RV FORUM HOP, SKIP, AND JUMP RALLY II May 1, 2010 ? May 13, 2010

[Betty Brewer]

I waited the entire rally for an evening where it might rain.  Tonight was that night and  Mexican Train was played in Pennings coach with Betty and Sheila as guests. It was first time for Sheila to play.  As custom would dictate, it was Chris' coach so Chris' rules were in force.  As each game enfolded we recalled a new set of conditions.  I laughed and laughed.  Near the end of the game (where we think Mimi won,)  Sheila and I got the giggles worth a million bucks of good memories.  We  challenged Chris and Mimi to  games in future rallies!

Chris was a wonderful host serving wine and cookies.  Mimi is Mimi and  you have to be with these two wonderful folks to hear their " fights" in Dutch" to appreciate them .  Gosh what wonderful friends we make on the internet!

Here's to the next RVForum get together!

Betty

 

[taoshum]

Being the newbies at the HSJ, or as I think of it, the "Utah thang", has been really fun for us.  It has been especially insightful to know who some of the forum people are, not just in virtual space.  The time spent on the Jeep "trails" has been really fun and the geology, it's staggering.  This old Jeep we got for a toad is doing better than I had even hoped.  Hiking the short easy paths is a new venue for me and feels fine.

I especially want to thank Bob and Mary for the tips and Jeep trips, Betty and Terry for the trips around Capitol Reef (which they know rather well) and everyone else for the support, conversations and friendliness.

I hope there's a "HSJ" next year.  Or a H, S or J.  Maybe Page, Az is a potential base?  Wahweap RV is a potential RV park but I have never stayed there.  Cortez is another potential... Wendy would know!  Maybe Grand Junction? (I know too far North); so drop down to Prescott, or Mesquite, Nv.  Anzo Borrego?  I guess there is no end.

Maybe it all depends on the weather 'cuz if it is this cold, south is ok too.

anyway, thanks! G&C

 

[Betty Brewer]

Today Terry led a group of 7 vehicles down the Burr Trail.  Don and May Ann rode  with Terry and Betty. We left  Thousand Lakes Campground at 9 am sharp.  I have notes from past RVForum get togethers  that suggested weather was some 20 degrees warmer in past years.  We stopped at the Visitor Center for a bathroom break , map purchase and last minute  purchases.

Several on the group were first time visitors to this area so we were happy to share the sights with them.  We love to share Utah  National Parks with  folks who have not been before.

Despite chilly temps, (49 at start of trail)  we  forged on.  We loved and  photographed many, many red paintbrush plants today as well as other pretty wild flowers.

  We had never seen so many wildflowers in bloom.  We stopped at more places than ever  before to  enjoy the wild flowers in bloom.  We lunched at the  top of the Burr Trail Switchbacks and enjoyed the  views  with clouds covering the Mountains in background. We noted that with the cloud covered day , the photos were we able to take,  were better as the contrast was good.  This group can truly make lemonaid out of lemons . After a  lunch stop with rain sprinkles and 51 degrees we  headed don another mile or so to a spur road that  encouraged 4 wheel drive.  We drove on the 3 mile bumpy road and parked at the trail head.  Most of us were able to  hike the  trail up to see the Water pocket Fold  and entire  Valley below.  Again another hearty soul wanted to stand on the edge.  So you recognize him?

Following this  Burr Trail  highlight we traversed on through the Escalante National  Park. 

We encountered rain, snow, hail and more  snow and then fog on the road. Photos to follow.

Betty

 

[Betty Brewer]

Sadly, once again an RVForum Rally comes to a close.  At Happy hour tonight it rained a pretty good sprinkle so we  stayed even  fewer minutes than  last night!

( I was grateful the group had  not decided to have a dinner at the outside RV Park  arena in this cold weather)

The business meeting (in a sprinkling rain)  was to determine if, when and  who would take a leadership role  for a Spring Rally 2011.  Nominations were opened to who might like to step up to be a leader for such a rally. Betty was nominated by Beth but Betty  respectfully declined stating that  until  all had had a turn at  a leadership role in a rally, she would wait her turn. 

Discussion included potential  places to visit. 
Moab, Utah and Texas areas were nominated.  Ron Maribito volunteered to host a Texas Rally.  A few on our trip are going on to Moab Utah and will check out RV Parks and keep us posted of their recommendations.  Betty heard folks may be interested in Estes Park, Colorado but George said he  would not go to CO in May.  Weather is everything to a rally.  Past RV Forum Rallies were in Co in July.
Again, the way to have and  have a RV Forum Rally is to Post it on the Forum and hope folks will come.

