PastEvents06

January	February	March	April	May	June
2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006
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July	August	September	October	November	December
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Past Events 2007

Past Events 2005

Past Events 2004

REPORT ON JANUARY OUTING HOSTED BY JOAN LADD, BETTY KIEHN AND JOAN LIBBEY
Tracy Wildlife Association, Oak Island
January 6-8, 2006

Our outing was held on a private island - owned by the Tracy Wildlife Association. This was a great place for our bird watching friends, and not so knowledgeable bird watching friends. There were five beautiful peacocks strutting around the campground by day, along with some very friendly bunny rabbits. By night we could go to sleep with the sound of the coyotes baying at an almost three quarter moon, and the owls waking us up in the morning. In order to use the island for our outing, we needed to have a member of the TWA present and appreciated our "host". Fishing was something else with both catfish and a striped bass being caught. There were 19 women (two guests) in 14 rigs in attendance, expecting someone from the American Red Cross to give us a presentation about First Aid. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend because she broke her foot Saturday morning. That didn't dampen our spirits, though, and we spent the time instead becoming more acquainted with our visitors of visitors, including discussing RVW and Freewheelers and learning a bit from each other about “boondocking” tips.
Friday night was munchies and cocktails, with bonfire following. Saturday, without our speaker, people were happy to explore the island or join together in the clubhouse for a variety of games. Saturday
night we had a delightful potluck, followed by Bingo. Joan said afterwards that she didn’t know who had more fun, the players or the caller, who had never been near a bingo table before! Our outings would
not be complete without a bonfire, so of course, we gravitated to the pits!
Sunday, before everyone started packing up, we had a continental breakfast and more fellowship. Since the weatherman predicted rain for the weekend, and there was no water or electricity accessible, the
springtime, sunny weather was delightfully received by everyone in attendance.

REPORT ON FEBRUARY OUTING HOSTED BY PEGGY CHINN AND KAREN KANE
Morgan Hills Thousand Trails
February 3-5, 2006

There were 19 rigs; 29 members and 4 guests. Great February weather, heaps of informative discussion, welcoming new members and new rigs, hugs for friends, and a wonderful educational program – this about sums up our February outing in Morgan Hill! Peggy and Karen distributed a list of names of women who had signed up for our outing along with space to write in everyone’s rig location, and things that we share in common. We had many people filling in their sheets as they got better acquainted with friends old and new. Our educational program was a real highlight of this outing. Lyle and Lucky from Leale’s Auto and RV service in San Jose arrived at 1 pm on Saturday and spent almost 2 hours answering our questions, giving us information about the importance of regular maintenance on our rigs, and inspecting a couple of rigs for possible problems. In addition, the week-end discussions were filled with exchanges of information among our members about such topics as battery maintenance, when to get new tires, connecting to the internet on the road, and places to get good service.

Other highlights: the “swap ‘n shop” event was a real success. Many items found new and very happy homes! We had wonderful campfires on Friday and Saturday evenings. We were delighted to see four of our members join us for the day on Saturday. We had two guest rigs, and look forward to having these women join us as members and for future outings. On Sunday morning we christened 3 new rigs – and of course enjoyed tours of these wonderful homes on wheels!

REPORT ON PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND JOINT OUTING WITH SOCAL JOURNERS HOSTED BY SHEILA WELT, PATTI PATTON, ARDIE JARRETT AND SALLY JOHNSON
San Lorenzo Park - King City, CA
February 17-20, 2006

San Lorenzo Park is one of the best-kept secrets and is the home for the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum. The park is a county facility which has 6 building: the Exhibit Bar, Blacksmith Shop, an Irrigation Building, plus the historic Speckles House, LaGloria Schoolhouse, and the King City Depot. There are outside exhibits of antique farm equipment dating from the late 1800s into the 1940s. The main Exhibit Barn has displays following the development of the Salinas Valley agriculture and rural life from the late 1700s to 1910 King City.

The Campgrounds have 99 campsites, 25 of which have full hook-ups, and 71 pull through sites. There is a small and a larger clubhouse that groups can use, plus tables, BBQ, fire rings, laundry, and many recreational facilities. Other attractions in the area included Lake San Antonio, San Antonio Mission, Soledad Mission, Lake Nacimiento, and the Pinnacles, which is a geological marvel. What more could we have asked for???? Well, less rain and temperatures that were a bit higher would have been nice.

