This year it's in Tucson AZ and we're going to be there!!
We belong to Escapees Chapter 25 "The Shanty Shakers" of San Diego and the members of the chapter planned to be there in force.
We had reservations for early arrival. The rally officially lasts from Sunday thru Friday we paid extra to be able to check in Saturday and to have full hookups. (See earlier blog about hookups!)
The Shanty Shakers would be meeting up in Gila Bend Arizona and ready to depart at 8am Saturday.
Barbara was working Friday until noon and I was visiting a ship Wednesday and Thursday and needed to go into the office Friday to download all the data I took. We planned that Barbara would drive her car to work and I'd pick her up there at 1200. We'd hook up the Fiesta and hit the road!
Of course the best laid plans etc!
I got stuck in the office, was running late, time was pressing so Barbara drove home and we hooked up there and were on the road by 1pm. Could we make Gila Bend by dark? We figured that we'd fuel up in Yuma ($1 a gallon cheaper than San Diego) and either dry camp there or press on to Gila Bend. Gila Bend is about 260 miles from San Diego.
We got to Yuma by about 4.30 and filled up. We had a couple of hours daylight. We pressed on and got to Gila Bend in the dark. Originally we planned on dry camping in "Loves" a truck stop just off I8 but John and Jeanne told us they were staying at the Elks Lodge which allowed dry camping for members. Not being Elks we had our "Loves" plan, but shortly before we got to Gila they called and said we could stay as guests!
After passing the place once in the pitch blackness we found it on the second time around the block, set up and joined a bunch of people from the chapter in the Elks Lodge. We even filled in the application to join. Hey we're going to be Elks.
6 am on Saturday we had breakfast, got our stuff together and were ready to go by 8am.
7.30 am wash the bugs off the windshield and get ready to go!
Escappees Chapter 25
We drove together the 130 miles to Tucson. Our first RV "caravan" (convoy). kind of cool!
We got us a convoy
The plan was to arrive at the Pima County Fairground around 11 am. If we arrived together we could all park together otherwise we'd be scattered. It promised to be busy with around 900 RV's in attendance. (yes NINE HUNDRED!!). We were right on the button and got parked up then a party broke out. They call this a "Happy Hour" in the Escapees, and Happy we were!
\Ducks in a row.
The 4 rigs that caravan-ed from Gila Bend roosting at Escapade
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