So stay tuned to the "next "  2011 spring RVForum rally.

BB

 

[Tom]

Glad to hear Chris and Mimi made it. Chris' protracted medical recovery made it iffy for a long time. But, Chris being Chris, was determined not to miss the rally. Hopefully, their homeward journey will be less eventful that their outbound trip.

Wish we could have been there, but a grandson's wedding and a couple of aging/ailing relatives took us to the UK for 3 weeks. Hopefully next year, wherever the destination might be. Meanwhile, I've enjoyed following the rally reports and viewing the photos.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    Even though we are in the cold and rainy weather gripping the west here in Sioux Falls, we haven't seen snow or freezing temps since Colorado.  Although I'm sorry to have missed the HS&J I don't know how I would have withstood the pressure of once again brought unusually cold wet weather to yet another Forum Rally.  I want enjoy future rallies and don't want to be banned for being a weather jinks.

 

[Jeff]

    Even though we are in the cold and rainy weather gripping the west here in Sioux Falls, we haven't seen snow or freezing temps since Colorado.  Although I'm sorry to have missed the HS&J I don't know how I would have withstood the pressure of once again brought unusually cold wet weather to yet another Forum Rally.  I want enjoy future rallies and don't want to be banned for being a weather jinks.

Ed:

Keep trying! The proof is in the pudding. ;D

 

[Wendy]

Ed - Maybe you should ask the government to pay you to visit next time there's a serious drought

Wendy

 

[gmsboss1]

A big Thank You to Ken and Sheila for hosting the "Jump", to Terry and Betty for leading and narrating the trail rides and for giving the Nesbitts a ride on the Burr Trail, to Dean Stock for chauffeuring the Nesbitts around the Cathedral Valley trail, and to all the other HSJers who were so kind and helpful to the latecomers.

As for next year's location, we will go wherever the Rally is held.  For us, it is the people.  New friends, old friends -- we can have fun anywhere.

Just in case we're not back at Capitol Reef next year, MA and I did the Chimney Rock trail today.  Our proof is the picture below.  It was taken from above the Chimney Rock which is in the left-center of the picture.  The parking area is in the center of the picture just to the right of the CR.  Running up the middle of the picture is Rt24 headed west to Torrey.  The views were definitely worth the climb!

Mary Ann and I stayed over another day to give us a little more time to consider where to go next.  Turns out our next door neighbors from our first apartment in Atlanta in 1966 are living in Salt Lake City and are available, so we're going to SLC in the morning to spend the weekend ---- and try to decide where to go next......

'Til next time,

Don and Mary Ann

 

[Oldedit]

Susan and I greatly enjoyed the H, S & J baptism by ice. We enjoyed meeting everyone, learning more about our Roadtrek Adventurous and winter camping and just hanging out. It was fun to start at Zion, move to Bryce and windup at Capitol Reef.

What really entertained us were the drives from Torry to Blanding and from Blanding to Moab and then Grand Junction, which is where we are tonight. The scenery on these drives matched and exceeded what we saw at the national parks. Southern Utah is a gloriously unpopulated and under appreciated tourist mecca, and we plan to return many times.

Being RV newbies and Colorado tenderfeet, we probably let the cold weather keep us from doing as much hiking and painting as we had hoped.

We've learned that we enjoy RV camping but aren't potential full timers. We love our houses/homes and stuff in and around them too much to give them up. And we need the proximity of our beloved health club to keep us doing our exercise routines.

Biggest disappointment for me has been the lousy RV park wi-fi service. We're in the Junction West RV park in the  oil field supply district of Grand Junction, thanks to a recommendation on this thread from Don and Mary Ann. I've actually had wi-fi connections, although I got disconnected once.

Anyway, we've driven more than 300 miles from Torry to Grand Junction at between 55 and 62 mph on less than a half a tank of diesel fuel. The tank holds 26 gal. We'll fill up tomorrow and figure out the mileage. It'll be pretty good, I'm thinking.

Thanks to all who made the H, S & J possible. The people and scenery were unbelievable.

Don

 

[taoshum]

Probably need to post this elsewhere but....

After Torrey, we went to Eureka and tonight we are in Carson City... tomorrow we get ready to cross the pass and go to Yosemite on Sunday.  The weather is much improved and predicted to get even warmer for a few days.  Hiway 50 across Nv was just wonderful compared to the same hiway in Ut.  Still lots of snow on the mountain chains that run NS across Nv but the hiways are clear and there was no wind today.  There's even a CostCo next door so we restocked for the next week or so.

