These are the reviews of SNU luncheons and rallies that were published in SNU newsletters. Most were written by Diane Leipper unless otherwise indicated.
This was the first time the SNU has held a luncheon at the Shang Hai in Sparks. Although there was a minor glitch in communications, it seems to be a good place to keep on the list for future SNU lunches. Good food, decent service, and a nice room to ourselves. SNU members attending the lunch were Jerry & Dyann, Gary & Anita, Baxter, Randy & Vicki, Roger & Janet and Diane. The highlight of this lunch were Happy Birthday greetings to Dyann and Jerry whose birthdays were on Friday. They got a rather unique birthday present this year. They sold their 2005 Classic Airstream and bought a 1995 Airstream Land Yacht motorhome. It seems Jerry was ready to try something different but wanted to stay with an Airstream. We are all looking forward to checking it out at the March rally. Other topics of conversation included Randy's water pump, batteries, dog training and planned trips. Randy also reminded everyone about the May rally at Lassen and the need to RSVP. After a nice leisurely lunch everyone headed home or out to run errands or to just enjoy the day.
A great day for a ride and a great turnout for the February lunch at the Black Bear in Fernley. Participants included Jim & RoyLaine, Jerry & Dyann, Steve & Jan, Gene & Carmen, Randy & Vicki, Roger & Janet. Gary & Anita, Wheels & Doris, Diane, Baxter & Marlene, and Bob & Cecilia. It was very nice to see some of the people we haven't seen in a while. It seems quite a few people have been dealing with health issues; knee problems, foot problems, hip problems, surgeries, etc. We hope this is an indicator that everyone will be past these difficulties and ready for a full summer of travels and adventures. Among the anticipated adventures, Wheels & Doris will be participating in a WBCCI caravan in early summer. Gene & Carmen will be spending some time at their property near Elko. Roger is looking forward to squirrel hunting in Northern Washoe County. Baxter & Marlene will be going to Sweden and other parts of Europe. Bob & Cecilia as usual, will be here, there, and everywhere. It sounds like several people have made progress on various repair and maintenance projects on their Airstreams. Steve and Jan's classic motorhome is out of the shop and should be just about ready to go. Randy has just about got it figured out what he wants to do with his water pump. Now he just has to wait for warmer weather. That fixed, he and Vick should be set for the summer. Jerry & Dyann took their Land Yacht on a test outing and it seems it's ready for the rally season. Everyone else will probably be de-winterizing their rigs sometime between now and the Lahontan rally. That usually means a few tweaks and maintenance issues will need to be taken care of. All in all we had a great time as usual just visiting at the lunch. We are all looking forward to a great rally season and all sorts of new adventures.
The
first rally of 2015 was held at Lahontan Beach 7 dispersed area. This
was the 9th rally the SNU has held at this location. Five rigs
participated. Wheels & Doris, Gary & Anita, Bryan &
Diane, and RoyLaine & Jim. On Friday Don & Gail surprised
everyone with their arrival at the rally. They have been on the road
a lot. This was the first time they have been able to make an SNU
rally in almost a year. We spent a good part of the weekend catching
up on Don and Gail's adventures, especially in hearing their stories
of the Alyska Caravan. We were also happy to have Bob & Cecilia
come out for a visit on Friday afternoon. The Park Ranger had been on
the lookout for us. He remembered we like to come out about this time
of year. He was all prepared when he came by on Friday morning. He
had a senior pass for everyone. He entertained us with stories of
some of the more interesting adventures he has had here at Lahontan.
These stories included Santa Claus and the duck hunters and the
discovery of a dead body. There was water in the reservoir. Huge
numbers of pelicans were to be seen on the far side on the water and
in the air. If you were ready for a laid back, relaxing rally, this
one fit the bill. The weather cooperated, especially on Thursday
afternoon. The temps were perfect, the sun was out and there was no
wind. For the most part the only noise was the grackles, seagulls,
and other birds. All in all, a great weekend to visit with friends,
relax in the sun, take a good nap, read a book, share some great
meals, and indulge in other such strenuous activities. Friday it got
a little breezy but it didn't prevent us from celebrating a belated
St. Patrick's Day dinner outside with a corned beef and cabbage and
chocolate cake for dessert. Saturday morning was calm and sunny.
