These are the reviews of SNU luncheons and rallies that were published in SNU newsletters. Most were written by Diane Leipper unless otherwise indicated.
Our brunch at Bavarian World turned into a birthday celebration. Saturday was Marlene's birthday and Wednesday January 23 is Jerry and Dyann's birthdays. Our decision to make this a brunch instead of lunch worked well. Everyone enjoyed the special breakfast items that included German pancakes, sausage, potato cakes, omelets, pastries and other goodies. Topics of conversation included the pros and cons of various hitches, LED lights, and upcoming rally and travel plans. Other than our birthday kids, luncheon participants included, Gary & Anita, Baxter (& Marlene), Roger & Janet and Bryan & Diane.
We had a great lunch February at the Overland in Garndnerville. Wheels and Doris were there with stories of the Hobo Rally and their other recent adventures. Wheels brought his King of the Hobo rally trophy which we all admired after congratulating him on being selected for this honor. Doris talked about Andy being in the pet show at the rally. Although Mary Beth wasn't able to make the lunch, husband Barney told us about their adventures at the Rose Parade rally and about their recent purchase of a 20007 Classic Airstream.. Randy gave us an update on his plans for fixing his Airstream. Bob and Cecilia shared stories about the Hobo rally and about their plans for joining two WBCCI Caravans this year. Roger told us about the new hitch he recently installed on his Airstream. Mike share his tale of woe about the transmission in his truck going out on him in Cedarville and having to limp all the way home. Without the truck to tow their Airstream they probably won't be able to get to SNU rallies. So if anyone knows of a good deal on a diesel transmission let Mike know. Other luncheon participants included Jerry & Dyann, Janet, Bryan & Diane, Vicki and Cindy. SNU President, Wheels held a short business meeting. The meeting included voting on the slate of Region 12 officers, the change in date for the SNU June rally at Green Creek, and the upcoming SNU rally at Lahonton. Wheels also mentioned a recent request for the SNU to submit their bylaws to WBCCI for review. They are posted online and WBCCI has been notified. I think we are all looking forward to March and our first rally for 2013.
A little chilly and breezy but by Saturday we had five rigs at the Lahontan rally. First to arrive were Wheels & Doris, Jerry & Dyann and Bryan & Diane. Friday Gene and Carmen arrived with an assortment of grandkids. Baxter and Marlene planned to arrive Friday but a leaky water valve put them behind schedule. They did make it out on Saturday. Thursday and Friday were rather windy so we spent most of the time in our Airstreams. Friday dinner was held in Jerry and Dyann's Airstream. The big event on Friday was a visit from Steve and his wife Jan. They had planned on coming in their Motorhome but it is still up in Kalamath Falls having some work done. Hopefully we'll see them with the MoHo at the April rally at Ft Sage. If there were a contest for how many people can fit in a 26 ft Airstream, Gene and Carmen would get the prize. They had somewhere between four and nine family members out for the weekend. Gene didn't know for sure as some were coming and going. Two slept in the truck but the rest were on the beds and floor of the Airstream. Saturday Roylaine and her friend Jim came out and spent the day. They stayed for dinner Saturday night before heading back home. It looks like the SNU spring break-out rally was for the most part, problem free. Other than Baxter and Marlene's leaky valve and Wheels and Doris maybe needing new batteries, it appears everyone's Airstream was in good shape after sitting for the winter. There were no quick runs to town for parts, emergency supplies, or critical items forgotten in packing for the rally. We even had enough wood for daily campfires. I think we can safely say, we're ready now for a great year of SNU rallies.
