We had 221 RVs at the rally, and nearly 300 people who are staying in local RV parks here in Yuma came in on day passes. That’s a pretty good turnout, and we were very pleased with the numbers.

In looking over the feedback forms and the e-mails we have received about the rally, we see a common theme in them. The biggest complaints we had were about a lack of power. A lot of people said that they expected 30 amp hookups, but we seldom find that at fairgrounds or RV rallies. The 20 amp power more commonly available is enough to keep your batteries charged, but as soon as people start using coffee pots, microwave ovens, and curling irons, circuit breakers start tripping.

The noise caused by aircraft from the Marine Air Station was also a problem for some people, but there really isn’t anything we can do about that. But, a lot of people said that while the noise was somewhat bothersome, it was no big deal, and that they would rather put up with that than wading through the mud at the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, or the noxious smell from the nearby dairy there.

There were some other issues raised and suggestions made for future rallies at this venue, and in a meeting yesterday with the fairgrounds management, I think we resolved most of them. Unlike the people running the fairgrounds in Casa Grande, the management here in Yuma is eager to earn our continued business, they listen to our needs, and they try to address them.

The fairgrounds is going to increase the electrical power available for RV hookups, as well as the number of “spider boxes” used to supply temporary hookups during rallies. They hope to increase the amount of electric available in the north parking area (Lot B), as well as bringing power to a new area where we should be able to park 30 or more RVs. 

Next year the rally will be March 7-11, right here at the Yuma Fairgrounds. We plan to have a food vendor on site, we will rent a couple of six passenger golf carts to shuttle people around, and we have arranged for the use of an extra building for vendor seminars, which will solve the problem of noise in the large vendor building interfering with seminars. Another complaint was low water pressure in the north lot, which has been resolved already. Apparently there was an underground leak, which they fixed Monday.

This rally was a learning experience, and we are putting those lessons to use.  I also obtained permission for our parking crew to come in a day early and dry camp next year, which will speed things up on Early Bird parking day.

This year’s rally was a lot of hard work, and a lot of fun. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage really needed a bath, and Greg and Jan White’s American Eagle was just about as bad. So yesterday we had a mobile crew come in from Road Runner RV Wash, and they washed and hand waxed both rigs from the roof down. There are several companies that provide this service to the snowbirds here in Yuma, and they keep pretty busy. The cost for our 40 foot motorhome, including hand waxing, was $100.

Our van was coated in mud from parking RVs in the rain last week, and when I asked how much it would be to do it too, I was told $10. It costs me more than that  do the job at a car wash myself!

Today we are going to leave Yuma and caravan north with Greg and Jan. They have never been to Lake Havasu City or seen the London Bridge, so we’ll make a stop there to play tourist, and then we’ll go on to Laughlin, Nevada for a night.

We have reservations at the Thousand Trails in Las Vegas on Wednesday, where we plan to just relax and unwind for a week or two, while we wait for the weather to warm up in our old hometown of Show Low, in northern Arizona. Once we’re sure winter really is over in the high country,. we’re headed there for a much needed grandkid fix.

Thought For The Day – ‘Normal’ is just a setting on the dryer.

Friday morning we were up early again, serving coffee and donuts to our rally attendees, saying goodbye, and wishing them a safe trip to wherever they are headed next. There were lots of hugs as RVers wished us well, congratulated us on a great rally experience, and promised to see us somewhere down the road.

By noon, most of the RVs had departed from the Yuma Fairgrounds, usually after making a stop at the dump station on their way out, to empty their gray and black tanks. The place sure looked empty after being filled with motorhomes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers for two weeks, first for the Arizona Good Sam rally and then our Western Gypsy Gathering rally.

We waited until everybody else had pulled out before we made our trip to the dump station, and then we parked in the same back corner of the fairgrounds where we had been before the rally. As soon as we were situated, an installer from Redlands Truck & RV started installing a set of Koni shock absorbers on our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage. Our motorhome rides pretty good already, but the new Koni shocks should make it even better. Thanks Keith Shumaker and crew, for your great service! Redlands was one of our rally vendors, and I was really impressed with them, as were many rally attendees who kept them busy with installations.

Once Rob, the Redlands mechanic, was finished with our rig, Terry and I, Greg and Jan White, and Mike and Elaine Loscher went to an early dinner at Chretin’s, a wonderful Mexican restaurant that Miss Terry pronounced one of the best she has been to in our travels around the country. That’s saying a lot! We had a pleasant meal, just unwinding, rehashing the rally events, comparing notes on what we did right, what we did wrong, and how we can make it better next year.

Back at the fairgrounds, we said our goodbyes to Mike and Elaine, who are leaving early today, bade Greg and Jan goodnight, and headed inside for a quiet evening just trying to let the kinks and aches seep out of our bodies.

We were in bed much earlier than usual, turning off our cell phones and vowing not to open the curtains today until at least noon!

It’s been a busy week, a great rally, and we’re sure glad it’s over! Thanks to everybody who came, and especially to our hardworking volunteers!

