PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY
60+ ACTIVE LIVING STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN
Mike & Cheryl Sisk ntrepreneur Wally Byam is noted for saying, in 1916, “Don’t live in the past or future… Make history.” It’s a philosophy he has helped many people realize with the recreational vehicle he invented known as the Airstream. That iconic invention that looks like a fast-food burrito wrapped in aluminum foil can often be seen rolling down the road in the Midwest during the summer, and in warmer spots during the winter. One of those aluminum RVs is the source of pride, and memories, for Omahans Mike and Cheryl Sisk. The couple are members of the local Nebraska Airstream Club, and frequently travel with fellow club members to rallies, campouts, and festivals. Mike and Cheryl have taken their 2002 Airstream to the Canadian Rockies and Arizona, and have met hundreds of enthusiasts of these classic RVs. “My parents were Airstreamers,” said Mike, although, at age 70, he did not grow up traveling by Airstream. His parents started this hobby in the late 1970s. “We did go camping when we were growing up. I’ve met some of the folks my parents Airstreamed with.” Mike and Cheryl, age 69, took their two daughters camping in non-Airstreams when they were girls, and upon retiring in 2010, the couple returned to their hobby of traveling and camping. Their friends, however, did not enjoy camping nearly as much as the Sisks. The couple joined the Nebraska Airstream club and found the members to be kindred spirits.
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The Sisks bought a 1992 34-foot Airstream in April 2013 from a friend of Mike’s parents in Arizona. A hailstorm dented it within two weeks, and the aluminum RV was ruined. The couple bought a 1991 34-foot Airstream that July, and subsequently joined the club. While camping in their 34-foot Airstreams, they saw a 30-foot version owned by a friend that they liked, and Mike told their friend, “If you ever sell that, please let us know first.” The couple bought this 2002 Airstream Classic a few years ago, and have been happy with this purchase. “We moved everything from the [34-foot] to the 30-foot, and everything fit,” Cheryl said. “The closet is smaller, but we worked it out.” That is because this particular Airstream had one rarer feature they wanted, a slide-out panel that gives the couple extra room when the RV is parked, and this Airstream did not need much renovating. The previous owners had installed a vinyl plank floor and converted the sofa and dinette to leather, which the Sisks have retained. They have changed some colors on the inside, but prefer to spend their time camping with friends, and making new friends. “They are wonderful people,” said Jamie Scott, campground manager at the Amana Colonies. Scott got to know the Sisks as the organizers of a rally at the historic tourism spot in Iowa.
60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
