May 12, Thursday Our traditional family Month of May shifted into high gear this weekend with the running of the 9th Indianapolis Grand Prix. Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana, is where we headquartered, and it is creates a hub of coming and going in different directions for the 3 days that we are there! Tom and I left at 2:00 and arrived at 4:00 to claim our campsite; set-up was completed in 15 minutes! Our site boasted a generous shade tree that would have us covered from morning to night, and the bath house was right next door. The campground was about half full, and we anticipated it would fill up by Friday evening. We roasted corn in the husks, potatoes and onions, and pork chops on the grill for supper. The weather was absolutely perfect. I took this picture of the sky to show how beautiful the weather was! May 13, Friday Pippa had left home with a bit of stomach indigestion and we could tell she was not feeling good. She needed to go out frequently in the night and was so good to wake up and whine a little bit and lead us to the door. Morning was lovely for sitting out and drinking coffee. We prolonged the coffee drinking, and didn’t start cooking breakfast until a bit later. This was the launch of the new Blackstone Grill that we won last weekend. Nothing does ham, hashbrowns, and eggs like a griddle! At 7:00 Caleb and Halie arrived and we had dinner ready – steaks, twice-baked potatoes and Mexican Street corn. The weather was great for sitting outside and Tom got an evening campfire going. By dark we all piled in the Silvermine and settled down for the night. May 14, Saturday Tom and Caleb were up at 6:00, off by 6:30, stopped for a White Castle breakfast, met Micah at the Methodist Hospital, and at the track by 8:15! Their first order of business was to claim their seats and drop their coolers off; in the paddock area, directly across from the pagoda, and under cover in the event of . . . rain. Dropping off their coolers, they headed out to walk the speedway. Here is a picture in their seats. For this race the oval track is transformed into a road track with 14 corners. As in past years, the boys ran into Doug Boles – President of the Speedway. Tom, Caleb, and Micah instantly recognize every significant racing face . . . race car driver, crew member, or track executive. Mr. Boles actually remembered talking to them last year! tBy noon they were in their seats, eating snacks and sandwiches that Micah brought, watching the Indy Lights Race. These cars can run in the rain on special tires, but when lightening was reported nearby the cars left the track, and people were ordered from the stands. By 3:15 the lightning was past, the fans were back in the stands, and the Indy Grand Prix got started in a steady rain at 3:45. The whole race centered around the rain strategy – whether to use the “slick” tires or to run on the rain tires. As the race progressed, it appeared that lightening might return, and the race became a “timed” race, set for 20 minutes. Colton Herta had opted for the faster slick tires early in the race, and was able to hang onto a lead in the rain by being the first to switch back to rain tread. . . and win. Here is a little slow-mo video Caleb took from their seats! Back at the campsite, I prepared breakfast for Halie and me (eggs, hash, and toast/jelly) on the Blackstone, and by 10:00 we left for a little shopping trip. Just 20 miles away is the little town of Noblesville which has a very impressive outdoor mall and lots of great-brand shopping. I scored a pair of railroad pinstripe Bermuda shorts with cargo pockets at Deluth Trading Post, and Halie found several tops and dresses at Maurices. We returned to the campground for a late lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, and then got situated under our shade tree to listen to the race. Everything that the boys experienced in person – Halie and I enjoyed sitting in our recliner chairs! We had our ears on the radio for race updates, and our eyes on the weather maps that showed rain and thunder storms moving in. At one point our wind picked up enough that I started to stow everything away in the event of rain and put down the awning. We did get some strong winds, but it never did rain. We were inside watching the end of the race on the TV when it was over. Haile and I waited to hear from the boys that they were getting close, and then met them at a Mexican restaurant close to the campground. From there, Caleb and Halie went on their way, and we went back to the camper for one more night. Turn around time is 2 days for our next "BIG" rally!
