April 14, 2014.  The purpose of this particular trip is to celebrate my recent retirement from 34 years of law practice at Alston & Bird, Brad’s retirement from 22 years of active management of the horse board/training operations at our farm in Atlanta (Applewood Farm), and Doris’ 91st dog-birthday.  We are meeting friends from Jackson Hole WYO and Atlanta (plus one “child”) in Zion and Bryce Canyon for a week of Airstream Adventure!  Our WYO friends (Richard and Polly) have their own Airstream and started this particular madness with tales of their travelling toaster.  Our Atlanta friends (Vickie & Rufus, Bill & Mara) are far more sane and have opted to fly to Vegas and rent a 28 foot, fully-provisioned, top-of-the-line, brand new International Airstream from Airstreams 2-Go.  The “child” companion is a gorgeous 20-something with a tent, about whom more will be revealed in later posts.

Brad has lots of rules about the Airstream (which we have named Towed Haul, with thinly veiled reference to the racine mansion in The Wind in the Willows).  Most of his rules relate to electronics and physics.  My only rule is that nothing (except me) is allowed in the machine unless is it light-weight, useful AND cute.  Failure to meet all three is a non-starter.

We were planning to leave on tax day –  make our first offer to the IRS and then get out of Dodge.  But our skillful accountant finished the return early and we decided to leave this afternoon to avoid rush hour traffic.

In my excitement to run one final errand before departure, I was driving Brad’s car down the long winding gravel driveway hoping to get away before Doris saw me leaving.  About half-way down the drive I spotted her racing after me.  I slowed way down, opened the car door and leaned out to yell “Stay!” and I completely fell out of the car!  I sat in the dirt and watched helplessly as the car continued down the road, jumped into the woods and ran smack into a small tree.  Doris caught up to me and licked me all over.  Brad was less enthusiastic, but still pretty forgiving — under the circumstances.

We pulled the Airstream out of the drive at noon in the rain, headed for a small hop to Anniston AL, which is about half way to our originally planned first stop in Tupelo MS.  Two or so hours later we arrived at a KOA campground right off the interstate highway.  This was what I assume to be a typical urban campground, which is completely serviceable but not what I would consider seriously for a “destination wedding.”  It is within walking distance of a mega camping store, so we went shopping for things we may not have thought of needing in the last 227 days.  We got some extra sewer hose (they might not have that in Utah if we get in a pinch) and an extra bamboo cutting board (same rationale).  We spent a surprisingly pleasant night in Towed Haul, but were awakened early (4ish) by an ambulance visiting the camper that is about 6 feet to our left.  We were concerned about how slowly and somberly it loaded a prone person into the back and drove quietly away.  Hummm.

Doris