Airstream,
RV Camping
& Travel Tips

Not only does this item not fold or collapse, many would argue that it isn’t a space saver either. But it was too cute to pass up. The Elite 3 in 1 Mini Breakfast Shoppe does triple duty as three appliances rolled into one.

“Oh my god,” I said, when Joanne unlocked the door. “This is amazing.”

“It IS amazing!” she chirped. (I love people who love their things.) “My sister actually started it, back in the 1940s, then she grew up and got married and went oversees and I inherited it. We’ve been here 20 years now.” 

“Here” is a little pink shed at the end of a gravel driveway out behind her house on a residential side street.

I camped with the Vintage Airstream Club for a night before their caravan continued to the Wally Byam Airstream Club International Rally in Salem, and had the delightful opportunity to speak with the interesting CEO of the Northwest Vintage Car and Motorcycle Museum. What drew me in when I passed by the open doorway (I actually exclaimed “wow” to no one) was a gleaming, enormous red tuna boat of a Buick convertible.

I don’t know why I thought I needed the Camco adjustable broom, as I had a very serviceable little mini angle broom that fit perfectly well in the tall wardrobe storage area of the DWR. But I couldn’t resist another foldable gadget. I tried it and I like it…I guess.

I had the honor of shooting the breeze with Janine during Episode 82 about my proud association with the Airstream cult—er, I mean, community—and how, this year, Airstreaming and eclipse chasing will collide in Oregon during the Great American Eclipse in August.

While not meant to be folded (though I guess you could), deFUNKit is a terrific product to take along in a tiny trailer, and has test-earned its place in the “Foldable Favorite” category. You know those items that don’t smell clean even after they come out of the washing machine? (My husband’s cycling jerseys come to mind—as well as my microfiber travel clothes.) DeFUNKit is for handwashing on the go, but also promises “permanent odor control” of your stinkiest garments.

If you’re not into getting blind drunk on a Lake Shasta party barge (no shame in that), Lake Siskiyou Beach & Camp is the better alternative, only five miles from the town of Mount Shasta. At Lake Sis I feel like a kid camping with family during the summer of 1951.

Wisteria is hard to describe. The website explains it as “a special place” in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio. What’s special is not necessarily the 200-plus acres of land, but the people who congregate there. I visited three of my favorite folks in the world—Summer, Eric, and Michael—at Wisteria during a recent work weekend on the property.

Full disclosure: I couldn’t care less about Elvis Presley. But as a dutiful Amurrican tourist, I went to visit Memphis to pay my respects to the King. Staying at the Graceland RV Park in the shadow of Heartbreak Hotel is convenient, and everyone seems to be having fun. Graceland is a happy place—like Pisa in Italy, clogged with souvenirs—where everything is all Elvis all the time.

Texas is a great place. I say that because Texans have talked me into it. Who else has so much state pride? I’ve never been to Amarillo, so I went out of my way to cruise through on my way to Alumapalooza 7.