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The 4th annual Spring California VAC Rally was held this year in a location that very few are familiar with, yet is "old California" through and through. The California Delta is situated just east of the San Francisco where the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers meet. Off the beaten path, not near any freeway routes, the area remains uncrowded and unchanged. Small river towns, farms and old-fashioned riverside resorts give the area a setting perfect for a gathering of vintage trailers from the forties through early 1970's.

Sunrise from the camp (Jim Foster Photo)

This is where the 56 Airstreams and vintage trailers met in mid April at the Snug Harbor Resort on Ryer Island near the small town of Rio Vista. Ryer Island is surrounded all sides by the Sacramento River and its Sloughs, and is reached by either car ferry from the south and east or and an old narrow bridge from the north. Those with small trailers could use the ferries, with the longer trailers taking the longer route via the bridge. The resort itself was a throwback to the motor court era of the mid century, with simple accommodations and laid-back ambiance.

In attendance were a large number of first time rally attendees and families. The mean age of the attendees is also dropping, owing to the popularity of older Airstream ownership with younger couples and budget conscious families. With much of the rally activity taking place on Friday & Saturday, some came up for the weekend, allowing those with weekday commitments to attend. This years' event was once again organized by Tom Toedter and Lorin Dewees. This duo has the process down to a science, which results in a smooth running rally, with just the right amount of events to engage the diverse range of participants while still allowing the creation of individual agendas.

With an area so rich in "things to do", keeping busy was not a problem. As is customary, some central events were arranged, including a private tour on Thursday of the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista. Highlights included a 5 mile round trip excursion in restored electric Interurban train coaches and trolleys through the wildflower covered hills. There was even a vintage Airstream sighting from the trains...

Friday brought the opportunity to follow local resident and VAC member Jim Foster on a driving (& walking) tour of the old river and farming towns of the area, including Isleton and Locke. In the old Chinese town of Locke, the VAC group was treated to a personal narrative by longtime resident & mayor Ping Lee. Lunch was at the floating restaurant of Wimpy's. Strong Delta winds scuttled the planned canoe/kayak trip up Mokelumne Slough, but a few adventurous souls went off exploring the backwaters of the Delta anyway.

Friday night's Potluck Dinner brought out an amazing selection of great eats, proving that one can cook well in a travel trailer - even a vintage one. Later that night, a restored copy of the early 1960's documentary 'Capetown to Cairo' was shown, an Airstream epic from a more simple time. The dated dialog and pre-political correctness were a great hit with the crowd, as were the Airstreams in peril.

The Open House is always the highlight of a VAC rally, and this one was no exception. Many people decorate their trailer interiors, and exteriors, in the era. Some even dress the part. This year, even Wally and Stella Byam paid a visit (a.k.a. Craig & Patti Holroyd). Between the hours of 10am and 3pm, the entire campground was awash with happy campers checking out the great selection of trailers available to browse. Many times it looked like Trick or Treat gone awry, with adults armed with cameras and vintage paraphernalia walking from trailer to trailer. Due to local advertising and newspaper reports, there were many non VAC-ERs who came just to see the trailers, as well as a Ford T-Bird car club.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

This year the examples ranged from basket cases purchased just the month prior, to fully restored examples, to a fully custom modern-like renovation. Ages of trailers ran from a very beautiful, and original 1936 Clipper courtesy of Vince Martinico, to a restored 1948 WeeWind setup as a vintage camp courtesy of Paul Farley and Vanessa Chadwick. Later models included 11 Airstreams from the 1950's, 29 from the 1960's and the rest "newer" 1970's trailers, including 4 Argosy trailers and motorhomes. Add to this Airstream look-alikes 1950's Curtiss-Wrights and an all wood interior 1950 Vagabond. One could compare all the eras.

What has become a tradition at rallies organized by Lorin and Tom, the rally culminated in a large Barbeque for all attendees. Lorin, a commercial chef, orchestrated the event using volunteers. The event came off rather well considering the gale force winds that came up that evening. The winds continued on into the evening, which unfortunately limited attendance to the "Vintage Airstream Camper" sing-along session prepared by Ken Jackson. Ken created a "Vintage Airstream" song book, featuring traditional (& not so traditional) campfire songs, including one he composed especially for the VAC.

As luck would have it, Sunday morning, departure day brought beautiful weather once again. This enticed many to stay "one extra day", and linger in the Delta, because to leave would be to step back into the year 2002 again. At least for a little while it was 1959 again.....

Click on any Image to Enlarge

For Additional Snug Harbor Rally Photos, please visit the:

Snug Harbor Scrapbook Slideshow...

...a 360 degree panoramic view of the potluck...

-use your mouse to pan-

(courtesy Jim Foster)

Requires QuckTime

and a great little Rally Movie.

(Courtesy Tim Shephard)

Our Hosts, Tom Toedter & Lorin Dewees (being toasted by Paul Drag)

 

Photos by Debbie Smith, John Semon, RJ Dial & Jim Foster

Melon carving by Robert Stephan

Silhouette by Ken Jackson

Prepared by RJ Dial - All Rights Reserved - 2002

A pre sign-up sheet was passed around for the Fall VAC rally scheduled for October at Santa Maria, California. To increase the number of spots available, this event will be an old WBCCI Caravan style wagon-wheel event. More information is available on the VAC website and the Vintage Advantage newsletter.

If you are interested in hosting a future VAC rally, or would like to volunteer to help out at or prepare for upcoming rallies, please visit the Rally Information Page