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Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a recreational vehicle.

Sierra Nevada Unit

Rocky Point at Eagle Lake

Rally Reviews - total member (rigs) attendance in parentheses. Does not include guests and visitors

August 2010 - Eagle Lake Rally (6)

Diane Leipper

Eagle Lake, Rocky Point turned out to be an almost perfect SNU rally site. It was right on the lake, there was plenty of room for Airstreams, and amazingly the parking area was fairly level. The almost two miles of gravel road to the campsite made it quite clear why the area is called Rocky Point. The road traversed an ancient lava flow and it was rocky! It required some careful and slow driving but the destination was well worth the extra caution. Thanks to Anita Leipper for discovering this site for the SNU. We'll definitely be holding future rallies there. Weatherwise we had quite a variety. Almost record high temps, wind on Thursday and Friday, showers on Saturday, close to record low temps, and of course an almost perfect day on Sunday. Thursday the weather was pretty good. We had a relaxing happy hour about 4:30 and after dinner we were treated with an awesome sight watching a full moon rise over the mountains across the lake. Friday's shared meal required us to hold on to plates and dishes to make sure they weren't blown away. Saturday we used the awnings to keep us dry during dinner. Thanks to our guest Dan, we had wood for a campfire all day Saturday. It really helped with the dreary weather. Gene and Carmen's kids and grandkids befriended a fisherman camping nearby and all weekend one or the other of the kids would walk by with a freshly caught fish. They even caught some themselves. Gene was kept busy cleaning the fish and cooking them over a campfire. Some of the fish were over 20 inches long. Don had gotten a lot of RV plumbing supplies from a store that had gone out of business. Everyone was able to replenish their supply of hoses, chemicals and other things necessary to keep the trailer plumbing in good working order. Rally participants included Jerry & Dyann, Don & Gail, their friend Dan, Wes & RoyLaine, Bryan & Diane and Gene & Carmen with eight kids and grandkids. We were delighted to see Don and Gail as they have been busy with home remodeling projects this year. We were also glad to meet their friend Dan Randall and glad they brought him along to the rally. Dan is a ham radio operator (KD6ETF) and he has a dog (Cleo) so he fits right in with the SNU. Hopefully we'll see Dan and Cleo at some future SNU rallies. We all had a great time at this rally. We agree that Rocky Point will definitely go on the SNU list of favorite sites.

2010 Rocky Point Participants

Last	First	Last	First	mbr/guest	Contact	Unit	Year	Month	Type	Notes
Baleme	Eugene		Maricar Blue	mbr	Leipper	SNU	2010	08	rally	6+ family members at rally
Leipper2	Bryan		Diane	mbr		SNU	2010	08	rally
Randall	Dan			guest/mbr	Williams	SNU	2010	08	rally
Thornburg	Jerry	McDonald	Dyann	mbr		SNU	2010	08	rally
Warn	Wes		RoyLaine	mbr		SNU	2010	08	rally
Williams	Don		Gail	mbr		SNU	2010	08	rally

May 2012 – Eagle Lake, Rocky Point Rally (5)

Diane Leipper

Six Airstreams participated in the May rally at Eagle Lake, Rocky Point. The weekend started off with stormy skies, wind and even some thunder that shook the trailers. By Friday the weather cleared and the rest of the weekend was close to perfect. Rally participants included Jerry and Dyann, Wheels & Doris, Bryan & Diane, Randy & Vicki, Roger & Janet and Baxter & Marlene. It seems the fish weren't biting so the only other people there were the camp hosts. Randy, Vicki, Baxter & Marlene enjoyed several hikes down the road, over the hills, and around the shoreline. Roger's bumper needed some work so Jerry got some tools and crawled under the trailer to work on that. A few other repair and maintenance jobs also got taken care of over the weekend. There was also the usual discussions on various trailer and RV related topics, lots of time for inspirational naps, time to read a book, time for some great SNU shared meals, and of course lots of time to enjoy the scenery and the great company. On Sunday, Randy and Vicki headed out early to visit friends in Oregon and watch the solar eclipse. The Jeppson's, and Thornburg's headed home by mid-morning. The Wheeler's, Leipper's, & Swaffer's stayed over and watched the eclipse in a more creative style. Using a cardboard box with a very small hole in it as a pinhole camera (wikipedia), we could clearly see the darker circle of the moon pass by the light crescent of the sun. Pretty neat. Sunday night we had an informal BBQ. Monday morning after an impromptu breakfast of eggs with sausage & cheese, English muffins & raisin bread toast, cantaloupe, and coffee everyone packed up and headed for home. In an email from Randy after the rally, he said that on their way to Oregon they came upon some cattle being herded down the road. Needless to say, that encounter required a thorough cleaning of their Airstream. Randy said it wasn't quite as bad as cleaning off Mormon crickets from a trip to a rally in 2005. Another great rally with stories to add to the SNU memory books.

2012 Rocky Point Participants

Last	First	Last	First	mbr/guest	Contact	Unit	Year	Month	Type	Notes
Grossmann	Randy		Vicki	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally
Jeppson	Roger		Janet	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally
Leipper2	Bryan		Diane	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally
Swaffer	Baxter		Marlene	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally
Thornburg	Jerry	McDonald	Dyann	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally
Wheeler	Richard H.		Doris	mbr		SNU	2012	05	rally

May 2013 – Rally at Rocky Point (5)

Wheels Wheeler

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.

Diane Leipper

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.

