Meet Maxwell, Our 1987 Airstream 345 Motorhome: The Ultimate Glamping Experience
At our Bigfork, Montana hotel, you’re not just staying for a night, you’re part of a community. You don’t just get a bed upon which to lay your head, you get a place to call home...if only for a moment. At our home, our guests are our family. A family that gathers around campfires while telling tales of adventures, connecting with others, and making lifelong friendships.
While your first stay here may be your only stay here, you’ll leave this family knowing that you are welcome back anytime you need a space under that big blue Montana sky.
Like any family, you may not want to spend every waking moment with us. So when Big Sky Country is beckoning, we’ve got your back with all things Montana in the Flathead Valley.
“We believe family is what you make it, and when you stay here with us, you’re family.” (Your FLR Family)
Our campers are also a part of our family, and just like every family member, each of them has unique attributes that define exactly who they are. Maxwell is no different. His gentle mountain man characteristics emanate the spirit of a cozy mountain cabin welcoming you home.
The Shiny Object that Started the Journey to Montana Glamping
Sometimes things are just meant to be. That is exactly how Maxwell came to be a part of the camper family at Flathead Lake Resort.
As with all of our tiny home Montana glamper campers, Maxwell has a story all his own. And his starts with a shiny object. Don’t they all?
Years back, your hosts, Brittain and Josh, were cruising along the highway of the vast emptiness of the California desert, a glimpse of a shiny object caught the sharp eyes of Brittain. A glimpse that had a thousand underlying things to say within mere seconds. It was that shiny object that prompted Brittain to command Josh to immediately turn around and go back.
But turning around was no easy task when your truck, Hank is his name, is hauling your home, Lucy, a 32 foot 1988 Airstream Excella (now a tiny home at our hotel in Bigfork), while gallivanting down the interstate at a respectable pace of 60 miles an hour.
“Turn around, she says. No problem,” Josh thinks. “It’ll only take me another 10 miles to do so, exiting the next exit, getting back on the interstate and heading the opposite direction of where we are supposed to go.”
But Josh knows Brittain, and if there’s a reason to turn around, it’s probably a legitimate one. Actually it’s probably a magical one. And that it was.
So Josh, being the good husband that he is, turned around. But finding a place to park your 50 feet of vehicles is just about as easy as finding a place to turn around. But once they parked, the 10 minute walk to and from the shiny object was all the time they needed to begin a dream that had recently been planted.
You see, that shiny object was an Airstream 345 motorhome from the 80s. Thirty four and a half feet long and full of possibilities. And while this particular shiny object was way out of their budget, it set the wheels in motion. They had never before seen an Airstream motorhome, and their young entrepreneurial minds were reverberating with ideas.
The shiny object that started it all.
Prior to seeing the shiny object, these two had already had a thought in their minds to purchase additional Airstreams. Before moving into their home on wheels, Lucy, (now the Queen of Flathead Lake Resort as a one-of-a-kind Montana tiny home available for you to experience) Britt and Josh used to run a hostel in Kansas City and wanted to expand upon that with their love of Airstreams.
So when that shiny object showed up on the side of the highway, there was no doubt that something magical was about to happen.
And in the ten minutes that it took Brittain to find the future Maxwell, a dream was taking shape. But that dream happened to be in Nashville. Months later, Brittain and Josh finally met up with Maxwell for the first time. And just like his cousin, Lucy, he was move-in ready, 80s style move-in ready, blue shag carpet and all.
The wheels turned in about 45 seconds
…because on the 10 minute walk back to Hank and Lucy I had already been on eBay and had already found Maxwell, the motorhome we ended up buying.
How did Maxwell become Maxwell?
This 1987 Airstream 345 Motorhome quickly became known as Maxwell. Being that Maxwell was the last name of his first owner (we like to think he was the quintessential mountain man that inspired Maxwell’s current outdoorsy characteristics) calling this Airstream Maxwell was an easy decision. Almost as easy as the decision to purchase him on that 10 minute walk in the first place.
Maxwell the Man traveled well in his camper, putting 70,000 miles on him while adventuring the nation. Ultimately landing in storage for 10 years, it was time for Maxwell the Camper to be released back into the wilds of travel. At least from Nashville to Montana, where now he is quite content in his role of welcoming you to glamp out at our Bigfork, Montana hotel.
Montana Glamping with Maxwell: A Sophisticated Airstream Camper
Maxwell has since been relinquished of his 80s style persona and reborn into the inviting and carefree gentle giant that he is today.
From the moment you step inside his embrace, the new wood laminate flooring greets you with a kiss of the mountain air immediately whisking you away from the stresses of your day. He is the epitome of a well-natured, care-free outdoorsy man. A sophisticated mountain nomadic traveler that has finally found his home.