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It’s been a long time waiting for this event – the “Wake Up Downtown” Rally in Logan, Ohio. Cancelled two years in a row, we are just itching to get back to it. I could tell others were excited too as NOVA text messages and phone calls flew around yesterday! With only 175 miles to drive, we did not have to leave at 10:00 this morning – but we were just so excited to get on the way! With Pippa in-between, we were off at 9:30 -- with a fresh bow in her topknot! Our first point of landing in Logan was the Fairgrounds for just one night. Throughout the afternoon Airstreams arrived – some would be staying at the Fairgrounds the whole time for the water and electric hookups, and some were staging for the move to downtown Logan on Thursday. Rally organizer Kirk and his “staff” dropped by to make sure that we were conveniently parked for an early removal in the morning. A food truck pulled arrived in the afternoon, offering an easy option for dinner. We sat outside until dark, and then retreated to the trailers in anticipation of tomorrow’s launch to the town. May 6, Thursday Waking up at the fairgrounds, we (NOVA) stood around developing a strategy to caravan downtown to park on the city streets – hopefully somewhat together. There were 13 of us, and we all managed to leave the fairgrounds in a tight line; we were given specific instructions that resulted in a downtown congregation of NOVA trailers facing each other on both sides of the street. Eventually, other NOVA trailers joined us, and we ended up with at least 18 NOVA trailers parked downtown. Also, over the course of the weekend we picked up 3 new NOVA members! Reflected in the side of Gary's Globetrotter are some of the line-up at the fairgrounds heading for downtown. While we were lined up and waiting for the "GO" -- Gary launched his drone and got these great pictures at the fairgrounds. In town we were greeted and efficiently parked on the main thoroughfare by the parking crew. If you didn’t bring leveling boards – they provided them! If you needed help backing into place– they took over the wheel for you! All of this happened in amazingly short time. The street filled in rapidly with Silver, and everyone settled in with outdoor rugs awnings, lights, chairs, signs, banners, flags and other items for “Wake Up Downtown" staging. At first it was just Airstream street-people that mixed and mingled on the downtown boulevard, but as the afternoon progressed the Logan townies came out to welcome us! Registration started at 1:00, and we received our rally goodie bag and agenda. Our rally program had a lot of good information in it telling us about events for the next few days! Here is a picture of the Silvermine all set up and ready to have fun. Walking the streets and checking all the set-ups was prime afternoon occupation, and we were greeted by the high school marching band who stoped several times to play selections for us. That made us feel like celebrities! I could hardly believe it when we ran into a little shy and quiet girl named Ella Brown! Her sister saw my name badge, and I immediately took it off and gave it to them! Little Ella Brown bonded with Pippa Joy, and I got the sweetest little pictures! This rally had a large showing of vintage Airstreams. As people came out to look it was obvious that the older crowd (especially the graybeards) were transported back in time viewing these little silver time capsules. By late afternoon the stage was all set and Logan was loaded with Airstream trailers and the revelry was ready to begin. Dinner was pizza provided by Wahlberg Airstream Dealership – on the third floor above the movie theater. From the windows we could overlook some of the Airstreams on the street! It took several tables to hold our whole NOVA faction! After pizza was a welcome speech by Kirk; he introduced other key people and towns people that were instrumental in bringing the Airstreams to Logan. Kirk presented a plaque "Wake Up Logan, It's Time to Airstream" to the Mayor Greg Frauntelter. Oh bye the way -- Tom made the plaque! Evening was outdoor entertainment provided by Artista Rock School at the town Gazebo -- slightly threatened by light sprinkles. Sprinkles turned into rain later in the night, which didn’t bother the Karaoke-in-the-bar fun at all! Our trailer was parked right by the bar, and we could enjoy it all – even after we went to bed! Friday, May 6 During the night Tom heard banging and clanging and music. In the wee hours of the morning he identified that it came from the work-out gym, which we were also parked next to. Evidently people work out at all hours of the day (and morning)! NOVA