Of course it has turned chilly here in Yuma, down from the mid-70s to a predicted high of only 60, with rain today and tonight. Why is anybody surprised? I’m in town! Everywhere we have been this winter, from south Florida to the Arizona desert, cold, nasty weather has followed us. 🙁
How cold is it? It’s so darned cold that the local gangsta teenagers are walking around with their pants pulled up! (Somebody had that comment on Facebook, and I couldn’t keep myself from stealing it. Plagiarism is alive and well!)
Here we are, all settled in and parked next to some horse barns, here at the Yuma Fairgrounds. That’s Tom and Barbara Westerfield’s beautiful Monaco Windsor in front, then our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage, and behind it, Greg and Jan White’s American Eagle. I’ve had some complaints from people that say they won’t be able to function in their coaches during the rally if they can’t have a 50 amp full hookup site. Folks, look at our rigs. All are high end coaches, ranging from a 1999 to a 2006, and we’re all getting by just fine on 20 amp electric.
Most of the RVs at the rally will be self-contained units, which are fully capable of dry camping for the four or five days they will be here. We hope (but cannot guarantee) to have some electrical power for everybody, but it may be just enough to keep your batteries charged. You won’t be able to use coffee pots, microwave ovens, or other high load appliances. We will have morning coffee and donuts available for everybody.
Our first priority for the power sites will be people with disabilities that have to run things like C-pap machines. We try to make everybody happy, but please remember, it’s a fairgrounds, not an RV park. Experienced rally attendees won’t have any problems, and if this is all new to you, it will be a fun learning experience.
Greg White and I spent yesterday afternoon checking out the available power hookups on the fairgrounds, so we’ll be prepared for getting everybody in when they arrive. There are dozens of nooks and crannies on the grounds where we can park an RV or two, but it’s kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, to get everybody in the best place for their needs and the size of their RV.
Several people have written to say that they want to volunteer to help us with rally parking or registration, and yesterday I sent out an e-mail to those whose names I had, with updated information on when we need you to arrive here. But I think I missed some people. So if you are a parking crew volunteer and didn’t get my message, please contact me at Nick@gypsyjournalrv.com.
While Greg and I were busy with that, Barbara was helping Miss Terry with some computer details. That lady sure knows her way around all kinds of high tech things that give me a headache just looking at!
One of our duties, as the rally advance staff, is to check out as many local eateries as possible, so we know all of the good places to refer attendees to. We take this responsibility very seriously, so last night we all had dinner at Famous Dave’s BBQ. It was great! Our selections ranged from ribs, to pulled pork, to their new Citrus Grilled Shrimp, and everything was delicious! Here is a picture Terry took of Barbara, Tom, Jan, Greg, and yours truly. Don’t we all look stuffed?
Yes, we stuffed ourselves sinfully, and could barely waddle out of the place, but you don’t have to thank us. After all, it’s our job! 🙂
Thought For The Day – Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Nick, sure wish we could be there with you this year. Gotta put our energies to work here at the SKP Saguaro Park. Today we’re working at a golf toournament sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. And yes, this is a cold weekend here. 100% chance of rain tonight, tomorrow possible snow as low as 3000 feet — we’re at 3850.
Nick, I think with the cold weather you bring with you. You should move to the north pole so you can fix the Global Warming problem. 🙂
I was trying to get to the Rally in March but could not make it. Hope to see you at the next rally.
Nice picture, you and Greg could be twins. Please keep the cold and rain in AZ some place. We are finally out of the deep freeze and would like to stay that way for now. We really do need the rain though for the farmers, they are really having a rough go of it. So OK send the rain. What would a rally be without rain, remember last year and the down pour we got on opening day. Have a great rally, wish we were there with you.
Famous Dave’s BBQ is one of our favorite places only because they are so easy to find. In fact, we have a free dessert coming from them because we did the customer survey. In fact, I have 2 of them. We usually have 6 people to share the dessert. Anyone interested??
Nick,
While we are getting ready to attend the Rally we still have a few things to decide. Should we bring regular galoshes or hip-waders? Will we need jackets and hoodies or parkas and mittens?
Yes Nick, your reputation precedes you — as does your stinkingly cold weather. We are just north of Phoenix and freezing our tushies off.
We are looking forward to meeting you and the rest of the crew at the Rally, no matter the weather.
See you soon!
I think Yvonne has the right fashion sense to attend your rally. Maybe you should offer a rally fashion seminar or, better yet, have the Cactus Queen candidates model the latest in galoshes, hip-waders, garbage-bag ponchos, etc.