Rancho Jurupa Rally

Eighteen rigs gathered at Rancho Jurupa Park in Riverside County. What a nice park ! A great time was had by all (despite humidity, gnats, ants, and rain). Thank you to Jim and Sharan Harrison for hosting their first rally and to Ed and Abby Decouteau for assisting. There were several highlights of our time together but the first one was the presentation of the chapter's new banner and sign.

A great big THANKS to Debbie Lupton for leading the charge from the design phase to near final completion. (the CARE patches will be added to streamers to the side and/or bottom of the banner). 

On Wednesday morning several, energetic Shakers walked to the top of a nearby hill. At the top is a cross and a fantastic view. It was a good way to burn off  the previous evenings heavy hor'dourves.

The rest of us prepared for a spontaneous swap meet/auction. We searched through cupboards and basement compartments for those things we thought we needed, but didn't...and hoped someone else wanted it. A few items generated a bidding war and leftover items had to be given away. Don't be surprised if we see some of these "prizes" on the SS raffle table at the monthly meeting. However, the bottom line is that $94.50 was donated to the chapter. 

In the afternoon, 22 members toured the Jensen Alvarado Ranch, a 30-acre site housing the historic ranch built by retired sea captain Cornelius Jensen and his wife Mercedes Alvarado. This historic site affords visitors a peek into the past, depicting Southern California life as it was lived in the 1880’s. Lead by interpreters in period-appropriate attire, demonstrations of tortilla and butter making, adobe brick making, ice cream cranking, scrub board and wringer laundry, weaving, and various farming techniques from the 19th century can be observed.

The group spread out for dinner either in their rigs or at various restaurants in town such as ProAbition, Thai food, or Tio Tacos. Tio's  serves Mexican fare in a funky, unusually decorated space. In the heart of downtown Riverside,  a gentleman called Martin Sanchez has built a shrine out of trash. Recycling is taken to great creative heights. From refuse, he created pyramids, whimsical fountains, and a series of giant wire figures, filled with shells, shoes, toys and other cast offs.  A "must see" place when cruising Riverside.

The rally drew to a end on Thursday evening when we shared a pot of Hobo Soup. For those who have never experienced this before, you missed out. Every one brought a can of soup to the big pot and along with a few other ingredients, added by "soup chef", Janice Huskey, the mixture then simmered together. It was served with sides of salads, crackers, cornbread and freshly baked rye bread then followed by delicious pumpkin pie and ice cream. Yummy !!

 

THANKS AGAIN TO JIM AND SHARAN, ABBY AND ED FOR A FUN RALLY !!!

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Now, for special recognition to a very special man who celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this month....the one and only Clark Paxton !!

Clark, his older sister, and beautiful wife, Betty !

Update from the Downings

Just some news from us as we finish our first whole month of full-timing. We miss the Shanty Shakers so much!

Best wishes to everyone.

Brian and Barbara Downing

Our first month on the road

 Barbara and I sold the house in San Diego and hit the road in our ’99 Rexhall Rexair 36’ Class A on July 24^th. Our first stop was Yuma where we thought we’d try the SKP’s park, not realizing it closes for the summer. After wandering around a little we stayed at Araby Acres for the night then moved on to Congress and stayed at SKP’s North Ranch for several days while the closing completed on the house.

We were headed for Rapid City SD to get registrations and drivers licenses but wanted to avoid Sturgis Bike Week and the week after, so we slowly drove thru AZ, UT and WY visiting all the National Parks and cashing in on our senior passes!!

We’ve been dreaming of going full time for about 10 years and planning our way to making the dream come true. One of my dreams was to find a nice place to camp, meet some fellow RV’ers and sit one beautiful evening with them swapping places to go, camp grounds to stay at and things to do.

On Wednesday that dream came true too! We camped next to Mike and Suzi on one side. Lee and Marylyn on the other side at the Rapid City Elks Lodge 1187. Next to the Elks golf course with lots of big trees and well away from any traffic this is a nice place to stay. Our rig was nicely in the shade and we all pulled up our chairs and drifted into the “Have you ever been to….” “If you’re in that area go see…” conversation that was just so natural for all of us, it felt like we’d been friends for ever.

After a little paperwork problem we got our vehicles registered in SD and our Drivers Licenses. It was so simple! The drivers licenses were handed over after filling out a 1 page form and taking an eye test. The drivers license office opened at 7.30 am and there was NO LINE. Yes just walk in and you got served.