Perfect for a morning campfire. By evening a brisk wind made it more
enjoyable to have dinner in Wheel's & Doris's Airstream. It seems
everyone's Airstream made it through the winter months with no major
issues. A few problems were discovered at the rally, namely a problem
with Roy & Jim's frig when it was running on gas and a smell in
Don & Gail's water tank but nothing that required emergency
repairs or a quick trip to town.
Those of you who
attended the SNU rally at Ft Churchill, Scout Camp in 2011 will
remember the black dog that was abandoned and left to fend for
himself. He wasn't more than a year old, skin and bones, and fearful
of people. Gene & Carmen's grandkids managed to befriend him and
several of the rally participants provided food for him. Roylaine
couldn't stand the thought of leaving him, especially when she heard
the nearby coyotes. With the approval of their 3 dogs, Roylaine and
Wes, took him home with them. It seems it was a match that was meant
to be. Scout, as the dog was named, has grown into a large, healthy,
friendly, well behaved dog. It was great to see him again at
Lahontan.
We got the full variety pack weatherwise at the Ft Sage Rally. Thursday was almost perfect. Warm, sunny, and almost no wind. From then on we got a little thunder, lighting, winds, rain, snow, and colder temps. By Sunday once again we had clear sunny skies. I guess this was the SNU way of celebrating Earth Day. Celebrate we did! We celebrated in being together in such a beautiful spot, by initiating Jerry & Dyann's Moho as the SNU alternative dining room, and we celebrated by having a great time regardless of the weather. We had both our Friday and Saturday dinners in Jerry & Dyann's Moho as it was just too windy to be outside. It worked out really well so I guess we'll let them keep that moho, at least for the time being. One of the neat things about Ft Sage other than the panoramic views, are the wildflowers. There was an abundance of lupine, paintbrush, primroses and other flowers. The place has undergone some more updating since we were there two years ago. The biggest improvement was leveling out the large parking area. We all hope the BLM doesn't get carried away though with improvements. It's now just about a perfect spot for an SNU rally. Because of the weather, we all spent time tucked in our Airstreams, reading, napping, playing games, and indulging in other indoor activities. During breaks in the weather we gathered outside. Friday morning we had a nice campfire. Also on Friday, Gary, Anita, and Diane took a short ride to check out the new parking/camping area at Ft Sage. It was very nice but too small for the SNU. They also drove up the hill where you can get magnificent views of Long Valley. Saturday afternoon, Gene and various grandkids rode some of the trails on his ATV. They also got in a little target practice. Sunday morning although a little cool, was sunny and calm. Just right for one last campfire before heading home. We had five Airstreams at the Ft Sage rally. Participants included Gary & Anita, Bryan & Diane, Jerry & Dyann, Gene & Carmen (and grandkids) and Randy & Vicki. We all had thoughts of Bruce and Kathy. Bruce's introduction to the SNU was meeting Randy & Vicki at Ft Sage. In 2013, Bruce & his wife Kathy attended their only SNU rally with their Airstream at Ft Sage. Tragically a month after that rally they were both killed when their vintage Cessna crashed. Ft Sage is one of our favorite sites. There is sure to be more rallies at this location in the future.
By
all accounts our rally at the Lassen RV Resort near McArthur, Calif.
was one of the best ever. We had six rigs in attendance even though
the rally site at about 170 miles from Reno stretched our distance
limit. The participants in alphabetical order were Randy and Vicki
Grossmann, Gary and Anita Haskett, Jim and Lynda Kunter, Bryan and
Diane Leipper, Jerry and Dyann Thornburg, and Don and Gail Williams.
Don and Gail came all the way from their home in Riverside, Calif.
