Lisa Mora, editor of "Vintage Trailer" magazine, made the longest journey to Round Top of all the Sisters, traveling from Oakland, Oregon, in her 12-foot 1949 Crown trailer that she calls "Rosie the Riveted."Photography by Cameron Gott
For four days, Sisters on the Fly members from around the country camped in their retro Airstreams, Shastas, and more.
Sisters on the Fly, the largest (and possibly most festive) women’s outdoor adventure group in the country, recently brought their seventy-five retro-fitted trailers to the Junk Gypsy’s Wander Inn (also known as Gypsyville) in Round Top for a four-night campout. Founded in 1999 and currently boasting about 4,500 active members, the Sisters convene at outdoor-friendly locales around the country to go on camping trips, horseback rides, fishing excursions, and other adventures.
The lively crew even earns badges for achievements, but the Girl Scouts this isn’t—you get the naked nymph badge, for example, by streaking in a semi-public spot. Members range in age from their early forties to their late seventies, and each woman has a different story for how she joined Sisters on the Fly.
Amie and Jolie Sikes, who started Junk Gypsy in 1998 as a way to sell their vintage finds—which led to their own show on HGTV and the opening of their popular HQ and store in Round Top—have known the group for years. “These women are our kindred spirits,” Amie says. “They are not the types who just decided to RV one weekend. They are veterans who know what they are doing, and it was the coolest thing to see them all together.”
To celebrate the Sisters’s four-night stay in Round Top, the Sikes hosted a vintage trailer tour at Gypsyville, where partygoers could peak inside each top-to-bottom themed trailer, from Elvis and Victorian to a ‘Bee Hive.’ Proceeds from the evening, which entailed a gourmet hot dog bar and much revelry, benefited the restoration of the historic Fayetteville School House.
Vintage suitcases with hand lettering outside of Paulette Roth's
1973 Avion La Grande say it all. She journeyed from Phoenix for the event. As a Sisters on the Fly member for 13 years, Roth has traveled around the country, logging of thousands of miles. She says: "The Sisters have empowered me to travel on my own, following in the footsteps of so many of them."
Photography by Cameron Gott
Liz Franz Krugman and Robyn Franz Hansen of Georgetown declared their state pride on the back window of their 1972 Airstream.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Kathy Carl of New Braunfels lost her husband nine years ago, so when her kids moved out of the house, she joined the Sisters and bought a trailer as a way to meet new friends and get more adventure in her life. She says: "My favorite thing about the trailer is that it expresses a different facet of my personality, not the widow, Realtor, or grandma part of me, but the part of my gypsy heart that still seeks fun and adventure!"
Photography by Cameron Gott
Karen Cook, of Franklin, created this charming window scene on her 1968 Silver Streak trailer.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Angela Ross, of Grapevine, made her yellow chaps to match the decor of her Mobile Scout trailer. "There are so many different personalities, so many beautiful women, and so many unique stories that each woman brings," she says of Sisters on the Fly.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Amy Bower, of Craig, Arizona, outfitted her red, black, and fringe trailer with chile peppers.
Photography by Cameron Gott
The Western theme of Amy Bower's trailer continues inside.
Photography by Cameron Gott
DeBorah Loomis, of
Canton, Georgia, decorated the inside of her trailer door with a Route 66 sign in homage to one of the Sisters's favorite journeys.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Junk Gypsy sisters Jolie and Amie Sikes played host to the 75 trailers and their dynamic owners on their Wander Inn grounds in Round Top.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Evette Maytum, of Boerne, matches her groovy, 1970s-themed Airstream trailer.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Virginia Farmer Landry, of Oakdale, Louisiana, joined SOTF in 2007. On her first trip with the Sisters, she fell in love with another member's 1969 Airstream Caravel. Her son found one and gave it to her for her birthday the next year. Her trailer decor is inspired by "Cajun French Louisiana," where she lives.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Dusty Caswell of Meadow, Texas, gave her 1963 Shasta Compact's a gyspy-meets-Victorian theme, making it one of the Junk Gypsy sisters' favorite trailers, of course.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Every inch of Dusty Caswell's trailer is true to her theme.
Photography by Cameron Gott
Among the many treasures inside Caswell's trailer is a crystal ball.
