After a two night stay in Jackson Center, OH at the Airstream Factory we headed north to London, Ontario for our next stop ~ Can-Am RV Centre. The trip was only 291 miles but, crossing the Ambassador Bridge which connects Detroit to Ontario was pretty challenging. You see, we accidentally ended up in the truckers lane. We were sandwiched between a dozen semi-trucks all trying to merge into one lane. Hub’s was driving and did an excellent job keeping Beatrice safe. The customs official wasn’t happy with us at all either for being in the wrong lane (oh well, we learned!!). But, alas we made it across the bridge safely and into Canada!

After getting through all the road construction and massive traffic jams in Windsor, Ontario, the drive was very lovely. Wind turbine farms abound along with expansive rural farms, make the landscape breathtaking.

I have been communicating with Andy Thomson, the owner of Can-Am RV and towing expert extraordinaire, for months now. Andy and his uber experienced staff are “The Towing Specialists”. I call them the experts!! Can-Am RV Centre has been selling Airstreams for 42 years and for the past 35 years they have been doing a great deal of experimenting with different tow vehicles looking for better handling performance and economy. You see, as Newbie’s we were receiving conflicting opinions from many Airstreamers on which is the best hitch, if our TV (tow vehicle) is adequate enough to tow a 7,600 pound trailer and on and on. Andy assisted me tirelessly and was always there to answer all of my questions and concerns. Explaining all there is to know about the hitching system, brake controllers, tires et al. I stayed steadfast with Andy’s recommendations and purchased a Hensley Arrow hitch, DirecLink Brake Controller and new Michelin tires P235/75R x 15” XL (extra load) which Can-Am installed for us.

Andy Thomson also writes an article in each issue of Airstream Life Magazine about towing. You can see several video here and read many articles about towing here.

Beatrice being taken away for service and inside the service centre at Can-Am.

My sincerest thanks goes out to Andy and his staff that assisted us: Marshall McLean, John Watterton, Phil Tipler, Phil Willer and Wendy Vandevyvere ! You all are so amazing to work with. Your customer service is bar none the best in the industry. You made us feel welcome, assisted us with our personal needs for an overnight stay and really opened up our eyes to how a hitch and it’s components are supposed to work. It was worth the extra mileage, time and money to have the Hensley hitch fine tuned and the new tires installed by Can-Am.

A superb restaurant, Pasto’s Grill, is just down the street from Can-Am. We thoroughly enjoyed both our dinner that evening and lunch the next day. It’s really good and worth a visit the next time you are in London, Ontario!

A Ford Taurus SHO towing a 34′ Airstream set up by Can-Am

We were off to our next adventure after a very productive overnight at Can-Am. We actually were very happy to have experienced our hitch “prior” to the fine tuning that Can-Am provided because the difference was “Night and Day”! When we drove off the lot at Can-Am the ride was so much smoother, more stable and we could barely tell we were towing a trailer. It truly was heavenly!! Thank you, Andy and Can-Am RV ~ you have made our towing experience a pleasure now and we learned so much. I highly recommend Can-Am to anyone and everyone who is looking for an RV or needs exceptional service and knowledge. I only wish I lived closer to Can-Am. We’ll see you all again for sure!

Our next stop was in Tecumseh, Ontario where fellow Airstreamers Paul & Mary O. graciously offered us “Courtesy Parking” in their driveway complete with electrical hook-up. To add to an extraordinary evening with our new friends, Paul insisted on treating us to his favorite rib joint, Tunnel Bar-B-Q and it was sensational. Our sincerest thanks to Paul and Mary! I have said it before and I’ll say it again “You Meet The Nicest People In An Airstream”!!

Photo source: Anna Sullivan Photography