A large part of the Airstream culture is to meet up with like minded Alumaholics in a field somewhere and exchange tales from a life on the road, swap recipes and suck through one's teeth and cluck disapprovingly at the sight of some poor imbecile towing their trailer with a car, of all things. Tsk. This gathering is known as a Rally.
Bigger Rallies include much music (and singing, probably) and bonhomie around the campfire, weather permitting of course, with organised outings and a whole plan for weekend.
Take it a step up and you can join the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) where very keen people drive with their Airstreams in a convoy, or caravan, vast distances and enjoy gathering each evening in convenient campsites along the way. Much organisation and camaraderie, I think, and almost reminiscent of the pioneer wagon trains, traveling together and forming up in a protective circle each night.
 |
| A caravan of trailers, or as we Brits might say, a convoy of caravans |
The thing is, do I want to be a part of this? Mrs Toad and I are renowned anti-socialites and this sort of activity tends to send us both into a cold sweat even at the very mention of it; could we put ourselves through so much self-inflicted agony?
Well, I know that I don't want to be part of the WBCCI. It does sterling work and I know that many thousands of people get much enjoyment from it, but it's not really very toad friendly. Firstly, it seems to be very hierarchical, with hoards of "officers" who can and do vote themselves privileges not made available to the proles. Secondly, the age structure seems to be weighted very heavily to the older set; not a problem for me normally but on occasion things can be done to the detriment of the younger set, which isn't very smart, really. Then they like you to display your membership number, big and red, on one or both ends of your Airstream, to show that you're a member, naturally, and to identify your trailer in a field of similar trailers. It's not mandatory to display your numbers whilst on the road but when at a rally it is and, being such a contrary toad, I don't really like being told what to do, at least not in my leisure time. Similarly, when at a WBCCI rally, name badges are mandatory as well. Erm, sorry chaps, this sounds too much like something I'd do at work. Finally, there are some cultural issues relating to the over use of plaid shirts, blue berets and country music, but I won't get into that territory; I'd be leaning on an open door, as Terry Wogan used to say.
 |
| Airstream with WBCCI number (red) and Air Forums number (blue). Moosetags is an Air Forums chum and I hope he doesn't mind me using this photo - it was in the public domain, Moosetags! |
Anyway, having denigrated the WBCCI I should say in their defence that they've brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people and those that run the club are mostly unpaid and hard working; it's just not for me, fellas.
So, not joining the WBCCI, can I still rally? Well yes of course I can. There are lots of people out there who can and do organise much less formal rallies and it's to these that I would go, if I could make my mind up about rallying in the first place. The Airstreamers Club (TAC) is a sort of anti-Wally club where rallies are deliberately free form and no one has to wear a name badge, and I have to say that they're very tempting. Unfortunately, someone at TAC has my appointments diary and is hell bent on me not going to any of their rallies. Without fail, every one they have set up for 2012 clashes with something immovable that I'm doing, which must mean that they really don't want me along! There are also Air Forums rallies, again quite tempting, but none that are yet either on a date that I can do or a distance I can achieve in a weekend. There was even the annual Alumapalooza rally at the Airstream factory (known by some, but not by me of course, as "The Mothership"), close and interesting enough to get my eyebrows raised, but I can't make that, either.
It seems then, dear reader, that I probably won't be rallying in the immediate future. I shall drag the Airstream independently of other Aluminium Heads, at least this year, and wonder how many recipes I'd missed out on and whether or not I would have overcome my aversion to country music.
That said, a certain nomadic lady from the Denver area was threatening a rally for those imbeciles that tow with *gasp!* a car. Now that is one rally I would really want to go to, especially as I know that the music would be of the Irish country type!
