It was during my college years that I began to appreciate country. There was a dirty hole-in-the-wall called Harry’s Bar where my friends and I liked to congregate and consume excessive amounts of adult beverages. Harry’s was a converted automotive garage, the sort of lovable dump where you could drop a glass beer bottle on a concrete floor and no one would mind. (Seriously!) In addition to the worst billiard tables known to man and random free shots of tequila (personally administered by Harry himself), Harry’s offered a brilliant old school jukebox stocked with your grandfather’s country music. No pretty girl fluffy fluff. We’re talking about grizzled old veterans like Willie Nelson and George Jones. When that jukebox started pumping out the right country tunes, it was magic. There’s something about hearing George Jones singing from a jukebox that, even today, that gives me the uncontrollable urge to guzzle a pitcher of cheap domestic beer.

Then I got married. Although I (sadly?) stopped hanging out at places like Harry’s Bar, I began listening to even more country music. That’s because my wife loves country music. She buys the albums. She watches the awards shows. She knows about all the artists and seems to have memorized the lyrics of all the latest songs. She has increased my aptitude for country and I guess I like it more every year. While I don’t profess to be an expert, I now can distinguish between Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

Funny thing about the Internet – you never know who might be out there reading and watching your stuff. A few months ago, I got an email from this fellow. He wrote, “I’ve been following you guys for a couple of years now. I’m the drummer in the country band Lonestar. Let me know if you are ever near one of our shows and we’ll get together.”

“Hey Kristy,” I said. “I just got an email from this guy in a country band. Do you know Lonestar?”

“Yes!” she replied. “They’re really good!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” she said. “They’ve had a bunch of great songs. Number one hits. Heck, they’ve even got a song that fits with Long Long Honeymoon. It’s called What About Now.”

I did a quick Google check. It was true. Lonestar is a massively successful country band. Over the past twenty years, they’ve carved out a nice career with a series of platinum albums and hit songs. They tour the world. It’s now mandatory law that their #1 song Amazed is played at every wedding in North America.

Then I looked up the guy. His name is Keech Rainwater. Keech is an original member of Lonestar (which with the return of lead singer Richie McDonald has been restored to its original lineup) and has been banging drums for the band for more than two decades. In fact, Lonestar started in 1992, which is right about the time I was slurping tequila at Harry’s Bar.

Next I checked out the song Kristy mentioned. The lyrics were spot on. What About Now is about a couple who finally hits the road for the trip of their lives. Instead of endlessly waiting for someday, they decide to focus on now. “Why should we wait?” the song asks.

Backstage with Lonestar.

Fast forward a couple of months. We checked out the Lonestar tour schedule, and found an appropriate date. I sent Keech a message about the event.

“Just finished a show at an undisclosed location in Asia where we performed for the military,” Keech replied. “Am about to board a 29-hour flight back to Nashville.”

It turns out that Lonestar has a long history of supporting the military, performing shows for troops who are serving far from home.

We agreed on a suitable date. Then on the appointed day, we towed our Airstream to the venue. We met Keech outside the arena and spent a good deal of quality time together.

We arrived early and with Keech's help secured an awesome parking spot for the Airstream.

Sometimes you meet people and you feel an immediate bond. This was one of those times. It turns out that in real life he’s exactly what you’d hope – a down-to-earth, sincere, all around nice person. 

Over the course of a day, we got to know Keech. He hails from Texas, though his home is in Nashville. He’s got a daughter in Canada. When he’s not touring with Lonestar, he’s usually spending time with his daughter. The upshot is that for Keech, travel is truly a way of life.

The subject matter that brought us together, obviously, is our common interest in Airstreams. A few years ago Keech bought a vintage Airstream. He’s currently in the process of renovating it. His plans for the silver bullet extend beyond weekend camping trips. Since he spends so much time traveling anyway, the traditional suburban brick-and-mortar home doesn’t seem to make sense. Instead, he’s thinking about selling his house and pursuing fulltime life on the road.

Hangin' out backstage with Keech and the crew.

In addition to Airstream trailers, we share interests in other obsessions — like filmmaking, cinematography, and quality coffee.

After hanging out with Keech for much of the day, we felt we’d made a new friend. I have a feeling we’ll see him again someday, when his Airstream is a little further along and he’s out there following his latest passions.

This brings me back to that Lonestar song Kristy mentioned. After she told me about the song, I listened to What About Now, and it stuck in my head. Like so many country songs, it tells a story, and it’s an inspiring one.

When’s the best time to pursue your dreams?

What about now?

And that road rolls out like a welcome mat
I don’t know where it goes but it beats where we’re at
We always said someday, somehow
We were gonna get away, gonna blow this town

What about now, how ’bout tonight
Baby for once let’s don’t think twice
Let’s take that spin that never ends
That we’ve been talking about

What about now, why should we wait
We can chase these dreams down the interstate
And be long gone ‘fore the world moves on and makes another round
What about now

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When we’re not camping, I’m one of those people who really enjoys coffee as a daily ritual. Yes, you may call me a coffee geek. It’s more than just an indulgence – it’s a full blown hobby.

