NEU 064 : New England Unit "Spring into Camping" Rally

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by TinLizzie

Thank you for posting this!! I actually have so many questions that this was not even on my radar screen. So, we should get another hose? The one that came with our Bambi won't be long enough? Help!

well...I don't know what came with your bambi...but I would have 2 25' lengths of hose, as a rule. you never know what you're going to run into at campgrounds. most of the time, you won't need it, but this is one of those cases where you very well might. I keep a rubbermaid box for storing the water hoses, and associated fittings, so they don't get contaminated with anything else. You should also have a "Y" adapter, and an external pressure regulator. The pressure regulator gives you an extra measure of protection for both your hose, and your rig's plumbing. the "y" adapter is in case you need to daisy-chain off the neighbor's water hookup. Some rallies are held in fields that don't have individual hookups, so we need to be prepared to share both water, and electricity.
And as far as electricity goes...same thing. a "dog-bone" (3-way plug) and extra extension cords...(12g minimum!).
extra sewer hose, too..same reasons as above. you never know when you're gonna need it. I almost got stuck last year because the dump station at one campground we were at was just a tad too far away...couldn't get the trailer close enough to it. The reason I didn't get stuck was that I was with the group. and they bailed me out with an extra length of hose. You'll be with the group, too. so don't worry!

Originally Posted by TinLizzie

And I also am not sure about: fresh water tank - should we fill it at home, at the site, or not at all?

I always like to have some water in the tank, just in case you want to use the facilities while enroute. Also, breaking down a campsite when its time to go home is a dirty job. When you're done, and your water hose is all packed away and your rig is ready for the road, you might like to be able to wash your hands before getting into your nice clean tow vehicle. can't do that if you have no on-board water!

Originally Posted by TinLizzie

refrigerator: should we turn it on and get it cold while we pack the AS and truck, or wait until we get hooked up at the beach?

you want to turn that on the night before departure. Even the brand new ones take a good long time to cool down completely. 6 hours or more! Once you're ready for the road, you can switch it to 12v, if you have that option, or run it on gas while on the road. Some people don't like that idea; others do...you'll find plenty of good arguments for both positions here on the boards, but I run mine on propane routinely. (just shut it off before pulling into a gas station...which is a pain, but not nearly as much pain as food poisoning).

Originally Posted by TinLizzie

pot luck: what kind of dishes do people usual make or enjoy? which course is most needed?

Don't know what to tell you, there, except that I eat better at these things than I do any other time. Some people put on quite a show. Me? I'm more of a "camping=spam and spaghetti-o's" kind of guy. If this is going to be as big a gathering as it sounds, it may be difficult to organize. PL is great for small groups...more trouble than its worth for the organizers when it gets this large. I think that was the idea of the "potatoe bar"...just "something" to gather around.

[53flyingcloud]

Michelle,
Suggestion~
Save some of that wine, to share...lol
53FC

[TinLizzie]

Thank you for your very detailed replies! I have made note of everything, and can't thank you enough. Looks like we're out this weekend buying one more clean water hose among other things. We'll see you all soon. Start the 'sun dance'.
Lizzie

[hiker]

We echo TinLizzie's thanks for the detailed suggestions about what to bring. We too will be shopping tomorrow for extra water and sewer hoses. Our maiden voyages were to Normandy Farms Campground where the restrooms are nicer than most five star resorts, making it easy to avoid the sewer thing. Now we'll have the full Airstream experience.

[Elaine L]

Just returned from a great week on the Amish Country caravan and rally. A lot of talk was on what to bring for a potato topping (also dominated the airwaves on cb's on the ride home.) We finally all figured it out and I see it is changing to potluck? hahaha. That may be best with the large group you have to cook potatoes for. One family that camped with us this week, called to book to join the rally. They made it in. They are new to "participating" in our group.

[M&M CAPECOD]

Originally Posted by myboyburt

The general suggestion is folks make 4 times the amount you would normally make for your family.

Just to clarify the amount to bring to a potluck is not 4 times what you would make for a family but 4 servings per person in the trailer i.e. 2 people = 8 servings. (One apple pie, made by Leon = 8 servings) but he's always welcome to make more since there never seems to be any left over, I wonder why.

Potluck suggestions, they seem to be heavy on crockpots and not enough salads and sides for me, I often opt to bring salad, dessert or veggie side.

