After an amazing drive through the Mojave National Preserve, the four of us arrived at the Pahrump Elks Lodge mid-afternoon. We went in to pay the $15 for our one night and found out it was taco night!  YAY! We sure are loving being Elks! It was a great stop-over before the rally!

The following day was check-in day at Wine Ridge RV Resort & Cottages, which is where the rally was being held. Lots of people had arrived the day before, so as soon as we got parked, friends started dropping by for hugs!

I might mention at this point that this is not your “typical” rally.  RV Dreams holds 3 different types of rallies. The first, Educational, have seminars to teach attendees about being full-time RVers. They discuss all aspects of the lifestyle, including how to choose an RV, RV insurance and warranties, safety concerns, etc. This is not even half the topics, but just gives you an idea. The second type is the one we just attended back in Quartzsite, and was a Boondocking Rally. During the Educational Rally, they do talk briefly about boondocking (parking without any hook-ups), but the rally takes place without hook-ups so attendees can experience this type of camping with the support of others.  The final type of rally, and the one this post is about, is a Reunion Rally. It is offered only to people who’ve attended a previous rally. There aren’t any seminars, it is just about the fun!

First order of business, after the aforementioned hugs, was getting some laundry done. Debbie was heading out to do hers, since the campground laundry only had 4 top-loader machines, and I decided to tag along. It is always more fun to do laundry with a friend!

The first night, as is customary, Howard & Linda had a yummy dinner planned for rally attendees! We enjoyed fajitas and all the fixings. They also had ordered a delicious cake! The evening ended with a fire in the gas-fired fire pit by the pool.

The following day, there was Pickleball and Locker Hooking available, but Bill and I didn’t participate. Bill did go to the complimentary oatmeal breakfast, which he really enjoyed, as they had nuts and fruit and other fixings to add.  I am not a huge fan of oatmeal, so I stayed and had leisurely coffee at home.

Linda D and I made a Walmart run to pick up a few things. What should have been a quick trip turned out to be quite exciting, and not in a good way. We were in the left turn lane, waiting for the arrow, and a truck was slowly passing in front of us. Like VERY slowly, and then just stopped. Initially, we were like “What are you doing – get out of the way!” as our left-turn arrow came on, but then we looked closer at the driver. He was VERY old looking and he was holding his head in his hands. People were passing him and beeping and he just looked lost! I said to Linda he looked like he needed help. We both got out of the car and she approached him as I called 911. Linda went around to the passenger side and opened the door to put the truck in park and shut it off, as instructed by the dispatcher. A sheriff deputy was there in less than 5 minutes, followed by a policeman shortly after that. Next thing we know, his caregiver, who was on her way home from work and saw the commotion, was next to the truck trying to help figure out what was happening. She said he was 87 and had dementia and was not supposed to be driving. At this point, the deputy said we could go, so away we went. Poor guy! Thankfully it seemed he would be ok, as that could have ended badly!

That evening, we had a wine tasting dinner. The wines were okay, we didn’t like any enough to buy them, but the Cordon Bleu was very good.  Those that didn’t attend the dinner (it was limited to 40) had dinner together outside, grilling their own dinners and eating together.

The following day, Bill and I went with some others on an excursion to Sheri’s Ranch. It is a local brothel that offers free tours, and also serves lunch. While I do have serious objections to women selling their bodies this way, curiosity got the best of me, so we went. It was interesting to hear the woman who gave us the tour talk about it and describe how it works, very matter-of-fact. Like she was selling chicken dinners or something. There is even a “menu” on-line. It shows your options using stick figures. UGH! We were supposed to have lunch there as well, but I was almost glad we had to leave to get lunch somewhere else. It felt dirty just being there. I mean, if women (and men) are going to participate in this, I guess the way it is done in Nevada is the way to do it, but just yuck. The ladies are checked out by a doc at the beginning of each week they work. They individually decide what they are and are not willing to do. There are panic buttons in each room, etc.

After returning, it was time to start preparing for the pot luck that night. I made Grandma Murray’s Mac & Cheese.  YUMMY! One of my favorite parts of a rally is the pot-luck dinner, as there is always lots of awesome foods to sample. I say sample, because if you take much more than a sample, you won’t be able to taste everything!

The highlight of the pot-luck this time though was there was 2 photo montages shown. One was done by Steven and was about the boondock rally we just attended. You can watch it here:

Steven Dempsey Boondock Rally

The second one was done by Lee, and consisted of pictures that people sent him, showing some of their favorite times since being on the road. You can watch that one here:

They are very different, but both excellent. Thanks Steven and Lee for putting these together for us!

After the video’s, some people headed to the Pahrump Nugget for a bit of gambling, Bill included. I stayed behind and enjoyed another fire. I got a call about midnight to go pick them up, as they were unable to get in touch with a cab or Uber. Bill brought home what he went with, so free entertainment for a few hours.

In the morning, Bill went out early again for the oatmeal breakfast (or it may have been the egg breakfast – I forget which), while I stayed home and had quiet coffee time. We were free most of the day, as some of the guys went to play golf. I had signed up to participate in the Instant Pot demo. I loved Linda’s Chicken Marsala last time, and since she was making something else, I decided to make that. I think we had 10 Instant Pots total, with 3 cooking at a time, as to not blow a circuit.

That evening some of us, mostly Class of 2014ers, got together for dinner. We missed those who weren’t there, Cori & Greg, Sue & Guy, Eileen & Gene, Sharon & David. It was wonderful to all be together in a smaller group.

I struggle to explain what this group means to us. We have been there for each other, through all the downsizing, home selling, doubts about if we should be doing this at all, etc. We understand the emotions come with this lifestyle. While, yes, we have chosen to do this, there is sometimes a “price” to pay. That price is very hard to explain to others outside the group. It seems to the rest of the world that we live this picture perfect life, and for the most part it is pretty awesome, but there are downsides, hence the “price.” We help each other navigate the downside and celebrate the good stuff.

Speaking of good stuff – this rally was one of the good stuff times!

Our last day at the rally was a busy one! First, Debbie had organized a hike to Red Rock Canyon National Park. I’ll let the pictures show you what it was like.

Later that evening was our final meal together, followed immediately by a DJ and dancing! You all should know by now how much I LOVE that!

We had a great time, even though I needed to take some Advil for the knees before bed. It was worth it! We ended the evening the traditional way with “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. I think it’s fair to say there were a few tears (not mine at all! Ha!)

The next morning there were definitely tears and hugs as “see you laters!” were being exchanged. We know we will be seeing some again sooner than others.

Thanks again, Howard & Linda, for a great week and for bringing us together with some amazing people!

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