October 2008 news notes

Web links

to information discussed in this newsletter including Obsidian Dome Rally photo gallery and the info for the October rally at Blue Lakes: http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/snu/2008/08news/

Obsidian Rally

A beautiful fall weekend at Obsidian Dome. Although it was a little cool and windy, we had a great rally. Nine rigs showed up including some special guests. SNU members at Obsidian included Jerry and Dyann Thornburg, Rick LaBorde, Don and Gail Williams, Anita Leipper, Gene and Carmen Baleme, Wheels and Doris Wheeler, Bryan and Diane Leipper, and Roman Kreminski and Melissa Wong. We were delighted to be joined by Joe and Teressa Ten Berge from the Monterey Bay California Unit. Teressa is the current secretary for Region 12 and also chair of the WBCCI membership committee. We enjoyed hearing about the Monterey Bay Unit and how they do things and sharing SNU ideas with Teressa and Joe. Roman and Melissa get the prize for longest distance traveled for this rally although part of it was by plane. They arrived home from Hawaii just a few days before the rally. At the last minute they realized this was the weekend of a rally. They scrambled around, got everything in the Airstream and hit the road after 11pm to arrive at Obsidian on Saturday. We were happy to see them. On Saturday Ed and Paula Poll and grandson Lucas came by for a visit. Their Airstream is in the process of being totally refurbished. One of these days we look forward to seeing them at an SNU rally with their Airstream. In the meantime we were glad they could come for a visit and join us for our pot luck dinner on Saturday. In an email after the rally Paula said that Lucas had told his Mom that he had a great time at the rally. We are glad he did and hope he too will come with his grandparents to another SNU rally. Other than eating and inspirational naps, some of the more energetic people took hikes to the nearby meadow and up to the summit of a nearby mountain. Others visited nearby attractions such as Mammoth, June Lakes and the Devil's Postpile. We also did a little Airstream maintenance. Don had his pressure meter so he could test various gas lines. All in all another great SNU rally. Everyone is eager to return in 2009.

Business Meeting


Saturday Lunch

Saturday around noon, the SNU held it's September business meeting. Discussion items included an update on the 42ft Airstream, the SNU private section on Airforums, a possible rally at the Silver Springs Fly-In, and SNU officers for 2009. Jerry states that everything is on track regarding the 42ft Airstream and it has been sealed off against winter snow and rain. After some discussion it was decided to continue with the SNU section on Airforums as it provides yet another option for communications with SNU members. Don Williams was asked and has accepted the task of moderating the forum for the SNU. Richard Wheeler was asked to discuss his findings regarding a possible SNU rally at the Silver Springs Fly-In. His initial contact with officials of the fly-in indicates that they are enthusiastic about having us and there are lots of opportunities for us to provide volunteer service for the event. Members present at Obsidian agreed that we should change our rally schedule and include this event in 2009. Richard will be following up and keeping us informed as to details. He and Jerry will probably be attending a meeting regarding the Fly-In sometime in the next few months. The SNU will elect officers for 2009 at the October rally. The slate includes Anita Leipper, President, RoyLaine Warn, Secretary, Bryan Leipper, Treasurer, Don Williams and Randy Grossmann, Trustees.

New business included an update on Region 12 activities presented by Teressa Ten Berge. She discussed the upcoming Region 12 rally in Watsonville, and gave us the dates for the 2009 Region 12 rally. We also had a short discussion on the upcoming rally at Blue Lakes and the rally in Death Valley in November. There being no other discussion items, Jerry adjourned the meeting.

Last Northern SNU Rally of 2008

Thursday October 16 – Sunday 19, 2008 the SNU will hold it's last regular rally for 2008 at Blue Lakes dispersed camping area off Hwy 88 in Hope Valley. From Reno, take 395 south to SR88. Follow SR88 thru Woodfords into Hope Valley. Continue past the Meyers turnoff. (Hwy 89) Go about 3 or 4 miles to the Blue Lakes road. Make a left on Blue Lakes road. The first set of camping areas is only 1/10 of a mile on your right behind the outhouse there are spaces under the trees. To the left is an open meadow. The rally site is a nice gravel area, near a large pond and surrounded by meadows and mountains. Melissa says once you turn on Blue Lakes road, there is no way you can miss the rally site. She and Roman plan to be there on Wednesday. This area has lots of great fishing spots, excellent hiking opportunities and beautiful scenery.

