Months ago we asked Linda and Howard if they would have a reunion rally when they announced they were coming out west, and despite having a very crazy work schedule, they decided to have one.  We knew it would be a relatively small group (55 people), but we also knew that the majority of our group of friends was able to come.  It had been a long time since this many of us were together and everyone was very excited about it. Since lots of people had some extra time prior to the rally several smaller groups formed as folks boondocked in various places around Pahrump, Nevada waiting for the rally to start.

We were with Jo and Ben and were actually one of the last ones to arrive at Wine Ridge RV Resort. People, as always, were very gracious about giving us time to set up and then everyone gathered down in the lower pool area for check-in.

 

 

 

The first night they had a catered dinner, and then most of us gathered around the fire pit.  Generally I am not a huge fan of gas fire pits, but this one had incredibly comfortable chairs around it and even though it was windy we were able to use it which was nice.  I’ll be honest here, I got a little drunk.  (I got a lot drunk. – Lee) In all fairness to me, I only had two glasses of wine, but it went right to my head since I didn’t drink the entire time we were gate guarding.  I also was very excited to see everyone, and truly my heart was filled with love for people.  So I was pretty chatty and hugged and kissed a ton of people, but everyone was pretty nice about it since I was obviously having a really good time.

The next morning I remembered why I am not  that big of a drinker, as the combination of desert dehydration and alcohol gave me a splitting headache.  But I was not going to miss a moment and I drank a big glass of water and downed a couple of Advils and was up and excited to hang out with people by 8:30am.  The nice thing about reunion rallies is they have a very loose schedule, but that also means that if you want to have time with everyone, it might require some coordination.  Thankfully we have some natural leaders in this group, and in no time plans were made for dinners and other activities.

Before I start with the pictures, let me say it is almost impossible to capture the spirit of these events in a few pictures.  The activities are great of course, but the real magic comes in those one-on-one interactions that happen multiple times throughout the day. Little things like Pam showing me how she is using a shower curtain in her rig, or Bridget telling me a story about her daughter was accepted to Vet school, may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but are the small things that deepen relationships.  And of course we got to spend more time with Howard and Linda, which is always special to us.  At the reunion rallies, their workload is a little lighter (but not nonexistent) and they can play with the rest of us a little more!

 

(I completely forgot to put this in the original post about the reunion rally, so here’s a little video I made for the attendees with photos supplied by RV Dreamers of their travels that was shown at the potluck dinner. For those that attended the rally and want to save a copy of the video to your computer, you can start the video and then ONCE IT IS PLAYING, right click on it and select “Save Video As” to download it so you can have the file permanently on your computer. If you don’t want to download it you can just watch it. As always, video looks best full screen and in HD, and those controls can be found in the lower right corner of the video player window. Plus it looks better in this format rather than all washed out with a projector and a screen. – Lee)

 

 

 

Several of the guys took advantage of the light schedule, being in one place, and being able to help each other  work on their repair lists.  Lee got a ton done so here’s an update on the list of repairs we mentioned the other day.

• Bent stairs-REPLACED. Many thanks to Bill and Ben for helping, would have been impossible without them. Also, I washed the stair covers when I put them back on.
• Inner drop sleeve on front right jack difficult to raise and lower. – FIXED! Removed the JT Strong Arm Braces which were binding. We never use them anyway.
• Consistent error messages on autoleveling system (seems to clear when panel is reset but still occurs on occasion)-I think related to the JT Strong Arms. We’ll see.
• Light under stairs not working. FIXED. New bulb installed.
• Wiring harness connector from truck to trailer needs replaced – FIXED before the original post went out. 
• Hot water hose to washing machine has pinhole and needs to be replaced or spliced. – REPLACED entire hose. 
• Super squeaky bathroom door (Lee has tried multiple fixes for this but then the noise comes back)-Diagnosed, squeaks if trailer isn’t level. 
• Rusted lever on hitch (oiled recently but still too hard for me to push down, needs to be taken apart, cleaned and lubed)-Smooth like butter now. 
• Trim and wood squares need reattached. – REATTACHED. Thanks to Dan & Rhonda for loaning me a compressor and nail gun!
• Squeak in kitchen floor (needs looked at but not in a place that is easy to inspect)-Diagnosed, squeaks if trailer isn’t level. 
• Front door latch is sticking. – Diagnosed: Problem is not the latch, but the door swelling when it gets hot later in the day or when it’s humid. Not sure how I’ll fix it. 

 

 

(Thursday night a bunch of us went to the local casino, and some of us played slots, and Howard convinced the pit boss to open a blackjack table just for us, and 6 of us owned that table and had a fantastic time playing blackjack for three or four hours. Some were veterans and some had never played before, but everyone helped everyone play good strategy and most of us got to go home with at least what we started with, or a little more or a little less, but we all got plenty of free drinks and had a blast, and that’s all that matters. – Lee) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides reconnecting with old friends,  I met many new people that I enjoyed talking to, and wished I would have had more time to get to know them.  Hopefully we will see them on the road and have more time to connect one-on-one, because I was really interested in their full timing stories.  Rhonda and Tom both came to say goodbye and asked me to sign their recipe books.  I mean how sweet is that, and as a first time author really is gratifying.

On the last night we had dinner and a DJ and we were all dancing up a storm.  I don’t get to dance much in this lifestyle and it turns out I am woefully out of shape lol.  It was fun though and a great way to cap off the week.  Linda was really tired after her week of “herding the cats” but she had enough energy left to get her boogie on.

 

 

 

 

So I know I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again, I love my RV-Dreams family.  They are the most amazing unexpected gift that this lifestyle has given me, and thank you very much to Howard and Linda for bringing these people into our lives.  Next up is Utah, and we are traveling in a way we never have before.  We have no reservations, no set route, just a list of places we want to see.  We will also have no cell coverage for most of the trip, so don’t be surprised if there are big gaps in blog posts and social media.  Word Press allows me to schedule them in advance, which I will do when I can.  We are VERY excited, and can’t wait to share it with you.

 

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Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.