Coffee is kind of like cooking and photography – while everyone does it, not everyone does it well. Does that sound snobby? It really shouldn’t. I don’t think it’s snobbish to pursue quality; in fact, these sorts of pursuits make life interesting. And it’s certainly not a money issue. While there may be a few snobs who insist on drinking nothing but $50 cups of cat poop coffee, there’s no reason that quality coffee should be an expensive hobby.

A few years ago I decided to learn the ancient, or actually the modern, secrets of the barista. I bought a fancy Italian espresso machine (Rancilio Silvia) with matching burr grinder (Rancilio Rocky) and started pulling shots. My espresso machine is a full blown manual experience, a little messy and time consuming but also quite satisfying. Like an Airstream, it’s a quality product that’s built to last. Unfortunately it’s too large and unwieldy to take with us on the road.

This is my home coffee rig. It pulls a killer shot of espresso. Unfortunately, it's about the same size as our Airstream and draws more electrical current than the Las Vegas Strip.

If you have acres of space inside your RV, and if you never boondock, then maybe you can go for an electricity suckin’ shot pullin’ Italian stallion of a machine. But inside our Airstream, we measure countertop and storage space in terms of square inches. We’ve been known to go weeks without a hookup. We’ve got to focus on something small. And if it doesn’t require electricity? That’s a bonus.

It probably wouldn't kill me to quit coffee, but why take chances?

You’ll find that creating your own coffee is both more rewarding and more economical than lining up for a hit at the local Starbucks. Even my fancy Italian espresso machine, expensive in the short run, “saves money” over the long haul by delivering restaurant quality espresso at a fraction of the cost. If you are in the habit of shelling out $4 for a grande latte every day, do the math. Although I’m no mathematical genius, the numbers favor prepping your own quality brew at home. By a huge margin.

Good coffee beans need not cost an arm and a leg. At the moment I subscribe via Amazon to Lavazza Qualita Rossa espresso. I get a four-pack at the subscription price of $22 – less than $6 a bag! This is excellent Italian coffee at a reasonable price, and another reason why I love Amazon. Sometimes I use other beans, though I’m fairly loyal to Lavazza when making a “serious” cup of coffee. Lavazza sells a variety of espresso blends that are available in bulk. In addition to Qualita Rossa, I have tried Crema e Gusto, Crema e Aroma, Super Crema, and In Blu. They each produce espresso with unique flavor and character.

"Italy's Favorite Coffee" - buy it in bulk for $6 a bag!

I’ve learned a lot over the years – enough to know that I’m still learning. Again, it’s like photography. You can learn the basics (composition, shutter, aperture) in a day, and then spend the rest of your life in pursuit of excellence. There are many variables that contribute to a great cup of coffee – the bean, the roast, the grind, the water, and the “extraction” process. The one constant is the need for good water. As for the rest, you can change ‘em up to see what suits you.

My goal over time here is to document the various means of making coffee when camping. For our first video, we take a look at the world’s most popular coffee maker. Bialetti has been selling “Moka Pot” coffee makers since 1933 – just a couple of years after Wally Byam started Airstream! They are a staple in every Italian household. If you go to Italy and stay in a B&B, chances are that your morning brew will be made with one of these durable contraptions. Not only do they make a nice cup of espresso (well, it’s technically “almost espresso” because the pot doesn’t create the same pressure as a true espresso maker) but you can buy one on Amazon for a measly $20. See? Good coffee doesn’t need to be expensive.

Italian coffee pots are ideal for camping (even tent camping) because they do not require electricity. They are also quite compact. Our “three cup” version is about the size of a travel coffee mug. The downsides to this approach? First of all, they use some of your propane. Secondly, there’s a bit of mess.

If you want minimal mess, consider this video:

I know what you’re thinking. Instant coffee? Didn’t I just blather on about roast and grind and extraction? What does instant coffee have to do with quality? Admittedly, I am stepping onto treacherous ground here by even suggesting that instant coffee may be worthy of consideration.

Yes, in the past, instant coffees have been rather terrible facsimiles of the real thing.

Yes, it’s probably true that most instant coffees still taste like dirty lawnmower oil.

I love Trader Joe's, but HATE their instant coffee. This horrid nasty stuff is frankly undrinkable. That's why there's mold growing inside this jar.

Nevertheless (and I’m probably destroying my coffee snob credentials here), there are a couple of instant coffees that are surprisingly decent.

The first is Starbucks Via. If you drink Via you retain your snob status because the stuff is more expensive than plutonium. Plus, every package comes equipped with its own stylish Starbucks logo. Via is a weird product – kind of like a practical Ferrari hatchback. You may be inclined to mock it, but you can’t deny that it delivers the goods. I daresay that Starbucks Via would perform well in blind taste tests. This would make a great ad campaign, if Folger’s hadn’t already done it.

