Those wenches got quite a ride
If one had to make a spelling error, at least this mistake came with a smile.
In last Saturday’s Wheel Life story, “Photographic memories,” about the 1959-60 Capetown to Cairo Airstream caravan, renowned photographer Pete Turner recalled a few of the challenges faced by the people in the 41 travel trailers on that seven-month African trip.
Turner talked about stretches of road where the holes were so deep that they would “jar you almost senseless.”
He was then quoted as saying: “We hit patches that were so rough that the trucks with wenches on the front had to tie onto trees up the way to pull themselves forward.”
In reality, of course, it wasn’t “wenches” on the front of those trucks—it was “winches.”
While my spell-checker skipped right over the error, it wasn’t missed by a number of readers.
• Forrest L. Patton of Spokane wrote in: “As an avid ‘trailerite’ of many years, I read your column faithfully every Saturday. I was particularly interested in the Airstream article for the follow reason.
“I was curious as to why the ‘WENCHES’ were forced to ride on the front of the trucks during the hot dangerous trip across Africa.
“If the Airstream owners were wealthy enough to afford a trip of this magnitude it would seem that room for the ladies to either ride inside the trucks or as a last resort, inside the trailers themselves.
“I realize that Wenches can be somewhat troublesome, but come on, they are people too.”
• Michael Albrich of Clarkston wrote in asking: “I enjoyed your column today, as always. Tell me, just how many wenches did it take to pull the trucks forward?”
• Donald Schaefer of Spokane suggested: “Perhaps if the wenches had just climbed down and pushed, things might have been easier.”
• In Reg Morgan’s e-mail he commented: “When the author said, ‘Africa remains such a constant source of inspiration and renewal,’ I can now see why, and why the trip took so long.”
• Dale Dionne of Spokane waited a day before writing. “Your article about Pete Turner’s Airstream Capetown to Cairo caravan trip was very interesting. But now I have this amusing picture in my mind that I can’t get rid of. Thanks for the laugh and keep the Wheel Lifes coming every Saturday.”
• Pete Turner, the then-25 year-old photographer on the trip, wrote back: “That is really fun to read. Must be some wild women in the trucks.”
Several readers wrote in asking exactly where they could get one of those trucks.
For those of you who missed the article last Saturday, go online to www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/wheellife, then scroll down to the entry on “Capetown to Cairo” and click on the “Photographic memories” link.
Movie time at Airstream
During that seven-month trip, Turner was commissioned by Airstream to take black-and-white photographs and shoot 16 mm movie film to document that incredible trans-Africa journey.
“I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a fine arts degree in still photography,” said Turner from his studio in Wainscott, NY. “When I went out to the westcoast to meet Wally Byam before the trip, I was given a single 30-minute hands-on course in motion picture photography.”
“They gave me a 16 mm Bell and Howell wind-up camera and a number of 100-foot rolls of Kodachrome,” he said. “Whenever we hit a place large enough to have mail service, I would ship back rolls of film.”
A DVD copy of the 50-minute promotional documentary film made of the 18,000-mile trek, narrated by Jose Ferrer, will be shown today at 3 p.m. at the Airstream of Spokane dealership, 1004 N. Park Road in Spokane Valley. The event is free, but call (509) 534-8599 to reserve a seat. Go online to www.spokaneairstream.com.
For additional information
• Airstream’s Web site is www.airstream.com.
• Wally Byam Caravan Club International, the Airstream RV Association, can be reached at www.wbcci.org.
• Learn more about Pete Turner at www.peteturner.com. His book “Pete Turner African Journey” (Graphis Press, 2001) is a collection of breathtaking color images from his five journeys to Africa beginning in 1959 with the Wally Byam Airstream Caravan.
Wheel question
Next week’s Wheel Life will be featuring suggestions for holiday gifts for RVers on the go. We could still use a few inventive, practical or crazy ideas. Just send them in before Monday to juliannec@spokesman.com or call (509) 459-5435 or write to Wheel Life, Spokesman Review, 999 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA 99201.