Happy Trails

Local author Irene Rawlings was driving down the highway in Wyoming one fine day when she spied something out of the ordinary. “It was a caravan of trailers, and they were all beautifully painted with murals, and they had names like ‘Rhinestone Cowgirl’ and ‘Calamity Jane’ written on them,” she recalls. And because curiosity got the better of her, Rawlings turned around and followed them into town to talk to them.

That was her first encounter with Sisters on the Fly, a loose national sisterhood bound together by the simplest things: vintage trailers hand-decorated to reflect each woman’s personality, fly fishing, camp cooking, seeing the U.S. and being best friends with each other, regardless of their differences. “I just thought they were the neatest people, and it wasn’t long before I decided to become SOTF number 1,322,” Rawlings says. Each sister is numbered when she joins; the group, conceived by sisters Maurrie Sussman and Becky Clarke, now numbers close to 1,500 nationwide.

Rawlings not only joined, she wrote a book — and to celebrate, she’ll sign copies of Sisters on the Fly: Caravans, Campfires and Tales from the Road at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 East Colfax Avenue. Sussman will be there, too, along with a small group of SOTF trailers parked in front that will be open for public perusal. For details, go to www.tatteredcover.com or call 303-322-7727.
Wed., May 19, 7:30 p.m., 2010

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.
Contact: Susan Froyd

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