Our number of attendees changed almost daily and continued to change into the weekend. We think we had about 33 registered rigs with the group, plus 4 guest rigs, about 30 FreeWheelers, 2 Oregonians, and 18 SoCal Journers plus 5 guests.

Our weekend started with a communal chili pot accompanied with salad and garlic bread. The group was divided into teams to test their knowledge of Presidents and putting a crossword puzzle together. Other contests that were held during the weekend were “Patriotic Rig Decorations” and a Potato decorating contest, along with other historic history challenges. We had a lot of participation and it appeared that everyone was having a good time.

A good portion of one day was spent learning about the history of the ukulele, how to play the various chords, and then other instruments slowly got added. This session has prompted many to see about
furthering their abilities and to see if they can’t form a small west coast band. Time will tell.

The group also participated in a “Bin Sale” where some of us managed to get rid of most of our for sale items. What is one person’s junk, is another person’s want possession. Throughout the weekend, we found that we have a lot of hidden talent… not only musically, but also artistic. Also, thank God for Beth, who is always there to help solve many of our mechanical problems with our rigs. We managed to get into how to hook up a rig, tire maintenance, electric wiring, plumbing, awnings, and generators.

Other high lights of the weekend included a Biscuit & Gravy plus Breakfast put on by the FreeWheeler Chapter, and a Continental Breakfast with omelet made to call, put on by the SoCal Journers. We also had a wonderful Pot Luck dinner, and a BBQ where everyone brought their own entree to cook on the barbecue grill. Salad, dressings and cherry Pie was furnished.

It is getting so these two groups really enjoy getting together, and SoCal is now thinking about inviting the FreeWheelers to Death Valley, where the temperature is a bit warmer.

REPORT ON MARCH OUTING BY DENISE ANDREOLI.
Lake Minden Thousand Trails
March 3-5, 2006

Number of participants: 10 Number of rigs: 6

The weekend was very wet, we gathered together for munchies on Friday night for a bit in a big tent. Saturday the ladies just hid out till our Pot Luck in the adult center. After dinner we had a fun discussion of embarrassing moments of lessons we had learned that we could share with each other, perhaps not to duplicate our mistakes. The one thing that was a great thing to remember when driving on those windy days that was shared by Sue, was to open cross windows slightly so to cut down a lot on swerving. Some of the ladies had heard this and said it really did help with the control while driving through gusty winds.

REPORT ON APRIL OUTING BY MARGARET O'NEILL AND BETTY KIEHN
Far Horizons 49er Village, 18265 Highway 49, Plymouth, Ca 95699
April 6 -10, 2006

The education Program was TRAVELING WITH PETS. This was a panel discussion conducted by 4 of our own members. It included such things as what to take on an outing. What to have available in case of emergency, What to do when you leave your rig to go away for the day. It was a very informative and entertaining program as participants included their own stories and some of the mistakes that they made. The program included information about dogs large and small as well as traveling with cats.

About 1/2 of the group went to a local Gold Mine to learn about the history of the area including how gold was mined in the 1800s. This program included a movie as well as a tour of a local mine which will be mining again.

Activities included a Friday night wine & Cheese tasting party, Saturday morning Biscuits and Gravy sponsored by Beth & Susan. Of course there was much more than the advertised biscuits & Gravy.
Saturday afternoon was the Gold mine movie & tour followed by visiting a local town, Sutter Creek and lunch at the Palace, a former Brothel. Saturday evening we had a wonderful potluck. Much variety and great fellowship. There was also a fire for those brave souls who wanted to stay outdoors. Sunday morning was "Leftover" Breakfast which included waffles and biscuits & gravy. Then for those who were leaving it was time to pack up and go. About 3 rigs stayed over until Monday. While the group was small it was great as we had more time to really talk to each other and visit. The weather was unusual as it rained at night but the days were fine for being outside.

