Blogging in Aluminum

One night camping at Pyramid Lake with friends brought unexpected weather and memories

We arrived at Pyramid Lake with Eric (sorry Eric, I HAD to, heh-heh!) acting as welcoming party on one of his "golf-trikes" with a beaming smile and cocktail in hand. We navigated down the washboard road under a sunny and cloudless sky as our navigator led the way to our weekend home.

Pyramid Lake is located in the northern Nevadan desert about 40 minutes north of Reno. It is a literal oasis of sorts full of cut throat trout and beautiful stark vistas. The lake is fed via the Truckee river which feeds from Lake Tahoe and boasts waters that are almost as clear.  If you get the chance and find yourself on a camping, rving, airstreaming trip in this area, this is "must do".  The lake and it’s surrounding areas are part of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation owned by the Northern Paiute. 

Upon arriving at camp and setting up we were treated to one of the coolest storms I have experienced rolling in over the Sierras and then directly over the lake.  The storm brought with it a full evening of lightning, booming (understatement really) thunder and a truly magnificent sunset that was more spectacular then many I have seen at Lake Tahoe (not a small statement).  As the sun set behind the mountains the clouds from the storm morphed into giant red, orange and pink blankets that produced a vertical band of rainbow just above the mountains and lake.  (I have provided the best photo we could capture in the above slideshow.) Eric and Tracy rolled out their hibachi grill and fired up the burgers and dogs so we could sit by the campfire and enjoy dinner and the view.  Well, the storm proved to be much stronger and fierce then we had planned for and so we found all six of us huddled in their trailer laughing, eating and listening to the wind and thunder roll into camp.

The end of the night found the four of us (Roman, Eric, Tracy and myself) sitting in our Airstream with the lights turned off watching the storm turn and twist it’s way over us.  Lightning cracked and thundered over our heads and the dark clouds shifted as talk turned from every direction (even politics!) and set a mood of excitement and contentment.  Camping with friends truely brings life all together and it helps us remember to take the time to talk, listen, laugh until your stomach hurts all under the unpredicatabilty of nature’s surprises. 

If you can’t make it all the way out to Jackson Center, Ohio (home of the Airstream) then at least you can sit back and enjoy this little snippet provided for addicts like me by Discovery Channel’s "How it’s Made" cable show.

Life has been kind of hectic for the last 6 months, oh who am I kidding when isn’t it?! We finished the building project next to our house and now all of that lovely extra Airstream parking is gone and so are my dreams of having a little mini Airstream park / museum next door. But we did gain some great neighbors who I just might convert into Airstreamers, and I WILL try.

All winter we had the ‘08 parked at a friends house during the final phases of construction so I kind of let life pass by without a hope of camping anytime soon. Months and weeks just rolled by and before I knew it… it had been four months since we had done any proper camping, we didn’t even sit inside and watch a movie in the driveway.  I was feeling like an imposter Airstreamer, just one those people who do not really do anything with their trailer, other than show it off occasionally.  WBCCI was  probably going to call any minute asking me to turn in our numbers and revoke our membership, I was too ashamed to blog about something I didn’t really do and then…  I arrived home last Thursday night from a week-long class in Sacramento tired and wanting a good hot shower, I had every intention on staking a spot in our big bed with some hot tea and calling it an early night when Roman told me he had a good idea (he has them on occasion).  He briefly mentioned that we should go camping that weekend and spend our birthdays (our birthdays are a day apart) in the Airsteam.  WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO!!!  Without much convincing my fatigue was gone and I was already in planning mode. 

The Airstream trailer meets the Mini Cooper I for one love the design aspect of this and having owned five airstream travel trailers I love the idea of taking your life on the road and getting interactive with new places. The concept is a mobile and very design-y surf shack.  The Republic of Fritz Hansen, teamed up with Mini Cooper and Airstream to create the ultimate 21st century surf-camp-trailer, I know Roman will love this as soon as he wakes up The concept design will be displayed at the Milan Furniture Fair beginning April 21. Perhaps a mini cooper is not the best tow vehicle but I hardly think this is what this particular Airstream was imagined for. I have a feeling we are meant to enjoy the timelessness of the design and smile. I know I did.