Final Days of the RV-Dreams Reunion Rally

Saturday was the last full day of the Reunion Rally and it also happened to be our 23rd wedding anniversary . . . so we celebrated with a luau!

Linda and her helpers had decorated the pavilion,    

and as we arrived, we received plastic leis and flowers for our hair.

When we got there, the caterers had the food all ready, including the roasted pig!        

 

Before we could eat, there was one presentation to make.  Several of the RV-Dreamers had come up with the idea to have everyone write a message to Howard & Linda on colored pieces of paper, which they collected and taped to a large poster board.  They presented the board to them before dinner, along with a small book to keep them all in after the rally.  Needless to say, H & L were very touched!

What a great RV-Dreams Family we have!

Then it was time to eat . . . and the skin was peeled off the pig.

Dinner was delicious, and everybody managed to stuff themselves pretty well. 

After a few pictures -- 

 

our family photo,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the RV-Dreams Chatroom Group,

 

it was time for the fun and games to begin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryce was ready for some new challenges,

but with a bunch of newbies on his team, he didn’t fare as well this time!

After the relay races, we moved outside for some more games,

Folding-chair volleyball --

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some dart game with watermelons dressed as pigs (which Howard proved to be quite good at),

and flipping flip-flops through a hula hoop (which Bill had more luck with than Bryce did).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the organized games over, Bryce got some guys together to play basketball.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the sun went down, everybody began to gather around the firepit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom and one of the other guys got the fire going.

It was a beautiful night for a bonfire, and we stayed out late, talking and enjoying the fire. . . .        

. . . . and the full moon.

On Sunday morning, we gathered bright and early for a delicious catered breakfast, followed by good-byes and hugs.

We got the pavilion all cleaned up and straightened up, and rigs were already rolling out of the rally park as we were walking back to the rig.

We went to church, and by the time we got back, the majority of the rally attendees were gone, including Howard & Linda.  Don & Lois and Don & Cheryl were all hitched up and waiting for us to get back.  We said our goodbyes to them, knowing we’ll see them again soon!

The first-ever RV-Dreams Reunion Rally was a smashing success . . . and we can’t wait until the next one!!

Black Mountain, North Carolina

 

We’ve been having a lot a fun at the Reunion Rally – visiting with old and new friends, comparing notes on travels, campgrounds, motorhomes, and just about anything else we could think of. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, we took a little break from the fun to get some laundry done, and then met up with Don & Lois, Don & Cheryl, and Cheryl’s sister and niece in the nearby town of Black Mountain.

 

Black Mountain is a cute little town with a variety of small shops and restaurants.

 

Many of the rally attendees have visited the town on one of many “foodie tours” during the week.  Non of us had signed up for any of the tours, so we had to plan our own visit.

 

We met in the lot next to the Visitor Center, and walked to the shopping district.

 

Don was in such a hurry to get shopping that he ignored the light and crossed the street on a “Do Not Walk” signal.  There was a Sherriff's car at the corner, and we made such a ruckus yelling at Don, that we got his attention.

He called Don & Lois over to his car to remind them of the definition of jay-walking!

 

We stopped in several shops,

as we walked up and down the streets.

 

 

 

We weren’t really looking for anything, just window-shopping, but I did find a nice 20” sterling silver chain for the “Navy Mom” pendant that Nicolas had given me for Mother’s Day.

All that shopping and walking made us hungry, so we looked for a place for dinner.  There were a lot of choices, but we ultimately decided on pizza at My Fathers Pizza & Pasta. 

It was a good choice – the pizza was great!

And after dinner . . . we still had room for ice cream!

RV Dreams Rally–Hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Thursday was the whitewater rafting group outing, which Tom and Bryce were going on, so when Nancy and Bill planned a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway with visits to the Visitor Center and Folk Art Center, along with a couple of short, moderately difficult hikes, I signed on.  Don and Lois went, too, so I rode with them.

(About half of the pictures in today’s post are from Nancy – she was gracious enough to share her pictures with the group!)

Our hiking group met at 8:30, which was no problem for me since I was up with the guys at 5:00am!

Waiting for our last couple to join us!

We took I-40 to the “beginning” of the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, where the Visitor Center is located.

In the Visitor Center, we checked out the displays,

 

including some of the interactive displays,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and watched the movie that highlighted the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway and some of the history and culture found along the 400+ mile-long road. 

The movie focused on several of the local craftsmen in the area, including this quilter – I just had to take a picture of the screen for my sisters.  Check out her fabric collection!!

From the Visitor Center, we continued to the Folk Art Center. 

 

Inside were displays of the works of many local artisans – quilters, furniture makers, painters.  So many beautiful things!

 

 

 

 

 

Photography of the artwork wasn’t allowed, but I did get one quick picture from the upper level.

 

Nancy got a picture of the group as we left the Folk Art Center.

After the Folk Art Center, we made our way up onto the Parkway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill & Nancy were in the lead, and suddenly came to a stop.  There was a bear in the middle of the road! 

We could see it from Don’s truck, but couldn’t get a picture of it before it ran off into the woods.  Nancy got some great shots, though!

We continued up the Parkway until we reached the location of our first hike, Craggy Gardens, at 5600 feet.  It’s been awhile since I’ve hiked at any kind of elevation, and I could feel it in my lungs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a quick stop at the little Visitor Center,

we all grabbed our packed lunches and headed up the trail.

 

We were walking through a tunnel of rhododendrons, which was pretty cool – and in a few weeks when they were in bloom, would be incredibly beautiful!

 

I did find a few flowers in bloom.

 

We made our way up through the tunnel,

until we reached our lunch spot – a picnic shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

Nancy got some nice pictures of all of our hikers.

Dan & Tricia

Don & Lois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David & Sharon

Bonnie & her husband

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and our fearless leaders, Nancy and Bill . . . and Walt!

So, we enjoyed our lunch and enjoyed the view.  We could see some people off to the west – way up on top of a rock . . . little did we know, that was our next destination!

Back at the parking lot, we re-grouped, used the bathrooms,

and got ready to move to the next hiking location.

It was just a short drive a little further up the Parkway and through a tunnel, to Craggy Dome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We gathered for a group picture.

Then it was time to head up the trail – we weren’t wasting much time, since some dark clouds were moving in!

 

There were interesting trees,

and rocks to climb over,

and plenty of places for photographs!

Awww . . . such cute couples!

 

We continued the climb,

and the views just kept getting better and better!

The guys like the view from the top of this boulder.

Don got a little excite when he saw them up there, and decided to scramble up the side of the rock!

He really didn’t need to, though . . . the trail looped around and up, to the top of the rock!

We reached a clearing, and the views were remarkable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s the roof of the shelter where we had eaten lunch!

 

We only had a little bit more of a climb to get to the summit!

 

Some of our group was already there!

That’s the rock that we had seen people on earlier – now we know how they got there!

 

 

 

 

We made it to the summit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s time for another group picture . . .

or two!

The rain was getting close, so we began a quick descent!

We had just started down when Nancy said, “Oh, I forgot to take a panoramic shot – be right back!”, so I’ve definitely got to include those!

What an amazing view!

The photographer poses for a picture on the way back down!

The rain was just getting started as we got back to the trucks, so we quickly got in and made our way back down off the mountain!

Another great day with a great group of RV-Dreamers!