The First FULL Year of Ownership (1983)

In late January, my antique car friends were planning to go to Daytona Beach, Fl for the car show. I was fortunate to be working with my Dad at our trucking company where it was easy to get a few days off at a moment's notice.

My sister wanted to get away, and with the newly opened Epcot Center at Orlando, it seemed we had a perfect trip planned. We went to FL and had a great time. The weather was non-typical for January. Temps were cold and in the 30's. The day of the car show (always your last day it seems) was warmer and sunny. Made us hate to come back to NC and wintertime. I had a wool jacket, but with the FL humidity, it was the coldest I had ever been.

While at our campground in Daytona, I saw another Avion trailer that had some numbers on it's streetside front corner. I knew there was a club for these Avion trailers, but I knew nothing about it. I saw the owner of the Avion out one day and I inquired about the club. He told me to get in contact with Helen Williams, Executive Secretary of the Avion Travelcade Club. When I got home, I went to the local dealership and secured and application to join the ATC.

My application was processed and by late Feburary, I was a new member with # 11340 assigned as my membership number. Jackie and Orlo Struble were president and sec/treas of the NC Unit. They were planning a spring rally at the fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC for the third weekend of April. I signed up for this event.

Time passed by until it was time to get ready for the spring rally. I had never been to a rally, and didn't know what to expect. There was a kind of initiation ceremony held and my membership numbers were installed on the trailer by Marion Best. There were a few onlookers making sure he got the numbers on the trailer in a straight line. We arrived not knowing anyone, though we really felt we were a part of a nice group of people. Correspondence with Jackie Struble before we arrived had made me feel comfortable about being a "newbie." At the business meeting, we were introduced as the "new members." Plans for the fall rally were announced at this time. This group really gets out and enjoys their Avions. We made plans then to go to the fall rally at Franklin, NC. Fall rallies were always held on the 3rd weekend of September. Rallies were planned so that other state units could rally (hopefully, NOT on the same weekend) and a regional Governor of the ATC could attend several rallies in his region without conflict.

I had never towed into the NC mountains, so I borrowed Dad's 1979 GMC dually to tow the Avion to the fall rally. The timing could not have been more perfect. The leaves were at their fall brilliance peak and we were situated in a lovely valley just outside of Franklin. By this rally, we were getting to know a few people and were "hooked" on the Avion Way of Life. 1983 was a good year.

We made friends with Tom and Doris DeRhodes, Coy and Rhetta Coley, Jackie and Orlo Struble, Marion and Lorene Best, Grady and Mary Holland, Mac and Vera McClenny, Al and Orla Hurt, Charlie and Vinnie Chappell, Frank and Betsy, Lawrence, Bob and Clara Holmes, and daughter Betsy, Alton and Mary-Neil Tarte, Frank and Jan Morris, Clarence and Dorothy Pope, Rupert and Buleau Kincer, Frank Erker, May Beaver, Ida Whisnant, David and Sue Broyles, Clyde and Naomi Byrd, Lewis and Helen Cook, Bob and Athalea Corns just to name a few. These people became our extended family. Our unit news published in the Avion Travelcade News (paper) was our link to staying in touch. We cherished our new friends.

I was asked why I wanted to join a club with so many "OLD" people in it. True, I was 22 years old and most of these people were retired. My response was, I joined the Avion Travelcade Club, not an old folk's club. The trailer and travel were what we had in common. Most of the long time members loved my response. They were only older in years. Their lifestyle was very active.

The next few years, we attended almost all the spring and fall NC state rallies. The ATC also had a winter, summer, and fall Rendezvous for Avioners to rally from all over the US. It was quite a few years before I attended one of those events.