spread the word that breakfast would be at our favorite M&M Family Diner at 9:00. We were early enough to rearrange for a table of 12, and nearby there was another NOVA table of 6, and a NOVA table of 5! We have been friends with the Diner owner, Michelle, for many years, and always look forward to pumping up her business when we are in town. I designed and Tom made her a little diorama of her restaurant, and we grabbed a picture as we gave it to her. The sun did not shine, the clouds were grey --- but it did not rain until 5:00. This allowed for ever re-arranging chat clusters and stroll-a-longs from one end of the silver-lined street to the other. Tom was able to hitch a ride on the utility bucket lift that was parked at the end of the street for a birds-eye view of the whole downtown area. By 4:00 snacks came out and a circle group grew larger as we waited for the big evening event. At 5:45 we all headed to the third floor of the theater for a raffle and auction. Tom entertains himself in the winter crafting wooden works-of-art, and he brought several pieces featuring “Urban Air” and “Wake Up Downtown” themes. Tom’s goods bought in a whopping $430! Sue Baughman, Suzie Couger, Carol Wright, and I were beyond excited to have our Airstream quilt (made 2 postponed rallies ago!) finally up for auction. Bidding was constant, but when it reached $800, Eric Davis jumped in for $1,000 and bought it for the Mark Wahlberg Airstream and RV Dealership. Maybe they will display it and we will get to go and visit it occasionally. In an incredible stroke of good luck, my ticket was drawn for the top prize in the drawing: a 17” tabletop Blackstone Griddle! I have been wanting one for a long time, and we have resisted the urge to buy one! Wow . . . what a great surprise! Also on display was the art project exhibit by the local school system . . . featuring Airstream trailers and a “Wake Up” theme. Our Airstreamers got to vote for the “People’s Choice” award. A group of 12 walked a short distance to a pizza place for dinner – a nice way to wind down the day. An after-dark stroll down the boulevard was called for to snap a few pictures. It rained most of the night, somewhat damping the spirits of any major street-gatherings. May 7, Saturday It looked like the rain might be over, but the grey sky lingered and it was damp and cool. That was a good enough reason to head for M&M Family Diner again for breakfast. The rest of the morning was taken up with decorating for the “Pimp Your Blimp” contest. The soggy weather put a bit of a squash on the event, but everyone (Airstreamers and townspeople) joined in to make it fun. At first we were not going to decorate, but then Tom figured it was our rally duty to participate. Tom’s approach was simple: lay a mattress down on the ground in front of the trailer, don a red striped night shirt and a sleep hat, and sleep and wake up all afternoon! He had some pots to bang, a bell to ring, a bugle to blow, and a sign encouraging people to “Come On! Wake Tom UP.” Not too many actors could have pulled the wake-up spoof off with such class and he probably performed a hundred times! Tickets were sold and strolling people could vote for their favorite “pimp.” At 4:00 the votes were collected, counted, and announced. Kirk accused Tom of a questionable 1st place win as he just spent the whole afternoon “sleeping on the job.” Here is Tom claiming his coveted Urban Air Silver Plate trophy for 1st place. When we arrived at the Shamrock bar for dinner and to watch the Derby, the bar was filling up quickly with only one girl on duty, and one guy cooking! Eric Davis to the rescue – he jumped in and began writing drink orders on a napkin and handing them to the waitress to pour and serve! It seems like Eric jumped in several times during the weekend to contribute to the positive vibes of the rally! Eventually more staff showed up and Eric retired! Derby fever pumped up as Mike and M.J. ran a little betting/wager window for anyone interested. This gave rise to a flurry of activity as people wrote their name and the name of their horse on a dollar bill and turned in as many as they wanted. This made it easy for Mike and M.J. to declare a winner and divide the money up and issue it back to the winners depending on each horse’s “odds.” The rally wasn’t over – one more overnight followed by a morning of untangling all of these trailers as we pack up and leave! What lingers most in my mind is how everyone, in spite of the weather, worked to create such a successful street gathering! Next? Our family will be heading to camp at Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN, to attend the Indianapolis Grand Prix!
