Thursday, Feb. 14th
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!!!!
Our stay at The Caverns in Huachuca City was relaxing and enjoyable. We were able to get several chores done on the coach and enjoy the numerous activities in the park. Seeing all the old friends made the two weeks memorable. We had the chance to join Dave & Sandy Baleria for a dinner at the local VFW. We had originally planned to leave on Saturday and take some time to drive over to Lancaster, CA for the Monaco Pre-Rally. However, Melvina, the park manager, was cooking a Mexican dinner on Saturday night so we stayed an additional night in the park. The meal was absolutely delicious and we got to see some other friends from our previous stays at The Caverns.
On Sunday morning we pulled out of the park and started our drive west. We drove up to the Flying J in Eloy to fill our propane and diesel fuel. We got there in time to encounter some of the rudest RV drivers I’ve ever seen. They were all in a big hurry to get to the fuel islands and were cutting people off from turning in from the street. Finally, an employee of Flying J came out and started some traffic control and moving vehicles out of the street. We made it to the pumps, got topped off, and got out of there. We drove up to Casa Grande and turned west on I-8 toward Gila Bend. This route enabled us to avoid the Phoenix traffic as we aimed for Blythe. The weather cooperated with us and we had a cloudless day across the desert. Before we crossed the Colorado River into California, we stopped at the Flying J in Ehrenburg and topped off our fuel tank. The prices are almost a quarter higher in California, so the stop was worth the savings. We drove to the Colorado River Fairgrounds in Blythe, found a quiet spot on the infield, and parked for the night. There were a few Airstream trailers still there from their Wally Byam Rally, but we parked and settled in for a quiet evening of TV and dinner.
The next morning we got up and pulled out onto I-10. We drove through Palm Springs and up into the high desert. We arrived at the Palmdale Elks Lodge about 2PM and found a spot to hook-up. As I shut the computer down, I saw that Ray & Glenda Roe were also in the park. We walked over, greeted them, and made plans for dinner that night. Mondays are Bingo Nights, so Dottie & Glenda played Bingo as Ray & I sat in the bar and talked. Dottie and I also drove up to Lancaster to check out the facility and see where we’d be parking the next day. We had a great time with the Roes, and made plans for the Friday night steak dinner at the Lodge.
Tuesday morning we were up early, hooked up the car, and headed for the Lancaster Fairgrounds. We got parked and situated in time to start working on the layout of the parking lot. We managed to finish the layout marking on Tuesday, so we’re doing touch-up work and helping wherever they need additional bodies. Our real work will start on Saturday morning when the volunteers start coming in, and then on Sunday the early arrivals will be here. The next few days will be very hectic, but we’re ready for the influx of motor homes. Two years ago we experienced snow during our Rally. This year there is no snow in the forecast, but we’re dealing with some gusty winds and cool nighttime temperatures. We’re looking forward to “The West Coast Gang” arriving and the fun starting! Monday, February 25th
Monday, February 25th
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!!!!
Our stay at The Caverns in Huachuca City was relaxing and enjoyable. We were able to get several chores done on the coach and enjoy the numerous activities in the park. Seeing all the old friends made the two weeks memorable. We had the chance to join Dave & Sandy Baleria for a dinner at the local VFW. We had originally planned to leave on Saturday and take some time to drive over to Lancaster, CA for the Monaco Pre-Rally. However, Melvina, the park manager, was cooking a Mexican dinner on Saturday night so we stayed an additional night in the park. The meal was absolutely delicious and we got to see some other friends from our previous stays at The Caverns.
On Sunday morning we pulled out of the park and started our drive west. We drove up to the Flying J in Eloy to fill our propane and diesel fuel. We got there in time to encounter some of the rudest RV drivers I’ve ever seen. They were all in a big hurry to get to the fuel islands and were cutting people off from turning in from the street. Finally, an employee of Flying J came out and started some traffic control and moving vehicles out of the street. We made it to the pumps, got topped off, and got out of there. We drove up to Casa Grande and turned west on I-8 toward Gila Bend. This route enabled us to avoid the Phoenix traffic as we aimed for Blythe. The weather cooperated with us and we had a cloudless day across the desert. Before we crossed the Colorado River into California, we stopped at the Flying J in Ehrenburg and topped off our fuel tank. The prices are almost a quarter higher in California, so the stop was worth the savings. We drove to the Colorado River Fairgrounds in Blythe, found a quiet spot on the infield, and parked for the night. There were a few Airstream trailers still there from their Wally Byam Rally, but we parked and settled in for a quiet evening of TV and dinner.