Bob and Charlotte Hemphill who are friends of ours and reside in
McArthur stopped by for visits. One of the unique Resort qualities is
that it satisfies almost everyone’s RV camping preferences. The
Resort has full hookups (except for WiFi and cable) for those who
prefer that type of camping. For those who prefer a boondocking
camping environment the parking spaces are in a rustic environment
with large parking areas which are well separated. If a person had a
real aversion to hookups they could park somewhere in this roomy
Resort where there were no hookups. We believe that the only people
who would not like this Resort are people who want to be parked on a
concrete slab. During the rally we received comments from people who
much preferred hookups that they really appreciated the hookups being
in such a nice country environment. We also received comments from
people who liked boondocking that they appreciated the “boondocking
with hookups.”
The weather report for our rally period
looked ominous. We did have rain but it was not continuous and for
the most part did not interfere with our activities. On Thursday we
had a dinner of KFC that some members procured on the way to the
rally. Phil, Jasmin, and Nancy, the Resort owners and managers,
brought a special treat of toffee crack for dessert. We consumed it
quickly. Jasmin and Nancy brought a toffee crack "starter kit"
on Saturday for each of us that included chocolate and the directions
for making it ourselves. It did rain most of the day on Friday but
stopped before our BBQ that evening which included Don's special
caramelized onion sourdough biscuits. Saturday evening we pulled out
all the stops for our potluck. Phil, Jasmin, and Nancy not only
joined us for the potluck but also brought some wonderful food. A
word of praise is in order for them. They were all so nice to us and
made us feel so welcome during the rally. We could not have asked for
better Resort hosts. In addition, Phil was easy and obliging to work
with in the planning of this rally. Phil, Jasmin, and Nancy also
participated in our traditional waffle feast Saturday morning. They
again brought food. They also lent us a waffle iron so that we could
expedite the waffle making. SNU members also contributed to the
waffle feast’s smashing success by bringing various waffle toppings
and other amenities. We had a lot of delicious fruit including
blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and cantaloupe. Gail brought bags
of home grown lemons and grapefruit. We were all thankful to get some
to take home.
The rally was held in an area of the Resort
where we were able to park in more or less circled wagon train style.
All activities took place in the center of the circle. Everything was
fully deployed at this rally. The famous diorama was on display all
day Saturday. Vicki and I created the diorama in 2006 for the SNU
30th anniversary luncheon. It started out to be a cake decoration but
morphed into an entity of its own as it expanded to a size that would
not fit on the top of any cake. The diorama is still looking great
after almost nine years. The Thing (the name Monstrosity was
suggested at the rally) was displayed in all its lighted glory during
the entire rally. Decorative trailer lights were also blazing each
night. Jerry brought his new string of lights with flamingos and
vintage trailers. Diane put out her various solar lights. In the
center of the circle was a fire pit which we put to use thanks to
Phil providing us with some fire wood. Rally participants went to see
some of the many nearby attractions, including a partial day trip to
Burney Falls and a visit to the Crook museum in Fall River Mills
which is only 12 miles away. Some people took sight seeing tours of
the area and did a little shopping in Fall River Mills and McArthur.
On Saturday Phil took a nice photo of us in front of the Haskett's
Airstream.
Rally participants commented a lot about how
nice a Resort it was and how we were treated like royalty. At the
rally conclusion we all agreed that the Lassen RV Resort should be
one of our annual rally sites.
We had a little trepidation about what we would find at the Sweetwater rally site because of flash foods in the area the day before. Gary went in first since he has a 4wd truck. The only problem was a crevasse in the road. We all made it to the rally site, including Jerry and Dyann's MoHo, with no problems. The rally site was dry and solid. Jerry took on the crevasse as his community service project for the weekend with some assistance from Randy. Jerry discovered he couldn't fill the hole so he cleared and leveled the other side for easier access. Another rally activity was kite flying. Randy brought his kite and although the wind was a little sporadic, he did get it airborne. The temperature at Sweetwater, which is almost 7,000 ft, was about 10 degrees cooler than lower elevations which made for a very pleasant weekend. We did have a little system move through on Saturday just about dinnertime. Lots of thunder, a little rain, and even a little mushy hail. It cleared out quickly. Participants at this rally were Jerry & Dyann, Gary & Anita, Randy & Vicki and Bryan & Diane. This was a great weekend for relaxing with friends, taking walks here and there, starting the day with a nice campfire, enjoying some beautiful scenery, sharing some great meals, and being thankful for having some great locations for rallies. Check out the photo gallery of the Sweetwater rally.
