Adventures of Tin Can Lulu

We went to Jackson Center, Ohio to have work done on Tin Can Lulu. We’ve had an appointment at the Airstream Factory since last September … there is always something that needs to be fixed or replaced. The work is planned to take three days. Gives us time to play and sight see. 

The journey to Ohio takes three days for us. We try to do about 300 to 350 miles per day while hauling the trailer. We traveled I-75 north to Ohio. We are not speed demons on our journeys!

A little excitement on the first night of the trip, Earle was bitten by a dog in the camp ground during our evening walk. Police and animal control were called to report the bite. Animal control impounded the dog, as the owners had no paperwork with them. Forsyth, Georgia health department called (10 days later) to let us know that the dog was out of quarantine and all was good. 

JACKSON CENTER – Airstream built a new trailer factory and a fantastic Heritage Museum. We spent our first day in Ohio touring both. The Heritage Museum focuses on the history of Airstream. The museum is tagged the “Mothership”! 

The first Airstream was built in the 1930’s, as Wally Byam’s (the founder) first wife did not like sleeping on the ground (and neither do we). In the 1930’s there were 400+ travel trailer manufacturers in the US. Airstreams were originally manufactured in California. Airstream was the only manufacturer to survive the Great Depression. During WWII, instead of travel trailers, the company built homes for defense workers in San Diego, since aluminum was a critical war material. After the war Wally began to produce a line of travel trailers and in 1952 moved the factory to Jackson Center Ohio. Innovation has kept this company alive over the decades.

The new factory is 750,000 square feet. It’s huge! Did you know each Airstream has approximately 3000 rivets, 1200 square feet of aluminum on average and 350 hours to complete each trailer? Those are impressive stats for a handmade trailer! 

WACO AIR MUSEUM – The Weaver Aircraft Company (WACO) was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio. Between 1919 and 1947 the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes throughout its history. During WWII the company designed the military trainer and a troop glider called the Waco PT-14. The Army Air Corps bought 14 of these and were used during the war. The WACO aircraft company stopped production in 1965. The museum is a wealth of history about the era of biplanes in Ohio.

NEW BREMAN – we enjoyed a 40 mile tandem ride from Wapakoneta to New Breman. Springtime in Ohio unveils the vastness of the farmlands in the area. The only crops that were out was the springtime wheat. The corn and soybean fields were being prepared for planting.