April 28, Thusday One of our favorite events is Silver is In Bloom at the Wahlberg RV & Airstream dealership in Columbus! Yep! Mark invites NOVA to park on the dealership lot and hang out in their showroom for the weekend. Besides that, we are fed and encouraged to mix and mingle with people that are considering an Airstream in their future. Our involvement was a little tentative as we headed out Thursday – without the Silvermine. She was at the factory waiting to get “worked in” for a hot/cold water mixer fix. We would dash to get her whenever the call came in! Meanwhile, we were anxious to join in the fun of arrival, set-up and meeting and greeting those attending! Suze and John, our hosts, were all set up and ready to greet the weekend guests. The showroom was outfitted with a welcome table with the main plan and customized rally swag, a help-yourself craft table, another table with snacks and cute displays, and ample space to set up a chair circle for indoor socializing. The Airstream cooler that is to be NOVA’s raffle basket for an upcoming rally was set out to collect a variety of beverage contributions. We also displayed the Airstream quilt made by Sue, Suzie, Carol and me so that NOVA could see it before the raffle at the “Wake Up Downtown” rally next weekend. Tom and I hung around for 5 hours and then left for home. We hadn’t gotten a call that our Airstream was ready to pick up, and we would give that another chance to happen the next day. April 29, Friday At 10:00 we took a chance, hoping that the trailer was done, and left for Jackson Center. An hour after we arrived, they pulled it into the service bay, and an hour after that . . . it was done! By 3:00 we were heading back to the “Silver is in Bloom” rally at the Wahlberg RV dealership where they had saved us a parking spot. The only problem was that the parking was a bit tight, and Tom had to pull half-way into the showroom to maneuver and back into our spot. With plenty of people to supervise, it all went smoothly. We arrived just in time for Happy Hour, a meal . . . and evening entertainment. The meal was Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad, and rolls . . . plus a bottomless cooler of beverages! Dave Powers was the entertainer (a three-time Emmy award-winning entertainer) for the evening, and that man performed for 3 hours straight! This is his third time with this rally, and he should be issued a complementary NOVA membership! He has a wonderful routine that involves the audience with requests, “name this theme song” from television shows, comedy, and foot-tapping favorites. Tom did a great job of sneaking around and getting pictures of everyone at the rally. But, once again, we forgot to get our own pictures! April 30, Saturday This is the campground to wake up at when it is raining! Breakfast was waiting on us inside the show room, and for the rest of the morning we enjoyed the amenities of sitting around the Wahlberg headquarters -- warm and dry. Suzie provided a craft of rock painting, and plenty of people went at it! For the first time in three years since we began working on the Airstream Quilt, Carol, Sue, Suzie, and I were together with the finished project and able to take pictures and show it to our NOVA friends. We were all in agreement that we needed to make another quilt, and we tossed around many ideas and plans. The evening meal was a pot-luck with John and Suzie providing grilled Greek Chicken breasts surrounded by a wide variety of side dishes. I went in at 10:00 – Tom at 11:00 – but, I heard the party didn’t break up until 1:00! May 1, Sunday
Winding the rally down took a while in the morning, as people had to wait turn to hitch up and pull out. While waiting, there was coffee and donuts to enjoy as well as final chats and plan-making for upcoming rallies. Pippa found a new best friend, Shinim, who knew how to handle 4 pounds of sweetness. Within three days many up us would be gathering at the Fairgrounds in Logan, Ohio for the highly anticipated “Wake Up Downtown” rally. Thursday, April 21 Although we had a “shake-down” trip a few weeks ago, this seems like the real beginning of camping season – probably because we are camping with friends. First scheduled to be at Harrison Lake, we re- routed the trip to Alum Creek near Delaware, Ohio. The weather pendulum was back and forth -- wet to dry and cold to warm. Alum Creek is further south (in favor of the warmer) and nearer to lots to do (in case of the wet!) The rain in Van Wert ended by 9:00, and, with me at the wheel, we were on our way by 9:30 with an ETA of 12:30. The temperature was in the low 50’s but predicting to reach 64 and sunshine by 3:00. There was lots of new spring green and flowering trees and everything looked fresh – if a little damp! We