I am sure you have heard this countless times over the past year: the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges on all fronts. Making plans and solving any problems encountered as part of this airstream rebuild was no exception. Add family life matters and “voila!”; Pete’s and Stefanie’s perseverance and determination were key to overcoming any issues that arose during this time.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” — Vince Lombardi Jr.

From a family standpoint, Pete’s dad passed away days before Christmas 2020. While he did not get COVID-19, like so many, many other families, my father-in-law was a victim of the pandemic. He went in for what was thought to be a routine procedure in early November (less than a week following his 86th birthday) and experienced one complication and continual health issues until his death. His Parkinson’s did not help as we had to remind him daily why he was at the hospital. When the hospital had to increase their COVID-19 restrictions again (meaning we could no longer visit him), he passed less than a week later. The “to-do” list of items related to Pete’s dad’s passing made time for the trailer that much more scarce. However, it was a time to reflect on the importance of family and friends and what was important in life.

Back to talking about the Airstream. While Pete and Stef had hoped to bring it home last September, there were a number of issues that cropped up:

• Freak early autumn snowstorm delayed digging out the airstream
• Power feed and wires were disconnected when the airstream was made a semi-permanent fixture on the property
• Tires were rotted, and rims and axle needed replacement
• After much online research, the width and heighth and other issues precluded use of a trailer.

Pete even did a little bit of impromptu handwritten analysis work too (shown below). Geeky?! Yes, but, as I always say, geeks are awesome! I have always loved sitting at the dining room table over food as the kids would discuss anything from math, science or otherwise. And, humor? We always had a lot of laughs. In any case, while the drawings may not be technically correct, you get the idea.

Pete continued more research and managed to find an organization that could spec out a replacement axle. he bought an electric axle that was manufactured by Dexter axles. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 related manufacturing delays, the delivery time for the axle was several months with an ETC and delivery time of October/November. Pete arranged to have the axle delivered to a local Questa automotive repair shop (Northstar Tire & Auto in Questa, NM) with the intent that Pete and Stefanie would return to Questa before Thanksgiving to finally bring the trailer home. With the pandemic and travel restrictions imposed into and out of New Mexico, it would not be until Spring 2021 that our Globetrotter would come home.