What a great weekend for the SNU rally at Ft Sage. Other than a windy afternoon on Friday the weather was just about perfect. We were delighted to have Bruce and Kathy Rhymes join us at the rally with their 19ft Bambi. Bruce and Kathy flew over our Pyramid Lake rally in their vintage Cessna and Bruce flew down to Sweetwater to visit us in 2011. Other rally participants were Wheels & Doris, Jerry & Dyann, Gene & Carmen & various grandkids and Bryan & Diane. The BLM has been doing some work on Ft Sage since the last time we were there. The best part was that they built a new pit toilet on the edge of the parking area. There is no longer an outhouse in the middle of the picnic area. We had some nice talks with Joe, a BLM employee when he stopped by for coffee. We told him how nice the area has become since our first rally there. The winds on Friday didn't keep us from our shared meal outside. Bryan suggested we build a wind break which is exactly what we did. Gene, Wheels, and Bruce moved their trucks into place in front of Bryan and Diane's Airstream. This created a nice little enclosure with the Bvan on one side, an Airstream on the other and the trucks on the third side. It proved effective as the dishes stayed on the table and the food on our plates. We could eat our dinner in relative comfort and calm. Jerry & Dyann have added to their collection of solar lights. Jerry spent a little time getting them all set out but the results were worth it. Their “yard” looked really neat after dark. Saturday, SNU President, Wheels held a short business meeting. It seems he has gained, yet another title. That being HHHV (Head Honcho & Hapless Victim) It looks like Wheels has the distinction of having the longest title of any SNU President to date. H (to the 5th power)V translated it is, His Highness, Head Honcho, Hapless Victim. Maybe we should just call him “Prez”. The weekend activities included several hikes in the hills, a little target practice and gun safety lessons, a trip or two to the big town of Doyle, and of course a lot of discussions about Airstreams, maintenance, future projects and travel plans. A very enjoyable weekend overall.
The rally at Eagle Lake, Rocky Point, started out with rain on Thursday, wind on Friday, and finally sunny and warm on Saturday. I found a fellow camping in the Minden airport campground in an Airstream and invited him to the rally. John Spenard was at the Minden airport learning to fly gliders. His planned training was going to be complete by the time of rally and he could spare a few day before he headed back to New England to see his father. I gave him a map and offered to caravan with him. He said the map was sufficient. Jerry found him short of the destination and led him the rest of the way. Friday and Saturday we were treated to the awesome spectacle of soaring Bald Eagles over the campsite and the glimpses of small pelican formations gliding over the lake. Shortly after noon on Saturday we were greeted by a low level fly-by of a Cessna 170 belonging to Bruce and Kathy Rhymes. I had met them at the Ft Sage rally when they brought their 19 foot Bambi. I immediately liked them both and especially bonded with Bruce because he was a fellow flyer. Not only did he fly and own a power plane but he flew hang-gliders and soared in hard wing gliders also. I was looking forward to more rallies with Bruce and Kathy to hear about their experiences and plans both with their Airstream and the airplane. Tragically, that will never be. Late on Saturday as they were flying from a glider port in Middletown California to Auburn their aircraft crashed just short of the intended destination.