We couldn't have asked for better weather than we had for the SNU July rally at Weed Heights. Although with electricity we could run air conditioners if they were needed, temps in the upper 70's to mid 80's were so much more enjoyable than temps around 100. This weekend was the tail end of a series of days with rain showers. We had a few showers on Friday and also Saturday night. Always a treat to hear rain on the roof of your Airstream. The park sits up on a hill. We had a panoramic view of the clouds and thundershowers moving across the valley and coming over the mountains behind us. As usual for the SNU, we had a lot of good eats. Friday's dinner included slow cooker pulled pork with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Saturday on a short trip to town, Jerry got inspired to have what he called Nevada style surf 'n' turf for dinner. He and Dyann also stopped by the local bakery before heading back to the park. Jerry grilled teriyaki marinated tri-tip and fresh snapper for dinner. A variety of salads and watermelon contributed to the meal. For dessert we had a delicious strawberry and rhubarb pie with whipped cream. We invited Mark and Carrie, the new managers of the park to join us for dinner. They are great people and consider the park their "front yard". From the looks of things, the park will continue to be well cared for. All in all it was a nice relaxing weekend.
By all accounts, the first ever joint rally with the SNU – one of the smallest Region 12 Units, and NorCal – one of the largest, was a huge success. It was a great example of communication, collaboration and compromise with two Units whose rally styles are very different. There were a total of 25 Airstreams. Five from the SNU, 15 from NorCal and 5 guests. For several of the NorCal members and the guests, this was their first rally. Prosser was a great location. Not too civilized for the SNU but enough amenities for NorCal. The location provided opportunities for all sorts of activities. Some people went to Sand Harbor to see the Fantastics on Thursday night. Many rally participants went to the evening street fair in Truckee. A few participated in wild bird banding in a nearby meadow. There was a large group who took a tour of Independence Lake wildlife preserve. Others drove into Reno for Hot August Nights, lunch at a casino, and visits with family and friends. A lot of people did some exploring on their own or went to dinner or lunch in Truckee. Then there were the rally activities. SNU member Don Williams, outdid himself. Not only did he make from scratch sourdough pancakes for breakfast on Saturday, he did several presentations on things related to off-grid camping. On Saturday, using Bryan’s 24 inch TV, Don did a slide show of the Alyska caravan he and Gail participated in last year. The Saturday breakfast was put on by SNU members. In addition to Don’s pancakes, Dyann and Jerry brought local grown Fallon melons including the famous Hearts of Gold cantaloupes. Everyone was very impressed. Baxter and Marlene brought strawberries and blueberries. Diane and Bryan provided the bacon which Jerry cooked. Gail provided some sausage. As always, Bryan made fresh coffee every morning and had it out around 7am. NorCal seemed to appreciate the SNU’s habit of morning campfires and coffee. As Claudette said, it was a good way to bring people out of their trailers in the morning. Other rally meals included a do your own BBQ pot luck on Wednesday night and another potluck on Saturday night. Thursday dinner was on your own. Friday was supposed to be a pot luck but thunder showers off and on moved that dinner to Saturday. Happy Hours every evening provided a great opportunity to visit and get to know each other better. Speaking of visits, a mama bear and her cubs discovered that the tent campers near us was a great place to find a snack. They did some damage and set off a car alarm one night. After the second night, the tent campers decided to leave. The SNU’s tradition of solar lights and pink flamingos made our end of the campground pretty decorative during the day and well lit at night. Every SNU member had their lights and flamingos on display. In addition to the SNU members already mentioned, we were delighted to see Roman and Melissa. It’s been a while and it was great catching up with them. One of the guests was Vern and Barbara from Sparks. Hopefully we’ll see them at another SNU event sometime in the near future. All in all, it was a great weekend and everyone seems anxious to plan another joint rally sometime in the future. Check the website for photo galleries, presentation hand-outs and other resources from this rally.