stopped for lunch in Marion and 45 minutes later pulled into our campsite exactly on time – 12:30. Our campsite has plenty of thick greened-out shrubs to the back and each side for privacy. The taller trees are not budding yet and the campsite was wet from recent rain. John and Suzie whooshed in with Suzie at the wheel and parked next door to us; they are completely hidden from view by shrubbery. Tom and I went out to eat for dinner – to Couger’s campsite next door -- steak fillets brought to perfect temperature in a hot water bath then seared on the grill. The sun was out, the temperature was in the high 60’s, John fired up the Solo Fire Pit and Tom brought out the wood. I sat back and enjoyed it all until 10:30. Friday April 22 There is nothing better when camping than to wake up to sunshine, 45 degrees, and knowing it was going to get better each minute. It was a partial working morning: me working from my chair to finish my audio book, Suzie working in her 65 Globetrotter for an after-winter cleaning, John working via a conference call, and Tom on a mission to go get some short pants (which he had forgotten to pack.) By 1:30 those chores were mostly completed and we set out to play. Suzie and I had made plans to meet Sue at IKEA at 2:00; following a few hours of shopping we would meet up with the guys for supper. Tom found time for a little stroll to look at spring wildflowers. He was especially impressed with the little white Dutchmen's Britches. Suzie , Sue and I completed our stroll-through of IKEA with a few purchases. We called Tom and John and gave them the signal to meet us at Red Robin for an early dinner. In the evening we walked, sat out for awhile, but did not have a fire. Saturday, April 23 A morning shopping trip introduced me to Costco – something I have always wanted to do. It was very nice and similar to Sam’s Club, but different brands. We were back at the campsite for lunch, waiting for Sue to come and visit for the afternoon. It was beautiful sitting out at 81 degrees enjoying a lazy, leisurely, chat-fest. At 5:00 Sue pulled out fresh fruit and cheese and a bottle of wine, and we snacked our way towards Tom’s fish fry. On an afternoon a few weeks ago we road-tripped to our favorite fish market in Port Clinton to load up on Walleye filets. Tom cut each filet into quarters, and fried them (some in a crumb batter and some in a beer batter) in the smaller portion. The result was that they cooked quicker and the oil temperature stayed hot – excellent. There was enough left over for everyone to have enough for a fish sandwich the next day. But --- no pictures! After dinner Sue headed for home, and those left had another perfect campfire. The campground had indeed filled up, and there were flickering campfires in almost every campsite. Sunday, April 24, 2022 It stayed in the 60’s all night, and was another impressive morning. Tom was up early with his walking routine, while I stayed in bed until 8:00. In no rush to go, the four of us trekked or way to the nearest Waffle House where we enjoyed a leisurely and late breakfast. The area seemed to be recovering from a big Trump Rally that was held yesterday! Tom and I were on the road for home by 10:30, and Pippa slept most of the way home. At home we checked the small hedge that hides our Air Conditioning unit beside the driveway and the back door; we had noticed a duck rushing out of the shrubbery for the past week. Sure enough, she had taken advantage of the days that we were gone, and laid over 10 eggs! I hope we are here when they hatch, but I can’t imagine how mama duck is going to lead all the little babies down the street to the pond at the park! This trip revealed that our hot/cold water mixer is not working correctly. On Monday Tom drove the trailer to the factory where they will try to find time to fix it if a time-slot appears. This complicates our packing and leaving for our next outing on Thursday – a little urban campout at our Mark Wahlberg dealership.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 Three days following a temperature-freak 18-degree high and a 30-minute mini-blizzard, we headed out for our first camping trip in 3 months! The previous week there had been a warm spell where we opened every window to blow out the winter stink, and we cleaned, polished and restocked in preparation for our seasonal opener. Arriving at Harrison Lake State Park at noon, we set up camp, ate lunch, and began our opening day routine: walking, sitting, reading, cooking, eating, etc. We sank right into campsite #1 and the only other campsite that was taken was #15. The bathrooms were not open, and the campsites had not been “groomed” yet for the season. But, for our first get-away, it was just perfect and the temperatures were