What a great weekend. Full of surprises, special treats, and new adventures. The weather provided a few challenges which gave us plenty of opportunity to be creative. Thursday, Bryan & Diane, Gary & Anita, Wheels & Doris Jerry & Dyann and John all arrived within a half hour of each other. Although we had run into a few rain sprinkles on the way up, right when we arrived and were trying to park and set up we had a nice little downpour. I think it was the first time we have ever arrived in a rain shower. We got rather soaked trying to park. It appears that a new tradition may be forming for the Rocky Point rally. Several of us stopped by KFC in Susanville on the way up. Since it was still raining off and on, all 9 of us got in Jerry & Dyann's Airstream for an impromptu dinner on Thursday. We had a special guest at this rally. John Spenard who is a member of the New England Unit. John is a retired fireman from Massachusetts and has been a full time Airstreamer for the last three years. Wheels found him parked at the airport in Minden and invited him to join us at Rocky Point. John had just turned off Hwy 139 to Eagle Lake and pulled off the side of the road trying to figure out exactly where we were when Jerry and Dyann drove up. John followed them to the rally site. When they got to the last stretch of “road” John began to think Jerry and Dyann were nuts and were leading him into the wilderness never to be seen again. But when he got to the rally site he was awe struck. He loved Rocky Point and he was excited to run into a group that has such informal and relaxed rallies in such beautiful spots. Thursday, Dyann decided it was Ladies Night at the movies. She invited Doris, Anita, and Diane to watch the first of the Twilight saga movies in her Airstream. An enjoyable evening. Friday we still had a few showers off and on but that didn't interfere with the morning coffee and campfire. As a special treat, John cooked crepes with apricot preserves. We decided right then and there, he needs to come to more rallies. Then he started talking about lobster bisque! Saturday morning Bruce and Kathy flew over us on their way to Middletown. After a walk up the hill with John, Anita and Gary packed up and headed home. A few hours later Steve and his phantom Airstream motorhome showed up. Steve has come to several rallies for a visit but his motorhome has been in and out of various shops having work done. Although Steve had shared pictures it was great to finally get to see the motorhome for real. We all enjoyed taking a tour. We look forward to seeing Steve and his wife Jan, and their MoHo at many future SNU rallies. Saturday, Jerry spent most of the afternoon slowly cooking a pork roast on his battery operated rotisserie over a nice bed of coals. Diane had brought some corn on the cob. After a few instructions from Jerry the corn was wrapped in foil and placed on the coals. Needless to say we had a fantastic dinner. The pork roast moist and delicious. The corn was sweet & juicy. Salads and other dishes made it a sumptuous feast. As is often the case, Sunday was a very nice day. Although it started out a little chilly, the sky was clear. It's always a little sad when the rally comes to an end but we all have a few more stories and some great memories. Besides, another rally is just a few weeks away.
The June Rally at a camping area along the Green Creek was my idea. Green Creek is a tributary of the East Walker River and the creek is accessed by Green Creek Road off US 395 about 5 miles south of Bridgeport, California. The camping area I chose was about 6.5 miles south on Green Creek Road from the intersection of US 395. Green Creek Rd is a wide but rough dirt road. The camping area I chose was a popular area with a fairly large open area that could accommodate about 8-10 trailers. When I originally scouted out this area it was earlier in the year and there were only a few bugs but I suspected that the water adjacent to the camping area might mean more bugs. There were indeed more bugs particularly mosquitoes and we brought out all our defensive measures. They were moderately effective.
The Rally was originally scheduled for 20 – 23 June but I asked for a change so I could attend a rally with the military camping group I belong to. It turned out I had problems at home that I had to attend to when I would have left for the other rally. I could have made the original date. Fire restrictions went into effect on Friday the 28 and we were not allowed a fire on Friday or Saturday.
The abundance of bugs did have one positive effect, it brought out the Tree Swallows. If you look this bird up in your bird book the picture doesn’t do them justice. They have iridescent blue-green feathers on their back that make them very attractive. Like most swallows they are spectacular fliers. They particularly liked to hunt bugs in the open area of our campsite. At times there were up to four of them cavorting in and around our campsite to entertain us. Unfortunately they didn’t seem to have an impact on the mosquito population.
The gurgling creek running by our campsite added to the pleasant surroundings as did the tall trees and beautiful view up the canyon. There was still a little snow in pockets on the north sides of the peaks.
To sum it up – long rough ride to the campsite, picturesque setting, irritating mosquitoes entertaining Tree Swallows, no camp fire and a comforting babbling stream.
