AIrstream Dream

HUMSAFAR

My AIrstream Dream is approaching.  I capitalize the 'I' because AI helped draft my first itinerary and made it easier to visualize what I was trying to do. I've been blessed with a career that matches my passion with my strengths and with dear and talented colleagues who share my values and care for me and one another.  My bosses have been some of the kindest and smartest people I know.  My current boss was very supportive of this dream when I approached him and helped me work through the details with the CEO to allow me to work remotely and part time and to continue what I love, albeit devoting fewer hours 24 from previous 40, 50,+ per week.

I am very active.  I cycle 4 miles to work most days, walk with my wife, Joyce, every day, hike on weekends, and do a bit of yoga.  But I do not take my health for granted.  Due to an autoimmune condition, my kidneys slowly deteriorated to the point where I was living on a 10th of a kidney (eGFR of 9) after 30 years following diagnosis. Coming from  big and loving family, I had offers of living donors from my siblings and when it was time, I received a beautiful gift of life from my oldest sister, Sue in 2019. My "Donate Life" vanity plates on my Ford F-150 show "GOTSUZ" in gratitude.  The transplant surgeon told me to not expect to feel better, just to feel the same after surgery so as not to be disappointed, but wow, I felt so much better once the surgical recovery period was over.  Much more energy and folks said my color was so much better. Over time, other health concerns happened--reminders of my mortality and frailty.

I'd worked full time my entire career as a Family Physician and, later, Physician Executive in Medical Informatics.  I have three adult children: a teacher/artist daughter, an arborist/artist/musician son, and a physics grad student/musician son.  I've always wanted them to love the outdoors and they do.  Sometimes I think I went to far when I hear of their Mountain biking down Death Road in Bolivia, climbing El Capitan, Ice climbing and paragliding in the Andes.  Hearing about it after the event is easier on my heart! I wanted to spend more 'down time" with them, and with members of my and Joyce's family.

During Covid, Joyce and I rented Travel Trailers and went camping in our beautiful state of Arizona or sometimes in adjoining Utah and Colorado.  For a friend's wedding in Oregon, we rented a Camper Van to take our time and drive across the state.  We loved it!  Our pop up tent trailer we had for decades since our youngest son's birth, was stolen (twice actually--a story for another time). 

I read a NYT article about the Airstream Office--a travel trailer built for remote workers.  That got me thinking!...  I hadn't much thought of an Airstream.  My daughter once said, "Dad you should buy an airstream!" I responded, "who wants to camp in a Bud Light can?"  We stayed at a close friend's house in Show Low.  They were out of town but we were headed there to visit old friends we used to work with. They had a small Airstream in the barn and we took a peek--wow! The sheer engineering captured my physics major heart! Could I arrange to spend an extended time in nature and still do the work I love?

I researched rigs and rented a few more.  Joyce wanted a camper van that she could drive, but I wanted a trailer that would allow me to work and allow her to explore on my workdays.  RV Trader had a mechanism to alert me to when something I was looking for was available.  In my case, a late model 25 ft twin bed Airstream with a back hatch for capturing mountain and ocean breezes.  I watched the market for over a year.  Some were available far away.  One day, a near perfect match showed up in my Southern Arizona back yard (and my truck broke down thwarting a planned trip) and the deal was done. Many of the rigs were being sold after seldom being used.  A not uncommon story was buying them late in life and one party getting ill prior to takeoff.  We haven't taken off yet, so that could still happen to us!  But this further resolved my plan to get outdoors while I still had strength (and balance, flexibility, eyesight, endurance, and reflexes)! Wish me luck!