I was searching for some RV lifestyle footage on YouTube the other day and stumbled across a “historical” Airstream promotional movie. Most would have ignored it and moved on to what they were searching for. Not me, this movie holds special memories for me. You see, my parents and grandparents were Airstream Dealers through the 1960’s and 1970’s. My first paying job as a child was keeping this film playing during a RV show held in the Seattle Coliseum during the late 1960’s. It was a reel to reel movie just under 20 minutes in length. My job was to start it and return 20 minutes later to rewind the film and start it again. Playing this old movie on my computer was like a homecoming of sorts and helped me realize where my love of adventure and boondocking may have originated. The name of the movie is “Building Dreams Is Our Business” with some of the first lines of the film talking about “high adventure” and “faraway places”. Soon a car containing a middle aged couple towing an Airstream drives onto the screen parking their trailer along the shores of a pristine lake. I am quick to notice they are not parked in a campground, but boondocking! Wow, it hit me like a ton of bricks! Had I been predisposed to boondocking in faraway adventurous places as a child? It appears so! Pavlov and his dog would be proud!
Growing up in the RV business, one of the best RVing adventures!
You can watch “Building Dreams Is Our Business” at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4cegxy41Jc
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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