Thought For The Day – Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Today the early birds will be arriving for our Western Gypsy Gathering rally here at the Yuma Fairgrounds, and we expect to park about 135 RVs, including vendors, early birds, and our rally staff. So you can see that we have a big day ahead of us.

Of course, what would an RV rally be without rain? The weather has been beautiful for the past two weeks, so it stands to reason that yesterday the wind began to blow hard, and today we’re supposed to have as much as one inch of rain! Our poor parking crew is in for another soaking! But at least the rest of the week looks good.

The wind blew so hard yesterday that everything is covered with a film of sand, and no matter how much you wipe your feet before you go inside, you can hear the grit under your shoes on tile floors.

Speaking of grit, a piece of crud just a little bit smaller than the Rock of Gibraltar blew into my right eye yesterday, and I’ve been trying to flush it out over since. Ouch! I can handle the arthritis pain that has been growing in my fingers and joints, and the constant nagging ache from an old back injury that I have lived with for years, but when I get something in my eyes, I’m the world’s biggest wimp! I’d rather get a fishhook stuck in my finger than something in my eye.

Yesterday Stu and “Froggi” Donna McNicol arrived as the last of our advance staff. We have known Donna for years, having first met her when she came to Life on Wheels when we were teaching there, and we formed an instant friendship with her. A couple of years ago Donna and Stu became a couple, and while we knew him from their blog, 2 Taking A 5th, we had never met Stu in person until yesterday. I knew if he could win my friend Donna’s heart, he must be a pretty special guy, and as soon as he climbed down out of their truck, I knew I had found a new friend. Stu has a great sense of humor and you can tell that he is what I call “real people.” No pretense, no BS, what you see is what you get, so take it or leave it. I like that.

Okay, ever since Bad Nick got his own blog last summer, I have tried to keep him from getting onto the RV blog much, but he just has to rant for a second, so please indulge him if you will. In Thursday’s blog, I wrote that we’re going to be very, very busy for the next two weeks, and I asked folks to please not forward e-mail jokes, political propaganda, and stuff like that, because I just don’t have time to read them, and they fill up my e-mail box.

Most people have been understanding, but there have been a few that have ignored my request and continue to send me a half dozen or more a day. I know these are all regular blog readers from their frequent comments, so I can’t decide if they missed that post, or they just don’t care, but either way, it irritates me. But the one that really ticked me off is the fellow who has sent me a whole lot of stuff, and prefaced every one with a note to the effect of “Nick, I know you’re real busy, but this is just too good to pass up!” That gentleman’s stuff will forever after be automatically routed to my spam folder.  Hey kiddies, I like a good joke as much as the next guy, but don’t people like this have a life away from the computer?

Speaking of Bad Nick and his blog, he has a fun new post titled The Dumb A$$ Report. Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – Everyone who lives, dies. But not everyone who dies has lived.

There is an unwritten rule that every RVer knows about, which states that no RV park can be built anywhere in America unless it is within spitting distance of a railroad track. There is nothing like dropping off to sleep after a long day on the road, only to be blasted awake by the Midnight Flyer blaring its horn as it rattles past you. They blow the horn so you don’t think it’s an earthquake when the train bounces you out of bed in the wee hours of the morning!

I know some veteran RVers who can’t go to sleep in primitive campgrounds way out in the boondocks unless they play a tape recording of freight trains to drown out the annoying sound of crickets and birds chirping!

Here at the Yuma Fairgrounds, which is right across the road from the Marine Corps Air Station, airplanes fly by overhead all day long. Menacing looking jet fighters, huge KC-135 tankers, that refuel aircraft in flight, and olive drab helicopters. Folks here at the fairgrounds learn to just ignore the noise, much like RVers ignore trains passing by. Sometimes we have to pause in our conversations, but it’s no big deal. Like I said in a blog last week, that’s the sound of freedom! 

This being a military town, we see a lot of Marines in the local stores and restaurants. Anybody who knows me knows that I have the utmost respect for the men and women in our military, and I don’t hesitate to tell them how much I appreciate the job they do for all of us. Whether they are flying those aircraft, working on the flight line to keep them fueled up and ready to go, or sitting at a desk in an administrative job, they are all part of what keeps us secure, and we all owe them our respect and gratitude.

The noise hasn’t bothered our pals Tom and Barbara Westerfield, who are here as part of our advance staff. They are too busy to even notice. Besides helping us with technical duties, printing name tags, planning the parking, and a hundred other tasks, they have put together an excellent seminar on geocaching that I know will be a hit. They will be assisted by some other experienced cachers, Sue Pace, and “Cool Judy” Rinehimer, and between all of those guys and girls, there is an awful lot of geocaching experience. They are even going to place several caches around the fairgrounds for class attendees to find.

No matter how busy we get, there’s always time for dinner with friends. Last night Tom and Barbara, Greg and Jan White, and Terry and I had dinner at Famous Dave’s Barbecue. Here is a picture Barbara took of our group. Tom is in the front right, Jan is in the left front, then Greg, myself, and Miss Terry. Barbara was behind the camera, so you can’t see her smiling dace. Some people say that Greg and I look a lot alike, but I don’t see the resemblance. I’m much prettier!