Making the Avion Coach Mine

When the first weekend of ownership came, I was off from work. I still had the little single axle 5th wheel in my possession and I had to transfer all of it's contents to the "new" Avion. It was fun equipping the Avion and readying it for travel. My Avion had a working furnace that my 5th wheel didn't have.
My first trip with the Avion was to Hershey, PA to the fall 1982 antique car show. I had friends that were going, but they left ahead of me. I towed through a terrible night-time thunderstorm. I pulled off I-81 near Roanoke, VA into the rest area. I took a nap and upon waking, the rain was still pouring down. I towed on through the night. I arrived at Hershey to a sunny, cool, damp morning. I paid my parking fees and got set up. It was great to have all the comforts of home in a neat compact Avion trailer. I had running water, propane refrigeration, heated water, and propane heat. The Avion had a Glen-Aire wall furnace with a separate fan blower. The furnace could be operated as a radiant heater. When boon-docking, this was preferable. I needed to conserve the battery for lights and for operating the water pump.

Traveling back to NC with my friends, both of which were in motor homes, we communicated by CB radio. I spent my first night in a rest area on the way back home. The Avion met my expectations and exceeded them in handling, gas mileage, and ease of towing. I was pleased, knowing I had made a good solid investment an an older trailer coach.

Love at First Sight (Avion Style)

For me, I just loved getting out and going places. I had owned a small Shasta trailer (purchased used) and another single axle 5th wheel trailer. I knew that I loved camping and trailers, but when I saw my first Avion sitting at a dealer, I had to inquire.

I was at Apache Camping Center in Dallas, NC on a parts buying mission. Time slips by and I do not know what I was there for, BUT, I do remember inquiring about the stylish, beautiful Avion trailer. It was a shiny, bright aluminum beauty. I knew that it would polish to a mirror shine. I was drawn to it's aluminum and rivets. I looked inside and saw the quality cabinetry, the tight fit and finish. I was just about ready to look for a salesman and inquire, when I heard a voice; "This trailers' already been sold." Shoot, I had just seen my first Avion and I was too late.

There was a dealer in my area. He kept a lot of older trailers on the back lot. Many needed a bit of spit and polish, but had good "bones" about them. Wray Frazier was the dealer in Newton, NC for over 50 years. It was at this dealership where I saw many of the trailers of my dreams. There were Airstreams, Silver Streaks, Streamlines, and Avions, as well as many of the white box models. Wray also had an Avion dealership in the Charlotte area. This is where NEW Avions were sold. Time frame when I saw my first Avion was fall of 1981, IIRC.

Apache Camping Center was on my daily drive home from work. I had my first receiver hitch installed on my full-size Ford Bronco 4 x 4 there. They also did the wiring and the brake controller installation. It was easy for me to look in the lot as I passed by and if something caught my eye, turn around and check it out.

Fast forward to spring of 1982; I saw what looked like an Avion in the lot. It wasn't there the last time I had passed. I stopped in to check out the new arrival. It was an Avion brought in on consignment to be sold for the owner. It was a 1969 25' Avion Voyageur. It had rear bath, center double bed with side vanity, and the front sofa arrangement. It was beautiful and had been well cared for. I asked the price and was shocked to find how much the dealer was really wanting for it. My budget didn't allow for this price point right now. I was after all, only 22 years old.
I continued to look in there all spring and summer long. Fall was fast approaching and the Avion was still there. Was it waiting for me to purchase it? My curiosity got the best of me and I stopped in the dealership again. I very well remembered the asking price of $4300.00 dollars. The salesman told me the owners wanted to get rid of the trailer and had lowered the price to $3300.00. $1000 dollars is a good discount over the springtime asking price. The price was now within my range. I gave him $100 dollars to secure the deal for purchase later in the week.

On a Thursday after work, I drove my Bronco to Apache Camping Center to pick up my dream trailer. It looked so stately sitting there ready to be hitched up to my tow vehicle. This is where I learned that I needed more than just a hitch ball to tow a heavy trailer. The dealership was very helpful in educating me about equalizing hitches. My first tow of the "new to me" Avion, was a great experience. I arrived home near dark and parked the Avion in the back yard, leaving it hitched to my Bronco.