My last official ramblins

As everyone knows this month is the election of officers. So it’s my final month as President. As I stated last month I thought I would look back on my two years in office. When I took this position I thought it would be all pomp and very little circumstance. Boy did that prove to be wrong. Even holding different management positions at some rather large companies, I had forgotten what it was like to deal with all the different personalities. One of the biggest changes was differentiating between what I wanted and what the wishes of the unit were. Having stated many times that its not the officers who run the club but the members wishes that the officers carry out, I had to remind myself more than once that this is what transpires. One of the other things which I will admit I didn’t do to well was to track and respond when needed to items posted on the internet about the unit. Sometimes my tact wasn’t all that great. I’ll be the first to admit it.

One of the biggest benefits was being in on the finding of the 42 foot airstream and working on its restoration. This is one project I will stay in the forefront of. Another benefit is the people and friendships that I made during this time. Two of the people who I could really count on for direction were Bryan (Liepper) and Roger (Jeppson). One other thing that really showed itself was the interaction of the members. With the wide diversification of backgrounds, there was always something else to learn. It was always nice to have early morning conversations with both Bryan and Roger before everyone else got up. The coffee pot was always full. Another plum was the conversations between Roger, Gary (Haskett), and my self about the Nevada of yesteryear. I think the three of us go back to when water first arrived on the planet. Sorry Roger and Gary.

In the last two years we have seen a dramatic increase in the membership of the unit. When I went to the International I believe we had 40 full time and associate members. This was an all time record for the unit. Another plus at the international I was able to meet all the international officers and the President of Airstream. None treated me with anything other than respect. Even though my reputation of being the Redneck President proceeded me. One of the Texas unit presidents asked me why I wasn”t carrying the flag and being the delegate. I told him that I could do that but it seemed more appropriate to include all the unit members in attendance in the rally. Also it meant that I got to attend to other business, knowing that everything else was being handled. The evening dinner with Peewee, other unit members, and nearby neighbors was the highlite of the rally.

Now I can sit back and enjoy the rallys as I did before being elected, and kibitzs from the background. One of the drawbacks of this election is that I lose labels off my name badge. It had past president for last year, president for this year, and half Passed president because I was still in office. So I will just be the passé president now. It has been fun and enjoyable being in office and for this I thank the membership. Now I will sign off and let the new president write this column.

The Redneck President - Jerry

Welcome new members

Reg and Marilyn Parson are the newest members of the SNU. The Parsons live in Reno and recently purchased a 2008 Safari Sport. The SNU also has three new affiliate members for 2009. Yvonne DeMarco, Milan and Eloise Wight, and Joe and Teressa Ten Berge. Yvonne's primary unit is El Camino Real. Milan and Eloise are members of the Northern California Unit. They have also been affiliate members of the SNU in the past and just recently renewed their affiliate membership for 2009. Joe and Teressa Ten Berge are members of the Monterey Bay California Unit. The SNU welcomes each and everyone of you. We look forward to seeing you soon at SNU events.

Special Activities at SNU 2009 Rallies

The 2009 SNU rally schedule has undergone some changes. One of the changes is the addition of a rally at the Silver Springs Fly In in May 2009. This idea was proposed by new member. Robert Wheeler and after discussions at Eagle Lake and Obsidian, the SNU looks forward to this new adventure. As a result, the Unionville rally has been moved to September. Rally participants at the Fly In will be supporting the event by providing some volunteer service as well as watching the air show. The Fly In is one of several special activities the SNU has planned this year. Other special activities include ham radio field day at the Sweetwater rally, horse drawn wagon rides at the Thomas Ranch rally, brunch at the Old Pioneer at the Unionville rally and a visit to the Fish Hatchery at the Mason Valley rally. Plans are still in the works for these and other rally activities so keep an eye on the SNU website and look for updates in the SNU newsletter. Let us know if there is something special you would like to see or do at a rally. Share your thoughts

Dues Due

2009 Membership dues need to be received before November 1 so that your name will be included in the WBCCI membership directory. The majority of SNU members have already renewed and we are looking forward to hearing from the rest soon. Dues are $65 ($55 for WBCCI and $10 for the SNU) mail your check to SNU 714 Terra Ct, Reno, NV 89506.