A Ferrari FF, aka "the Starbucks Via of automobiles."

Of course there’s an alternative to Via. It costs one-tenth the price and it’s available everywhere…

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The love between men and power tools is well documented. Of course, certain power tools – like the pressure washer – simply bring out the “lower animal” in many men.

When using a pressure washer you get to crank an engine, hold a gun, pull a trigger, and shoot dangerous projectiles. What’s not to like?

Pressure washing walks that fine line between constructive and destructive behavior.

The results of pressure washing can be alluring. As we’ve previously demonstrated, pressure washing can have an astonishing effect on the aluminum skin of an Airstream. There’s no more dramatic way to scrape off whatever gunk and funk has accumulated over time.

Although pressure washing is, dare I say it, a fun activity, it’s also quite dangerous. Obviously, a 2400 PSI stream of concentrated water is powerful enough to slice skin and sinew. Pressure wash injuries are unique, made worse by the possibility of wound contamination. If you are pressure washing with a cleansing substance, you could inject “Mr. Clean” into your bloodstream.

In the case of my own pressure washing injury, on the fateful day in question I was wearing (what else) Crocs. To make matters worse, at the time of the accident I was lying on the roof of our Airstream, and so I had removed my Crocs. When wriggling around on the roof, I pulled the trigger, and the wand whisked past my exposed bare foot. I now have a nice scar to go along with a not-so-thrilling story.

Scene from my upcoming film, "Scarfoot."

So here are a few tips to keep in mind when pressure washing.

1. Dress appropriately. Wear shoes, since your feet are probably most vulnerable to a stray swipe of the pressure washing wand. Gloves are probably a wise idea. Helmets are optional.

2. Choose the right wand tip. You can adjust the power of the wash by changing the tips of your washer (this is true with most washers). I find that the so-called “dirtblaster” is effective, since it gives you a variety of cleaning angles. It also claims to have some sort of “turbo” function (but I think that’s just because men like saying the word “turbo”).

3. Respect the wand. Pressurized water is not only capable of damaging your own fragile flesh, it can also damage whatever you’re attempting to wash. A strong pressure washer will easily gouge wood if you hold it in the same spot for too long. It’s best to move the washer in slow even sweeps. Keep it away from the panel seams of an Airstream or other camper. Keep it away from electronics. (HINT: WATER AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS DO NOT MIX.)

When you get a pressure washer, you probably have certain tasks in mind. But once you’ve nuked the front sidewalk and your brick walls, what’s next? Hey, how about a barbecue grill?

I first heard about pressure washing grills in some long forgotten corner of the Internet. Hey, any excuse to fire up the pressure washer is fine with me.

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My wife has a Barnes & Noble Nook (also a fine e-reader), but I have a Kindle. Amazon makes Kindles in many different varieties that serve different needs and different budgets. Kindles have fixed storage capacities, but even the cheapest current model offers 2GB (enough to store about 1500 books!).

The author's own Kindle DX!

My own Kindle is the Mac Daddy DX version. It features a large 9.7-inch black & white (e-ink) screen that is not backlit. The “e-ink” screen makes it easy on the eyes in all sorts of lighting environments, even bright sunlight.

Overall I love my Kindle DX and its large display. But if there’s a drawback to my model, it’s that the DX is a bit bulky and heavy compared to the standard Kindles. It’s heavier in the hand. It’s also more expensive (thankfully, mine was a generous gift). I don’t think the DX sold particularly well, because Amazon isn’t really promoting it these days. The standard-sized Kindles are where the action is. Once you try one, it’s easy to see why.

A standard 6-inch Kindle.

My mother has two Kindles. One is the 6-inch size and the other (the new Fire model) is 7-inches – about the size of a traditional book. (For you ladies out there, Mom likes these sizes because they easily slip into her purse.) The standard e-ink Kindles are light as a feather and a joy to read. “Sometimes I forget I’m reading my Kindle,” Mom told me, “and I try to physically turn the book page!”

If you want larger text on a standard Kindle, it’s easy to adjust the font size to suit your eyesight. The entry level Kindle lacks a touchscreen, but it costs a mere $79. It weighs less than six ounces; if it was any lighter, it might blow away like paper! So it’s no wonder these amazing devices are selling like hotcakes.

The Kindle Fire tablet.

In addition to the 6-inch e-ink Kindle (a black & white unit that’s just like mine but more portable), Mom also has the new Kindle Fire. The Fire is a more robust tablet that’s comparable in performance to an iPad or Nook Tablet. Its backlit full-color touchscreen isn’t quite as eye-friendly for readers as e-ink, but it does a great job with Facebook, email, web surfing, playing videos, apps, and games like Angry Birds. There’s no camera or GPS, but if you want a reasonably priced tablet, the $199 Fire is the bargain of the year.

What about e-books? It’s my belief that e-readers should lead to a lower cost for books. We all should benefit by the permanent retirement of the “dead tree” delivery method. The end of paper-and-ink printing and distribution should mean better prices for everyone.

