RE: WELCOME Home Everyone

[Ca-girl]

 Surfcal
By the way...my photos are up too:
 
 http://community.webshots.com/album/78175934JBCMWW

[duanefamily]

 Surfcal
We got back a few hours ago.  The ride home was a bit longer as we stopped in Ione for a monstrous Chicken Fried Steak breakfast.  
 
 On a side note:  Ione was just down the road a bit from the 49er camp.  What was neat, was how everyone stopped their cars for us to cross the street... even if we weren t standing at a cross walk.  We saw a giant castle off to one side of this town.  The locals said it was a very old juvenile detention center... " back when they actually punished kids for their bad behavior."   Someone informed us that Merle Haggard was incarcerated there for a while, as if it actually did him some good.  They also said the boys had to sheer the sheep to make the clothes they wore... as this institution was totally self sufficient.  
 
 For pictures... check out this website...
 http://www.volcano.net/~filmamador/preston.html
 
 Well enough history for now.  Speaking of monstrous!  This camp out was simply the biggest!  It had a slightly different flavor than what I consider the " usual"  rallies... due to the large number of people who created this temporary village of food and friendship!  I made one of the chili s but I noticed there were at least two other s who made chili too... so who know s which one Sacto fell in love with?  
 
 Jeff and Amy, thank you so much for letting my daughter make some Gack at the last minute... but is there any chance you know how to remove it after it melts on Coleman cushions?  
 
 Surfcal, you were most definitely with us in spirit... you should note that while you were receiving your group phone message... I experienced quite a barrage of goose bumps... definitely a high reading on the emotion of appreciation meter!  You definitely made us laugh which is always a welcome experience.
 
 Holly, any time you want Jasper to make your pants look like a zebra, just lemme know!  You can borrow him for this fashion update at any of the upcoming rallies!
 
 I will forever be appreciative to the Quigs for rescuing my family from the toxic swamp and burping bull frogs.  We must ALL remember to email Surfcal privately as to the highly documented procession that took place... and to not post any of those photos!  Thank you very much!
 
 By the by, Jasper managed to bring home four baby burping bull tadpoles... so I will be sure to bring one to the next rally we attend, after it has matured... so Surfcal can more fully appreciate and conceptualize our Gold Rush Rally environmental sensory experience.  Hopefully, he will most graciously accept the delivery of this beast, despite the hour we decide to slip it into his camper.
 
 Unfortunately, we didn t hang out much on Sunday... because we were in search of Michael s missing cousins who had somehow managed to escape Buffalo and relocate to the adjacent boonies.  Turns out they were wonderful folks.. so we weren t too sad.  
 
 Jasper s mountainous cookie looked inspired by the mashed potato scene in Close Encounters.  Unfortunately, he loaded it up with chocolate sprinkles.... so we had to save it as a screen saver for his computer rather than risk an allergic reaction.  After that it disappeared... so perhaps Michael was the lucky recipient of it s ingestion?
 
 Moose and Wise Woman Moosette... what more can we say.... but mmmmmmm, mmmmmm, good!!!!!!  And thanks for teaching us all that you can boil an egg in a waxed paper cup!  It could save our lives some day!  To all the folks who created events for our entertainment... THANK YOU for the extra effort!!!!!  It really made this get together interesting and FUN!
 
 Nice to have finally met Ab Diver and his delightful family... Thanks to all who helped my six year old (Myla) to keep up with all the big girls!  Especially, the folks who finally redistributed their family bikes so she didn t have to run on foot after everyone!
 
 I think I ll give someone else a chance to fill in the few blanks that are left from this trip.
 
 Duanefamily mamma...

[Tracy and David]

 Surfcal
I can t believe I beat TOS to the computer!  
 
 The SCCAMPERS gang made it back south safely, caravaning and cracking jokes all the way, except for the fact that we somehow  lost Cottonwooder in the first 30 minutes and never were able to find them again!  And we definitely missed OC Camper s gang as well!  Caravaning with such a fun group really mad the hours speed by.  But the best part was watching Moose " evangelize"  2 strangers towing pop-ups at the gas station!  I think he has them all ready to sign up on the boards and subscribe to the magazine.  Dave should pay him a commission!
 
 I think everyone has pretty much already said it all.  I just can t get over what a great time we had.  The kids were so sad to leave.  Thanks so much to Brian and Jennifer for putting it all together, to all the wonderful folks who organized kid activities, to our great neighbors Duanefamily whom we actually got to spend some time getting to know, to those of you whom I ve been " reading"  but not seeing for lo these 2 years or so.  It was just so much fun to put faces to names!  It s amazing how true cyber personalities are to the real thing!
 
 Just like everyone else said, I was sad not to get to know more folks.  It seemed the weekend just flew by, but we re seriously committed to making it up to another one.  Maybe it ll be a bit smaller and we ll be able to really get to know some more people!  (Not that I would have had this one be any other way!  It was just great that it was so big!)
 