upper 60's. Shortly after dinner disaster hit . . . the toilet broke! I don’t really want to go into intimate details, but the toilet flush handle broke off, leaving the flap in the “mostly” closed position! The single bathroom up by the check-in kiosk was open – in the event of emergency, but it was not close or convenient. Wednesday, March 16 After breakfast we decided the best thing to do was go home – only 60 miles away. At home, thinking our camping trip was over, we emptied the refrigerator, and Tom left for the Airstream Factory. His plan was to beg for mercy, and ask to leave the trailer so they could work it in without an appointment as time allowed. They did Tom one better – they ran out a new toilet and installed it within 45 minutes! By 1:15 Tom was back home, and we threw the food back in the refrigerator and headed out for Harrison Lake again! At 3:30 we were back in campsite #1 as if we had never left! (FACTORY NOTE: Appointments for repairs are usually several months out and the factory is reported to be extremely busy. Tom noticed that there were no trailers being worked on in the work-bays, and no people sitting around in the waiting room. The place was pretty deserted!) Nothing beats the great feeling of a brand new toilet; and it was great to be back in the campsite! We celebrated with a bottle of Blue Nun and a pork loin on the grill. Thursday, May 17 For breakfast we headed into the little town of West Unity and the "Your Time Cafe." Old-style and small-town, It was very good. I had an egg omelet and green pancakes in celebration of St. Patty’s day. The rest of the day was uneventful as we savored the 70 degrees and sunshine. Elk Burgers and Mac'N'Cheese for dinner and some evening walks ended a great day. Friday, March 18
We were home in time for lunch. Looking at our upcoming calendar there is almost no end to the camping plans for the next 8 months. 2021 was another camping year affected by Covid -- but we still managed to rack up some pretty impressive statistics! Our camping season began in April and ended in December, and included 10 Airstream Rallies, 6 family campouts and one lengthy vacation out west. We dipped our wheels in 14 different states. The final numbers are:
10, 341 total miles 81 over-nights 17 separate trips Friday, October 22 My day started late! Tom was up making coffee at 6:30, and I hunkered down and didn’t roust until 8:30. At that point I had coffee and breakfast and then took a shower. It wasn’t until almost 10:00 that I emerged from the Silvermine . . . ready for the day! People were out milling around, and it appeared like others had a slow start this morning! I attended the seminar “Solo Traveling Women/Full Timing.” The talk-line was just a little too narrow for me to get much information for my own use. . . or maybe it was too broad? Tom attended a seminar on lithium batteries, and there was a plethora of information . . . all of which convinced Tom we will not be changing to lithium batteries any time soon! Our NOVA group opted to have happy/therapy hour at our own little gathering site; out of nowhere came a very liberal offering of snacks and drinks and conversations. At 5:30 we headed for the big pavilion and the Pork BBQ, coleslaw, and baked beans feast. There was also RITA that offered bottomless margarita drinks! Saturday The last day at Alumalina was perfect weather with cloudless sky and low-70-temps and busy people enjoying it all! In addition to the offered seminars there were a lot of little fix-it operations taking place at individual campers. The door fix-it fellow was busy going from trailer to trailer installing his kit that prevents the door lock from tripping. Many were doing a bit of preliminary packing for an early-morning launch, and everywhere people were chatting and enjoying all that Alumalina has to offer. Alumalina has provided us with meals every night, and tonight was the highly anticipated fish fry: batter-fried fish fillets, shrimp, hush puppies, french fries, stuffed crabs, coleslaw . . . all you could eat! In preparation, NOVA skipped the customary pre-meal delights to save room for the big feast. We gathered in our customary chair-circle, and Sue brought her propane fire pit to add some camping ambiance. Truly, NOVA knows how to make the most of every social opportunity, and it was on full display as booze-shots and deserts and goodwill were shared all around; we did that fish-fry proud! When we went to the trailer for the evening (to listen to the Ohio State/Indiana game)Tom had the outside of the trailer ready to hook up in the morning, and I put the finishing packing touches on the inside. We were up Sunday at 7:00 and ready to drive the 500+ miles home! I’ll end the Alumalina blog with Pippa saying good-bye to all!