2013 Rocky Point Participants

Last	First	Last	First	mbr/guest	Contact	Unit	Year	Month	Type	Notes
Erickson	Steve			mbr		SNU	2013	05	rally
Haskett	Gary		Anita	mbr		SNU	2013	05	rally
Leipper2	Bryan		Diane	mbr		SNU	2013	05	rally
Spenard	John			guest/mbr		New England Unit	2013	05	rally	Wheels met him at the Minden airport
Thornburg	Jerry	McDonald	Dyann	mbr		SNU	2013	05	rally
Wheeler	Richard H.		Doris	mbr		SNU	2013	05	rally

May 2014 - Rally at Rocky Point (7)

Wheels Wheeler

The rally at Rocky Point at Eagle Lake was more like a typical SNU rally. The weather was sunny. We gathered around a warming fire in the mornings. The wind began to pick up in the afternoon helping to cool it off in the shade. The wind seemed to strengthen as the day progressed. After our evening pot luck and the sun angle got lower it became cool. In fact it got cold and we retreated to our trailers.

There were nine trailers there, only eight at any one time. Gary left on Saturday and was replaced by Jim and his brother Chris Walker. I invited Jim when I found his Airstream parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot. There are some similarities between this year’s rally and last years. Last year I invited an “Airstreamer” I found parked in the campground at Minden Airport. He also found his way to Rocky Point with a little help. Last year prospective members Bruce and Kathy Rhymes flew over our rally site on Saturday. Unfortunately their plane crashed much later in the day as they were approaching Auburn Airport killing both of them. We had grown to like them very much and looked forward to welcoming them into our unit. This year I brought a practice Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) beacon with me and one of the Civil Air Patrol crews flew over our rally site several times practicing homing on the beacon. We continue a tradition of welcoming visitors to Rocky Point and to all our rallies.

Diane Leipper

We had a total of 9 rigs at this rally, including Warren & Merna. Other rally participants included Jerry & Dyann, Wheels & Doris, Gary, Mike & Cindy, Randy & Vicki, Bryan & Diane and we were especially delighted to have Roger and Janet join us on Friday. We also had some guests, Jim Walker & his brother Chris. They just purchased their 1975 Tradewind a few months ago and plan to be traveling for most of the summer. This was their first Airstream rally. In addition to Airstreams and people, this was definitely a dog rally. We had a total of 12 dogs this year. Our Thursday KFC dinner worked out really well. Bryan & Diane stopped by KFC in Susanville on the way to Rocky Point and picked up enough chicken and sides for everyone. Having a "catered" dinner made for a relaxing beginning of the rally. Friday Wheels was assisting in some Civil Air Patrol exercises and one of their planes flew over our rally site. Be sure to check the picture the CAP plane took of the rally site We couldn't help but think of Bruce and Kathy whose vintage Cessna crashed one year ago killing both of them. Randy had a copy of the final FAA report of the crash. It seems we'll never know exactly what happened. Randy had a good time setting up his unique yard art, "The Thing". It's been a while since he's had it set up and thankfully he had printed a picture of it to help him put it together. He now has some ideas for enhancements so it will be interesting to see it at the next rally. The rally site looked pretty awesome after dark. Most of us now have a variety of solar lights of one type or another and they added to the nighttime ambiance.

Friday night Wheels held a short business meeting. The primary topic was Randy's report of various potential rally sites. He and Vicki had visited Prosser Reservoir, Hereford Ranch and the Likely Spot RV park after the Boca Rally. Prosser Reservoir is right of hwy 89 near Truckee. There are several camgrounds at Prosser including a group area. There are lots of trees and some nice, spacious, fairly level RV sites. This might be a good place for a future SNU rally or a joint rally with NorCal. The next stop was Hereford Ranch which is also off hwy 89 North of Susanville near Hat Creek, CA. It is a private RV park and campground. It is a nice place with lots of trees, a fishing pond and other amenities, Randy thinks it might be OK for the backup list of SNU rally sites. Hereford would require long range planning and reservations. The next stop was the Likely Spot RV park near Alturas. This place has definite possibilities. There are two areas with gazebos that would make good rally sites. Amenities at the park include star gazing pads, a golf course, an onsite restaurant, hiking paths and full RV hookups. Randy was pleased with the staff that he talked with about the park and the potential of holding a rally there. It looks like the SNU will add this place to the 2015 rally calendar.

Saturday was another nice day. It started out with a morning campfire and coffee. Midday the wind picked up but by dinnertime, things had calmed down enough for our shared dinner. Diane had recently found a bunch of pink flamingo items at a thrift store and she passed around some flamingo ornaments so everyone could add to the decor of their Airstream. Our shared meals on Friday and Saturday had lots of variety and as usual, more than enough good things to eat. It was a great weekend of catching up, visiting, and just enjoying great company in a very scenic place.

2014 Rocky Point Participants

Last	First	Last	First	mbr/guest	Contact	Unit	Year	Month	Type	Notes
Gower	Mike		Cindy	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally
Grossmann	Randy		Vicki	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally
Haskett	Gary			mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally
Hull	Warren		Merna	guest			2014	05	rally
Jeppson	Roger		Janet	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally	came on Friday
Leipper2	Bryan		Diane	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally
Thornburg	Jerry	McDonald	Dyann	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally
Walker	Jim		Chris	guest	Wheeler		2014	05	rally	1st Airstream rally Wheels met them at the Minden Airport
Wheeler	Richard H.		Doris	mbr		SNU	2014	05	rally

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