Along these lines, we’ve priced my e-book on RV camping (Long Long Honeymoon – Living Large in a Small Tin Can) cheaper than a cup of fancy coffee. For only $2.99, you get a whopping 80,000 word book on RV camping. Not a bad way to start the new year.

So that’s a quick look at the Amazon Kindle.

There are many e-readers available for your purchasing pleasure. One of the most popular rhymes with “book.” Why should I choose to focus on Kindle? Conspiracy theories abound. Am I biased? Have I loaded up our investment portfolio on AMZN? Or am I merely an Amazon fanboy who wears Jeff Bezos pajamas?

Nah. While I may be a bit of an Amazon fanboy, I started with Kindle because Amazon is currently KING KONG of the e-reader world. If recent sales figures are to be believed, Amazon is now perched on a skyscraper high above E-Reader Metropolis with Fay Wray sitting on its lap. Or is that Jeff Bezos in a dress?

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a dress? This is wrong on many levels.

With Kindles selling faster than mouse ears at Disney World, it’s good to be King Kong. But if there’s a pesky swarm of biplanes on the horizon, it’s the Barnes & Noble NOOK.

The author's book on his wife's NOOK.

The Nook is a series of e-reader devices sold by everyone’s favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore behemoth. These range from inexpensive e-ink readers (Nook Simple Touch) to more robust tablets (Nook Color & Nook Tablet). You can buy Nooks online, in 90,000-square-foot bookstores, in shady back alleys, and even in exotic specialty stores like Walmart.

After slugging it out with Amazon, Apple, and Sony for a couple of years, Barnes & Noble has carved out 25% of the e-reader market. I’m not sure whether that share grew or shrank this past retail quarter. But if a Nook tickles your fancy, current market share shouldn’t matter. Nooks are excellent devices and they have garnered a large and dedicated following. In fact, there’s a Nookite in my own family.

NOOK Simple Touch ($99)

About a year ago, my wife was choosing between Kindle and Nook. She chose NOOK. Why?

“I liked that I could check out e-books from our local library on Nook,” she told me, “and it was also easier to lend and borrow books from friends.”

Over the past year, Amazon has made strides by adding these features to Kindle, but her points were well taken. Nook was first to embrace book lending. Amazon arrived late to the party.

“Also,” she added, “I like that Barnes & Noble has real brick-and-mortar bookstores. If I bring my Nook into a store I can read any book for free. Sometimes they offer complementary coffees and that sort of thing to Nook owners.”

A national network of physical bookstores? Free hot beverages? The occasional slice of pumpkin pie? Amazon won’t be adding those benefits anytime soon. Advantage: Nook.

NOOK Tablet ($249)

Another feature of Nook that appeals to the geek in me is the micro SD card slot. The micro SD slot allows owners to easily expand the memory capacity of their Nooks. The only Kindle with such a slot was the first generation unit that Amazon no longer sells. All of the new Kindles have no memory expansion. (Sometimes I think Jeff Bezos graduated from The Steve Jobs School of Dumbing It Down.)

Along these lines, one exciting development in the world of NOOK was the Nook Color. While its full color backlit touchscreen is not as eye-friendly as e-ink screens, it is fantastic for displaying magazines and children’s books. But the real excitement? Nook Color could be “rooted” and converted into an Android tablet. Thousands of people bought and “rooted” Nook Color to Android so they could check Facebook, play Angry Birds, etc. In a way, these hacked Nook tablets paved the way for the Kindle Fire. Of course, now there’s also a fancy $249 Nook Tablet that offers a few spec sheet upgrades over the Kindle Fire.

The Nook Tablet is a premium color ereader. At $249, it’s half the price of the cheapest Apple iPad. It’s also $50 more than Kindle Fire. But it’s loaded with more memory than the Kindle Fire (1GB of RAM which makes it more speedy), allows for capacity expansion via the micro SD slot (only 1GB reserved for user content, but easily expandable up to 32GB), and an integrated microphone. The idea of the microphone is genius – it allows grandparents to narrate books for their grandchildren. Of course, the microphone also begs the question, “How many technology challenged grandparents will ever be able to figure out this feature?”

We could spend all day debating the technical pros and cons of “Nook versus Kindle,” but it strikes me as a “Ford versus Chevy” type of argument. Both camps have their loyal fans. Really, with the exception of the occasional tech failure, I’ve never heard an owner of either device regret their purchasing decision. At the end of the day, either a Nook or a Kindle will get you where you want to go.

You first need to decide exactly what you want to do. In other words, do you mainly want to read books? If so, a true “e ink” device with a black-and-white is what you want. Trust me, these black-and-white readers are fantastic for extended reading sessions. The screens are simply easy on the eyes.

