RV FORUM MOAB RALLY, MAY 8-15, 2011

[Betty Brewer]

New  Arrivals were  introduced at Happy Hour tonight.  Bill and Corrine arrived after braving the snowstorm in Beaver Utah.  Lou missed  Happy Hour while he waited for the pass to open over Beaver Pass, closed by the blizzard  but he kept up with his reading of this thread and met us at the movies  tonight.  "Hanna"  was not a happy story which matched the details of Lou's 3 day venture to get here.

In the Moab tradition Ardra asked me to present the ongoing AWARDS.  (Phil is exempt because he bought me dinner!)  We have 3 awards... The Care Bear for  the person who does something caring for others.  Dan nominated Jannine for making him breakfast but Jerry won the award for serving in some capacity on the top of Phil's rig.

We have the Happy Chicken for making  others happy and having a positive attitude. Gary quickly secured this award with his exerburant description of  a local  Moab attraction "The Hole in the Rock."  He also got a new very nice Moab hat  there for  only $10.

We all read about Kim's adventure with power outages, spilled fuel and his poor view so he  was bestowed the Goofy award.  Tomorrow each of the winners will need to find a suitable recipient as this award gets passed onto another. 

Are we having fun yet?

 

[Wendy]

AND there was an RV in the movie Hanna.

Wendy

 

[ArdraF]

ATTENDEES LIST - RV FORUM MOAB RALLY, MAY 8-15, 2011

Berry (Marilee & Dick aka TheBerrys), site M-29  ARRIVED
Bertram (Christi & Kim aka Skyking), site M-20  ARRIVED
Brewer (Betty & Terry), site 4  ARRIVED
Brucker (Maria & Gary), site 19  ARRIVED
Bullock (Phil & Doris?), site M-16  ARRIVED
FitzGerald (Ardra & Jerry), site M-13  ARRIVED
Kuch (Sheila & Ken), site M-17  ARRIVED
Lawrence (Wendy & Mike), site R-46  ARRIVED
Mahoney (Russ), site 5  ARRIVED
Nesbitt (Mary Ann & Don aka GMSboss), site M-30  ARRIVED
Pennings (Mimi & Chris), site R-57  ARRIVED
Roscoe (Corinne & Bill), site M-33  ARRIVED
Schneider (Lou), site 22  ARRIVED
Sherow (Debby & Randy), site R-54  ARRIVED
Wagner (Judy & Mike aka Ceemike), site R-55  ARRIVED
Wainwright (Jeannine & Dan), site 18  ARRIVED
Weimert (Barb & Frank), site M-14  ARRIVED
West (Marge & Dan aka Utahclaimjumper), site 25  ARRIVED
? Chrystal & Mike (aka Themotorsports), site M-31 (surname?)

I've removed the Dicks (M-21), Fergusons (R-47), Whites (M-34), and Downs (M-20),  who won't be able to join us.

 

[ArdraF]

ATTENDEES LIST BY SITE NUMBER - RV FORUM MOAB RALLY, MAY 8-15, 2011

Brewer (Betty & Terry), site 4  ARRIVED
Mahoney (Russ), site 5  ARRIVED
Wainwright (Jeannine & Dan), site 18  ARRIVED
Brucker (Maria & Gary), site 19  ARRIVED
Schneider (Lou), site 22  ARRIVED
West (Marge & Dan aka Utahclaimjumper), site 25  ARRIVED

FitzGerald (Ardra & Jerry), site M-13  ARRIVED
Weimert (Barb & Frank), site M-14  ARRIVED
Bullock (Phil & Doris?), site M-16  ARRIVED
Kuch (Sheila & Ken), site M-17  ARRIVED
Bertram (Christi & Kim aka Skyking), site M-20  ARRIVED
Berry (Marilee & Dick), site M-29  ARRIVED
Nesbitt (Mary Ann & Don), site M-30  ARRIVED
? (Chrystal & Mike), site M-31
Roscoe (Corinne & Bill), site M-33  ARRIVED

Lawrence (Wendy & Mike), site R-46  ARRIVED
Sherow (Debby & Randy), site R-54  ARRIVED
Wagner (Judy & Mike aka Ceemike), site R-55  ARRIVED
Pennings (Mimi & Chris), site R-57  ARRIVED

 

[MikeCoke]

After Wendy & I enjoyed the Pool & Hot tub I took a pic of our camp site.
It is a Panorama made from 5 pics stitched together using PanoramaPlus 3 program.

