the inside scoop on what is happening on those SOTF trips where more fun is had than anywhere else, you will just have to log on and follow Thelma and Louise's adventures!

 

I wonder why this sign caught their eye?

 

 Sisters in law and trouble, Cindy Smith Pritchett and Donna Pritchett Smith! Confused? Donna married Cindy's brother in 1979 and Cindy returned the favor by marrying Donna's brother in 1980! They have been joined at the hip ever since sharing the same in laws, grandparents and owning children who are double cousins! It was only natural that they should become glamping partners. When Cindy joined the SOTF and bought a 1971 Play-Moor to cart behind her on all of her adventures, she naturally wanted her life long side kick to join her.

 

Bella, the 1971 Play-Moor that Donna and Cindy play with! Although the trailer literally belongs to Cindy, it is actually thought of as "their" trailer. Sisters, on the fly and in families, are generous by nature.

Not only are these sisters having more fun than anyone, they are doing it in incredible style and comfort. I have seen this trailer 100 times on glamping sites and it has always ranked as one of my all time favorites!

 



 

It would take a while to get lonesome for home in this beauty!

 

 

I am looking forward to meeting these two fun ladies! Maybe this years "Saddle Up". We can compare blogging notes and plan future trips. If we can do it while sitting in Bella, I am in!! 

http://sisnlawx2.blogspot.com/

The Party Girl ! Sister on the Fly Karen Reichert!

Sister on the Fly Karen Reichert is the party giver and hostess extraordinaire of  the Midwest and it was my privilege to profile her for my Go RVing blog. I just had to add some photos that there was not enough room for on the Go RVing blog.

Tastings and tutus are a common theme at Sister on the Fly events. Local purveyors of food and fun are often asked to share their talents and wares. 

 

After all the hard work of setting up and arranging ones camper has been done, it is customary to commence with the strolling trailer tour!! BYOB! 

 

 

 Whenever I am on one of these tours I can feel the warmth that each trailer gives its owner! I always want to sit and soak in all the trailer/owner love!

 



 

And this is why the trip is called, "I Love Fall Camping!"

 

Sister on the Fly Dodie Sheffield and her trailer, Marigold!

 

The costumes were not limited to the sisters!

 

For those so inclined a crafting afternoon is an option. Karen gathers all of the supplies and instructors and after a demonstration each sister heads to her work station to create her masterpiece and memory! 

 

One of my favorite things to do is to soak up all the trailer interiors! It always makes me want to start over! So many ideas, so few trailers!

 

 

Fully equipped with all the things a sister needs to "camp like a girl!"

 

 

Texas Rodeo Style

 

Dish towels are a favorite sister collectible.

 

 

Playing dress up never gets old for girls! This is where the "making girls out of women" adage really plays out! It is so much fun to be a grown up with a "dress up" box! That's a "normal" sister thing!!

 

 

 

 

What's a sister event without a "cowgirl prom?" Just another excuse to play dress up!

 

I will be attending Karen's annual, "I Love Fall Camping" event this October and will share all the photos with you. It is a trip that I have been envying on line for years. I am finally going to fit it into my schedule and I am getting my Lake House trailer, Roam Sweet Home 2.0 all ready for Halloween! Stay tuned or better yet, log on and join the Sisters on the Fly and join us!

 

 

 

 

 

Trailer Raffle! Sisters on the Fly

One of the many things that I think makes Sisters on the Fly the best group ever is their commitment to works of charity! Paying it forward and helping those in need! Who wouldn't want to do that? Several times in the past generous and warm hearted sisters have donated their time and talents for great causes.

Sisters on the Fly has been a partner with Casting for Recovery, a not for profit organization that helps women recovering from breast cancer, for many years. At sister on the fly camp outs generous sisters raise money among themselves by raffling off what I call "Sistertastic" trailer finds. Every once in a while though that generosity is exceeded by a phenomenal donation like this 1957 Mercury "Quicksilver" vintage trailer donated by Jennifer Smith. It has been beautifully restored by Kent Kraemer at Blue Moon Caravans in Missoula, Montana. Thank you Kent! In addition to all of that it has been beautifully decorated by our very own sister on the fly "trailer whisperer", Kristin Manas. Job well done Kristin! It really speaks to me and I think she has expertly enhanced the classic charm of this Birchwood Beauty!

 These trailers are harder to come by everyday and having one ready to roll usually involves a big investment! A $25 tax deductible chance could win you this piece of nostalgia though!

The only thing to be said here is "classic"! 

I love EVERYTHING about Kristin's selections. In the world of design the ability to enhance something naturally beautiful without overwhelming it is rare! Kristin "gets it"! 

Coffee anyone? 

I had the original ice box in my 1959 Field and Stream and never considered taking it out for a Home Depot refrigerator. A frozen one gallon water jug lasted four days in it! 

Yellow interiors are so sweet and calming! 

I only ask that whoever wins this lets me come by and sit a spell! Follow the link to buy your tickets.


Trailer raffle- photos & link:https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=26bff2

 

 

Learn more about Casting for Recovery http://castingforrecovery.org/

 

 

Learn more about Sisters on the Fly  http://www.sistersonthefly.com/

Objection #4 - I live in a Condo, Apartment, Snooty Neighborhood that won't allow trailers

 

Can't become a girl camper because you can't have a trailer wherever it is that you live? No room in the budget for an RV purchase right now? No problem! While the trailer is a big draw for many women, for me it is just the icing on the cake. If I didn't have one, I would still camp.  It is about the camping and not what you're camping in.  It's about friendship and going places and doing things.

 Morning coffee in camping PJ's is a staple at Girl Camping events. Before you know it, it's noon!

There are many women who camp without owning a trailer. Most campgrounds have cabin rentals and often there is a Girl Camper wannabe willing to share the cost.  There is always the tried and true tent brought to new life and comfort with a woman's touch.

 

 

This cozy set up hardly looks like roughing it to me!

New Jersey Sister on the Fly, Cathy Pennino, is not missing any fun with her sweet set up!




There are also the really brave at heart who don't care what they sleep in as long as they get to come for all the Girl Camper fun and they sleep in their cars! There are also some who come along and stay in a nearby B&B. That's not really camping, but I won't tell if you don't. 

There are many times when women who own campers choose to tent camp or car camp because the drive is too far or they are nearby without their trailers and don't want to back track to get them. Who cares what you are sleeping in as long as you are along for the ride.

 

This looks like a cozy alternative to me. The other option is to not go!

 

Playing dress up and catching up with old friends while making new ones is too big of a draw to miss out on because you don't own a trailer.

Happiness comes in all sizes but you have to go get it! Our ancestors crossed oceans in wooden hulled ships and the Oregon Trail on Prairie Schooners, you can camp in a tent for a weekend!!

 



Look up to the sky. You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down!

Charlie Chaplin

 

 

 I have discovered in my almost ten years camping with these amazing women that attitude is the difference between those who embrace life and those who endure life. I want all the women who think that this looks like fun but there are too many obstacles for them to be able to do it, that adopting a can do attitude will propel you forward. Take one weekend of your year and make some new friends. You don't know what impact it will have on the rest of the things you do!