Wow! What a beautiful spot. Green Creek is up a little over 7,000 ft. Quite a bit cooler than the record breaking temps this weekend at lower elevations. We had 7 rigs at this rally including Mike & Bette Jo Hansen from Elk Grove, Ca. Other participants were Wheels & Doris, Dean, Shelly & Jessielynn, Jerry & Dyann, Bryan and Diane, Gary & Anita and Steve & Jan. The only downside was bugs. Any bug repellents we had that needed to be used up got used up. Jerry and Dyann made a trip into Bridgeport and bought a whole variety of fresh repellents which supplemented what we had on hand. Despite bugs, we were able to have our shared meals outside on Friday and Saturday. We were also able to dodge afternoon thunderstorms. Friday we had a nice little rain shower before dinner and Saturday the thunderstorms waited till after dinner. Saturday's storm included a little bit of hail. Wheels has added some new solar lights along the bottom rim of his Airstream. It really looks neat. In fact, between Wheels new lights and Jerry's and Diane's solar lights we had quite a festive light show after dark. Then there are the pink flamingos. Doris has added a few to her collection. Shelly had some new ones too. Jan has caught flamingo fever and now has about 7 or so in the motorhome. Saturday Mike and Bette Jo took a ride over to Bodie. They enjoyed walking through the town and seeing the sites. Also on Saturday, Wheels and Bryan took a ride to the Virginia Creek area to check out potential rally sites. Back at the Green Creek, Dean tried a little fishing but didn't catch anything. Doris, Anita, and Bette Jo waded in the cool water. Dean and Jessielynn actually took a little swim in the creek. Other entertainment for the weekend included our usual morning coffee and goodies, sharing ideas, maintenance tips, and stories, reading, taking walks to explore the area and enjoy the abundant wildflowers, and just relaxing and enjoying the great views and cool breezes. Wheels held a short business meeting on Saturday. The main item on the agenda was the preliminary determination of rally sites for 2014. He also reminded everyone of the upcoming July rally at Weed Heights and the Cantaloupe Festival rally over Labor Day weekend. We were delighted that Mike and Bette Jo could come to this rally and we hope we see them at many more SNU rallies. All in all the first SNU rally at Green Creek was a big success. Bugs or no bugs, I'm sure we will be back in the near future.
The July rally at Weed Heights was a challenge for our Air Conditioners. Temperatures were in the low 100’s Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Andy didn’t want to get out of the trailer. The Club House swamp cooler was very effective and I spent a fair amount of time there. We had five trailers at the rally. It would be nice if we could attract more members to our rallies. Maybe cooler weather will help attendance. Diane started a 500 piece puzzle and I used it as an excuse to hang out in the Club House coolness. We got the puzzle finished Saturday evening. Thanks to Jerry’s perseverance and my cheering him on.
We can now paint another pink flamingo on our fuselage. The SNU has held rallies despite, snow, wind, sand, bugs, hail, and rain. We can now add heat to that list. At the Weed Heights rally we had daytime temps of 100F and above. By 9pm it had cooled down to 90F. The mornings though, were very enjoyable and we had our morning coffee and goodies outside under the shade of the trees. Sadly, the local donut shop has closed down but Wheels and Doris made a trip to the grocery store so we weren't short of pastries. During the heat of the day we made good use of the cool club house or our air conditioned Airstreams. Dyann and Wheels played cards. Wheels, Diane and Jerry worked on a puzzle. We watched movies, read books, took inspirational naps, and of course, discussed Airstreams and various repair and maintenance projects. The ice machine in the club house also got a lot of use. We were delighted to have some of our members we haven't seen much of this year join us at Weed Heights. Although Janet wasn't able to come, Roger came with his grandson, Jason. Jason has been spending a lot of time this summer with Roger and Janet. He's a great young man and it was nice to get to know him. We missed Janet but she was there in spirit. Saturday Roylaine showed up with her friend Jim. It seems Jim was the one who encouraged Roy to get the Airstream out and come to the rally. He helped her get the trailer and suburban fixed up and ready for the road. They brought all 3 of Roy's dogs, including Scout. Scout was the dog that had been abandoned at Scout Camp almost 2 years ago. After Gene and Carmen's grandkids befriended him, Wes and Roylaine adopted him. Scout is looking good and seems to have turned into a great dog. Other rally participants included Jerry & Dyann, Wheels & Doris, and Bryan & Diane. Saturday we had a great BBQ dinner. Jerry cooked a roast with his special rub and sauce on the slow cooker. Diane brought some bratwurst to grill. Along with several salads, melons, and casseroles we had a great dinner. Then we had our ice cream dessert. Wheels and Doris brought the makings for root beer floats, Dyann had some yummy ice cream and toppings, Diane brought a variety of ice cream bars. Needless to say, nobody went hungry. Other activities over the weekend included a visit from Bob and Cecilia. Bob gave a nice report on the recent WBCCI Rally in Huron, SD. Wheels was assisting the Civil Air Patrol this weekend. He had a beacon that transmitted a signal for CAP planes to home in on. Saturday we had planes flying over the rally site while we drank our morning coffee. Saturday Wheels held a short business meeting. Main items on the agenda were the review of the 2014 SNU rally schedule and a Region 12 request to review the SNU bylaws. The SNU bylaws had been submitted to the Region in February 2013 per an earlier request. Sunday, after morning coffee, everyone finished packing up so we could head home before the heat of the day. Hopefully now we can look forward to cooler weather for the remainder of our 2013 rallies. No matter what, I know we'll have a great time.