 Looking forward to de-briefing more as the days go by!
 

[SCCS]

 Surfcal
Some more picture s to look at.

[RTurner]

 Red neff Barchetta
Report from one of the First Timer Families-
 
 I am not sure what to say except-----
        Thanks for the Hospitality!!!!!!
 
 You are all such a great group of people, made me wish you all lived in our neighborhood cuz I bet the Block Parties would be a blast every weekend.  Going from site to site is like hanging out on eachother s front porch.
 
 We had a great time (even if we were a little quiet), give us a few more trips out and we will break out of our shell.  It was so neat to pull in and have people just stop by to greet us.  And the food, well the other posts cover that topic.
 
 The campground was great and TurnerTike loved the swimming pool.  Great choice and you have our vote for same place next year.
 
 Thanks for letting us join the club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
 
 
 

[gsm x2]

 Surfcal
I can t believe Tracy beat me to the computer.
 
 Just finished two games of War with my grandsons, so I had a good reason.  But I can t believe they beat me both time too.  []  Anyone ever hear of a rule that says you flip up the DOWN card in a War to decide who wins?  I sure never did, but that s what Beth, the Ultimate Judge (MOM) said was the way to play it.
 
 Highlights of the trip from my perspective:
 
 1.  Making a PU convoy of four both on the way up and on the way back.  Have to say the one on the way back was awesome as we had four PU s that traveled 65 MPH and Tracy in her incognito vehicle to run interference.  When Dave the leader approached a truck to pass, she would pull into the fast lane, thus blocking the 75 MPH crowd so all four PUs could merge unobstructed.
 
 2.  Taking the grandsons to eat ice cream and to the pool.  Special treat when they live 2000 miles away and we hardly ever get to baby sit.
 
 3.  Heisting Dave Newhouse from his " must be done by Monday"  work and dragging him to scenic sights on the way to Harrah s in Lake Tahoe...which was Beth and Dean s favorite part of the trip.
 
 4.  Running into five or six other popups at a gas station in some unnamed exit 16 miles from the rest stop on I-5.
 
 5.  Getting to spend time with many many new and old friends, including CamperFools who were at Bodega Bay as Non-PUt members the same weekend at the 2002 PUT Western Rally as it was called then.
 
 6.  Watching the ebb and flow of chaos and order in the Madlyn-lead balloon fest.  Including watching little 3-year-old Corbin break a balloon on a from-the-rear sneak attack.
 
 7.  Watching the video on the big screen and having someone say, " Anyone know Ray s number? We should call him."  And having Ray s number both on my Voice Activated address book and " last number called."   That cheer brought goosebumps to me too.
 
 8.  A strange perspective this morning because it seemed that the campground was empty after so many left.  But in reality, there were still fifteen Rally attendees, 10 NNC and 5 SCC members.  And even tomorrow morning, three will remain.
 
 9.  Having seen a demonstration on MICROBES in action on choked out golf course water hazards, I finally got to see a real-life demonstration at the choked out pond.  Despite the " Tidy Bowl"  color, the microbes there were eating the moss on that pond were aiding and assisting the healthy condition of that pond as they ate the oxygen choking elements and leaving open water for a better environment....witnessed by the frog, bass, and crawdad life in the pond.  Best thing is that when the microbes are done, they will die off for lack of their designated food source.
 
 10.  Having four people actually stand through the over 700 pictures that were taken at the last 10 rallies...spaced 2 seconds apart.  At 30 pictures per minute, that s still over 20 minutes of pictures.
 
 There s a lot more, but as I prepare for an early day tomorrow, I better get off to bed.
 
 Brian---thanks for putting it all together.
 
 gsm x2

[Civil_War_Buff]

 gsm x2
Veronica and I had a great time.  It was really nice seeing everyone, but clearly the highlight of my weekend was meeting Cottonwooder and her wonderful family, and seeing PtownPopup again.
 
 Thanks everyone.
 

[g-whiz]

 gsm x2
The highlights of this rally are just too numerous to name.  The bottom line is that we had a great time rekindling friendships, making new ones, and eating some of the best food in California!  Having our DD, SIL and and the boys with us was fun as now they know " exactly"  what we re talking about when we say we ve gone camping with NNC/SCC for the weekend.  
 
 I do want to mention a BIG thank you to our Wagonmaster, Brian!  The cg was nice and it had the cleanest bathrooms I ve ever seen in a campground.  The bull frogs were not a problem for me and the fountain made the most wonderful white noise.
 
 Also, a thank you to Dave from PUT for traveling across the country to attend our rally.  It was fun getting to know you.  Maybe next time you can bring the whole family!!
 
 Sorry I won t be able to get the photos up until later tonight since we have to jump right back into reality with both feet this morning.
 
