Yosemite road trip -- in an Airstream

After a nerve-racking experience (having to park the Airstream) in Yosemite, Neil and family set up camp under the pines. Around since 1932, Airstream has had the rare good sense to keep its classic design classic. The riveted aluminum capsules of today are, aesthetically at least, not much different from the silvery streamliners of decades ago.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Dad, with daughter, breakfasts alfresco at Yosemite. The first night of camping turned out to be a challenge: no lights, electricity or water. Note to caravaners: When hooking up the trailer to the vehicle, be sure to install the relays in the auto’s fuse box that allow the alternator to charge the trailer’s batteries.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Cook’s Meadow in Yosemite Valley takes on a dreamlike quality on a sunny morning.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Glug, glug, glug: At a truck stop in Castaic, Calif., Neil grimaces at the cost of hauling a 26-foot travel-trailer along the open road. So, is it worth it? Maybe. Airstream has a uniquely rapt culture and society numbering in the tens of thousands. And please, don’t call them RVers. “They’re a breed apart,” one owner says. “It’s a clique.”  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The price of hauling a trailer with you on vacation? This time: $76.02. The Ford Expedition King Ranch edition that came attached to Neil’s borrowed 26-foot Airstream averaged 11.7 miles per gallon on the trip.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Dan Neil and family hit Yosemite in their borrowed rig. Are the days numbered for such trips? It seems certain that soaring fuel prices will eventually put this time-honored, middle-class pleasure out of reach of many, says Neil. Some day soon, Airstreams may be as rare a sight on the road as a ’57 Chevy or an Indian motorcycle is today.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)