The Obsidian Dome rally had 9 Airstream rigs in attendance. It almost required reservations but SNU will continue to resist that and parallel parking. At least two other Airstreamers were in the area (Mammoth RV Park) and came to have some meals and conversation with us. The food was delicious. The scenery was beautiful as always.
Was it an SNU rally? Was it a Region Rally? Was it a kennel club outing? Wait – it was all three! Obsidian Dome was an amazing rally for many reasons. For one, we set a new record. We had representatives from five different Units. From the SNU we had Thornburgs, Wheelers, Leippers, Williams and Swaffer. From San Fernando Valley we had Victor, Bobbi & William Kingsland, Bruce & Lisa Levitt, Marla Liberty and Jerry & Jackie Freeman. From the Long Beach Unit we had George & Carol Oelkers. From NorCal we had Gregg & Valri Ayers. From the El Camino we had LeRoy & Jeannie Waldo. We had nine Airstreams at Obsidian and three Class A's at Mammoth RV park for a total of 13 rigs at this rally. The Motorhome contingent drove to Obsidian for happy hours and meals. As for the kennel club, there was a total of 11 dogs of all shapes and sizes at this rally. Bella, the Doberman that Gregg and Valri adopted in February was the clown of the rally. When she was tired she would flop down on her back just about anywhere. It didn't matter if people walked around or over her. Friday Wheels and Doris' friends, Jim and Karen and their dog Spud joined us for a visit. Another interesting aspect of this rally was that for several people, this was the last stop on the way home. Marla has been on the road since June. Among other destinations, she attended the WBCCI rally in Huron and visited relatives in Maine. Marla met up with Jerry & Dyann and Bryan & Diane in Fallon and caravanned to Obsidian. Gregg and Valri were just finishing up a 9 week trip visiting friends and relatives. Don and Gail have also been on the road. Their travels included Huron and the Airstream Company in Jackson Center. LeRoy and Jeannie were on their way home from Alaska. They didn't know about the rally but when the got to Big Pine a little south of Obsidian, they checked their email and discovered we were just up the road. They headed back up 395 and joined us at Obsidian.
