Sisters on the Fly opening vintage trailers for tours

About a dozen vintage trailers decorated in colorful kitschy themes will caravan to Yuma this weekend. Their owners will throw open their doors Saturday morning and allow visitors a peek inside as part of an effort to raise money for Amberly's Place.

Several members of Sisters on the Fly, a women's organization known for their restored vintage trailers, will set up camp at Shangri-La RV Park, 10498 N. Frontage Road.

Although the organization has about 2,500 members across the world, only one “sister” lives in Yuma County. Tacna resident Carole Henry, Sister No. 160, will host the event from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Visitors will find her in a redone 1957 Aljo called “Calamity Carole's Tacna Twister.”

Maurrie Sussman, Sister No. 1 (yes, she was the first member), will showcase “Pretty Shield,” a 1943 Franklin decked out in turquoise blue with colorful horses.

Elaine Block, Sister No. 151, will bring “Sassy Sister,” a 1957 Shasta decorated with cowgirls and a sunset.

Although the sisters regularly meet for outdoor adventures, it's the first time the “sisters” have organized a trip to Yuma.

“I love getting people acquainted with Yuma. When people think of Yuma, they think, ‘It's really hot, there's nothing to do.' But it's a wonderful place to live,” Henry said.

She sent the sisters a list of everything happening in Yuma this weekend. It's quite a lengthy list, with the Marine Corps Air Show and Lettuce Days. Some want to go to Algodones, Mexico, too.

Henry will stay with the trailers to welcome visitors. All donations from the tours will benefit Amberly's Place, a crisis center for victims.

Sussman and Becky Clarke, real-life sisters raised by an “adventurous mother,” established Sisters on the Fly in 1999 after a fly fishing trip.

“We were having too much fun to keep all the good times to ourselves, so we decided to invite some of our girlfriends to go along on the next trip,” Sussman explains on sistersonthefly.com.

The sisters' mission was to “offer empowerment and sisterhood through exceptional outdoor adventures.”

“Needless to say, that's how we've rolled since,” Sussman said.

And “rolled” they have – in some very eye-catching restored trailers.

“Along the way we decided it would be much more fun to outfit some vintage trailers and drag them down the road with us,” Sussman said.

“These trailers took on personalities of their own, and that of their owners. They are proudly, and some fantastically, decorated with kitschy themes and love.”

Henry hopes that some local women might want to join the sisterhood after touring the trailers and getting to know the organization.

“We might even get some members, and then I wouldn't be the only one in Yuma County,” Henry said.

For more information and to view a photo gallery of the restored trailers, go to www.sistersonthefly.com.

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or (928) 539-6856. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSMaraKnaub or on Twitter at @YSMaraKnaub.