November 1-5, 2018
Hosts: Michele Gardner and Kathy Holt
Location: The Vines RV Resort, 88 Wellsona, Paso Robles, CA 93446

Well the third annual Paso Robles Rally is now complete and it was a great weekend. About half the group that made it were repeats from last couple of years. The final totals were 29 rigs, 2 cottages and 44 women.

It was a great weekend and we all had a great time. Like the past couple of  years the weekend started off with some early arrivals on Thursday night where some of us headed into San Luis Obispo for the widely known SLO Farmers Market and like last year we didn’t make it half a block before we all got food. As always the Cowboy Cookie bowl and ice cream was a great end to the meal for a few of us.

Friday evening the resort puts on a small wine tasting with a few vendors for the whole park and of course money did change hands for some very interesting items. From there we went on to the Meet and Greet where we had two new members Marci Taylor-Morton and Anne Connors join our group. Welcome Marci and Anne, they are great additions to the FreeWheelers.

Saturday morning after breakfast Meggi Raeder did a seminar on how to make pictures taken with your phone look better.  She went over an app that you can download for free called Snapseed.  Some of the pictures for this article were enhanced using Snapseed. It was a very informative session and she was asked to do again at future rallies.

The rest of the weekend had folks going out to the beach and some of the small towns from Pismo Beach to Cambria, where they enjoyed the coastal towns, elephant seals and some good lunch dining.  Others went bike riding, golfing and of course wine tasting. Some just hung at their rigs and relaxed, read, watched football or played games. One of the best things about this outing, hosts opinion, is the evening fire. Every evening we shared stories, activities of the day, and each other’s company and of course wine and beer around a beautiful fire on the deck by the clubhouse.

The Vines was also contacted by a local show, RV Lifestyles, wanting to interview us about our group and RVing. Fortunately, Charlie (Marilyn Chuck), our president was at the rally and dealt with the film crew and setting up the interviews.

A new thing for this weekend rally was what was called a ‘Spa Weekend’ for you, your dog and your rig.  We had Earl, who is the owner/operator of Universal Mobile Detailing come in and washed or washed and waxed 7 different rigs over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We also had a masseuse, owner/operator Katrina come over the same three days and give massages to 16 of the ladies.  On Sunday Howell’n Good Doggie Dental, who came out last year and did a demo for us on anesthetic free doggie teeth cleaning, came out and cleaned 8 dogs teeth for us.  All the vendors scheduled their time for this weekend just for us and gave us a discount on all the services. Everything went very well and both the ladies and the vendors were very happy with the results.  We hope to repeat this type of rally again sometime down the line.

We also want to thank Cindy Wattenbarger, manager of The Vines, for donating a cottage for the massages.  It helped make for a perfect weekend. The Vines RV Resort is a beautiful place and the staff was awesome.  This is a beautiful RV Resort with flat cement parking spaces and a beautiful clubhouse, outdoor fireplace, heated pool, and Jacuzzi, all in a location with lots to do! Looking forward to doing this event again in the future. They made sure that there was firewood available for us nightly and responded to any needs or requests that we had.  They even have a bar and pool table. Needless to say everyone found something to do.

I want to thank all that came for making the outing a great success.

October 4-7, 2018
Hosts: Freewheelers Advisory Board – Charlie Chuck, Penny Walker, Sally Johnson, Wendy Gibson, Chris Massey-Clover
Location:  Sugar Barge RV Resort, 1440 Sugarbarge Rd, Bethel Island, CA 94511

Around eighty FreeWheelers gathered at Sugar Barge RV Park and Marina on the Delta for a weekend of glorious weather, lots of fun and even a business meeting.  

