April, the time of taxes, TREKs, and trips to the rally in Woodland;
what a time we had! From the moment that we checked in until the last of
us departed on Tuesday, Mother Nature gave us Washington weather to die
for. Fresh-baked Pizza greeted everyone that first night and the
conviviality generated initially kept us going for the entire rally. The
views of the Columbia River and her vessel traffic from the clubhouse
deck were unsurpassed. Twenty-two rigs showed up for the rally (We were
worried that we wouldn’t have ten and use of the clubhouse.) and several
members commuted between home and the RV Park. Happy Hour usually
preceded our evening meals and everyone enjoyed sharing favorite hors
d’oevres.
Saturday morning found a group making cards and sharing views on
everything from pets to grandchildren. Woodland offered a wide variety
of choices in activities from the Ape Caves of Mt. St. Helens to
observing the birds and critters in the Wildlife Refuge. The tulips were
blooming, and several enjoyed visiting the Hulda Krueger Lilac Gardens.
The premier tour was to the Grist Mill that was restored to operating
condition and even produced specially ground grain flour as souvenirs
for those who went. While many were enjoying the tours and local points
of interest in the Woodland area, at least four of the guys participated
in the Rally Sewer Swill – three drank coffee supervising the fourth
while he attempted to clear obstructed sensors in the tanks.
As always, tinkering with a very well-designed coach never stopped and
many of us came away from the House Walk About with lots of new ideas.
Some ideas involved after-market upgrades ($), but many that were both
practical and inexpensive.
We escaped the confines of the RV Park for a really tasty Mexican dinner
at Casa Tapatia in Woodland on Saturday night. Carpooling brought many
of us closer together and cemented new friendships.
No rally is complete without a Business Meeting and ours was very
efficient, informative, and thought-provoking and we learned about
national level policies and upcoming events for the club. LJ, from Dave
and LJ’s RV Interiors, gave us an informative presentation about
remodeling our rigs. We closed out that meeting with some SAFARI
memorabilia door prizes. We fired up the big grill on the clubhouse deck
making Sunday and Monday evenings both fun and entertaining, personally,
I found a new BBQ tool that will be hard to do without. I think that the
most important thing that we observed as Wagonmasters for the Rally was
that everybody contributed to its success; setup, cleanup, meal
preparation, entertainment, transportation, EVERYTHING! And don’t
forget Mother Nature’s sunshine.