If you want to do Facebook, browse the Web, and so forth, then your choices become more spendy and a little more complex. Or in the case of one option, spendy and simple…

It’s time to address the Godzilla of the e-reader world. Yes, we’re talking about Apple and its iPad tablet. If Amazon is King Kong, Apple is Godzilla. (In this analogy, Nook is Rodan; never underestimate Rodan.) While iPad isn’t a dedicated e-reader, many people use it as such.

NOTE: Images are not to scale (we all know that Godzilla is much larger than King Kong).

It wasn’t so long ago that ol’ Mister Black Turtleneck himself was standing on stage like some sort of Silicon Valley prophet, proudly holding his gleaming metal tablet aloft. The initial response was a collective, “Huh?” On that day Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffered a few snickers at the device’s name, which reminded some of a feminine hygiene product.

A lot has happened since that fateful day in 2010 when Jobs unfurled the iPad to skepticism and derision. It turned out that Jobs was once again right. The iPad became the most popular consumer product since running water. People around the planet bought RVs just so they could more comfortably camp outside Apple stores while waiting to buy the latest model. Apple became more valuable than the Earth itself.

You never know when NOOK might fly into the scene and crash Godzilla's party.

As for Steve Jobs, in 2011 he moved on to that great product launch in the sky. I read the authorized Steve Jobs biography (on my Kindle – sorry, Steve), and learned that he was almost as much a jerk as he was a genius. (I’m being generous by using the word “jerk” instead of a certain alternative.) Jobs had his own way of doing things. His approach worked wonders with technology, but not so great with people. One lesson we might draw from the Steve Jobs tale? Never rely solely on herbal teas and fresh fruit to cure pancreatic cancer.

Steve Jobs at the original iPad product launch. Good times...

In some ways, the iPad represents Steve Jobs’s final genius move on the global computing chessboard. Apple created the tablet market. The iPad has flourished where others have struggled. If you are considering full featured tablets, there’s the iPad and there’s everyone else. Many other tech firms have tried to compete with iPad, and failed spectacularly. Yes, Apple has acted like Godzilla in this tablet space, and has reduced many tech rivals to smoldering ruins. (Hey, anyone want to buy some HP stock?)

My in laws have an iPad and they love it. In fact, I’ve never really heard from anyone who didn’t enjoy the iPad.

The author's father-in-law browsing vintage vehicles on his iPad.

Every iPad comes equipped with an Apple logo; we all know what these logos do to price. The cheapest wifi-only model costs $499. A fully loaded model will cost you $829 (plus a monthly 3G contract with AT&T or Verizon). Even with these prices, iPad benefits from the Apple halo effect. Many consumers happily pony up a few extra hundred dollars to get the Apple gadget, even though cheaper alternatives abound. This is a key reason why Steve Jobs died with 7 billion dollars in the bank.

Apple's iPad 2 ($499 and up) is the Rolls Royce of tablets.

What is an iPad? It’s a 9.7-inch touchscreen equipped with a robust CPU and Apple’s intuitive iOS operating system. It’s kind of like a jumbo iPhone, but without the phone. This is not intended as criticism; the iPad is perhaps the best Internet content consumption device ever created. If you have any familiarity with iPhone, you already know how to use an iPad. It’s brilliantly easy to use. Steve Jobs dubbed the iPad experience “magical,” and who are we to argue? This is the Rolls Royce of tablets. Yes it costs more, but you get a very smooth ride. It does everything quite well. (Everything except play Flash content; Steve Jobs didn’t like Flash, so neither does iPad.)

Like other tablets, iPad really isn’t focused on content creation. Most people don’t go to the Internet to edit HD video or write the next War and Peace. If you want to check email and Facebook, browse websites, and even play a few games, do you really need a physical keyboard and mouse? The iPad has proven that you do not.

The iPad’s large backlit LCD touchscreen does not offer an “E ink” reading experience. For those of us who enjoy reading novels (and labyrinthine Steve Jobs biographies), an iPad is less than optimal. The backlit screen simply strains and tires the eyes after a while. Black-and-white e-ink devices like Kindle and Nook can be read all day long without eye strain. Nevertheless, a lot of people are doing a lot of reading on the iPad. The iPad is wonderful for magazines and the Web, and fine for short bouts of book reading.

The 9.7-inch iPad screen is larger than most of the competing ereaders. The larger size is nice, though it comes at a cost of weight and bulk. If you’re kicking back on the sofa or easy chair and browsing the Web, the iPad is tough to beat. But unlike Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, the iPad isn’t purse ready. Sorry guys, but it probably won’t fit your murse either. It’s thin but it just isn’t as compact and lightweight as the less expensive competition. On the other hand, the build quality of the iPad is excellent. The iPad feels well crafted and solid in your hands.

What about apps? This is where iPad really shines. iPad benefits from Godzilla’s – I mean, Apple’s – massive network of third party developers who are churning out fresh apps on a daily basis. At last count the iPad boasted more than 250,000 separate apps (ranging from games like Angry Birds to social media like Facebook). There’s an app for just about every desire under the sun. And here’s a key point – you can install free Kindle and Nook apps for iPad. So if you want to buy books on Amazon / Barnes & Noble and read them on your iPad via the Kindle / Nook apps, feel free to do so.