Thanks again to the HSJ leaders, movers and shakers for a great trip.

G&C.

 

[Betty Brewer]

Gary and Colleen,

Was great to meet you guys and your dogs.  We too have the pleasure of improved weather.  We traveled to Salt Lake City for a night  then across Idaho to Oregon border.  Was 77 degrees at 6 pm.  It felt great.  While we can plan all kinds of things,  we can never plan the weather.  Rallies with nice warm days are more conducive to  socializing so I am glad you had a good time despite the cold.
Please join us for more rallies.
I still plan to post some of our ride photos but life is just so busy when you are retired.

Betty

 

[Barb]

We also had a great time. New experiences, and friends. Life is Wonderful.

We kinda for extended the rally into Moab. Went to the Red Cliffs, and the Moab Brewery for dinners.

Jerry, Ardra, Frank, and I went to Chicken Corners yesterday. We had a perfect day.

Off to Gemini Bridges today.

Life is Good, and We be Jeep'n
Barb

 

[Gypsy Rovers]

It's a quiet Sunday morning and we have a good WiFi connection so better get this letter out while we can.  We're back in Alberta now and able to wear shorts again, yeaaa! 

Just wanted to say thanks to all the folks who made the rally's a great time, especially our hosts Jeff & Sue.  We did break off from the group after Bryce as I wanted a couple of days cushion (with all the inclement weather) and still make the border by the 15th. 

Stayed at SLC for 2 days for laundry and last minute shopping and made out way north up I15 with no problems.  Border crossing was a breeze and now we're slowly making our way to home base, a friends farm outside of Edmonton AB.

If any of the forumites are coming through Edmonton this summer, give us a call 780-868-5459 or email, we'll be here most of the summer if anyone needs a local guide or a cold one.

Cheers
Dale & Karen

 

[jimmiles]

a note to all..Betty and I appreciate all the hospitality and kindness shown by so many to us.  We have been in SLC since we left you with Betty flying back to NC for a meeting, but returning today{Sunday} and then we leave for Alaska..first stop is Banff for a day or two, then North..very excited..Thanks particularly to Jeff for all your hard work and to Jerry and Ardra for your kindness..look forward to next rally!  Jim and Betty

 

[ArdraF]

Dale and Karen - Glad you made it back across the border within your allotted time.

Jim and Betty - Have a great time in Alaska.  We enjoyed exploring with you.

We're pleased you all were able to join the rally and hope to see you again at another one.

ArdraF

 

[Chet18013]

Laurie and I sure had a good time at the HSJ rally. It was fun meeting new folks that we haven't met before and renewing old acquaintances from previous rallies.

We left Capital Reef and spent two days at Great Basin National Park, Baker, NV. If you have never been here, it's a must visit, especially the tour of Lehman Caves.

We arrived in Ely, NV Saturday just in time to catch the tail end of the preparations for Sunday's road race. Twice a year, they close off 395 from Lund, going south for 91 miles and have a road race starting at Lund. It seems that the Corvettes rule in the race. Saturday afternoon there were Corvettes everywhere with their racing numbers stuck on the sides. Needless to say there were also a few Ferraris and Porsche drivers also. I did spot 2 Shelby Mustangs as well.

We took the steam train ride here in Ely on Sunday and got a a locomotive shop tour after the ride. Lots for interesting places around Ely to investigate. The railroad museum is great and they allow free access to all the shops.

Today we are off to Eureka, NV (big day's trip--71 miles) and going to investigate some of the gold mines located south of town. We are planning to take a total of 6 days to cross Hwy 50 and see the more off the beaten path sights.

Chet & Laurie

 

[Jeff]

Dale, Jim, and all:

The key for us to every RV Forum rally is enjoying the company of old and new friends and this was especially so this spring. It was great to meet so many new framily members and know we'll be meeting down the road.

Enjoy the summer wherever your travels take you.

 

[AZ Randy]

Since this was only our second Forum get-together, we had the opportunity to get to know some of the group much better and to meet many of those who we had not met before. Our thanks to all those who made such a great effort to insure that the event took place and that a good time was had by all. We look forward to Catalina in December and Quartszite again in January.

And Jeff, or any other Happy Trails resident, are there spaces available in your park, for daily or weekly rental, for any of us who want to and may be able to visit?

Randy

 

[Jeff]

Randy:

Depending upon the time of year there are usually weekily rentals, I don't know of any daily ones.