We tried out a new site for the SNU September rally. Glass Creek Campground is about 4 miles south of Obsidian Dome. It is a more structured campground and very popular with the ATV crowd. Although there were a lot of campers even at this time of the year, the campground is spacious and it didn’t feel crowded. It’s a very nice campground right on Glass Creek. It makes a good back up for Obsidian. It was a beautiful fall weekend with clear skies, perfect temperatures, very little wind and even a full moon. We were delighted to have visitors from the San Diego Unit join us for this rally. Bob & Nancy Kirksey have been active Airstreamers for a lot of years and gone on quite a few caravans. It was great to hear their stories. On Saturday Bob shared his slide show of a mini caravan to Mexico in the early 2000’s. He and Nancy were part of a scouting group that was making arrangements for a WBCCI caravan to Mexico. In addition to Bob & Nancy, rally participants included Jerry & Dyann, Gary & Anita, Brian & Jeni and Bryan & Diane and their cousin Karen. On Friday Rick stopped by for a visit. As always, it’s nice to catch up with him. We haven’t seen Brian & Jeni in quite a while. They recently had their 1954 Cruiser refurbished inside and out. We all enjoyed taking a tour. They have kept it as original as possible. A lot of the important upgrades aren’t visible – new plumbing and electric and the addition of a gray water tank. It really looks beautiful and should be good for another 60 years. Speaking of refurbishing, Gary and Anita just installed some new steps on their Airstream. Some minor modifications had to be made to make them fit but they were definitely worth the effort. Nice and sturdy, adjustable and even have a spot for a post for a hand hold. There are some nice hiking trails close to the campground which several of rally participants took advantage of. As mentioned, Brian and Jeni took a bike ride that included Mill pond, Mosquito Lake via Rock Creek. Apparently the ride was a great success, good roads, beautiful scenery and nice weather. As for meals, we had a KFC chicken dinner on Thursday. Friday and Saturday we did our usual shared meals. As always, good food and good company. It was a very pleasant and relaxing weekend. We’ll definitely have to keep Glass Creek in mind for future rallies.
October 6 – 11, 2015 the WBCCI Region 12 Rally was held at the Silver City RV Park in Minden, NV and hosted by the Sierra Nevada Unit. Bob and Cecelia Stansbury lead the group of volunteer members and did an exceptional job of planning and organizing everything. The SNU thanks them for all their hard work on this very successful rally. Every day was packed full of activities to attend and participate in:
On Tuesday after arriving, registering and being escorted to your assigned parking spot there was a ham radio meeting held by several WBCCI members including Don Williams of the SNU and then we all met for a pizza dinner at the RV Park’s meeting room.
On Wednesday, there was a flea market you could browse while having coffee. A membership workshop was held to introduce the new WBCCI online dues paying capability. We then all carpooled to the home of friends of Bob and Cecelia’s, Jack and Sherry McLaughlin, in Lake Tahoe where we had lunch and could explore the lake from a private beach. Happy hour was held at the Stansbury’s home and then for those of us who wanted to go, we attended the Basque dinner at JT’s in Gardnerville. Later, the movie “The Shootist” was shown back at the RV Park. This was John Wayne’s last movie which was filmed in Carson City.
On Thursday, after coffee we met at the Nevada State Museum for a docent led tour and then had lunch at Carson High School. Lunch was prepared and served by their award winning culinary students. Then we met at the Visitors Center and went on the “Blue line” tour of sites of Carson City which included many of the capital buildings and old homes. Happy hour was held at the historic Prang House which is owned by the McLaughlins who also had us all for lunch at their home in Lake Tahoe. This is the house where some of the “Shootist” was filmed. Both of their homes are beautiful and it was very gracious of them to have so many of us and hosting these two events. That evening some of us met in the RV meeting room to play Bingo.