The office for vehicle registrations’ was across town but again no line. No inspections required, no smog. We had registrations done in 30 minutes and the cost for the RV AND the car? Less than $200 TOTAL for tax, tags and registrations. And NO LINE. What a pleasure after San Diego!!

So next we have decided to see Devils Tower and Yellowstone before heading south to Austin TX for the US Formula 1 Grand Prix October 23^rd where we have a camping spot reserved trackside.

We have reservations for the winter in Casa Grande then maybe in the spring we may show up at a SS meeting in San Diego!

If you are bored and desperate you can follow us on our blog 

http://banbrv.blogspot.com/

Have Fun

Brian and Barbara Downing

50s week in Grants Pass, Oregon

Oh what a week it was !  Between Jacks Landing RV resort and Schroeder County Park there were 21 rigs plus Mary Wilson who arrived by air, and our rally hosts Jerry and Carol Miller for a total of 44 Shanty Shakers in attendance. The fun...and the eating.....officially started Tuesday evening  with a pot luck at the Miller's home.

On Wednesday morning, many gathered under the gazebo at Jacks Landing for coffee and donuts. It was very different for the group to be separated in two different parks and to not wake up to John P's coffee, but everyone made the best of it.

The afternoon was spent at Hendersons for a safety presentation. There must have been some lessons learned because a few guys decided to schedule maintenance or repairs on their rigs. The guys at Hendersons also treated the group to ice cream. (they obviously know the SS)

By now, an unofficial challenge was made on the SS Facebook page to get as many pictures as you can with the Bears of Grants Pass. The challenge was accepted and here are some of the results.

             

The Taprock Restaurant was the next group gathering. It was a beautiful evening on the river with a delicious meal, a good time for conversations and building friendships.

Most attendees will agree that Hellgate Jet Boat ride on the Rogue River was the highlight of the rally. There wasn't a dry seat on the boat but the front row definitely got more than their share of splashes during the wild 360* turns. (Thanks David A for being such a good sport) The meal enjoyed mid-trip was delicious, with all you can eat bar-b-que chicken and ribs along with all you can drink beer, wine, tea and lemonade.

Friday morning about 20 or so members visited the Wildlife refuge. The guide was very knowledgeable and obviously connected with the animals. A favorite was the grizzly bears. They sat up and motioned for the guide to throw them a treat...big, scary creatures looking so cute !

Thanks to Debbie Lupton for taking this priceless video !!

Oregon's biggest Classic car show was held on Saturday morning in Riverside Park. Over 300 cars were on display, quite a sight to see. Several members topped off the week by checking them out.

It was a fantastic rally and special recognition goes to Carol and Jerry Miller for hosting and organizing the fun activities. Outstanding job !

Welcome to Jay and Carol Shirreffs to their first SS rally. They made it a big one !

One more recognition goes to David G who was awarded this special t-shirt !

Note from the VCRs:

We really enjoyed the gathering in Grants Pass, OR. More fun than expected, even if it was a little wet! David has finally dried out and Don, I hope your swollen thumb has recovered. Who knew jet boats could provide such a variety of entertainment, glad it was “our” boat for the trip.

Also wish to send out thank you to Dave & Carol; Garth & Judy; Jay & Carol for providing us with rides, appreciated them very much (even though I could not get out of Jay's child proof locked door).

And the very biggest thanks goes to the Millers. How nice to open your home for us to have a super potluck with much visiting. And arranging the Henderson tour; Wildlife tour; oh yeah, and the jet boats!

David & Marilyn Anderson

SEE YOU ALL AGAIN REAL SOON !!

Bob and Judy K in Nova Scotia

Submitted by Bob and Judy Kominski (June 2015)

We left Vista on May 13th with a stop at Sams Town in LV.  We started running into rain in Utah.  We had to stop and stay  a few nights with friends near Rifle, Colorado because of rain and snow on the high passes on I-70 to Denver.  After a 3 day stop over in Rifle we got a break  in the weather and got across the Rocky Mountains to Brighton, Colorado in times for our youngest grandsons high school graduation. It rained everyday we were there.  After 3 days,we were off to  Winnebago at Forest City, Iowa for two days.  As we traveled on across the states we have rain, rain and more rain.  Everyday we were driving and setting up camp in rain.  After $100+ in toll road costs and 4000 miles we made it to Prince Edward Island, but it is still raining.  We had one day of sun on the island.   On June 6th we left Prince Edward after paying $39.00 toll to cross the 8 mile long bridge to get off the island.  Again crossing in the rain. 