The next morning we got up and pulled out onto I-10. We drove through Palm Springs and up into the high desert. We arrived at the Palmdale Elks Lodge about 2PM and found a spot to hook-up. As I shut the computer down, I saw that Ray & Glenda Roe were also in the park. We walked over, greeted them, and made plans for dinner that night. Mondays are Bingo Nights, so Dottie & Glenda played Bingo as Ray & I sat in the bar and talked. Dottie and I also drove up to Lancaster to check out the facility and see where we’d be parking the next day. We had a great time with the Roes, and made plans for the Friday night steak dinner at the Lodge.
Tuesday morning we were up early, hooked up the car, and headed for the Lancaster Fairgrounds. We got parked and situated in time to start working on the layout of the parking lot. We managed to finish the layout marking on Tuesday, so we’re doing touch-up work and helping wherever they need additional bodies. Our real work will start on Saturday morning when the volunteers start coming in, and then on Sunday the early arrivals will be here. The next few days will be very hectic, but we’re ready for the influx of motor homes. Two years ago we experienced snow during our Rally. This year there is no snow in the forecast, but we’re dealing with some gusty winds and cool nighttime temperatures. We’re looking forward to “The West Coast Gang” arriving and the fun starting! Monday, February 25th
Monday, February 25th
We are back “home” again at Palisades Presbyterian Church in San Diego. It was a rewarding two weeks in Lancaster for the Monaco Pre-Rally. Once we got the parking lot all marked out for an anticipated 450 coaches, we waited for the arrivals to show up. Saturday the remaining volunteers arrived, and Sunday was the “Early Arrival” date for the rest of the attendees. On Sunday morning we viewed an empty parking lot. By 5PM we had parked 350 coaches. It was a task to get them all parked with as little hassle as possible. It’s amazing that some of these people are still allowed to drive on the highways! We had a few boneheads that just would not listen to or watch us. It was easy to spot the problem drivers. They either drive too fast, don’t watch their parkers, or just ignore our instructions. Thank goodness they are definitely in the minority! Most of the folks really appreciate our efforts and catch on quickly that they need to watch us carefully and pay attention to our instructions.
I saw a lot of people with names I recognized, but I couldn’t take the time to greet or meet them. We had coaches arriving in a steady stream. It was fun to see old friends arrive and know that I’d see them later in the week at dinners or seminars. I worked almost every day - we were called on to assist people who needed to pull out of their space to fill their water tank or empty their holding tanks.
During the week Monaco service technicians came to the coach and fixed several small items. We had our generator serviced, our satellite TV checked out, some new awning straps installed, and our furnace and interior lights repaired. And I even had the opportunity to purchase a few “toys” for the coach.
On Saturday morning there was an organized caravan of coaches down to Pomona for the Family Motor Coach Assn. Convention. We decided not to go so we could spend more valuable time in San Diego. We were up at 5:30 to help all the caravanners get organized for they trip. We had tehm all lined up in an outer parking lot. About 8:30 we pulled them out onto the street and the Antelope Valley Freeway. I was directing traffic at the intersection and we moved 79 vehicles out onto the freeway in just over six minutes! After they had gone, several of us went to breakfast. We finally left Lancaster at 11:30 and headed for San Diego. The weather cooperated with us and we pulled in to the church at about 4PM. Our Welcoming Committee met us in the parking lot and we settled in. It was humbling to see four people come out to welcome us back from our almost two-month, 1415 mile trip!
We will be in San Diego for nine days and leave again on March 5th. If any of you San Diego friends are in the area, give us a ring and say “Hello!”. We’d love to see a few friends before we depart for the summer.
I saw a lot of people with names I recognized, but I couldn’t take the time to greet or meet them. We had coaches arriving in a steady stream. It was fun to see old friends arrive and know that I’d see them later in the week at dinners or seminars. I worked almost every day - we were called on to assist people who needed to pull out of their space to fill their water tank or empty their holding tanks.
During the week Monaco service technicians came to the coach and fixed several small items. We had our generator serviced, our satellite TV checked out, some new awning straps installed, and our furnace and interior lights repaired. And I even had the opportunity to purchase a few “toys” for the coach.
On Saturday morning there was an organized caravan of coaches down to Pomona for the Family Motor Coach Assn. Convention. We decided not to go so we could spend more valuable time in San Diego. We were up at 5:30 to help all the caravanners get organized for they trip. We had tehm all lined up in an outer parking lot. About 8:30 we pulled them out onto the street and the Antelope Valley Freeway. I was directing traffic at the intersection and we moved 79 vehicles out onto the freeway in just over six minutes! After they had gone, several of us went to breakfast. We finally left Lancaster at 11:30 and headed for San Diego. The weather cooperated with us and we pulled in to the church at about 4PM. Our Welcoming Committee met us in the parking lot and we settled in. It was humbling to see four people come out to welcome us back from our almost two-month, 1415 mile trip!
We will be in San Diego for nine days and leave again on March 5th. If any of you San Diego friends are in the area, give us a ring and say “Hello!”. We’d love to see a few friends before we depart for the summer.
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