On Friday, we had a catered breakfast at the RV Park and then traveled to Virginia City for a docent led tour and then do some shopping. After lunch you could either go to the Hugh Butcher Restoration tour, the Historic State Prison tour or attend the Glamping Product demonstration at the RV Park. Happy hour was held at Jack and Kathy Hampel’s new home in Minden. Later we all met at Fuji Hall for music, a talent show and door prizes provided by Airstream. Doris Wheeler did a beautiful job of playing her guitar and singing for us during the talent show.
On Saturday, there was a continental breakfast and then the business meeting. Jerry Thornburg and Don Williams attended and Jerry gave an excellent presentation of how the SNU operates and our superb website. Where information regarding our Airstreams, our rallies and newsletters were obtainable as well as a lot of information regarding the SNU could be seen. Then everyone had their choice as to the different activities they wanted to see. Baxter Swaffer lead a tour of the Auto Museum in Reno, Richard Wheeler gave a tour of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, both doing an outstanding job. There was also a guided tour of the Nevada Museum of Art, shotgun trapshooting or a Scandinavian Festival you could attend. In the evening there was an Airstream open house for visitors held followed by a catered BBQ dinner. That night music was performed by Dennis and Lynn, more friends of Bob and Cecelia’s and then more door prizes and a raffle for the quilts was held. The proceeds of the tickets sold were given to a local girl who was suffering with many complications from lime disease. A total of over $2,600.00 was raised.
Sunday morning before departure the SNU members and affiliates met for a group picture. Those in attendance were: Richard and Doris Wheeler, Baxter and Marlene Swaffer, Jim and Linda Kunter, Richard and Sharron Baldwin, Don and Gail Williams, Jerry and Dyann Thornburg, Bob and Cecelia Stansbury, Bob and Nancy Kirksey, Bobbi Kingsland and Marla Liberty.
We met and spoke with a lot of very nice people and had a wonderful time. A lot to do and see but it was all great. Many of the people we met showed a great deal of interest in the SNU style of rallies and an interest in attending. We look forward to seeing them again in the future.
What a great lunch we had at the Plaza. Perfect weather, a nice room all to ourselves, great food, and of course great people to share it all with. Randy and Vicki hosted this lunch and it couldn’t have worked out better. Other SNU members at the plaza were Jerry & Dyann, Gary & Anita, Diane, Roger & Janet, Gene & Carmen and Gene & Kathy. Be sure to read about Gene and Kathy’s experiences at the Balloon Fiesta in this newsletter. A lot of the lunch was spent reminiscing, telling stories, and sharing some of the things that make the SNU special for each and every one of us. These stories provided a lot of laughs and affirmed what Jerry had said several years ago that “It s the Airstreams the bring us together but it’s the people who keep us together”. We also talked about the upcoming 2016 year and the 40th Anniversary of the SNU. A lot of exciting things in the works. We are all looking forward to making even more memories and having more stories to tell. I think we all agree, the Plaza is definitely a place to keep on the SNU list of luncheon site
This turned out to be a pretty special luncheon. It was at Bavarian World in Reno and it was a real family gathering. Jerry & Dyann brought their daughter Jill. Roger & Janet brought their daughter Jennifer and grandson Johnathan. After hearing about them for years it has always felt like they were part of the SNU family. Great to finally meet them in person. It was also good to see Wheels and Doris they have been so busy caravanning and doing other traveling they haven’t made an SNU gathering since last March. Doris brought her birthday quilt to show off. It was made by her daughter. The pattern is a picture of Wheels and Doris with their Airstream. Andy’s in it too. And of course there are pink flamingos! It’s really a pretty amazing work of art. Other members at the lunch were Randy & Vicki, Gary Haskett and Diane Leipper. As usual, the food at Bavarian World was great. Several of us made a trip to the bakery after lunch to purchase a few treats to take home. Another good lunch with good company.
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