COEUR d'ALENE - When visitors step into Mignon Whitt's 1971 Shasta Compact travel trailer, they enter a bright new world.

Each nook and cranny is utilized for function or fashion, with deep, summer sky blues and vibrant colors punctuating the cozy retro and Hawaiian island decor.

"I always thought of myself as an island girl because I love Hawaii and I love the sun," the Athol resident said Saturday afternoon while showing off her colorful "Mig Mobile." "And I love Hawaii because of the bright colors."

Whitt's tricked-out, vintage travel trailer was one of more than 150 various trailers that were on display during the Sisters on the Fly's annual Northwest Gathering at Lutherhaven, a five-day camping event the sisters enjoy every summer. The gathering rotates between Idaho, Washington and Oregon. This year's retreat, which ends today, offered activities such as line dancing, evening bonfires and auctions to raise money for Casting for Recovery, a breast cancer recovery organization near and dear to the "sisters'" hearts.

Sisters on the Fly is a national outdoor adventure club for ladies, with the motto, "We have more fun than anyone." The rules are no men, no pets, no kids and be nice, and having fun is a natural part of the experience.

"You get to play again, you get to be a little kid again," said Whitt, who serves as the Idaho "wrangler" for the club. "You never have to grow up. I call it the Peter Pan syndrome because you can be whoever you want. It's magical. You can be a little girl. We turn women into little girls again."

The sisters meet for regional and national events that include fly fishing, kayaking, wine tasting, horseback riding, road trips and whatever else suits their fancies. The club started in the late 1990s when two sisters began organizing outdoor excursions for women. Sisters on the Fly now has about 5,000 members, and each sister has her own sister number.

Mary Ball of Coeur d'Alene joined last November and she is now sister No. 4418. She brought her white and orange 1962 Shasta Airflight travel trailer to camp in for her first Northwest Gathering.

"It's great," she said. "I usually go by myself to very remote places. Usually it's just me winging it."

Ball said she bought her camper because she loves fly fishing and was "hooked" when she caught a fish on a family camping trip in Alaska in 1965. When she heard about Sisters on the Fly, she just had to join.

"They're really kicking back and having a good time," she said. "It's a good kind of crazy here."

The sisters enjoyed the wide array of activities available at Lutherhaven as well as social time. And each trailer tells a story and a bit about the personality of the sister who owns it.

Sheryl Pizzadilli of Lewiston calls her red and white 1968 Kit Companion the "Flew the Coop" because her parents and grandfather were in the poultry business for years.

"I have some vintage pictures of the poultry company that my grandfather started, so it's 'Flew the Coop,'" she said. "It was manufactured in Idaho. When I bought it it had hardly any paint ... I pull it with a Suzuki."

The club requires a $60 yearly membership fee and ladies don't necessarily need a camper to join. Whitt said the club embraces women from all walks of life, ages 19 and older. She loves fly fishing, traveling and camping, but women who are interested in becoming more active outdoors can learn once they join the club, with plenty of support from the other sisters.

"If somebody in a trailer breaks down, or they don't know how to back up, or they don't know how to turn on a propane tank, or fix a tire, we'll teach them, we'll show them," she said. "It's women empowering women."

Info: www.sistersonthefly.com