Courtesy Parking

By Diane Leipper

One of the benefits of WBCCI membership is courtesy parking. Courtesy parking is fellow members who have extra Airstream parking space offering it to those who may be traveling through their area. You can indicate courtesy parking on your membership application or dues renewal. Courtesy parking is listed in the WBCCI directory. We have listed courtesy parking for years and never had any visitors. This year we had three in one month, two in one week! Our first visitors called us the last week of July. Ken and Jill Shuck (#5254) are members of the Arizona Unit. Jill is editor of the Unit newsletter. They arrived on Wednesday and left on Thursday. We had a great visit with them. I think we really surprised them when we told them that our grandparents were charter members of their Unit and showed them a picture of the organizational rally. The Shuck's may show up at an SNU rally someday and they would love to have any SNU members visit one of their rallies. Then Friday Bryan told me we were expecting more visitors. I thought he was joking but no, we really were going to have company. Michael and Tina Lambert ( #1640) of the Ontario Unit arrived Friday afternoon. They have a 1971 Trade Wind and it is all decked out in 1950's motif. They didn't know anything about Hot August Nights but arrived just in time for some of the preliminary events. They had a blast and are interested in coming back sometime to enjoy more of the events. Michael and Tina were mentioned in the L.A. Times article that we linked to in the last newsletter. Our last visitors came at the end of August. Robert and Alma Powell (#1857) are members of the Michigan Unit. They were getting ready to meet up with a Caravan that was going from South Lake Tahoe, down 395 and over to Las Vegas – SNU territory. Robert is really into trains and vintage cars. They made a trip down to Carson City to the railroad museum and Robert spent most of two days in the Automobile Museum in Reno. We told them about the railroad museum in Portola. With the assistance of SNU friend and museum gift shop manager, David Epling, the Powell's were able to spend a night in the museum parking lot where Robert could explore trains to his hearts content. We received a card from Alma and she said David had taken Robert on a ride in one of the locomotives and that it was an experience of a lifetime, something he thought he would never be able to do. We are especially thankful to David for providing this opportunity as this will probably be the last caravan for the Powell's.

These experiences have made me very thankful that we can offer courtesy parking. In fact, our neighbor even offered her drive and yard for visiting Airstreamers. Having fellow WBCCI members come for a visit isn't like strangers stopping by. It is more like family you haven't seen in a while. It is a great way to learn first hand what other WBCCI Units are doing and hear about the adventures of fellow Airstreamers without leaving your own home. It is also a great way to let others know what the SNU is all about and to share some of the neat opportunities available in the Great Basin area. I feel like we have made some new friends and I would definitely encourage any WBCCI/SNU member who has the space to offer courtesy parking.

November in Death Valley

The Sierra Nevada Unit will hold a unique end of the season rally in Death Valley on Thursday, November 13th through Sunday, November 16th. The primary location is the Mesquite Spring Campground located south of Scotty’s Castle in the northeastern corner of the park. Mesquite Spring Campground features picnic tables, fire pits and flush toilets; water and a dump station are located within the campground. Expect temperatures to range from the low 40s to the upper 70s with little chance of rain.

Our Southern California members, Don and Gail Williams, will be our hosts for this special event. Nearby attractions include Scotty’s Castle, Ubehebe Crater, Tea Kettle Junction and the Racetrack or one can visit Furnace Creek, Furnace Creek Inn, Artists Drive, Devils Golf Course, Natural Bridge, Badwater and the West Side Road in just and hour or so. Check here to see what’s available: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm .

Make sure your come armed with a good map for your explorations; Automobile Association (AAA), National Geographic or Tom Harrison map of Death Valley are all great and compliment each other.

Want more adventure than most tourists? Don has copies of the Death Valley Backcountry Roads and Day Hike flyers, his Desert Summits, a Climbing & Hiking Guide to California and Southern Nevada by Andy Zdon and will be leading a climb of nearby Tin Mountain (8953’). It’s a 7 mile round trip from Racetrack Road. Bring your daypack, a large canteen or Camel Back and some protective gear. More advertours, other hikes can be found here:http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/hiking.htm .

Of course we will have our morning coffee and optional potluck diners; Don and Gail may even tempt their guest with another Dutch-oven surprise cooked over the campfire.

Contact Don &Gail for more info; 951.780.5199 (evenings & weekends) 951.453.1944 (days).

SNU Forum

The AIR Forums has become an excellent place to get all kinds of information, only occasionally mis-information, on Airstream trailers and motor homes; http://www.airforums.com/forums/index.php . Operated and maintained by a bunch of Airstream aficionados, the AIR Forums covers everything Airstream from rallies, full-timing & winter living, boon docking, global Airstream travels, interior and exterior restoration, repair of major systems such as plumbing, running gear, LP Gas or propane, electrical, windows, doors & locks. It also includes a forum for the Sierra Nevada Unit members/friends. SNU Trustee, Don Williams, has taken over the task to monitor activity on our WBCCI unit forum. Check out the AIR Forums and then register at: http://www.airforums. com/forums/profile.php?do=editusergroups .

Upcoming 2008 and 2009 events

For more information on upcoming rallies check the website

http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/snu/2009/events/docs/09-rallyschedule.html