On whether to have a potato bar or potluck, I give a third suggesstion. We could do what we did in Quebec and bring our own meals and gather together for dinner. (I'm not sure you would have had everyone partaking of the potato bar with all the concern about carbs these days.) The benefits would be you eliminate the long lines for the potluck table, the logistics of where to put all of those casseroles, etc. It will be a large group and fortunately the weather is not calling for rain as of yet but it is talking about wind. At the Wine and Dine last year we had 20+ rigs and it poured, fitting all of us in the tent was tight then add another 50% and tables of potluck and you'd be overflowing the tent.

During the Amish Caravan we would gather for our meals, some of us deciding to get together and prepare different parts of the meal and share. We even discussed doing the same at Salisbury, some of us opting to bring our own sweet potatoes.

We plan to get out and clean up the Lady and get her ready for next weekend, Shower Boy has a bit of extra cleaning to do. Had a wonderful time the last twelve days on the road. Can't wait for that warm Virginia/Pennsylvania weather to make it up this way, it was hard to get back here yesterday to temps in the 40's.

Look forward to seeing you all soon.

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by myboyburt

Spring into Camping!

with the WBCCI Region 1, New England Unit

April 28th - 30th, 2006

Salisbury Beach State Reservation, in Salisbury, MA.

• UPDATED! Saturday night Happy Hour followed by a Potluck dinner - bring your favorite camping dish to share!

Alot has happened while we were gone!
Pot luck! Okee Dokee, we're in for one of Susan's infamous' salads.

We have not had the chance to put water to the Peanut yet, that is tomorrows adventure. If all goes well, we will have the 20 Argosy there this year.

See you all there!

[Elaine L]

Originally Posted by balrgn

Alot has happened while we were gone!
Pot luck! Okee Dokee, we're in for one of Susan's infamous' salads.

We have not had the chance to put water to the Peanut yet, that is tomorrows adventure. If all goes well, we will have the 20 Argosy there this year.

See you all there!

Gee, how long were we gone? Potatoes...to potluck? What next? Just kidding. Can't wait to be on the road again....

[yukionna]

I just received my copy of the rally brochure. Great job! Looking forward to potluck! I plan on bringing a spam and cream cheese quiche because I like to keep Over59 happy!

[AirHog]

Bringing...........Cheesecake. Bring your favorite food to share! If you like it, we will LOVE it! It's all about camping and having fun!


Delicious food, great people & DEO's guitar makes these rallies a BLAST!!!! Can't wait to see you ALL!


Gail

[bugsbunny]

We are bringing lasagna. Yum Yum.

Bugs..

PS Guess I should have made carrot cake or another carrot delicacy.
Hum, I'll bring an additional dish - something with carrots in it too!

[Over59]

We need a command decision so I can plan and prepare. Will it be Potluck or not? tic toc ...tic toc.... tic ... toc....

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Over59

We need a command decision so I can plan and prepare. Will it be Potluck or not? tic toc ...tic toc.... tic ... toc....

I think they did... Pot Luck it is...

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Over59

We need a command decision so I can plan and prepare. Will it be Potluck or not? tic toc ...tic toc.... tic ... toc....

Check your email. You should have received a PDF brochure from the rally hosts via email. In the brochure, it indicates Saturday night will be potluck.

[myboyburt]

Yes, Yuki is right. The Potato Bar is OFF, we've switched to a group Potluck.
Sorry for the change folks, I just could not face baking all those potatoes...

[balrgn]

Spent the day working to get ready to go! The count Down is on

[rgesch]

MAN! I wish we were going! Unfortunatly our Spring Luncheon is the 29th, although we would look pretty silly standing around with no trailer... Next year; I swear!

Richard

[Over59]

Originally Posted by rgesch

MAN! I wish we were going! Unfortunatly our Spring Luncheon is the 29th, although we would look pretty silly standing around with no trailer... Next year; I swear!

Richard

I think trailers are optional this year....

How many are we......

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by bugsbunny

We are bringing lasagna. Yum Yum.

Bugs..

PS Guess I should have made carrot cake or another carrot delicacy.
Hum, I'll bring an additional dish - something with carrots in it too!

Carrot cake, carrot cake..Yes~!!
Which lot are you guys parking??
Is it Fri YET???

[yukionna]

For those of you who want to hike/picnic on Saturday, I'm organizing an informal Maudslay State Park hike and picnic. I plan on discussing in more detail during the 9 AM "Sidewalk Cafe" discussion but for those of you who like to plan ahead, attached is a PDF brochure I created which shows a trail map and directions.

My thought was to leave the campground around 11 am, with picnic lunches in hand, and spend time hiking at the park. As you can see from the trail map, there are lots of options for short or long hikes. The park is beautiful and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. My plan is to be back at the campground in time for the Open House.