Now, if you think that all of this dining out is an extravagance, how wrong you are! Part of our job as the advance staff is to find all of the best places to eat, so we know where to send our rally attendees. So while it may look like we’re playing, we’re actually hard at work! At least that’s what I’m telling my accountant!

Miss Terry spent some time yesterday mapping out our indoor vendor area. As of right now we have 51 indoor vendor spaces, and five outdoor vendors! Seeing the map really hit home to me that our rallies are becoming big time events!

Thought For The Day – Some people travel only to look – others to see.

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally

Things are really happening fast around here! The Yuma Fairgrounds is filled with RVs here for the Arizona Good Sam rally, and we have run into several of our friends who are here for that rally, and will be staying over for our Western Gypsy Gathering rally afterward.

Yesterday morning our friends Ed and Stevie Hackenbruch stopped by to drop off three containers of some of the most delicious, fresh, locally grown strawberries we have ever tasted. Yummy!

Unfortunately, before I could even taste one, I had to run up to the front gate of the fairgrounds to meet with the Good Sam folks about a couple of issues to make all of our lives easier.

Then I spent some time talking with some of the vendors, and those folks are our best advertisement, because they have convinced several of the other vendors for the Good Sam rally to stay for ours, too. We always try to make sure our vendors have a good show, and we let them know that we appreciate them for coming.

Our T-shirts came in during the early afternoon, so I picked them up at the fairgrounds office, and by the time I had them loaded into our van, I got a phone call that Greg and Jan White were five minutes out. Because the fairgrounds is not open to the general public and does not have RV parking except for rallies, we had to make special arrangements for a couple of our rigs to come in as part of our advance party. There is no way we could do everything that needs completed for the rally without our faithful volunteers. Greg and Jan will be busy the next few days collecting door prizes from local merchants, which is always a hard task, especially in today’s troubled economy.

Once we had Greg and Jan in and parked, volunteers Mike and Elaine Loscher came over to talk about some rally parking and registration details. Mike is our welcoming committee at every rally, and he does a great job of greeting folks as they arrive, and determining if they need to dump their holding tanks, need handicapped parking, etc. Terry says she could not handle the crowds at registration without Elaine’s calm, steady presence, helping her and the registration crew get everybody taken care of.  

Just about the time Mike and Elaine left, Bill Becker came by to pick up the T-shirts, so he and Mabel can start sorting and folding them. Did I mention how much we appreciate our volunteers?

As Bill was pulling out, Kelly Watkins, the fairgrounds director, showed up to ask if a couple of local organizations who hold evening meetings at the fairgrounds could still hold their regular meetings in the evening during our rally. Sure, why not? Kelly and his crew have gone out of their way to accommodate us. What goes around comes around, right?

The next order of business was to dump our holding tanks. It’s been about eight days since we last dumped, and we could have stretched things out a little longer, but we will only get busier between now and our rally, so we decided to get it done while we could.

With that chore out of the way, I pulled the Winnebago back into our parking area at the back of the fairgrounds, and before I could even finish hooking up water and electric, I got a phone call to come back up front. There was another problem.

Three RVs with folks from Canada had arrived and tried to bluff their way onto the fairgrounds by telling the Good Sam people that they were with our rally. Because other fairgrounds where we have held rallies do allow folks to come in early and stay, we have had some people who were confused and just showed up, expecting to be able to stay.

But this wasn’t the case. In fact, these folks were not even registered for the rally. They had just heard about it from somebody.  I explained to them that this week is the Good Sam rally, and if they wanted to pay to attend that, it was up to Good Sam, and then they could register and pay for our rally. I told them that only our advanced staff was allowed to stay on the fairgrounds. That’s when they assured me that they didn’t have to pay for either rally because the fairgrounds is public property and anyone can stay here.

I can handle confused people, I can handle stubborn people, and I can even handle stupid people. But freeloaders who play games really tick me off! That’s when Bad Nick came out! I told them that I didn’t want them at the rally. Then we discussed their concept of “public property” and my feeling about rude French Canadians (just the rude ones) in general, and them in particular. About then they decided it was in their best interest to leave and not come back.

That hassle finished, I went back to the motorhome, rounded up Miss Terry and our real advance staff, and we hunted down a Chinese buffet for dinner. By the time we had finished eating, I was more than ready to come back home and take my shoes off for the evening.

Today will be just as busy as yesterday was, and I need a favor. For the next two weeks or so, please don’t send me forwarded jokes, whatever the latest internet hoax is, or feel good stories. I just don’t have time to sort through them. If you need to get hold of me, please don’t hesitate to e-mail, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. But please, no forwards.

Of course, Bad Nick has been busy too. Besides running off freeloaders, he posted a new Bad Nick Blog titled The World’s Biggest Ghost Town. Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain

Register Now For Our Arizona Gypsy Gathering Rally