At last app count, Android was catching up to Apple quickly via the Android market. But since Apple was the first on the scene with its iTunes apps market, it remains the gold standard.

If you’ve got the coin and want to indulge in a premium full featured tablet, it’s hard to find fault with the iPad. The main criticism these days concerns price, since there are lower cost alternatives available in the form of the Kindle Fire and Nook Color. Some Wall Street analysts have speculated that Apple will unfurl an “iPad Mini” to better compete with these tablets. But I would also state that if your primary goal is reading books (not magazines), the “e ink” screens offered by inexpensive Kindles and Nooks are better suited for this purpose.

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It’s always a bizarre sensation when we return to our brick-and-mortar home after a few months in the Airstream. In the vast world of cavernous recreational vehicles, our Airstream is pretty small. But there’s a strange transition that happens when you adjust to the full-time experience. You get used to it. After a couple weeks of full-timing, you quickly adjust to the new normal.

While this may seem extreme to some, for others a five-month Airstreaming journey is just a warmup. Yes, there are those who travel for even longer periods of time in even smaller rigs. Enter Lani and Chris, a young couple who have traveled for a couple of years in a 23-footer.

This is another couple who decided to push the “work from home” concept to the extreme. Why wait for retirement to travel? If you can work from anywhere, then why not work from anywhere you want? When plotting the course of their telecommuting adventure, they chose between two seemingly dichotomous paths.

“I gave Lani two options,” Chris said. “We could either move to Argentina and experience life in South America, or we could move into an Airstream and see the United States. She chose the Airstream.”

That Argentina was an option validates what I’ve long suspected. The type of person who embraces full-time Airstream travel at a young age is often the same type of person who embraces international travel. It’s a mindset, a thirst for exploration and personal growth. That’s why Kristy and I have featured travel to Guatemala, El Salvador, Argentina, Jamaica, and Europe here on LongLongHoneymoon. Whether we’re camping or not, the motivating spirit is the same.

So, even though they had never spent a single night aboard an Airstream, Lani and Chris bought a 23-footer sight unseen. Next they bought a tow vehicle and tugged it to Florida. After establishing residency in the sunshine state for tax purposes, they ventured out into the country. Their path was not dissimilar to our own, as they took their Airstream west to places like Yellowstone, Banff, and the California redwoods.

Meanwhile, nature took its course when Lani discovered she was with child. At this news, many people might understandably pull the plug on the Airstream experiment. But Lani and Chris followed through, taking their Airstream to New Hampshire to have baby Emerson.

Has life aboard the Airstream always been an easy, blissful, joyous experience? Are you kidding? Any time you pursue an unconventional lifestyle that involves unique challenges, there are going to be some difficult times. A lot of people talk about tiny houses; these guys have been really doing it. Airstreams take the tiny house concept to the limit. At times Kristy and I have space issues with our 25-footer; I can only imagine what it would be like to add a newborn baby into the equation.

In her entertaining blog AluminumBliss.com, Lani has written with honesty and humor about the good days and the not-so-good days. At one juncture after having the baby, Lani wrote, “the Airstream life wasn’t working for me. I needed more than 160 square feet.” This reaction, it must be pointed out, is completely rational.

When I asked Chris and Lani to talk about the impact of Airstream travel upon their relationship, they just looked at me and laughed. Fair enough.

So there have been ups and downs. That’s to be expected. Life aboard an Airstream, just like life while traveling anywhere, remains life. When we seek out new experiences and turn our crazy dreams into reality, we can’t expect perfection. There will always be peaks and valleys. Hopefully the upside more than compensates for the downside. Hopefully we emerge from the experience a little wiser and a lot more satisfied.

A couple of years have passed since Chris and Lani departed on their Airstreaming journey. It’s possible that soon they will turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives. Yes, they probably won’t live the rest of their lives inside a tin can. Guess what? We won’t either.

But they will move forward into the future with the knowledge that they did it. They turned a crazy idea into a viable lifestyle. They persevered and somehow made it work – for years. If they decide to park the Airstream and move on to the next adventure, they can do so with satisfaction. It’s far better to try and know, than to go through life wondering.

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If you walk into any electronics store, you’ll find HDMI cables are expensive, with some selling for $50 or more. Quite frankly, these high-priced HDMI cables are a RIP-OFF.

Do NOT Use HDMI Cables as Mental Floss.

Don’t get suckered into overpaying for an HDMI cable. Digital signals consist of ones and zeros – there’s no discernible difference in signal quality between a $50 cable and a $5 cable. It either works or it doesn’t.

HDMI cables deliver pure digital goodness, but that doesn’t mean they should be expensive. You can buy a nice HDMI cable for less than $5.

If you check out the reputable site Monoprice.com, you can pick up a nice 6-foot cable for $3.56.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

Still too pricey for you? Here’s one on Amazon for $0.70. That’s SEVENTY PENNIES (plus shipping).

