Well, I find it hard to believe that today is the thirteenth day that I have been here. I rechecked my math…..and it really is thirteen days!

The Rally officially started last night. And the seminars started today. I attended two. One was an introduction to Amateur Radio and the other was a Red Cross training session. I have been a member of the Amateur Radio Club of the Airstream Club for about four years. The session today was to explain amateur radio to non-Amateurs. I attended just to help out in the presentation.

The Red Cross training session was sponsored by the Airstream Angels. I recently joined this organization. Its members respond to disasters by going in their Airstreams to help out. It makes sense to encourage RVer’s to become Red Cross volunteers. After all, any volunteer who arrives at a disaster location with their own bed, water, food, and septic system is a big plus!

I’ll be attending one seminar tomorrow, and then I’ll be traveling to Portland to visit Camping World…..just a really neat store for RVer’s! I happen to need a small item. While I’m there, I’ll just check around and see if there’s anything else that the trailer must have.

That’s about it for now. I’m enjoying this Rally. I started out way too busy…..it is pretty exciting to be here. But, I wore myself out. Now, I’ve got a much better routine…..sleep a little later, go to bed sooner. Ahhhhhh. Nice.

That’s all for now. Ya’ll take care.

Suzanne

In my trailer (my home), I have many quilts. All of these quilts have been made by my mom, and they are beautiful. I want to show you the last one that she made….she made it by special request from me. It hides my catalytic heater. This heater does a wonderful job of warming up my living room and kitchen area, but it doesn’t look very pretty. And, it’s the first thing you see when you enter my trailer!

And the reason I am showing it now is because the wording on this quilt is so appropriate for a traveling RVer like me. The wording is a cross-stitch that Mom did many years ago and saved because one day it would be perfect somewhere. And now it is! That cross-stitching is also one of the pieces that lay soaking for ten days in Hurricane Katrina muck before we could salvage it. So …… not only is the quilt beautiful, it has quite a story!

That’s all for now.

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

I have been here for six days now, and I know I need to write down what all is happening. An International Rally is so interesting. As of right now, there are 451 units here (units are trailers or motor homes). That translates to mean that there are about 750 people here. And….that means that there are more people here in our little temporary community than there are in my home town…population 695!

And the Rally does operate a lot like a small town. We have a mayor and council, a post office, water department, electrical department, sanitation department, and a printing house, newspaper, messenger service, and traffic control. About the only thing missing is the school, and for that we have seminars on all kinds of things!

This is the 49th International Rally for the Airstream club. The Rally has a different location each year. This year we are in Salem, OR, and the Rally is being held at the Fairgrounds. And, we lucked out on the timing of the Rally. It turns out that another part of the Fairgrounds was booked for a regional Arabian Horse Competition. And, they invited us to come over and watch! What a treat!

The horses were gorgeous, and the competitions surprised me. Basically, the competitions were to judge the horse as he was put through his paces…..trot, walk, gallop, canter, etc. Some competitions had riders and some did not. There was Western-style riding, English-style riding, calf roping, and Horse & Cart. It was definitely fun, and I was sorry to see the competition end.

So, that’s my quick summary of the first six days. I hope ya’ll are all doing fine.

Take care,
Suzanne

Emigrant Springs State Park, OR, to Salem, OR

I made it! I am in Salem, OR. The trip today was wonderful. I did hit some rain, but it wasn’t too bad, and it was only the second day of rain during the whole trip. I forgot to mention the first rain, and it certainly should be mentioned…..it had hail in it! There was so much hail that it piled up along the roadside and looked like snow.

Here in Salem, I have arrived at the International Airstream Rally. The location is the Fairgrounds, and I will be here until July 5. What that means is…..I CAN GET OUT OF “TRAVEL-MODE.” So that means…..

• I can disconnect from the truck……Pizza Hut, here I come!
• I can put down the stabilizers…..no more bounce while walking around!
• I can put storage items back into their normal positions….I can find the black felt-tip pen now!
• I can put up the antenna…..there’s bound to be good TV here!
• I can put my plastic lawn chairs outside….I’m tired of a crowded living room!
• I can take my bicycle off the truck and not have to put it back immediately!

As you can tell, I’m glad to be here. The “parkers” just happened to have parked me right in the section where I know a lot of people from other rallies. It was good to get re-acquainted with them. That 4 o’clock Happy Hour always brings people together!

So, traveling is over for a while. In a day or two, I’ll start planning the trip back!

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

Bruneau Dunes State Park, ID, to Emigrant Springs State Park, OR

Today was such a nice day. The traveling wasn’t hard, and I gained an hour when I crossed over into Pacific Daylight Savings Time. So, right now, my body (still on Texas time) says 7:00 PM but the daylight and the clocks say 5:00 PM. Mentally, I know that I will fall asleep early and get to SLEEP LATE!!! What a treat!!! Now, if someone would just deliver donuts and coffee in the morning!

What a difference a day of traveling makes. Here is a picture of Emigrant Springs State Park where I am staying tonight. This park in Oregon is lush with moisture and trees…..the park yesterday was dry and open. And both are beautiful.



Today, I traveled through some more mountains. Up and then down. Going up is not a problem. My truck has plenty of power for pulling the trailer. But, it is certainly a stomach-tightener when the truck hood makes the top and then slowly slants downward. You instantly realize that you’re about ready to go down. And the down path is a curvy mountain road. And attached securely behind you are 4 ½ tons. And……you’re gaining speed. Instantly, all those articles about mountain driving come to mind, all those conversations with other RVer’s, and all those DOT booklets. But somehow, their bits of information and advice just don’t translate enough to loosen that knot in the stomach and those clenched white knuckles!!! And not one source of information pointed out the need for the driver to breaaaaaathe.

Well, you know that I made it through. I guess all those articles did help. Those articles did stick in my mind, and I did follow their advice. And, it really wasn’t that bad. Really.

Tomorrow, I arrive in Salem, OR, where the rally is being held. I’m looking forward to seeing all the other folks and finding out how their trip was. It should be fun. I wonder if anyone else had a kindly FedEx guy hold traffic for them?

Ya’ll take care.
Suzanne