We started this rally off with a Spaghetti dinner on Thursday. It was rather windy so we used Victor and Bobbi's Airstream for a windbreak. A great meal to start a great rally. Friday was our first special breakfast. A beautiful morning for setting up the griddles, firing up the propane stove, cooking eggs in a hole, fried potatoes, sausage and bacon. Victor and Marla cooked up the fresh eggs which were supplied by Diane's hens. Valri and Gregg fried up the potatoes. We had all sorts of fresh fruit, from Fallon cantaloupes that Dyann brought, to Gail's home grown peaches. Blueberries, bananas, oranges, and other goodies and of course, plenty of fresh coffee rounded out the menu. By Happy Hour the wind started picking up again. We had our potluck dinner outside but ended up with a little extra grit in some of the food because of wind gusts. Because of the wind, cool temps, and fire restrictions which prevented building a campfire, we called it an early evening and adjourned to our Airstreams. Saturday morning again, was clear, calm and sunny. The special breakfast treat this morning was Don's sourdough pancakes. Wow! Don has been experimenting with sourdough and his pancakes were delicious. He made some with blueberries and some without. Baxter helped him with the cooking. Meanwhile Jerry cooked up more bacon and sausage on his grill and yet more fresh fruit was brought out. Once again, by Happy Hour the wind started picking up. This time for dinner, we moved behind the Airstreams and ate in a more protected spot. The SFV group had their meals in a more civilized manner, bringing out tables and chairs. The SNU seems to prefer sitting in their chairs holding on to their plates. Maybe that comes from too many windy dinners or, is it because we are too lazy to get out the tables? Jerry came up with a new SNU slogan that describes our propensity to take whatever empty chair that's available no matter who it belongs to. “If the chair doesn't have a bottom, put yours in it.”
We did do more than just prepare meals and eat. Various groups set out on hikes up past the waterfall to the meadow or up the trail near camp. Bobbi got out a ladderball game and she and Jim had a good time throwing balls, that is until Cody decided he wanted to play too. LeRoy's new refrigerator started having some problems so he, Jerry and Bryan did some work on that. Bryan helped Bobbi and Marla install some decorative screen protectors on the doors of their Airstreams. Doris and Wheels had a good time washing all the dirt out of Andy's paws. Gregg hooked up his bass guitar for a little afternoon practice. In addition, there were some indoor card games. reading, dog walking, and a whole lot of just visiting and catching up on everyones recent travels. Several people had new “yard décor”. Don and Gail had a new flying flamingo. Baxter and Marlene showed off their new solar light flamingo. Jerry also had a new fancy solar light. Our rally site looked pretty neat after dark. This rally provided something of a fashion show of Airstream themed t-shirts. It seemed like everyone had at least one t-shirt featuring an Airstream of one sort or another. Marla had a shirt and a message folder she had gotten at the International rally that had an Airstream, her name and her membership number embroidered on them.
Saturday Wheels held a business meeting. Agenda items included Don presenting a review of International Rally in Huron. Don also talked about the SNU November rally in Death Valley. Valri talked about the October Region 12 rally in Lodi. She and Gregg are doing a lot of work on that rally and they have some really great ideas about getting people together, making new friends and having a great time. Diane announced that the dates for 2014 Obsidian will be Thursday August 14 to Sunday August 17. Again, it will be a multi-unit rally. We will also be celebrating a birthday so needless to say, this will definitely be a rally you won't want to miss.
Sunday, after a leisurely coffee and goodies everyone got ready to head home. The Kingslands, Liberty, and Williams headed to the Mammoth RV park to join the MoHo contingent for a day or two before heading home. After leaving Mammoth, Don and Gail headed to Churchill Peak near Silver Springs. Don was part of the amateur radio group monitoring an off road race. Another great rally comes to an end.
