Tag Archives: Lawrence Elk

2013_06_29 (Sat) Anticipation, Registration, and Relaxation

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I got up a little before 5 AM and watched the sun rise.  There were low clouds to the NE that provided color, and the orb broke the horizon at ~5:25 AM.  But I wasn’t the first person up in the campground; someone was walking two dogs as the sun rose.  RVers seem to come in two basic types: 1) up before the sun, and 2) party into the night, although type 1 seems to be much more common at large RV rallies.

Escapade registration opened at 9:00 AM today along with the SKP (pronounce each letter “Es” “Kay” “Pees” and you get “Escapees”) store.  We were there at 9 AM as we wanted to shop for SKP/Escapade shirts and were told yesterday that they tend to sell out fast.  (These are event specific shirts.)  They did not have any shirts with pockets (apparently they had to be pre-ordered), and they did not have any men’s medium size.  I bought a men’s large and Linda got a women’s medium.  (Apparently RVers only come in two sizes, large and small.  We had the same problem with clothing at the FMCA store.)  We got some free coffee and sat in the “WiFi Cafe” area to look at the program and other materials we received in our registration bag.  Charles and Connie Martin showed up about 20 minutes later and the men’s shirts were already sold out.  Rick showed up shortly after that and joined us.  While I can understand the Club not wanting to be stuck with unsold event-specific merchandise, the lack of available inventory was simply baffling.  They were sold out in the first 30 minutes, and there would still be people arriving today and tomorrow!  The other baffling thing is that they did not have generic Escapees RV Club shirts for sale.  ???

By the time we got back to the coach it was pushing noon.  We gathered up a load of laundry and supplies, and then took a minute to have a light lunch before heading out.  We drove to “Surf-N-Suds”, Linda’s laundromat of choice in Gillette.  Linda stayed to do the laundry while I ran some errands.  I got back as she was finishing up and helped her fold the laundry.

When we got back to our coach John & Cheryl were sitting outside under their patio awning, so we brought our chairs over and joined them, the first chance we’d had to do this. The couple behind us (he is the FMCA INTO area treasurer) joined the conversation, and we all had a good, long chat.  Both couples are full-timers, and there is always something to learn in such conversations.

Eventually we broke for dinner, after which we went for our usual evening walk.  This time we chose a route that avoided RVs as much as possible (so we could actually go for a walk).  SKPs are very friendly, and passing anywhere near their rigs usually leads to a conversation.  We enjoy these interactions, but they interfere with walking, so we have to be conscious of our intent.

When we got back to the coach we sat outside for a while and had a nice chat with Rick.  As I have mentioned before, it cools off quickly here in the evening and this was no exception.  A little quiet time and a glass of Lawrence Elk Black Currant wine from Prairie Berry Winery, and it was off to bed.

 

2013_06_27 (Thu) Cowgirl Barrel Racing

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Today was the first early entry date for the Escapade, and RVs started rolling into Boxelder RV Park at 8 AM.  The parking crews were ready and waiting and directed the rigs to their assigned areas and got them parked with great efficiency.  Lynn & Linda Laymon were working the area near where we are parked, and I recognized their names from the roster for the Habitat For Humanity build we will be doing in Sheridan in July.  We had a nice get-acquainted chat that Linda joined when she returned from her morning walk.  (We have been walking together after dinner each evening, but Linda likes to do a 4 – 5 mile power walk in the morning, and I figure that’s an opportunity for each of us to have a little “me” time.  We are, after all, living in a 300 sq. ft. condo on wheels with a really big “yard”.)  In the course of the conversation we realized that the shift from FMCA to SKP had occurred and we got out our SKP name tags and pinned them on.