REPORT ON SECOND ANNUAL WIENIE ROAST BY SUE & GLO
Pardee Lake
Mid April, 2006

32 women and 18 rigs joined us at Pardee Lake for a great boondocking outing. Even though this was a boondocking weekend, Freewheelers accounted for 7 out of the 12 full hookup sites. Once again we lucked out on the weather. It turned out to be the first dry weekend in quite awhile. Thursday quite a few rigs arrived early to start the weekend off with an impromtu cocktail hour. Friday everyone else arrived and caught up on the travels and happenings of each other. On Friday and Sat. quite a few women tried their hands at fishing in both boats and from shore. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of "catching" going on. Possibly all the rain from the previous weeks turned the fish off the bite. Maybe next year we'll do better. Saturday morning Beth and Susan supplied their famous "Biscuits and Gravy" with lots of other breakfast offerings from other women. Everyone than went off to do their own thing for the rest of the day. That evening we all gathered around the giant campfire and cooked our own hotdogs over the fire. As usual we had an abundance of delicious food. We then sat around the fire and told stories of trips we had taken and trips that were planned. Sunday morning a few rigs left early to go to the Escapees outing in Chico, the rest of us again gathered for a continental breakfast and more visiting until time to pack up and leave.
Thanks to all for joining us at our favorite "spring" destination.
Hopefully we can do this again next year.
Sue & Glo

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REPORT ON MAY OUTING BY SHEILA WELT AND PATTI PATTON
Lake Francis Resort
May 5-7, 2006

Thursday and Friday were rest days, with no planned activities. Some of us went to the Restaurant for dinner. The Yurt was open all day for games, etc. Saturday dawned as a gorgeous day and started out with biscuits and gravy provided by Beth and Susan with contributions from the group. Several people went with Beth and Susan to see their Log Cabin. At about 1 O’clock RED HATS ON WHEELS had a tea and cookies event provided by Queen Sheila. Favors were given out, information provided and lots of pictures were taken. Unfortunately our animals were unable to attend this event because it was held in the Yurt – many of them who are honorary members of Red Hats were very disappointed. At about 3 O’clock a few of us met to practice our instruments and some of our pieces for the West Coast Band. We all tried to get in sync with the Bag Pipes played by Martha. We were not aware that they only had 9 notes and one scale. It was interesting. In the evening we had our traditional Pot Luck Dinner. It was nice enough to eat on the deck of the Yurt. Sally Johnson gave a report on RVW, and asked about interest of our group in helping with the RVW convention next year. The response was quite positive and we should have a lot of volunteers. Sally also encouraged people to run for National Board of Directors. Sheila Welt requested that members be thinking about running for a position on the FreeWheelers Advisory Board. We all had plenty of good food and companionship. Nobody can ever say that we don’t eat well. There was a campfire on Saturday night with all encouraged to sing along and play any instruments that they brought along.

There were several educational components in the packets that were handed out. Sheets on: Safe Driving with your Dog (animal), Avoiding Identity Theft, and Tiger Lilies (that grow in the area). Campfire
Songs Word Sheets were also in the packet. We also had the usual spontaneous RV Maintenance help from our various members. Some discussion was had about how level a rig needs to be. Sunday was “Clean the Left-Overs Out Breakfast”, with Beth and Susan’s Waffles. It was, as usual, a big success.

Most people left on or before Noon on Sunday. There were 7 rigs that stayed until Monday. Those of us that were able to stay had a very laid back day and evening.

Lake Francis Resort is a beautiful spot, with lots of hiking trails and the lake is just beautiful. There are a lot of birds to watch and you can hear the geese honking from the lake.

REPORT ON JUNE OUTING BY BETH GILLIAM & SUSAN DUSHANE
Corning, CA
June 1-5, 2006

On Thursday 25 rigs arrived early to start the weekend. On Friday morning we brought out the bucket of liquid laundry soap w/bleach, telescoping pole & brush for any and all awnings that wanted to be
washed. As people arrived at the site, they could also get their awnings cleaned or just get settled in -- and by the end of the day we had 37 rigs parked, with 64 folks in total including representatives from the States of Nevada, South Dakota, Arizona, & Montana. Friday night we had a Greet & Eat in the Clubhouse. Thanks to everyone that brought food to share and a Special Thank You to Debbie & Margot who brought 10 pans of home made lasagna! WOW what a treat -- Good Food and Good Friends.
On Saturday morning following our regular breakfast get together, we had a surprise impromptu discussion with Rachel Harp (of the now famous Rachel’s Ramblings). Her wonderful husband, Joel, spent the whole weekend working on RV’s that needed his services – thanks to both Rachel and Joel for their expertise. As is the “custom” at our Corning outing, as a group we went out and about among the various rigs performing pre-trip maintenance inspections. We moved from rig to rig checking fluid levels, air pressure, starting up generators -- whatever needed attention -- with the hope of sharing individual knowledge with our group, so that each of us develops a comfort level and understanding of our own equipment.
On Saturday evening, having set up free shuttle from the nearby Indian casino, some enjoyed a buffet dinner and gaming – and perhaps even a few came back to the campground with a buck or two. Sunday & Monday morning we finished off the weekend by going through the local Truck wash. Every rig attending was spit shined and polished. Don’t forget for anyone who shows their receipt the Truck wash will continue to honor your discounted charge for us of $ 27.50. Due to the amount of positive feedback, before leaving and by popular demand we made reservations to hold 51 spaces for May 31-June 4 2007. Many have already requested to have their same spaces.