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Resolution-Cable-DVI-Gear/dp/B0002L5R78/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1204150160&sr=8-1

Repeat: EXPENSIVE HDMI CABLES ARE A RIP-OFF.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming…

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Okay, things are pretty bad. But they’re not that bad. Recent economic activity resembles a dead dog on a freeway during rush hour, but people are still living their First World lives. It’s only a matter of time before Apple announces the next iPhone. Tell me – how bad can it really be when people are willing to CAMP OUT for a freakin’ phone? In other parts of the world, people are fighting for survival. Here people are fighting for the latest version of Angry Birds. But I digress.

Any way you slice it, the economy stinks – so why not share some money-saving ideas? I’ve always been a big believer in FRUGALITY. Whatever your net worth may be, it will be EVEN GREATER if you know how to use it wisely. Once, as a bearded, smelly twenty-something, I toured several European countries like Austria, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. It cost me about $30. Granted, I came home with a few extra fleas, but I learned how to stretch out a few measly dollars for days at a time.

Sometimes I joke about being a cheapskate. But it’s really not about being “cheap” per se; it’s about being SMART. There’s a word for people who are frivolous with their money. That word is “stupid.”

Let’s start by examining CLUBS. I’m not talking about sipping an Arnold Palmer down at the golf course while wifey takes tennis lessons from the buff young stud. I’m talking about those vast marketing organizations we join that promise to somehow save us money.

First up: COSTCO. Is Costco a “club?” In a sense, yes Costco is a club. You pay an annual membership fee in exchange for a variety of benefits.

I’m a Costco FANATIC. (Full disclosure: I own Costco stock – and even in the current climate, it’s doing okay!) Quality products, great prices, and free food samples – what more do you need? We buy anything and everything at Costco. Costco buyers negotiate excellent prices up front, and then they pass those prices along to members. It’s said that Costco will NEVER mark up an item more than 14% above its own price. Joining Costco, if you have the opportunity, is a no brainer. One big ticket purchase like a TV and your annual membership fee is covered.

What about GOOD SAM CLUB? It all depends. Do you intend to do a LOT of camping in privately owned full hookup campgrounds? If so, it makes sense to join Good Sam Club. We’ve had some good experiences (albeit not our best experiences) at those parks. When we are doing a lot of travel, our Good Sam membership just about covers itself.

Note that some (not all) campgrounds will honor AAA membership discounts as well as Good Sam Club. So if you are a AAA member, you reap some of these discount rewards too.

What about PUBLIC LIBRARIES? These aren’t technically “clubs,” but you pay your membership fees in taxes whether you use them or not. So you might as well use them. These days, a well run library is a source for all sorts of media. In addition to books, you can get movies, music, and Internet – it’s a media moocher’s paradise. Is that what Ben Franklin had in mind?

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There’s nothing lighthearted or fun about severe weather and tornadoes. Those of us who camp are especially vulnerable to twisters. If you plan to do any serious RV camping, sooner or later you will confront this issue. The last time I checked, no RV comes equipped with a basement.

It can happen just about anywhere. One of our most frightening nights of severe weather in our Airstream occurred in Michigan, about a thousand miles north of our Alabama home.

There are a couple of key points to remember with regard to tornado safety.

First, get a weather radio. Ours cost forty bucks, but you can find them for as cheap as $10! ANY weather radio is better than no weather radio. A weather radio will help alert you to any severe weather or natural disaster threats that may exist in your region. It’s not only tornadoes that we’re concerned about. Last year, for example, flash floods killed several campers in Arkansas. In other parts of the country, you may be vulnerable to wildfires. Heck, weather radios even cover man-made threats (riots and so forth).

Second, have an emergency escape plan. When you receive the severe weather alert, you may need to move to a SAFE PLACE. So it’s a good idea to have some knowledge of your community’s (and/or your campground’s) safest nearby shelter. Some places have designated tornado shelters. Others have solid brick buildings (for example, laundrymats) that are at least preferable to campers. Ask the campground staff for recommendations.

If tornadoes are the local threat, consider finding an underground shelter. The recent tornadoes in Alabama have underscored this point: your survival may depend on being in an underground bunker. While this is often not possible, it should be your goal. These huge tornadoes will scrape entire brick houses off the planet; your only hope may be underground or in a fortified storm shelter.

If you want to help the state of Alabama recover from the devastating tornadoes of April 2011, consider making a donation to the American Red Cross — Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 (http://www.redcross.org/)

Goods are also being accepted. Check out Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa (a private effort of citizens helping citizens) on Facebook.

I realize that we all are accosted by requests from charities on a daily basis. With that said, the April 2011 tornado catastrophe is a unique situation, a natural disaster on a massive scale that must be seen to be believed. The state saw a record 362 tornadoes in ONE DAY. Many people have had every material possession taken away. Others have tragically lost friends and family members. Over 250 people lost their lives in Alabama alone. The scope of the damage can hardly be overstated, and recovery is going to be a long haul.

