Rally at the River

It has been just over a year since my first introduction to the vintage trailer scene. On October 1st I packed up the RR and headed to Casini Ranch for my second Rally at the River. The Russian River area is such a beautiful place and Fall is my favorite time of year. It was guaranteed to be a fun gathering!

As usual, I arrived at camp a day early. I like to get all set up and be ready to entertain when my friends show up. By Friday afternoon, the gang was all together - my "camp wife" Tom (with his famous chandelier!), Marti & her sister Cindy (1 of the "Marti Girls"), Professor Mike & Sherry, Margaret & Steve, Anne-Marie, Penny & Charlie and finally, Paul the welder. Now let the fun begin!

Friday night was the happy hour with a "funky hat" contest. You'd be amazed at the crazy stuff people come up with! Needless to say, my pimped out "Sugar Daddy" hat didn't take a prize ... can't imagine why???

The trailer "open house" on Saturday was a lot of fun. I had seen many of the trailers before - it was nice to visit with some of my rally friends. There were also some trailers that were new to me. I had 2 new favorite trailers - Donna & Neil's '52 Aljoa and Sharon & Mike's '55 Aljoa. Not only were these 2 trailers were very similar to each other, but they closely resemble the Chiclet in size and styling. I took a bunch of pictures and will use them for ideas and inspiration as I work on the Chiclet's restoration. My friends Stacy and Nic arrived late in the day with their '57 Shasta. Just a few days prior, it was still in pieces like a giant jigsaw puzzle! Good thing they lived near by (I was told that only 4 screws were holding in each of the windows!).

Saturday night was the pot luck - time for some Tums! Too much food, lots of laughs - what a great group of people! A few of us then went to Marti's campsite for a big bonfire. I think we must have burned up half a truckload of firewood! Time to just talk and relax after a long day - these rallies are exhausting!

Once again, Sunday came way too fast. We all had to pack up and head home. It gave me time to think how far I have come in the past 12 months. Last year at this time, I had purchased & cleaned out the RR, but hadn't done much else. Now I have finished the RR (except for repainting that damn roof) and am starting on my 2nd restoration. The biggest thing I come up with is how much fun I am having and how many wonderful people I have met. I feel truly blessed to be part of the vintage trailer community!