Mike

 

[Lou Schneider]

OK - here's the gist of my last 3 days ...

Saturday I said goodbye to my Mom in San Francisco (after taking her back east for a week to visit her family) and flew into Las Vegas.  After ransoming the Bronco from the airport's Economy Parking, I headed up and over the hump into Pahrump to pick up my motorhome, which had been in storage there for a month.

I got there around 3 PM, only to find a note on the storage yard's office door that said they had closed at noon.  They were supposed to be open until 5 PM.  So I had to wait until Sunday to get the MH.  The motel where I stayed after leaving Death Valley (while the motorhome was getting new brakes) wanted $120 instead of the $45 I had paid then, so I went online and wound up booking a room at the local Best Western for $80.  When I got to the motel they had mistakenly given that room to someone else.  So they put me up in their Luxury Suite.  Quite nice - in room mini- bar (not stocked, oh well..), big screen TV, soaking tub and Jacuzzi.  Almost made up for the earlier frustrations.

Sunday morning I was able to retrieve my motorhome from the storage lot.  As expected, after being there for a month the starting battery was stone dead - I think I know what's draining it but I haven't had time to fix it yet.

So I jumped it from the Bronco and it was good to go.  I left Pahrump around noon, went up and over the hump into Las Vegas fighting a 30-40 MPH side wind which became a nice tail wind when I turned north in Las Vegas.  Temperatures were in the mid 80s to low 90s even with the wind.

I decided to stop for dinner in St. George -a bad move, as it turned out.  As soon as I left the freeway the motorhome wouldn't run above idle.  I was able to nurse it into a parking lot that happened to be next to a Golden Corral - so that was my dinner choice.

After dinner, I was able to coax the engine above idle but it still had no power - fuel starvation.  My first thought was the in-tank pump had failed, but I could hear it running when I walked to the back of the rig.  About then I remembered that I had filled the tank 3 months ago in Pahrump when the temperatures were in the upper 40s, so it was probably full of winter gas.  I limped the motorhome across the street to a gas station to add fresh fuel.  When I loosened the gas cap there was a huge WHOOSH followed by the tank oil-canning as it returned to it's proper shape.  Apparently the strong tail wind and high temperatures combined to trap the engine heat underneath the motorhome, heating the tank enough to boil the fuel and vapor lock the in-tank pump.  When I added the cooler fuel it condensed the vapor bubble and everything returned to normal.

With that problem out of the way, I headed north again.  It was dark by the time I got to Beaver and I just started up the pass when it began to snow.  Not light stuff, but enough to make it hard to see the road.  Plus it was sticking to the windshield.  So I made a U-turn at the first opportunity and returned to Beaver for the night.

When I woke on Monday I saw the plow and sanding trucks taking off to make a run at the pass.  So I followed them all the way to Interstate 70.  The plow crew continued north on I-15, it was still snowing at a pretty good rate, but a big rig turned off to I-70, so I followed him through the snow up and over the pass into Richfield.

At that point the snow had turned to heavy rain due to the lower elevation.  I spent about an hour eating lunch, by the time I finished the rain had tapered off.  There was still a strong tailwind out of the SW so I continued onward, trailing the stormline the rest of the way to Moab.

On the plus side, the views along I-70, with the clouds casting their shadows on the formations and frequent lightning in the clouds on the horizon ahead of me was nothing short of spectacular!  The clouds were moving about as fast as I was, and for the better part of a mile I trailed the edge of a cloud shadow on the highway while watching other shadows race across the formations.

So I'm here now, and looking forward to the rest of the week!

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

We really had a great time in the Arches National Park today - we took 141 photos, and we have committed to a 12-step Nikon Anonymous group...

But....

 

[ArdraF]

Lou, we're really glad you finally got here safely, albeit not trouble-free.  Hope the post-Moab journey is significantly easier!

Kim, just so you know  - if you can't find anything to take a picture of in Arches N.P., there must be something wrong with you.  So join the crowd.  We've all done it - and some more than once because you get a new camera and the next year have to test it for comparison!  :   Now you know why we come here year after year and why we love the place so much!  Glad you're enjoying it too.

ArdraF

 

[garyb1st]

I was so excited yesterday after winning the chicken that I wasn't paying attention to the time for todays hike.  Betty post says 9:AM.  Ardra's says 10:00.  I'm pretty sure it's 10:00 but if not and someone see's this, please let me know.  Thanks.