Early arrivals descended on the Rusty Porthole for dinner on Thursday. Friday was a free play day with kayaking, swimming, walking the levee and lots of visiting with friends, old and new. After the “Meet and Greet” to welcome and learn a bit about our new members and guests, we enjoyed our favorite sport – eating at the potluck dinner 

The evening was completed with an informative talk on electricity and batteries by the one and only Rachel Harp of Harps’s RV. Rachel is probably the only person who could make that topic not just interesting, but fun.  

Then it was Saturday morning and time to eat again at the breakfast potluck. Our annual business meeting was productive and almost finished in under two hours, but not quite. And then it was time for lunch. Did we mention that we like to eat? That afternoon we started a new tradition of ongoing photography seminars with Meggi Raeder. Although Meggi travels a lot, she promised new sessions at the outings she attends. The afternoon ended with a “get rid of your junk and take my junk” freebie swap meet. 

Saturday night was luau night with all the trimmings. The board provided honey sliced ham, pulled pork sliders, Hawaiian beef with pineapple, teriyaki chicken and three appropriately decorated cakes and everyone else brought all the side dishes including Spam.  

The fun began after dinner with a hula hoop contest and the good news is that no one threw her hip out. The winner actually kept three hoops going and received a prize befitting her talent. Then a group of volunteers (willing and otherwise) donned grass skirts to go with the leis everyone was wearing. Some of them even wore coconut bras as they danced the hula or at least tried to. A three way tie was declared and well deserved prizes were awarded.  

FreeWheelers may never be famous for our hula hooping or hula dancing, but we think we are in the running for having the most fun.

August 2-6, 2018

Hosts: Una Long and Rosemary Hood

Location: Olema Campground  Olema, CA

FreeWheelers celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at their August Outing in Olema CA. On arrival, everyone received a packet with a National Seashore map and a list of places to explore in the park, Pt. Reyes Station and Marshall. Many visited local areas of interest  including beaches, the lighthouse, the town, etc., while others stayed in their shady sites to visit old and new friends. We all eagerly awaited the festivities.

Saturday started with a gourmet breakfast potluck followed by rig warmings.  The morning was filled with trips to the Farmers Market in Pt. Reyes Station, then fun, more laughs, and prizes were aplenty at the afternoon horseshoe and shuffleboard contests. To make it a true St. Patrick’s Day, our hosts provided corned beef and cabbage plus Irish soda bread for dinner, supplemented by lovely stews, salads and side dishes. The grand finale was an Ice Cream Social with all the toppings.

The evening concluded with a sing-along of Irish melodies and folk songs, and some incredible solos. Freewheelers’ talented musicians played ukeleles, guitars, drums and a keyboard, supported by a wonderfully melodious chorus.

The KOA Feather Falls RV and Casino was a new event site for the FreeWheelers and it was a big hit. The park management was very accommodating and welcoming to our group. The highlight of this weekend was staying cool in Lake Oroville or the RV park swimming pool. A big thank you goes to Sue Pfluecke and Kathy Zeichick for the fun time on their house boat and ski boat.  It’s not often you see sixty, seventy and eighty year old women bouncing around on an inner-tube behind a ski boat with their mouths wide open, screaming with laughter.

Our hosts on dry land, LT Turkatte and Tobin Clarke, decorated with a patriotic red, white and blue theme for our weekend. Saturday night Tobin led us in games of United States government trivia and U.S. history multiple choice. Most were surprised at how much they didn’t know about our country’s history. The winners were Dee Linton and Sue Massey-Clover. FreeWheelers also enjoyed the casino buffet and the brewery restaurant in addition to our scheduled pot lucks. A few of us won some money at the casino tables and a few made deposits to ensure that they would return again to win big. A car load of determined FreeWheelers spent an entire day driving for miles

searching for fresh peaches. I don’t think they found any peaches, but they were laughing while telling of their travels and that’s all that matters.

