Yesterday in Plattsburgh, NY, we picked up the Airstream at Colin Hyde Trailer Restoration, where it spent a pleasant winter and early spring (though it’s still winter in Plattsburgh, brr). Colin has expanded his shop – it’s huge – there were at least 15 trailers inside, as many outside, and a newly acquired forklift. We spent about 3 1/2 hours there, reviewing all that had been done, admiring the work, chatting with and watching the crew.

Sam (at left in the pic, looking up full-timing websites for us), who works in the shop, but lives in his Airstream and has travelled the country, gave us a few tips, philosophical and practical for life on the road: if you don’t like the guy next to you, you can leave; if your trailer is polished, it might look nice, but you won’t meet as many people–they’ll be too intimidated to approach. Also: picking up some part time work is a great way to get out of tourist mode; it’s impossible to hate any job you’re gonna have for only two weeks. The RV world may seem weird from the outside, but once you are in it, it’s normal.

We made it home by 11:30pm, safe and sound, after a delicious lunch in Lewis, NY at the Lewis Family Cafe which is a part of the Betty Beaver truck stop. Our waitress told us Betty was an early pioneer for women in the trucking industry. Don’t know about the beaver.

Driving through NY was a bit harrowing, though the horn was honked once, in Paramus, NJ. Thanks to the gang behind the Serial podcasts for making the time go by quickly.