Irene Rawlings - Sisters on the Fly: Caravans, Campfires, and Tales from the Road

The Clothesline

Portable Houses

Sisters on the Fly copyright 2010 Irene Rawlings. All rights reserved. Printed in China. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. For information, write Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

E-ISBN: 978-1-4494-0034-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009943087
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Book design by Holly Ogden

Cover design by Michelle Farinella

Cover photo by Audrey Hall

Author photo by David Foxhoven

A TTENTION : S CHOOLS AND B USINESSES
Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please write to: Special Sales Department, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

For the amazing Mazie. We all want to be just like you!

ONE
How It All Began

TWO
Buying and Restoring a Vintage Trailer

THREE
Trailer Decor, Inside and Out

FOUR
On the Road

FIVE
What to Take Along

SIX
How We Get Together

SEVEN
The Joys of Sisterhood

EIGHT
Around the Campfire

NINE
Fish Stories

TEN
Camping Collectibles

ELEVEN
Cowgirl Crafts

TWELVE
Stories and Songs

THIRTEEN
Resources

SISTERS ON THE FLY

Pretty Indian ponies run gracefully along the side of Pretty Shield, Maurrie Sussmans 1943 Franklin, the largest of her trailers.

ONE

D uring the golden age of trailer travel, from the 1930s to the 1960s, Americans found it easier than ever to get away from it all while taking all the comforts of home with them. A new type of vacation was born that combined the adventure and economy of camping without the need to really rough it.

In the next four decades, however, people began traveling almost exclusively by plane, overflying the national parks and roadside attractions that were a part of their childhood memories. At the same time, motor campers became more utilitarian but less interesting, as wood and aluminum gave way to molded plastic and vinyl.