So now we are on Nova Scotia traveling around island.  We had two sunny days but it is still cool.  The mornings are in the low 40's and the days maybe get into the low 60's on some days. We find that a number of things do not open for the season till mid June.  Traveling here and on Prince Edward is like stepping back in time.  Our plan is to drive all the way around the island and hope to find better weather on the way.

Fortress of Louisbourg.  This is a 18th century French fortified town.  Dine like a settler on cod and rice.  We have traveled 80% of the shore line around the island (1300 miles) about 200 miles to go.  The roads are really bad this year in Nova Scotia because of the hard winter. We are finding that a number of attractions and state campgrounds are not open in June.  There season starts July 1st.  Diesel cost is about $4.30 U.S.   Camping fees run about $40.00 Canadian . The exchange rate was $1.25 when we started for our dollar and now is down to $1.19.  The weather still is cool in the mornings at 41 and we may get to 60 during the day.  We now have one or two days of sun and than a day of rain. Everything is so green here and the people are very helpful and friendly.

Thanks to Bob and Judy for submitting their travel experience. Please share yours by sending a short narrative and a couple pictures to shantyshakers25@gmail.com. Happy trails !

Link to June meeting minutes HERE

• Please let Betty and Clark Paxton know if you are interested in attending the lunch gathering at the San Marcos Spaghetti Factory on Saturday, September 12 at noon so she can give a count to the restaurant. (call please, no email 760 310-5854)
• Please email Faith Foster if you are interested in attending the Yuma Balloon Rally November 19-22 at the River front RV park faithf2@gmail.com
• If you would like to be part of the Nominating Committee for the 2016 Chapter officers, please let Garth and/or Judy know garthjudy2@gmail.com. Also, inform them if you are interested in becoming an officer. All elected positions are open.

$1,603 !!

The annual auction for CARE hosted by Mike and Judy Formico was a big success and a lot of fun !

Submitted by Mike Formico:
The weather was great, the location was great and the company was even better !
Twelve rigs attended the rally at beautiful Pechanga RV Resort in Temecula, CA, and three couples drove in for potluck and auction. The potluck was awesome as usual and nobody went away hungry.

Don Regnier as auctioneer and his able bodied assistant, John Pumphrey, kept the show  on the road and the dollars coming in. Our compliments to all who brought gifts for the auction. The quality of the wrapped items was above and beyond. Whoever thought one could get $100 gift card to Ruth Chris Steakhouse ?? The grand total raised for the CARE facility in Livingston, TX was $1,603 !

We would like to thank everyone who attended and everyone who helped. The rally was a great success and we look forward to next years event !
Sincerely,
Mike and Judy Formico    Kudos to Mike and Judy for stepping up and hosting their first rally !!

Flower Fields, Mexican HOP cruise

Enjoying the warm sun, ocean breeze, the view of the flower fields and the magnificent sunsets while chatting, eating and being in the company of your RV friends... that's what the Carlsbad Flower Field  Rally was all about !! Fifteen rigs and many visiting day guests for a total of 41 people enjoyed this unique event.

One day was spent exploring the flowers and scenery walking or on the wagon ride.

Another day, several folks toured the Miniature Craftsmanship Museum and discovered it was quite fascinating and said they would be back.

And every day was spent hanging out with friends for happy hours, meals and just enjoying the day.

Garth and Judy wish to thank everyone for coming and hope you enjoyed yourself !! Thanks for hosting the rally!!

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Mexican Riviera HOP Cruise: Submitted by David and Marilyn Anderson

(what is a HOP you ask...it stands for Head Out Program. The program coordinators plan and host different events. "You will find that every HOP is different, and each one targets unique locations, special events, and theme-related activities to create a fun-filled, adventurous SKP outing. Some HOPs involve touring, while others consist of activities such as the Rose Parade, the Grand Canyon Train Ride, Niagara Falls, the Stampede, extreme rafting, and ATVing.)" from Escapees website

It was another great cruise, wish you all could have been there with us. I love being spoiled. My bed made towels picked up not once but twice daily. What fun returning to the room after the great evening shows to find the next days schedule, chocolates, and adorable towel animals waiting for me.

Food is not really 24 hours (unless you count free room service) but can be plentiful. I enjoy eating in the Main dining room rather than the Lido buffet style. I like being served a leisurely meal, small portions and recipes I might not have at home. For the HOP portion of our cruise we had a wonderful window table and one evening we were entertained by a whale doing a show for us. Up close and personal!