We enjoy being members of both FMCA and The Escapees RV Club, but they are different.  FMCA is larger and has an extensive volunteer governance and management structure, as well as a paid staff.  Membership is restricted to motorhomes, but it has a fair number of members and chapters focused on bus conversions, so it’s a good fit for us.  The Escapee RV Club is smaller, and is actually a privately owned family business.  There are no restrictions on what kind of RV you own, and there is a much stronger focus on full-time RVing.  The club was founded by Kay and Joe Peterson as a support group for full-time RVers.  They were living in a trailer and raising a family at a time when that was not “fashionable” as Joe was an itinerant electrician.  I have heard it said more than once that “You belong to FMCA, but you are an Escapee.”  Based on our limited experience, that rings true.

I was reminded this morning that “someone” has a birthday on the 30th of this month and that they would like to be taken out to dinner, “or something.”  I accepted the “heads up” as a friendly but necessary reminder as I do get preoccupied at times and forget things, even important things like “someone’s” birthday.  Plus, the 30th is the opening day of the Escapade, so the activity level will ratchet up quite a bit and I could certainly be distracted by that.  An online search of local restaurant menus, however, failed to reveal anything other than a deli with a couple of vegetarian sandwiches that could be made vegan by leaving off cheese, mayo, and any other animal products that might normally be included.  Not exactly a gourmet birthday meal, but at least “someone” wouldn’t have to prepare it.

We were on tap for another warm day, but decided to leave the windows open and the vent fans on as long as possible.  Although we have a good 50 A electrical connection here at the CAM-PLEX, we like fresh air, and the house air-conditioners are rather noisy so we prefer not to use them if possible.

We spent the late morning and most of the afternoon working at our computers.  I worked on my draft blog posts while Linda worked on our personal accounting.  We had the vent fans going and some small fans to move air around, and I was surprisingly comfortable in spite of the interior temperature climbing past 88 degrees F.  Linda usually tolerates (likes) heat much better than I do, but wasn’t feeling 100%, so mid-afternoon we finally turned the air-conditioners on and brought the temperature back into the mid-70s.  (BTW:  Because of the surface area to volume ratio of the bus and the amount/quality of insulation in the ceiling and walls, we can only maintain a 15 – 20 degree differential between inside and outside.  However, even a 10 degree differential makes a big difference.)

Linda made a wonderful dish for dinner with farro (an ancient Italian grain), garlic, onions, mushrooms, and asparagus.  The dish was fragrant, earthy, nutty, slightly creamy, and with just enough chew to have a great mouth feel.  She paired it with a simple green salad and we opened the bottle of Lawrence Elk black currant wine we bought at the Prairie Berry Winery in Hill, South Dakota.  Being from Michigan, we have ready access to wines based on fruits other than grapes, especially cherry and pear.  The black currant wine was unique and very much to our liking, and I wish we had bought more than one bottle.  (I guess we will have to go back.)

We were wrapping up dinner and preparing for our evening walk when Cheryl stopped by to let us know that there was a cowgirl barrel racing event going on over by the Morningside Park grandstand.  We walked over to the small horse arena and joined them to watch cowgirl barrel racing, junior calf lassoing, and age 7-10 girls and boys goat tying.  Finally, the real west.  I snapped a few pictures and sent one to our two children.

When we felt we had been sufficiently westernized (and seen enough baby goats tossed to the ground and tied up to last us a lifetime) we continued our walk and found Charles and Connie Martin’s MCI bus conversion, which they had moved from Windmill RV Park to one of the generator only (24 hr.) lots.  We stopped to chat for a while and got lots of good tips regarding travel directories and resources.  It turned into a longer visit than we intended, but it was nice to spend time with fellow FMCA GLCC members.  By the time we left their bus the sun had set and the temperature had dropped, so we had a chilly walk back to our coach.  The coach was still closed up with the ACs on, but the compressors had disengaged and it was a pleasant 78 degrees F inside.  We opened the rig up for the evening and had some fresh sweet cherries (Rainer’s) for a dessert snack.  It was then off to bed as we are scheduled for a tour of the local coal mine tomorrow at 9 AM.