May 3-6, 2018

Hosts: Pat Stearns and Johnette Tye
Location:  Smithwoods RV Park, Felton, CA

The outing was set in the beautiful Coastal California Redwoods in Felton, CA. Thursday many arrived to meet old and new friends. There were many activities available to the group including riding the scenic Railroad train tour, shopping antique

stores, farmers markets, hiking trails abound.  Friday night was the appetizer buffet at the Lodge followed by an evening of getting to know you around the fire pit. Saturday was a potluck breakfast followed by a Q&A on anything RV related. Later “Craft” activity outside and then at 3:00 p.m. the march back to the Lodge for the Running of the Roses”  event on the big screen.     Each member was given a potentially winning ticket, but only three lucky ladies won a bottle of wine, one each for their horse to Win, Place, and Show. Saturday evening was a potluck and a parade of Kentucky Derby Hats designed by each member. To be followed up with an evening at the fire pit. For some, Sunday was pack up and go but many stayed that extra day to enjoy the beautiful scenery, the fantastic weather and the wonderful staff at Smithwoods RV Park.

April 5-9, 2018

Hosts: Sue and Chris Massey-Clover, Mary Jo Barrett and Katy Innerst
Location:  Jackson Rancheria RV Park, Jackson, CA

Even the rain can’t put a damper on the Freewheeling Ladies having fun.  Those who came up early on Thursday helped Linda McVey and Shelly Lloyd celebrate their 20^th anniversary with dinner at the Jackson Rancheria Buffet. A few lingered afterward to play the slot machines. MaryJo and Katy put together a fun game of 1950’s Trivia for Friday night. We split into groups and with 50’s music playing in the background we had a great time answering the questions.  The downpour of rain lulled us all to sleep that night. I’m sorry to say that a few ladies woke up to some drips in their rig and even on their toes.  Sorry, Winona!  With the weather dry, but still unpredictable, we moved the Hot Dog BBQ inside.  The hosts provided games such as Jacks, Pick-up Sticks, Hula Hoops, yo-yos and frog flippers to entertain the women. It ended up being a ton of fun.  So many ladies got into the spirit of the 50’s and dressed in poodle skirts, petal pushers and many other creative outfits for Saturday night’s potluck and Sock Hop. The potluck  featured recipes from the 50’s.  Who has ever heard of Spaghettio Surprise or Ham, cabbage and Pineapple Jello Mold?  Of course, we reminisced with tuna casserole, meatloaf, mac and cheese and many other delicious choices. After cleaning up and walking our dogs we enjoyed a laughter-filled Sock Hop. MaryJo put together a great songlist and we were able to plug in to our new sound system.  The dance floor came ALIVE!  We crowned Alice and Nancy as our Queen and Queen of dance.  Their happy dancing was so much fun to watch.  MaryJo and Katy served Egg Creams and Raspberry Sodas and the ladies enjoyed root beer float and strawberry milkshake cupcakes. The evening ended with sore feet but happy hearts. We cleaned out the frig for Sunday’s breakfast and said our good-byes.  Some were lucky enough to stay an extra day.  It really did turn out to be a fun-filled, 50’s weekend despite the weather.

March 8-12, 2018

Hosts: Sherli Chin and Mary Jo Barrett
Location: Durango RV Resort, 100 Lake Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080

Freewheelers took over the Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff for their March event. Durango is a beautiful, up scale resort tucked at the base of Mt Shasta. Along with the perfect weather, we knew a great weekend was before us.

The theme was Strong Women as we all celebrated International Woman’s Day.

We were asked to dress as our favorite Strong woman in history or as a strong woman currently making history. There was great participation with wonderful, creative

costumes; from Rosie the Riveter, Mother Theresa, Queen Elizabeth, Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgto remarkable women we have never heard of.

Sue Massey-Clover, as Queen Elizabeth won first prize, not only for her costume, but her royal decorum.

Another member, Sue Clark, came as Amelia Earhart. Sue has her own personal story that is impressive. She wanted to be a flight attendant back in the day when they were called stewardess. She was told she was too short. So being the strong woman she is, she became a pilot instead. Now retired, Sue still takes to the skies to fly rescue missions for pets in need.

