Winnebago Tribe

I modified a link on the left to take you to the History page of the Winnebago Indian Tribe. While the tribe has ancestral roots in what is now known as Wisconsin they were moved to Nebraska. Take a minute to check out the tribe that is the namesake of Winnebago Industries.

Why a Winnie?

Fuzzy
Originally uploaded by arc8ect.

The brand Winnebago is similar to Q-Tip. When people talk about a Winnebago they may mean motorhome and not necessarily a real Winnebago. However, when you go to buy a cotton swab you may reach for the Q-Tips first. Brand identification is not the main reason I chose to buy the Winnie.

It's form reeks of classic Americana. It's from a time when people went camping in their motorhomes, they used them to get further afield than they could by plane or train. It was an escape. Now, motorhomes have every possible creature comfort and can command prices over half a million. Well over in some cases. I do not begrudge the manufacturers for responding to their current market. Reason being, there are plenty of classics out there waiting to be rediscovered. For well under five digits you can acquire a beauty such as Missy - fuzzy seat and all - and go where you want to go. Thanks to the quality workmanship and smart engineering of the Winnebago folks I don't have to purchase a brand new motorhome. I have everything I need in Missy.

Missy

Winnie
Originally uploaded by arc8ect.

Meet Missy. This is the Winnebago D-20 that will be used for the adventure. She was named by her previous owner. Actually, the previous owner's wife, to be exact. Turns out that he spent too much time working on the coach and the wife started calling her his mistress, or Missy, for short.

Wanderlust

I've been bitten by it since I was a child. My family would pile into the motorhome and head to the mountains, streams, and valleys to see America. I was glued to the window in perpetual anticipation of what might be around the bend. Before I set foot in Kindergarten I had walked across the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain, saw the corn palace in South Dakota first hand, and had my picture taken in front of Mount Rushmore. An appreciation for travel was now deeply engrained in me.

It has served me well as my travels have since taken me around the world. I've done the whole London, Paris, Rome gig. I've checked out Australia from Melbourne to Perth, and spent some quality time on the south island of New Zealand. Great wines can be found in the Otago region, by the way.

Now that I'm a jaded world traveler hopping from one sky lounge to the next you may be surprised to know that I still long for the simple means of travel that first expanded my horizons. The motorhome. I have therefore purchased and will be slightly restoring a classic 70's Winnebago D-20 to take a summer journey. I will be chronicling the restoration and travels of 'Missy' on this blog. It should be fun.