REPORT ON JULY OUTING BY MARGOT JORDAN AND DEBBIE HURRLE
Cisco Grove Campground
July 7-9, 2006

With the heat rising in the California valley, we had 27 rigs climbing the mountains toward Tahoe and 40 participants in the July event. Our hostesses sponsored a welcoming dessert get-together and then, of
course, the expected fire. Both were enjoyed by all. Saturday morning: Beth and Susan hosted their wonderful Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast. Following the breakfast, we were treated to a very special guest
speaker, Grace Childs, provided information on food handling and preparation. Good handwashing practices and hygiene were emphasized. Keeping food safe during preparation and before serving were emphasized. If by chance you missed Ms. Childs’ presentation, be sure and ask about it – it was beyond description! During the day the ambitious people went hiking, fishing and exploring nearby areas. The rest of us hung out and enjoyed socializing with all of our friends. Saturday night: A salad bar potluck was very successful. It’s not true that all Freewheelers like is meat, potatoes and munchies. Sunday farewells were said to most although a few “diehards” stayed on until Monday, enjoying a communal “pick-up” dinner and a birthday celebration for one of our members. All-in-all it was agreed this was a place to return to – and that our outing leaders did a great job!

REPORT ON AUGUST OUTING BY PHILLIS AMON AND MARILYN ALESSIO
Casini Ranch Family Campground
August 4-5, 2006

There were 25 rigs at Casini, with 38 participants. On Friday night, as people arrived, we gathered at Phyllis and Marilyn’s rig for happy hour. As usual, everyone was happy to see old friends and meet soon-to-be new friends. Each night we had campfires with lots of singing and laughing. On Saturday morning, Beth & Susan hosted their famous and delicious Biscuits & Gravv gathering – and people shared
their plans for the day, giving suggestion for places to go and see in the area. Before departing for sightseeing or just enjoying the campground, everyone shared their favorite RV tool, how to use it, and where to get it. Some of the tools were “smart”, others were funny – but the discussion was interesting and helpful to everyone. On Saturday night we enjoyed a pot luck dinner at the activities center where, as usual, the food was great. After dinner we introduced first timers to the group and asked them to share something about how they found Freewheelers. We also celebrated some August birthdays. Mary Jo
provided an update on the plans for the September Collins Lake outing. Peggy Chinn gave information and encouragement to everyone abut moving to Yahoo groups starting in October. Sally gave people an update on the upcoming national convention, Overall it was a fun outing, with great weather, and a good time was had by all!

REPORT ON SEPTEMBER OUTING BY MARY SUE FERRELL & IRENE PAULIN
Collings Lake
September 8-10, 2006

The temperature at Collins Lake this September was much cooler than the triple digit heat a year ago in August and was enjoyed by all. Between the Lakeview Group Camp and individual sites there were a total of 29 women in 18 rigs who participated in this outing. While a fortunate few were able to come on Thursday and leave Monday, most folks arrived on Friday and departed Sunday. When our original wagon mistress, Beverly Hiltachk, was unable to put on the event with her special style, the FreeWheelers who attended worked together to make it a great outing. A special thanks to MaryJo Horton
for her efforts. We were all delighted when Beverly arrived Saturday morning and was able to spend most of the day with us and are looking forward to her rapid recovery. We miss you, Beverly!
On Saturday, after a potluck breakfast with Susan providing her famous biscuits and gravy, we gathered for an educational session presented by Rachel Harp. For those of us leaving California and heading to the RVW national convention she spoke on winterizing our rigs, then moved into a discussion on solar energy, batteries and catalytic heaters -- plus Q & A on many other topics. Several first timers were able to join FreeWheelers for the weekend and benefited from the expertise in the group site on how to do things. That evening we had a potluck, and Babe, assisted by Harumi, entertained us with the wizard of Oz and a yellow brick road. The fire was started by “newbie” Dixie who used flint, grass, and a lot of effort to get the fire going. Perhaps an initiation ritual?
Sunday we enjoyed a leisurely morning, said our goodbyes and headed home except for those lucky few who were able to stay over till Monday.