Special thanks to the gang at Cullman Life (CullmanLife.com) for providing video footage of the Cullman tornado.

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Aristocrat Mainliner & a Tin Can Tourist from Sean Michael on Vimeo.

Since this was a vintage show, each car predated the year 1976. There was a nice variety of cars on hand, ranging from an immaculate 1949 MG roadster to a 1960 Corvette to a pair of beautiful 1950s VW Beetles. There were several vintage pickup trucks that looked as if they just rolled off the showroom floor. Amongst all of the shiny mechanical gear, there was one standout vehicle. Yes, we spied a lovely vintage CAMPER resting alongside all of the cars and trucks.

Naturally, my curiosity was piqued. Who brings a camper to a car show? I had to find out. It turns out that Alex, the owner of the 1965 Aristocrat Mainliner, is a kindred spirit in more ways than one. She graciously hosted an open house of sorts, answering questions about her camper. A member of the Tin Can Tourists vintage camping club, she brought the camper to the car show just for fun.

She has owned the camper for about three years, she said. It is in pristine original condition, and for a camper that’s almost FIFTY years old this is no small feat. She bought the camper via eBay from its owners in Salt Lake City; I suspect that dry Utah desert air (along with decades of conscientious ownership) had something to do with preserving the Aristocrat over the years.

If I had to choose one word to describe Alex’s vintage camper, it would be “original.” For the most part, the camper is obviously in its original form. Alex explained that she carefully sought an unmolested example of the brand. In those places where her camper required some restoration and upgrading (for example, the curtains) she made careful period-appropriate selections.

The interior displays a decorator’s touch, with a variety of playful art. One painting celebrates “Hoppy,” the nickname Alex chose for her Aristocrat camper. “That’s the nickname,” Alex explained, “because she just hops along as we travel down the highway.”

Note that Alex’s camper is not a museum piece or a garage queen. She enjoys the Aristocrat in the manner originally intended: CAMPING! She has taken it to Tin Can Tourist rallies. “Hoppy” is a means of exploring the region, meeting people, and getting more out of life.

After speaking with Alex for a bit, we discovered that we share several common interests. In addition to enthusiasm for vintage vehicles and camping, we both are passionate about video. (Making quality video is kind of like making blood sausage, but a few of us sickos actually enjoy the process.) Alex has done a lot of work with television, while Kristy and I have had a few brief interludes with HGTV and the Travel Channel.

“I wasn’t sure about bringing this camper to a vintage car show,” Alex said, “but you never know who you’re going to meet.”

Indeed. That’s the spirit that makes events like vintage car shows and camping rallies tick. It all goes back to that phrase adopted by the Porsche Club: IT’S THE PEOPLE.

Sure, Kristy and I are Airstream enthusiasts. We’re also RV enthusiasts, vintage camping enthusiasts, car enthusiasts, and motorcycle enthusiasts. It’s more about mindset than it is the product or lifestyle in question. We’re enthusiasts of cool people and the fun activities they pursue.

From the guy who lovingly restored his workhorse 1970 Chevy pickup truck (winning the “best paint” award in the process) to Alex and her fantastic 1965 Aristocrat Mainliner – it’s always rewarding to meet kindred spirits.

Special thanks to Alex Alexander for sharing “Hoppy” with the rest of us.

Selling books out of the trunk of a car - LITERALLY!

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Thus, one of the dilemmas of full-time RV travel: how to handle the daily influx of paper documents demanding our money?

Those of us who forego a fixed brick-and-mortar address entirely (and truly live full-time board the RV) encounter a certain set of issues. The upshot is that you’ve gotta pick a fixed address SOMEWHERE. Many full-time RV travelers obtain a P.O. Box in South Dakota (to take advantage of that state’s relatively generous laws regarding residency, taxes, and so forth).

Those of us who maintain our brick-and-mortar address while traveling face different issues. After a lengthy camping sojourn, we risk returning home to a mountain of envelopes. While we’re chasing moose in Montana, all of that mail is piling up back home.

A helpful YouTube comment (thanks MarthaNYC!) alerted me to the UPS option. Just about every substantial town in America (give or take a few towns) has a UPS Store. These are privately run franchises that are affiliated with a pretty fantastic shipping company: United Parcel Service. You can tackle all sorts of tasks at a UPS store, from shipping to general office jobs like copying and faxing. But what’s of special interest to RV travelers is the ability to RECEIVE mail. Yes, you can rent your own mailbox at your local UPS Store.

There are several benefits to choosing a mailbox at UPS vis-a-vis a post office. These are discussed in the video.

Some others are detailed in the following brochure. I scanned this image for you to peruse.

Click the image to see the full brochure detailing benefits of UPS Store mailboxes, courtesy of The UPS Store.

What I like best is the personal service aspect. With a UPS Store, I would proceed with a feeling of confidence that phone calls would be answered by actual human beings who would care about my satisfaction. That’s worth a lot.

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