Helen Reddy was singing “ I Am Woman” as we entered the clubhouse for dinner Friday night. After the mutual admiration of everyone’s costumes, we sat down to a very filling appetizer dinner.

After dinner, we all unwrapped a 20” Seran Wrap ball. Each woman peeled back the wrap until a prize appeared, then passed the ball to the next person. The gifts ranged from the silly to the useful, all fun and funny.

Saturday we had our usual potluck breakfast & catch up chats with each other.

Our Hosts treated us to a Sandwich Bar, including chips & drinks for lunch. Subway had nothing on this spread.

Saturday night was another successful potluck dinner. We have exceptional cooks and it’s rare to have leftovers.

After dinner we were treated to a performance by Wayne Huey of the Red Panda Acrobats. Wayne was trained in China and has performed internationally. One of his first employers was Mickey Mouse, when he went to work for the Disney Corporation.

Before the performance, he gave a short workshop on how to balance and juggle. Knowing the how of these skills, we could see the lessons in his performance. Who knew it was so easy to balance a feather on your nose.

He showed us  Tai Chi move called Sunrise-Sunset, which is a foundational type move to keep our backs in good working order.

He ended with a Q&A, and was an open book in answering our questions. He was both entertaining & informative. He was quite the personality and put on a remarkable show for us.

Our outing closed after our “Mustgo” breakfast. We cleaned out fridges with all the “must go” foods, said our goodbyes till we’ll meet again.

The weather was perfect so all of the perfectly planned events went off without a hitch. Everyone headed home with a little more strength shared by this wonderful Sisterhood we call RVW Freewheelers.

February 1-5, 2018

Hosts: Gail Chadbourne and Gwendolyn Morgan
Location:  Casa de Fruta, Hollister, CA

What can I say; the weather goddess was with us. Freewheelers came up days before the event started and were sharing they were wearing tank tops and capris, yes you said something like that Polly! We came up on Thursday to find the weather was indeed glorious and found some Freewheelers strolling around with friends and with pups.  Friday night we had a fabulous layout of food with our new member Laurie Conley introducing herself.  Seems she came in a rented Class C.

Several people enjoyed hiking at Pinnicles and Fremont Park near San Juan Bautista. Dinner at the Inn at Tres Pinos was divine. Also, complimentary afternoon wine tasting at the Casa de Wine and Deli.  I spotted a few enjoying ice cream cones near Casa de Choo Choo.  I loved biting into my fresh plum from the Casa fruit stand and there was Polly’s Humongous 20 ounce slice of prime rib from Casa de Restaurant. Late night gamers in the Club House. And I have never seen so many FreeWheeler pups as attended the rig warmings.

January 4-8, 2018
Hosts: Wendy Gibson and JLynn Manley
Location: The Vineyard RV Park, Vacaville, CA

For the first Freewheelers event of 2018, Cockadoodledoo RV Park in Vacaville once again continube the weekend that promotes camaraderie, de-stress to refresh, topped with a little surprise. This low key weekend is never the one to ever miss!
Promoting camaraderie we learned a lot about each other sharing hors d’oeuvres, meals, games, music, conversation, the big screen TV, the football games and the Oscars, an RV Q & A by an RV expert, cards, painting, candle making, books, puzzles, darling Brenda who came from Oakland just to “check us out”, and warm drinks.
De-stressing from the end of the year events we were able to relax and refresh in the large club house were the fire blazed all day and all night keeping us toasty (and sometimes a big too toasty) warm.
And unlike last years surprise of drenching rain, and RV islands, we had these nasty bugs called roosters that pecked and chased us and cockadoodledood us awake and serenaded us all day and all night long.
Yep, Cockadoodledoo RV Park was this years best! Hope you enjoyed it!
Your Hosts, Wendy Gibson and JLynn Manley