Gary

 

[Betty Brewer]

Ardra knows best.

BB

 

[garyb1st]

I know this will not be news to all but for those who don't know, and for those who might have put this on a back burner, this is good info.  Here are  a few paragraphs from the following Yahoo Health article 

http://health.yahoo.net/tips/grow-more-brains-with-three-of-these

Gary 

 

[ceemike]

Looks like the Canyonlands by Night Dinner and Boat Cruise idea  had only 6 sign up so we don't qualify for a group rate, nor do we have to make any reservations to attend.  If you want to go to dinner only it is $20 and change  per person plus tip.  It can easily and quickly accomodate groups.

Friday night May 13 is the designated night for those of us going.  7 pm dinner and 8 pm cruise So you can still change your plans and join us when it warms up to 85 by the end of the week.

Betty,  Judy & I will go on the Dinner & Boat Cruise.
Mike Wagner

 

[Ron from Big D]

Kim:  YOu have only scratched the surface.  It will take several visits to Arches to get your best shots.  Weather is very important, as is the light.  Go early and late for the best images.

 

[ceemike]

Here is a picture of the group who went on the Park Avenue hike this morning.  We had a good time.  Thanks to Ardra for keeping Jerry reined in.  ;D

 

[Wendy]

It's a fine looking group. We all had a great time and Jerry and Ardra did a fantastic job leading this unruly group along a scenic trail. And thanks to Mother Nature for no rain and lots of wildflowers.

Wendy
Wendy

 

[Betty Brewer]

Here is a picture of the group who went on the Park Avenue hike this morning.  We had a good time.  Thanks to Ardra for keeping Jerry reined in.  ;D

I can't tell which is better looking, the  flowers in the front or the group in the back.  Very NICE  group shot.  Boy do I wish I could multitask on these rally days.  So much to do, so little time.

BB

 

[Betty Brewer]

We were  sure happy that  Judy  and Mike  W. re- joined us for happy hour tonight.  You never know with new  folks...they had joined us the first night and waited, (weighted)  through all of the introductions never to be seen again until tonight.  Seems they lost track of time while  touring Arches way into the back country, even  checking out campgrounds and lost track of time.  I reassured them that  the tour of  Arches  took priority over our gathering any day.  They indicated they are IN the  for the  Dinner Cruise  on Friday night the  13th of May.  Anyone is welcome to join us, no reservations needed! 


NOW about the Award winners today, Whew , what a choice.

Jerry passed off Care Bear to Mike L.  who diligently make the name tags for the  new folks, even redoing them when spellings are not accurate.( Wonder who made that mistake?)  Mike graciously accepted the award but I forgot to get his  photo, damn next time!

Now Kim had a very  difficult choice on who might be the NEXT recepient of the Goofy Award.  You all saw what a difficult time Lou had in arriving at Moab rally and he even admitted it all publically here on RVForum so he was a prime nominee.  However it was noted that Terry B spent a couple of hundred dollars today for a  "difficult lesson" and the first thing  he learned was  how to get his Jeep out of PARK.  Seems his  gear shift stuck as the  lesson was  leaving  Portal this morning and the vehicle would not go out of PARK.  The guide showed him..MUSCLE IT.  Seems Kim is an American Idol Fan and in that spirit asked us to  text our vote for either Terry or Lou.  Lacking that technology under our canopy (with lovely weather this afternoon,)  Kim wisley split the award.  Terry got the Toilet  Plunger and Lou got the Hat. 

The Chicken Award,  for sharing a positive View of Life,  went to  newcomer Dick.  Seems on the Park Avenue walk today, Dick and Gary got into a discussion of erosion and how those  big boulders just above their heads could come crashing down at any moment, gulp.  They discussed the Big Bang Theory and when that might happen again. Then the conversation led to all the life changing events that the  planet might , have or could possible  encounter. Those of us who have hiked the Park Avenue can relate on how Nature makes us feel so small.  But Dick certainly had the  thougths going so he got the Chicken Award.  I  think the better story was his new name tag is all wet, Seems he got it in the drinking fountain.... 

So here are photos and  rebuttals are welcomed.

 

[Terry A. Brewer]

Here are some pics of the 7 Mile Rim ride. Frank & Barb, Betty & Terry had a wonderful guided trail ride from Dan Mick.......

 

[Terry A. Brewer]

Some more 7 Mile Rim pics....

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

No guts, no glory! some amazing stuff! thanks for the pics!!