Wednesday, Oct 20 We were in no hurry to take off this morning – but we also had no reason to stick around. By 8:00 we had breakfast and were on the way. The only noteworthy event of the 300-mile drive was a stop at Cracker Barrel! Our drive South on I-75 and then East on I-40 was 300 miles, and we easily arrived at 2:30 and joined the NOVA crew that was already established. Eventually, there were 12 NOVA trailers and over 20 NOVA peeps. All sites are freshly mowed grass and Airstreams are set up rally style: double rows, side by side, and back-to-back. NOVA had a large headquarters assembly for group gatherings, and at 5:00 we were all present for ham & beans and cornbread provided by Sue and Mike. Oh, the life of an Airstreamer! Thursday, Oct 21 The rally was officially kicked off this morning as everyone paraded to the main office to register and pick up the intelligence. This is the 15th Anniversary of Alumalina – in 10 years! The Tom Johnson RV Complex has over 500 sites – most with full hook-ups. “Group Therapy” session (take your own prescription), seminars, nightly door prizes and dinner provided EVERY NIGHT! Nobody does it better than Alumalina. We walked the rally estate in the morning and met new friends and stumbled on old acquaintances. . . . which is the primary focus of Alumalina! A group went to TJ’s Café on site for lunch, where the food was very good, and reasonably priced. A lazy afternoon culminated in gathering at the pavilion for the first group happy hour followed by the annual Hot Dog kick-off. Three young ladies sang a great National Anthem and our primary HOST John Leake commandeered the microphone for announcements! Our NOVA contingent settled in lawn chairs just outside the shelter to enjoy a few hours of “therapy.” By 6:00 we were all enjoying hot dogs, followed by an evening campfire.
After 10 days in the Smokey Mountains for the elk rut, we headed home for three days, scrubbed up, repacked, and were off to Alumalina. This is the last camping trip/rally on our agenda for this season, although I am sure there will be some additional impromptu getaways in the next few weeks. Indeed, I feel like we need to cram in as much as possible to prepare for a winter at home. Alumalina is a unique rally held at a large camping resort in Marion, NC, that can easily house hundreds of Airstreams gathering in little self-defined camping conclaves. The rally has been held for 10 years, and is true to its word for offering food, fun and fellowship on a grand scale. A lot of NOVA peeps were joining in the fun. . . NOVA @ ALUMALINA! It is a 10 hour drive from Van Wert, so we broke up the trip with an overnight at Boonsborough State Park in Kentucky. The Park was recently opened after 7-months of reccovering from a major flood. Bathrooms were completely redone, but the campground sites still showed vestiges of dried mud in the grass, liberally sprinkled straw, and occasional dried-mud ruts. Tom managed to secure the last site available on this Tuesday night! When we arrived, the campground was decked out in Halloween decorations; later we found that this is a longstanding tradition and the campground residents were grateful to be back in Halloween business after the flood! It was a Tuesday night, but there were lots of families with children out enjoying the event. . . maybe it was a homework assignment! Unfortunately, Fort Boonsborough was closed on Tuesday! We were just there for an overnight, but enjoyed an afternoon walk, dinner, and another evening walk around the campground to view all the decorations with lights and animation turned on! Pippa wasn’t at all intimidated by the moving and screaming ghouls. Here are some pictures of my favorites! I went inside to finish a movie, but for a long time I could still hear the swarm of stalkers roaming the campground.
