Links:
Wally Byam Caravan Club International
Vintage Airstream Club (National)
Rocky Mountain Vintage Airstream Club
Monte Verde RV Park - Angel Fire, New Mexico
Fred's Airstream (Motorhome) Archives
Intermountain Coach - Recommended Colorado Airstream Dealer
Silver-Twinkie.com
Home of "The Silver Twinkie"
The Silver Twinkie is our 1986 Airstream Classic 345 (34 1/2 foot) Motorhome! It isn't one of a kind, but it is certainly rare. As you can see from the photos, this is NOT a trailer. It is completely self-contained, and is basically a 34-foot Limited Trailer on a Chevy P-32 Chassis. It has a 454 V-8, automatic transmission, and really gets with the program. With every improvement we've made, we've loved this coach more. This classic piece of Americana retailed for over $100,000 in 1986, about double what an average single-family home in the Denver Area went for!
We really enjoy everything about this coach, except paying for fuel fill-ups. With an 80-gallon gas tank, M.J. for one just looks away while he fills it (he doesn't want to know!) For those who ask, when we did check, it gets around 7 MPG.
We also have a new addition that will be making its appearances at WBCCI rallies this year (it made it to 2 last year, but before the body work was done.) It's a 1983 Datsun 280 ZX, T-Top, 5-speed. It is setup to tow behind the motorhome, and has been painted silver with red pin striping (WBCCI colors) to match. We've already started calling it "The Silver Dinghy".
Who are we?
We are Mark Rands and M.J. Christensen. Mark has owned "The Silver Twinkie" since 2003. We have been together since 2004, and have been members of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (The Airstream Owners' Camping Club) since 2005. We are life members of the club. Mark is currently Recording Secretary for the Denver, Colorado Unit, and M.J. is the Corresponding Secretary. Mark works for a water district on the backflow program, and M.J. is a full-time student. We also have a home business. We love traveling with our 1986 Airstream 345 Motorhome. It's more luxurious than our house (and in better shape!), and boy does it turn heads!
We are WBCCI member number 2157. This is really cool, as this was Mark's grandparents' WBCCI number in the 1950's through the 80's! It's great to carry on this family tradition!
Why "The Silver Twinkie"?
We know the name is not completely unique, but it does have a good story behind it. In 2004, we were on the road at night in Onawa, Iowa. We stopped to get fuel, and some teenagers cruised by on the main road. They were most probably high on more than life! One of them leaned out the window of their truck and screamed "That's the biggest silver twinkie I've ever seen!" Although also sometimes referred to as "the beast" or even my less flattering names (particularly when M.J. got it stuck in the sand), our Airstream has been called "The Silver Twinkie" ever since.
So what's this site about?
This site is obviously a work in progress, and always will be to some degree. However, expect to see more photos, and even some stories about our adventures with the WBCCI and "The Silver Twinkie."
How can we contact you?
You can contact Mark at "Mark -at- silver-twinkie.com"
You can contact M.J. at "MJ -at- silver-twinkie.com"
Please note that you have to manually enter the @ sign in place of "-at-". This eliminates spambots from getting our addresses from our web site.