Always nice meeting new SKPs and other travelers. The ports were not new to us but enjoyed visiting them again. There were a lot of excursions from zip lining to shopping that could be done. Since we continued on the ship for Circle Hawaii cruise too we did our Rainforest and Waterfall hike on the islands. Museums were available at several ports and we always enjoy those. We did very little shopping but enjoyed as many beaches as we could.

It's difficult to share the experience in a couple of paragraphs maybe the best way to say we had a good time is to tell you we have our next cruise booked. Between Rving and Cruising – what a great life !!

hugs

David & Marilyn Anderson

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New Escapees Website (from Club News)

We believe that Escapees offers the best in the industry when it comes to services, benefits, information and education, but were we bringing all of this information to the online community? Simply put, the answer is not until now!

"What is the goal of our website?"

The answer is to provide a complete resource center for the RV community and Escapees members. We wanted to make the website a "tool" that members would want to visit on a regular basis, not a place where members go just to check postage amounts or find the date for an event.

So how did we accomplish this goal? We reorganized the content to be more user-friendly and concise and added additional information and tools to help you. It was also important that the website be viewable on any platform. That dream became a reality; it is completely responsive and will automatically adjust to any size screen, making it easy to get information anytime on whatever device you are using, whether it is a desktop computer or smart phone.

Because this is an entirely new site that was built from the ground up, there are some aches and pains involved in launching such a large project. One issue that you may have already noticed is that we could not import accounts from the old website due to multiple security concerns. All users will need to register a new account to initially access escapees.com and xscapers.com. This account can be registered on either website and will allow you access to both sites. You do not need to register twice. 

Once your account verification is completed, you will get access to your membership information and the member's-only menu of the website.

Here is a quick overview on how the process works:

•  Click "Register" in the top right of the website.
• Fill out the registration form.
• Click "Register" at the bottom of the page.
• You will then be sent an email verification to the email address used.
• Open the email and verify your account by clicking the link provided.
• Log into your account.
• Enter your SKP # and the email address on file associated with your Escapees account.
• Your account will then be synced, and you will gain access to the member's-only menus.

Utilizing the email address associated with your Escapees account is the best way for us to ensure accounts are properly and securely linked to the correct users. If you have problems with this process or you need to change your email address on file, then you will need to contact Escapees HQ at 888-757-2582 so we can verify your membership information and update your email address. We apologize for the inconvenience;  however, our number-one priority is security and the protection of your information.

There is still more to come! Over the next few months, we will be adding additional resources to our online arsenal, such as an articles-and-blogs center that will be compiled of Escapees magazine articles, featured bloggers and contributors, along with the ability to create your own personal blog, and a job board to help connect those seeking employment and those seeking to hire in all types of job categories. We are also in the process of building an enhanced mapping tool to meet the goals of what we always envisioned the Park Locator to be. So, stay tuned for upcoming announcements about the new Escapees website!

Western Area Rally of Escapees (WARE)

Three Shanty Shaker couples traveled to the Yuba County Fairgrounds for the WARE (Western Area Rally of Escapees), Dayle and Herb Sands, Bob and Judy Kominski and Mike and Marcy Parker. From all the posts and comments of the WARE Facebook page, it seems like everyone enjoyed the new venue and had a fun time.


From Marcy Parker:

"Made it to the WARE with Judy and Bob. Here for the week with lots of stuff planned. IT IS GORGEOUS HERE. RODEO to the left, aquatic park to the right, happy hour at 4pm. Oh happy days!  Supposed to be @ 130 rigs and a full schedule. Friendly SKPs every where and beautiful weather. I like it!"

Our happy representatives for the Chapter Banner Parade

Judy K. concentrating on learning the line dancing routine.

 Hanging out and meeting new friends.

Bar hopping in Marysville, CA at the infamous Silver Dollar Saloon. Marcy was designated driver and photographer.

Cody,owned by Bob and Judy Kominski won 1st place in the pet parade !

Sue Pace placed a proxy bid on this item from the CARE auction and won it !! Really neat!

.

The group enjoyed a Hawaiian Luau and Polynesian Dinner, with entertainment my Kermet Apio 

From informative classes, crafts, line dancing, bean bag baseball, classic car to all the eating, drinking, sharing and fellowship with fellow SKPs, a good time was had by all.

It was announced  the 2016 WARE will again be held in Yuba City with a start date of April 10, 2016. Plan ahead and mark your calenders now !