Airstream,
RV Camping
& Travel Tips

Alumapalooza has grown into a sprawling event that reaches from the new Airstream factory under construction at one end of Jackson Center, Ohio, to the other side of town near WBCCI headquarters. I’m glad I was Airstreaming with my URB-E foldable electric scooter at Alumapalooza 10.

Ralph ordered a new bike to arrive just in time to take on the road trip. He chose a Tikit from the many Bike Friday models because it folded down the smallest and quickest.

Back up. Why a folding bike? Commuters ride them into work and park them under their office desks. Cycle tourists stuff them into a special suitcase (that converts to a luggage trailer), check them on airplanes, and ride around Europe. Ralph slips his into the pouch it comes with and the Tikit travels from campsite to campsite on the bed of the DWR or on the backseat of the tow vehicle. He pops it out whenever the scenery or the mood strikes him to ride.

Ralph’s inflatable pontoon weighs about 40 pounds, fits in the trunk of his tiny Audi TT, and requires only a few minutes to inflate, affix the oars, and put in.

You can outfit it with a motor but “it’s fun to row and good exercise,” says Ralph. “Though it’s a bitch to fish out of.”

The delux package includes the boat, inflatable seat, foot pump (though a pump that runs off your vehicle cigarette lighter makes life much easier), set of oars, stow pouch and storage bag.