This rally evolved a year ago when Tom and I went to Smokemont Campground in Great Smokey Mountains National Park for “The Rut”. We vowed to come back . . . and bring friends. In the early spring of ’21 I posted the “What the Rut” rally on Camp NOVA website, and early in April the window opened to make reservations . . . 6 Airstreams/11 people signed on. Later, more people would want to attend, but those Smokemont Campground reservations were all gone! Elk had been absent from the Southern Appalachian Mountains for over 200 years when 25 were reintroduced in the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mts. National Park in 2001. Later another 25 were introduced, and now there is a herd of about 200. They all seem to have stayed in the area near the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Each year in September and October the males call their ladies and gather them into the low meadows and patiently watch over them as they come into season. Occasionally the big blokes fight off other mature guys and sometimes the younger boys lock horns and scuffle with each other. The cows lie around in the meadow resting and grazing and answering the Chief Elk’s commands to get on their feet and move around the field. All of this takes place within 5 miles of Smokemont Campground! Action is at its best just before dusk or in the early morning. This rally began with guests in our driveway Tuesday, October 6th – Larry & Mary. They joined us for dinner & a sleep-over, and at 8:00 this morning we paraded out of the driveway -- destination Cherokee, NC. Far on the South side of the GSMNP, there is just no easy way to get to Cherokee and Smokemont Campground. I was able to sneak a picture of Larry and Mary behind us in our rear-view mirror as we approached Smokemont Campground. Our site was on a wide end corner of the loop, and in the open with nice grass on either side. There was a narrow asphalt pad and no hookups! Across the street was a rushing river that I could hear through my bedroom window. Larry and Mary had landed in their site down the road from us in a bit more woodsy setting. They brought their supper down to share our grill. At 7:30 it was completely dark and we settled into the Silvermine, tired from a long day’s drive. Thursday, October 7 Thursday we woke up with a mission to scope out the details of the elk herd. We learned that it had gathered in the large field beside the Oconaluftee Visitor Center about two weeks ago. Since that time the bucks have been claiming does and herding them into smaller groups. During the early morning buck and does were amazingly strung out along the main road where they posed for photos and caused a jostling of cars as people slowed down and pulled off the road. Park volunteers had the thankless job of motivating cars to keep moving our pull off and park – but lengthy traffic jams often occurred. In the evening the elk hung out in two large fields off of the main road back by the Job Corps facility. The males bugled loudly and strutted possessively through their selection of does. We did not see any does that were interested! Sometimes the herds would be close to where we watched, and sometimes they were across the field in the tree-line. This was the daily timetable for the 10 days that we were there. Sometimes we headed out as one group with 11 people/four trucks, and sometimes individuals and small groups went on their own. Here are some of the pictures that I was able to get. Over the next few days Larry, Mary, Tom and I were joined by John and Suzie, Mike and Sue, Gary, and Jim and Alexa. By Sunday night we were all in place for a welcome dinner of Elk brats, Roosevelt beans, watermelon, cornbread (thank you Sue) and Lemon Cheesecake with blueberry topping (thank you Suzie!) The elk brats had a nice flavor, but were a bit "dense." We finished our dinner and left for our first elk viewing at 6:45. It was very successful, and Gary promptly scored this video of a large bull elk welcoming us with a bugle! We were all blown away by that -- especially Gary! All eleven trekked 10 miles to Bryson City for a shopping trip and dinner at a local brewery, where we managed to get a picture of the whole group. One morning I served sausage gravy and biscuits to everyone, and 5 left for a hike to a cascade waterfall. Another morning we drove into Cherokee for a Pancake House breakfast buffet. By 10:00 we were at the Cherokee Museum – touted to be one of the best “museum experiences” anywhere. It was good – but not THAT good! It was a lengthy, winding pathway with mostly exhibits on the walls to stop and read, and recordings to listen to. Most evenings we gathered for dinner, each in charge of their own meal, sharing grills, food, and our day's activities. Around a campfire we made tentative plans for the next day. On Thursday we all chipped in for a big breakfast and in the evening we had a pot-luck dinner with Tom cooking elk burgers. I had read the elk meat being so very lean, needed to have a little bit of fat worked into it. The suggestion was to make 1/4lb patties with a slice of butter in the middle. At that point, the rally was essentially over. Mike and Sue had left after breakfast and the rest were leaving in the morning, except for Larry/Mary who would be staying one more night. Many of us would be meeting up again at the upcoming Alumalina . . . in less than a week! We arrived home by 5:00 Friday, ready to spend 3 days restocking and cleaning for our last big rally of the season. . . . Alumalina. My only regrets about "What the Rut" is that I did not spend more time documenting the 10 days with more written details . . . and lots more pictures!
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Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |