Meet Bertha!

Bertha is a 1972 twin axle Airstream Safari and, as of last week, she's officially mine!

Scott and I will be picking her up very soon - maybe as early as this weekend.

A few things we know need immediate attention - stabilizers and front step are locked up, so we'll be bringing a can of BP Blaster with us, as well as a grinder in case the stabilizers need to be removed by force. Front rock guard is coming off its hinges. We'll either remove it for the drive home or, if possible, rivet it back in place. Tires look good and are only a couple of years old, so we're hoping they'll go 2.5 hrs without issue, but we'll be ordering new axles, new rims, and new tires as soon as we get Bertha settled in at her new home.

Bathroom will need some attention for sure. Bertha definitely needs a new black water tank, and who knows what we'll find (or what will break) when we dig into that repair. My in-laws have a brand new toilet that they never installed in their camper, so that will be taking place of the original.

You can't see it in this picture, but there is an ugly repair in the bottom of that sink, and given the sink is made of 1970s ABS plastic, I highly expect we'll be replacing it with a new stainless steel corner unit from Vintage Airstream Supply.

I think we're going to opt for the twin sleeping option, so those practically new gauchos are going be on the market soon! Finding good matresses to fit in the available space isn't going to be cheap (33 x 76 is a custom size), so we'll probably be sleeping on Thermarests in those spots for a while. Scott would like to figure out a way to use our camping cots (which are super comfy), but I think they're too long and I'm not sure I'll like the look.

Front guacho is probably going to become a temporary couch in our tiny house, 'cause I see two comfy Euro recliners fitting in that space nicely! Carpet will be one of the first things to go and will be replaced with sheet vinyl, linolium, or a floating PVC floor. So many things to do!

Original Magic Chef stove could use a good cleaning, but it probably works fine and most likely will remain in place. Original Dometic refrigerator (not pictured) looks like a goner, but we'll check it out when we get Bertha home. If the fridge is beyond help, my in-laws have a mid-1980s Norcold that should fit in its space. It needs work too but doesn't look as hopeless. The in-laws have a spare Magic Chef too that may end up in the tiny house if we don't need it in the camper.

See you soon Bertha!!