We had a great rally in Fallon over the Labor Day weekend. There were plenty of Heart's of Gold cantaloupe this year. We were delighted to have some of the SNU's newest members Richard & Sharron Baldwin and Jim and Lynda Kunter join us at this rally. Other members at the rally were Jerry & Dyann. Wheels & Doris and Bryan and Diane. Saturday Steve and Jan Erickson came by for a visit. They have been doing quite a bit of traveling since we saw them at Green Creek. Friday we walked down to the Cantaloupe Festival for dinner. Each person picked a food vendor to suit his or her own taste. After dinner we spent some time checking out all the booths and other festival activities. Smoke from the fire near Yosemite was pretty thick on Friday but it was fairly clear the rest of the weekend. We spent a relaxing weekend visiting the festival, enjoying the Jr Rodeo, sharing dinners on Saturday and Sunday evening and most of all, just visiting. Sharron bought tickets for the quilt raffle and although she didn't win, she felt she had contributed to a worthwhile cause. Monday morning, while enjoying our coffee we watched a steady stream of RV's heading down hwy 95 from Burning Man. Jerry and Bryan quickly learned how to tell which vehicles where which. If they were covered in white dust or had white wheels (because the car had been washed but not the wheels), that was a good indicator. If they had white wheels and a bicycle, it was almost a certainty they had been at Burning Man. Diane recently discovered the 1980 and 1981 WBCCI membership directories in some of her parents stuff. Those directories listed all the activities of each unit in WBCCI. It turns out that the SNU held rallies at the Cantaloupe Festival both of those years. So what we thought was a new event turns out to be a tradition for the SNU. We all enjoyed carrying on the tradition at this year's Cantaloupe Festival rally.
We couldn't have had a nicer weekend for the SNU October rally at Crocker. It was cool in the mornings but the afternoons were sunny, warm and clear. Best of all, there was almost no wind. We had plenty of firewood to keep a fire going most of the weekend. Saturday night we had a few showers. It's always nice to hear raindrops on the roof of the Airstream. Sunday morning the showers had quit and we enjoyed one last campfire with our coffee before heading home. The weekend was perfect for walks near the campground and for sitting around a campfire enjoying the peace and quiet. Gene updated us on the work he and Carmen have been doing on their place near Spring Creek. Jerry talked about the work he has done on their motorhome. It should probably be ready for rallies by next spring. Gary talked about the potential trip he and Anita are thinking about in January 2014. We had our usual coffee and goodies in the morning and shared meals on Friday and Saturday. Rally participants included Gary & Anita, Jerry & Dyann, Gene, and Bryan & Diane. Gene's wife, Carmen is visiting her Mother so Gene was on his own. Although we didn't have a quorum, it seems the slate of SNU officers for 2014 met with no objections. We had a little discussion on the SNU Rallies planned for 2014. Everyone is looking forward to another great year of camping with our Airstreams. Crocker was a great way to wrap up the 2013 rally year. Don't forget though, Don and Gail will be hosting an SNU rally in Death Valley in November.
Carolina Kitchen worked out as a great place for the SNU November lunch. Good location, good food and of course, great company. There were 23 SNU members at this lunch! Many we haven't seen much of this year. It's been a rather rough year for the SNU as a group and for quite a few members personally so this was a pretty special gathering. There were a lot of changes and new adventures to discuss. Baxter and Marlene's recent purchase of a new 19ft International and Randy and Vicki's new 4 legged family member, a Chihuahua were some of the topics discussed. Jerry brought some sample led lights for Wheels. Mike and Cindy are considering a newer Airstream which hopefully would require less work and maintenance. Although he wasn't able to come to the lunch, Mark is also looking for a newer Airstream, Other luncheon attendees were Roger & Janet, Jerry & Dyann, Wheels & Doris, Richard & Sharron, Jim & Lynda, Bryan & Diane, Steve & Jan, Gary & Anita and Gene. All in all the lunch at Carolina Kitchen was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone and share a great meal. Keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear of any Airstreams, late 1990's and up, for sale, let us know so we can pass the information along to Mike and Cindy and Mark and Cary.
November in Death Valley should provide a respite from rain and cooler weather, right! At least that’s what we thought when we started planning our informal Death Valley rallies back in 2008. Randy and Vickie Grossmann expected to enjoy a leisurely trip south from Reno at 4500 feet to our planned camp at Mesquite Spring (1800 feet) in Death Valley. The Death Valley weather projections, 5 days out, were improving, mid to upper 70s in the daytime and mid 40s to 50s at night with the chance of rain dropping to 20. Well the weather conditions didn’t improve, maybe even worsened and then there’s a 6270 foot pass along the way that SNU members from the north need to cross. Gail and I even had to cross a 3000 foot pass coming in from Southern California; you guys are used to it aren’t you? As reported by Randy and Vickie, conditions were dicey in some spots with rain, blowing snow and ice but Gail and I can’t confirm it because all we saw was light to moderate rain from Riverside all the way to Mesquite Springs. Look at Randy’s pictures and judge for yourself.
