Posts Tagged "Illinois"

What’s Our Vector, Victor?

Posted on Jul 9, 2011 in Airstream, Featured, Places, Stories | 6 comments

What’s Our Vector, Victor?

So this is the last night of my three-week stay at Cushing Field, a grass airstrip on the outskirts of Chicago airspace. Why park the Airstream at a grass airstrip for three weeks? Well, they let me stay here as long as I rent an airplane every so often. I think I can handle that. Along with the obligatory refresher of take-offs and landings, and the scenic tours of the Illinois Valley with an occasional passenger, I did two pretty cool things during this stay at Cushing. I have always wanted to take my golf clubs in the airplane and find an airport right next to a golf course. So I did it!...

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Six-Zero-One Charlie Foxtrot

Posted on Jul 31, 2010 in Airstream, Places | 1 comment

Six-Zero-One Charlie Foxtrot

I finally got a chance to try out that new pilot’s license at a hidden gem of an airport just outside Chicago. The locals call it Cushing Field; I call it heaven. It doesn’t have a control tower. It doesn’t have jets waiting in line. It isn’t surrounded by congested airspace. It doesn’t even have pavement. It is just a grass airstrip out in the country with genuine pilots hanging out there each and every day. I loved it! In fact, I loved it so much, I parked right next to the runway, plugged in to the flight school electricity, and stayed a couple weeks. In...

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Mayberry

Posted on May 30, 2009 in Airstream, Note | 4 comments

After another night at a Wal-Mart parking lot in South Bend, Indiana, I found a real house with a real bed and a real shower. I ended up staying all week with friends in Western Springs (a.k.a. “Mayberry”), a suburb of Chicago. We even got permission from “Barney Fife” to leave the Airstream parked on the street overnight. Thanks to all the people who stopped by to see a tour. There is an open invitation for anyone I met in Western Springs to come visit me on the road! I needed to come back through Chicago, yet again, to get the stabilizer fixed (learn more about this...

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Pit Stop

Posted on May 19, 2009 in Airstream, Note | 0 comments

I came back through Chicago to check in at the Viewpoints office and get some repairs made at the Airstream dealership. It was a very successful trip. I drove the Airstream right down to 444 N Wells to show everyone my new home. I would have stayed longer, but the friendly Chicago parking brigade threatened to tow and ticket me if I didn’t leave immediately. Then it was off to Joliet to fix the handful of issues from the trip out to Connecticut. The Touareg had a blown fuse (near the passenger-side door if anyone else happens to be searching for the 12-volt tow accessory fuse), so that...

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Passing Grades

Posted on May 15, 2009 in Airstream, Campgrounds, People | 6 comments

Well, I successfully made it from Chicago to New Haven, CT! After one denial to stay at a Wal-Mart parking lot (the toothless workers freaked me out anyway), one night in a rest stop off I-84 (right next to the State Police), and one night in a park surrounded by mobile homes (again, toothless neighbors), I am so glad to finally have a quiet and scenic spot at Hammonasset Beach State Park. This is my first self-sufficient multi-night stay (i.e. no electric hookup, no city water, and no sewer). It will be a great test to see how long the tanks and batteries will last! Another little test was...

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St. Louis – Uhhh, Wait – Galena, Here We Come!

Posted on May 2, 2009 in Airstream, Campgrounds | 2 comments

The beauty of this whole adventure is the ability to change plans on the fly. With the weather in St. Louis not cooperating at all, we changed our destination to Galena, IL. After a late start from Chicago and surprisingly bad traffic, we didn’t pull into Galena until well after dark. And, with all the pull-through spots taken, I was forced to back into our spot (without scaring too many of the neighbors). Thank you, Kim and Max, for acting as human guideposts! Other than an embarrassingly noisy hitch, everything has gone rather smoothly. Seriously, I have to do something about that...

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Tested the Waters, Literally

Posted on Apr 29, 2009 in Airstream, Campgrounds | 5 comments

It is getting close to my departure date, so I figured it was about time to actually spend some trial time in the Airstream. I successfully made it through two days and one stormy night in my new aluminum home; parked in a campground just outside Joliet, IL. I didn’t think it would ever stop raining, but everything (and everyone) held up just fine. Talk about crazy weather for my first night in it! Even the Touareg is all wired up and ready to go. Steve at US Adventure RV is the man! I got the chance to hook it up myself and take everything out for a test drive (with adult supervision,...

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