For the first trip in 2022 we took the Avion truck camper to the Tin Can Tourists 25th Annual Gathering at Camp Dearborn in Milford, MI in May. For this trip we travelled about 800 miles and circumnavigated our first great lake, Lake Erie.
For the drive out we travelled through Canada from our home near Buffalo, NY. Going through Canada can save a couple of hours of driving compared to taking a route that stays in the US, but unfortunately we ended up waiting over two hours at the border in Sarnia because the US only had one Auto/RV lane open and was dealing with a huge jam of trucks. Also unfortunate, it was raining heavily for much of the drive, so we didn't see much on the way but did make a quick stop at an IKEA and we got someTim Hortons coffee during our first time traveling to another country with our Avion. Our F350 and Avion are "paired well" functionally and it's pretty easy to drive on for a trip like this. We did have a near mishap when we noticed that our exterior access panel for the fridge was open and flapping in the breeze along the highway. We pulled over and found that the lock cylinder was completely missing. Luckily duct tape sticks fairly well to damp surfaces and we were able to get back on the road and didn't loose the original door panel.
Every year the TCT Annual Gathering is the largest vintage camper event in this part of the US with about 160 vintage campers of different types in attendance. We've participated in a bunch of TCT rallies in New York state with our 1963 Shasta, but this event had twice as many campers than other rallies that we've been at. This years event was run with paired down activities due to Covid concerns, but we still had a great time and met a lot of interesting people while checking out their amazing campers. If you are interested in vintage campers seek out a Tin Can Tourists event and attend the open house or better yet bring a vintage camper in any condition, you won't regret it!
For the trip home we decided to travel through the US taking it slow. We stopped for lunch at the Toledo Botanical Gardens and spent a night at Findley State Park in Ohio. We also drove through Presque Isle State which was cool to see, but we were really glad it was too early for their busy beach season!