Randy & Vickie and Gail and I arrived Thursday evening within 15 minutes of each other, meaning we both had to get parked in our sites, leveled and setup with temps in the mid 40s in light rain. Friday brought gloom, rain and cool temperatures in the mid 40s through most of the day. Both families took advantage of the weather to rest up, read and visit. Saturday’s weather teased, on occasion the clouds parted enough to show a dusting of snow on the higher mountains surrounding the north end of the valley. The rain, like the clouds, lapsed into wind driven sprinkles, giving us the illusion that it might quit. Randy and I attempted to fly his kites after lunch but we lacked the knowledge, skill, luck or possibly a larger tail needed to stabilize them and avoid their sometimes-slow spin to the ground. Emotionally spent from our efforts with the kites, we climbed the bluff to the west to hike for an hour and enjoy the views of the mountains and valley.
Sunday brought the promise of better weather, well the sun did shine but wind and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s meant we still had to bundle up for our (Randy and my) hike into and around Ubehebe Crater. With only two trailers and the cold rainy weather we broke tradition and dispensed with Bryan’s early morning bottomless coffee carafe and the community potluck dinners. Friday night we enjoyed chili-verde in our trailer, Saturday Chinese chicken and rice at Randy and Vickie’s and soul warming chili again in our Airstream on Sunday. Oh yeah, Sourdough buttermilk pancakes as a brunch on Sunday morning.
Bright sun with some clouds and snow on the mountains provided a beautiful backdrop for our separate trips towards home on Monday and an opportunity for some great photos in the lower Death Valley. A great time with Randy and Vickie but not quite the same as an SNU rally! Hope to see you next year.
We had a good turnout for the SNU lunch at Jakes. Participants included Randy & Vicki, Jerry & Dyann and their friend Don, Wheels & Doris, Mike & Cindy, Roger & Janet, Jim & RoyLaine, Bryan & Diane and Bob & Cecilia. Bob & Cecilia have been on the road most of the year so it was great they happened to be home and able to come to an SNU lunch. This was our first lunch at Jakes and it worked out well. We had a separate space, good service and good food. Wheels held a short business meeting. The highlight was Bob Stansbury discussing upcoming Region rallies. More information on these rallies is in other parts of this newsletter. The 2015 Region rally will be held in Carson City. A year ago, Bob asked the SNU to host this rally. At the luncheon, Bob asked us for suggestions and ideas for this rally, including a theme and special activities. One job for the SNU will be providing decorations and maybe hosting a dinner. If you have ideas, suggestions, or are willing to help with this rally, please let Wheels know. You can email him at president@sierranevadaairstreams.org. After the meeting, there was more visiting and then time to wrap up another very enjoyable SNU lunch.
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note: all photographs on this site are for personal, private, and non-commercial use only. All other copyrights are retained by the individual photographers. See our policy. Disclaimer: any advice or suggestion presented is provided for informational purposes only and is correct and accurate only to the best of our knowledge at the time it was written. Anyone using such information does so at their own risk. Errors or omissions may exist and additional sources of information or appropriately licensed or qualified personnel should be consulted in deciding a course of action. We assume no liability or obligation by providing this information and warn any users of this information that they do so at their own risk. All links or references to commercial vendors or other sources of information and equipment do not intend or imply or convey any endorsement of that source or the product. They are provided strictly for informational purposes to illustrate the topic at hand. Sierra Nevada Airstreams Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is a personal, nonprofit, noncommercial web site intended for educational and recreational use only. This site is supported by volunteer effort and contributions. Donations accepted thanks to the Amazon.com