 

[6Quigs]

 The Memory Maker

 

ORIGINAL:  The Memory Maker
 
 

ORIGINAL:  SactoCampers
 Okay, someone near our site snores! SCCS, TMM? Which one of you was it?? [][]. Just kidding! I could only hear it when I was already awake. [8D]
 

 Brian sorry about that-
 The sounds of Baby Mozart really knocks me out!
 J/K!
 
 I ve got the pics from the rally up on my webshots site!!
 

Anybody else having problems with Scott s Photos,
 particulary the last one the Panoramic shot.
 it freezes up on my computer, and I can t look at any other webshots photos!!
 
 Otherwise great photos, including the group shot of 105 people, even if we are missing all of Nick s Family!!
 
 And can anyone find Conor in the photo?[]

[SactoCampers]

 6Quigs

Anybody else having problems with Scott s Photos,
 particulary the last one the Panoramic shot.
 it freezes up on my computer, and I can t look at any other webshots photos!!
 

 YES!
 
 It totally screws up my machine and changes some setting so that no jpegs show. It occurs right after I click on the big group photo. I have to reboot to reset the browser settings, because nothing else works.
 
 Scott, something s screwy with those pictures.....[][8D]
 
 

And can anyone find Conor

 Can anyone *ever* find Conor? [][8D]
 
 I do have to reiterate what G-Whiz said: We do have some of the best cooks in California.
 
 Naomi, I don t know who s chili I had, all I can say is that it came from a big pot and had lots of goodies in it.
 
 Update: I was a little concerned after leaving the 49er Village on Sunday because the black-haired woman was giving me a hard time about submitting separate checks for everybody. I recall some of you had a personality conflict with her as well regarding a late checkout. Fortunately, I received a phone call from Sue (the campground manager) this morning and she affirmed that I will receive my full deposit, plus we overpaid by $62.86. Now, I know I will owe the Nikoley s some change (Nick, please let me know how much for you and how much for Rick), but I get a feeling somebody else overpaid by at least a night. Let me know and I will get that back to you. Sue is trying to track down who overpaid, but in case she doesn t, let me know. []
 
 I let her know how much we enjoyed our time there and that we might like to come back again next year. She said they d like to have us again.

[duanefamily]

 SactoCampers
Sacto,
 
 That black haired lady s name was Naomi.  She was exceedingly rude although I never mentioned it to anyone.  I m not surprised to hear other s had trouble with her.  I thought she was really not in keeping with the whole wonderful feel of that place and suspect that Sue should consider replacing her (feel free to tell her)... unless of course she s a favorite relative or something.  
 
 You did an excellent job on finding that campground.  I didn t want to crow too much about it... for fear of sounding like a broken record... but it was really great!  The bull frogs weren t so bad as they were surprising... but I truly suspect I had one sitting under my bunk the first night and therein lies the difference of perception.  That fountain did make a great white noise that drowned out most every other noise.  I was really amazed at how noisy it could be at one area of that campground... and then a few pop tops away it almost seemed very remote and quiet.  Not sure how that worked... but it must have had something to do with the layout and the acoustics of the park.  
 
 On a side note... I m having hard lemonade withdrawl today... the responsible party knows who they are!!
 
 Time to do the laundry![: (]
 duanefamily mamma[]

[Civil_War_Buff]

 duanefamily
Yeah, it was a nice place..glad I could finally visit there.

[oldmoose]

 gsm x2
Anything I say will duplicate what was said before. I must say a special THANK YOU to Jeff for giving us the fan that he won. That was very special. It was put into use right away.
 
 We had an aboslutely wanderful time meeting everyone as I handed out the signs. I enjoyed meeting all of the NNC family of campers that I ve " talked to"  on the board. Putting faces to the names was great. We re ready to sign up again.
 
 Bryan and Jennifer, it sure is a small world.
 
 As Tracy said we had a good safe ride home. I did have fun at the gas station talking to two families who had never heard of PUT. They do now!
 
 We did enjoy doing the DO and cooking demo. Use those DO s and enjoy.

[RTurner]

 6Quigs
Yes, photo problems too, thought it was just me.

[Robucko]

 Surfcal
Sorry I didn t get there in time to meet Dave Newhouse but it was great to see you having a super time. I guess Ab Diver has kept you informed as to why Nancy and I haVE BEEN CONSPICOUS with our absence.
 I was one of the originals at Bodega Bay,( it was cooool!)  and then had back surgery in January. It didn t work so I get to go through with it all again. We did make the Cleone rally but the old back quit and I spent the weekend in the bunk.
 If it hadn t been for Ab Diver, Surfcal and others helping hook us up, we would still be there!
 I am truly bummed about losing the whole summer, but then there is always next year, right? But as I get older, the loss of even one camping trip is a major trip.
 Great to see all you folks again and I will dip in once in awhile and hope you have a great camping summer.
 Jerry and Nancy, (Kirby too!)