From the beautifully refurbished floors, your eyes (and pleasantly exhausted body from the day exploring the Flathead Valley) will take you to the front reclining chairs. From there, your gaze will continue on to the large picture window letting the Montana sky fill the space with light and wonder.
Vintage Touches Create Cool Tiny Living
And when the picture window turns its gaze upon the starlit Montana sky and the moon darkens over the horizon, Maxwell has a surprise for you. In all his 80s style fashion, he is very proud of his original VCR and six inch TV.
So pop some corn, grab your favorite beverage, and pick your movie of choice from the VHS library. But before you sink into the couch for the night, close off the rest of the world with his classy tweed 40s style curtains. Even mountain men need a night of excitement that can only come from a screen.
You may think the vintage VCR and TV are pretty cool, but wait until you see the vintage built-in blender in the authentic fully functioning kitchen. The local restaurants and breweries may be calling your name for all your Bigfork, Montana glamping adventures, but that blender is begging for some action.
Relax watching movies on Maxwell’s vintage VCR (movie collection included).
And the magic doesn’t stop there. Of course there’s a welcoming queen size bed decked out with blankets and pillows that you’ll sink into and wake feeling refreshed and energized for the day ahead on Flathead Lake.
But the real magic is the toilet. It’s called Aqua Magic. Britt and Josh worked hard to restore Maxwell’s original toilet to his original glory. You’ll just have to experience the Aqua Magic for yourself. You’ll be the king of Flathead Lake Resort while sitting on this throne. Wait, sorry, the King status here is reserved for Watson, our 1971 Streamline Camper. Maybe you can be a prince.
From Nashville to Montana
But really, titles don’t matter at this Montana glamping location. The fine folks at Flathead Lake Resort will treat you like family from day one. It’s actually how they treat their tiny homes, vintage campers, and cabins, too. They, along with you, are all part of the family.
It’s one of the reasons Britt and Josh fell in love with Bigfork and the surrounding Flathead Valley. The people here treat everyone like family: long-time locals, tourists, or newbies. So it was almost a given that when the future Maxwell was being cared for and renovated in Nashville, and Brittain and Josh were still traveling, that on their way through Bigfork, they never made it through. They found home, instead.
So begins Maxwell’s journey from Nashville to Montana.
Maxwell is a motorhome, fully capable of driving himself (with a driver, of course), but no Hank the truck needed to tow him. And once Brittain and Josh found their home in the Flathead Valley, it was time for Maxwell to make the 2000 mile journey to join them at their newfound home.
Let the journey home begin.
And while Maxwell has proven so far to be quite the trust-worthy Airstream motorhome, your hosts had his engine checked out for good measure, and the reply was everything they had hoped for.
“With the things we done, there ain’t no reason you shouldn’t make Montana.” (Trustworthy Mechanic)
Maxwell proved to be the true care-free mountain man he was. And the mechanic was correct. Maxwell made it from Nashville to Montana. Into the southeast corner of Montana, that is. Bigfork is in the northwest corner of Montana, and Montana is not a small state.
So began the multi-week trek across the state of Montana. Like a surly teenager, Maxwell limped his way through the state, stubbornly not moving through a few of the smallest towns. Turns out, those tiny Montana towns are homes to the people with the biggest hearts. Maybe Maxwell wasn’t being surly. Maybe Maxwell simply wanted to experience small town Montana on the way to Flathead Lake. Regardless, he finally made it home, and like your hosts Brittain and Josh, the moment he arrived, he knew he was home, too.
We hope you feel the same way upon meeting Maxwell. Welcome to your Montana glamping home in the woods on the shores of Flathead Lake at Flathead Lake Resort.
Nothing is Left to Chance - Everything is Intentional
In Maxwell, and every camper and cabin at out Bigfork, Montana hotel, you’ll find even more magical touches coming in forms of organic and environmentally friendly toiletries, including the sheets and pillowcases that you snuggle up with every night.
Nothing here is left to chance. From the initial contactless check-in system to the personal invitation to join us by the lakeshore for a group campfire and smores. When you visit Flathead Lake Resort, you’re not staying in a hotel, you’re staying with family.
“If you need me, you can find me in the mountains [or in Maxwell].” - Unknown
Flathead Lake Resort's "3for2" Deal is Back!
Get three nights for the price of two. Along with our cabins for rent, we also now have FIVE vintage Airstreams on site so you can Glamp out in style by Flathead Lake. It's quite simple. Book 3+ nights in May and get 1 night free. Click here to get started. Then use the promo code "3for2" at checkout. Voila! Your third night is on us!
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Are you ready for the fine print? There's always fine print.
Valid 4/29-5/5 & 5/9-5/26
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