Breck: The Mecca of vintage Airstreams

Most daughters wouldn’t consider an old Airstream — which, to some, look like an aluminum-wrapped baked potato rolling down the street — an esteemed wedding gift. But that’s exactly what the Emerick’s have promised to both of their daughters when they marry.

“We gotta draw them into the club,” said Ed Emerick, from Appleton, Wis.

Emerick is president of the Vintage Airstream Club, a group of approximately 900 free-spirited lovers of Airstreams: an American icon. The seventh annual Rocky Mountain Rally, at Tiger Run in Breckenridge, sold out of its 70 spots in March. It’s one of the most popular rallies in the nation, next to the international, Emerick said, and it’s coming July 27 through Aug. 1.

The Emerick’s love of vintage Airstreams started when Sandy Emerick mentioned to her husband, Ed, that she’d like to buy an old Airstream and travel when they retire. But then she thought, “Why wait?”

They placed a want ad in the paper and were soon the proud owners of a 1961, leaky aluminum box, complete with pink kitchen appliances. (In fact, it was the pink appliances that won Sandy’s heart).

The Emerick’s didn’t know anything about Airstreams, or wiring, and they were afraid to turn the oven on to see if it worked. They looked for a mechanic to help, but no one seemed to know much, so they ventured off on their own. Armed with a fire extinguisher, they cautiously turned on the oven — and it worked. Which made up for the leaky water system, the broken hot water tank and the shag carpet.

Soon, buying, restoring and traveling in Airstreams became a lifestyle for the Emerick’s. They sold the first one and bought a 1959 for $2,000, throwing in $11,000 to fix it up. When they first saw it, it was full of mouse waste, and it needed rewiring, new insulation and plenty of exterior work. But they took it home anyway.

“Once you get the sickness, you just keep going,” Sandy Emerick said.

Now Ed Emerick estimates it’s worth $25,000 to $28,000. They also own a 1968, which they’ll bring to Breckenridge. He paid $5,500 for it and invested $10,000 in upgrades.

The rally draws travelers from as far west as California, as far east as Georgia, as far north as Wisconsin, and everywhere in-between.

“You meet the most eccentric people you’ll ever meet in your life — all kinds of incomes — from pipe fitters to people with PhDs, and they all have their own story,” Ed Emerick said.

They meet to stroll among the vintage trailers aglow with awning lights, to peek into people’s tiny living rooms, to share tips on repairing Airstreams and finding parts, and to simply gather with friends.

Workshops include “advanced polishing 202,” and suppers include the “Ten Mile Chili Dump,” where everyone dumps their favorite chili recipe into a community cauldron, which they stir and serve. There’s also a swamp meet to sell vintage trailer and camping gear and a power point review of Airstream trailer development encompassing 1947 to 1951.

The Vintage Airstream Club is a less formal offshoot of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International, which still hosts formal balls for officers, with dinner jackets required.
But in Breck, you’re more apt to see younger enthusiasts hanging out in Hawaiian shirts, trying to figure out the best way to romantically wrap an Airstream to present to their new son-in-laws. ≈

Antique Airstream Club rides into Breck

The seventh annual Rocky Mountain Rally will be Friday, July 27th to Wednesday, Aug. 1 at the Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckenridge.

The website is www.rmvac.org.