Freewheelers met on Oct. 6 and 7 at Morgan Hills Thousand Trails. We had 18 rigs and 28 participants, among them 2 guests. We had 2 additional guests at Saturday night's munchies, thanks to Jackie Hogan inviting a neighbor and Dorothy McLin's friend from Santa Cruz. My 2 guests have already become RVW members and will soon be joining us for another outing! Welcome Barbara Storms and Sarah Gonzales!

The weather was gorgeous, the deer were out and the birds were chirping lustily. The full moon over the meadow Saturday night was breathtaking. The only organized event was Saturday munchies and fires both nights. And of course, if there are fires, there have to be s'mores!

In addition, Barbara and Sarah were busily investigating all the sizes and styles of rigs. Had theirs for only a couple of months and were already looking to upgrade. Everyone agreed it was a great weekend and for me it was especially wonderful to be back again and see people I've missed for almost 2 years as well as to meet so many new-to-me Freewheelers!

Jo Murdach

REPORT ON NOVEMBER OUTING BY FREEWHEELERS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Flag City RV Resort
November 2-5, 2006

We had 30 rigs and 47 participants. This was a new campground with a very nice club house, which we had access to all week-end. We started off with a communal chili dinner in the club house; everyone brought a can of their favorite chili, and we threw them together in the pots for a wonderful vegetarian chili, and a pot of meat chili. On Saturday morning Ardie cooked up a big batch of her special Freewheelers Egg Delight, and members of the board served up everyone's plate as they gathered to start the day.

Saturday afternoon a number of people went off to the local Crane festival, others went to a quilt show in town, and several participated in the sandwich sculpting contest! Late in the afternoon we gathered for our annual meeting, followed by a wonderful International pot-luck dinner. Sunday morning we shared an "empty the refrigerator" breakfast before people began to say farewell and head home. Overall, great food was the highlight of this outing!

REPORT ON DECEMBER OUTING BY CONNIE MCKENNA
Delta Shores Resort in Isleton
December 1-2, 2006

We had 29 rigs carting 41 members at the campground and 6 other members who came on Saturday for the gift exchange party.
It was a beautiful but cold winter weekend with the nighttime temps in the 20's. Each morning a few of us found ourselves without water thanks to freezing pipes( the campground's) or hoses (our's). So, lesson #1 for the weekend- wrap those hoses in cold weather.
Friday evening we did have a small fire, but most of us couldn't brave the cold for more than an hour or so. Some of us drove into Lodi for dinner and everyone else ate in. Saturday morning we awoke to a frost covered campground and were very happy we could gather in the nice warm clubhouse for our potluck breakfast featuring Beth and Susan's biscuits and gravy.
This was to be Sue and Glo's last outing before starting on their "full timing" adventure. So, while they were innocently having lunch in Rio Vista, the rest of the group decorated their rig and toad with maps, signs, balloons and a few unmentionables. They were surprised and touched by the send off.

At 2pm Saturday, we gathered for the gift exchange game in the clubhouse. This time we had a surprise for another member. Shirley would be celebrating her 80th birthday the following week so our resident "Julia Childs" Gracie helped present a surprise cake and 80 tealights. While Shirley was distracted at the gift exchange, some of us decorated her and Jane's rig with birthday decorations.
Saturday evening, the campground put on a potluck dinner, providing turkey potpie. There were tons of food. Many of our group joined in and after dinner enjoyed the country western band that played.
Sunday we had our clean up breakfast and then most folks headed home. About 10 rigs stayed another night and joined up for an impromptu potluck.
There was a little casual education passed around. Connie helped Joan open her awning for the first time and Beth showed Connie how to check and add oil to her generator.
It was a great weekend for all who attended. For those who couldn't make it, there's always next year!