The time has come for the Oregon Rally in La Grande at Grande Hot Springs Resort. It had been a long time in the works. I had the reservations set up clear back in November of 2016. Something that needed to be done for a larger group. It was great that the day had finally come. In the end we had 26 rigs arrive at the rally. Mostly truck campers. We had one travel trailer and one motorhome. Hey, I do not care what you sleep in…all are welcome. Yes though, this rally is mostly truck camper themed. The weather was fantastic for the rally as well. Maybe a bit hot for some but still very nice.
The rally started officially on Wednesday. There was a check in at the meeting hall where attendees got their welcome bag full of goodies. Later that night there was a dessert potluck.
The meeting room getting set up.
The meeting room had a fridge, bathrooms and a sink.
The big roll up doors made it nice so a breeze would go through.
Campers starting to arrive.
Nice long big sites.
Visiting during the dessert potluck.
That night I made the announcement of the next days activities. We would be going to the nearby Northwood Manufacturing plant. There we would do a tour of the truck camper factory. What a great tour it was. We broke up into two groups since we had such a large crowd. Our hosts for the plant tour were excellent. At the end they even gave everyone hats and stickers.
Getting ready for the tour.
Waiting to do the tour.
Off we go on the tour.
Looking at the aluminum sidewalls.
Our host had lots of information.
A camper is getting built.
Walls going up.
The new curved roof.
Nearing the end of the line.
Our host going over inspections done during the build process.
The end of the tour. A great tour. Thank you Northwood.
After the tour there was lots of unscheduled free time to do whatever you wanted to do. I do that on purpose. I want people to have time to explore the area, visit with folks or take naps without missing out on something scheduled for the rally. Some people took advantage of using the pool.
Cody in the warm water pool.
That evening we did a trivia night. I had 15 questions about Oregon and the local history. While my questions are hard, it is more about having fun. Prizes were handed out as well.
Trivia night.
Relaxing after the trivia questions.
The next day there would be a caravan to Boise City and to tour the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. That is a fantastic place to go to. So many exceptional displays. You can even walk down to the old wagon trails if you wished. The morning was beautiful and I did get a few more pictures of attendees rigs before the caravan.
Some of the rigs.
More attendees.
All brands and years.
At the trail center.
Amazing displays.
So much history.
These folks did not have much to say.
Cody in a touch and feel wagon display.
Some more modern wagons at the center.
Once again, there was time between scheduled events for attendees to do whatever they wanted. We did a little geocaching on our way back to the resort.
Once back at the resort I took a few minutes to check out the yurts they had. Even if you do not have a RV there is still a place for you. They have tent spaces as well.
One of the yurts.
The yurts have their own private backyard with hot tub.
Later that night there was a presentation on led lighting. Thank you to Led trailer lighting for the presentation. The night ended with a very pretty sunset. Another fun day at the rally ends.
Led lighting presentation.
Pretty sunset.
The end of another fun day.
Saturday morning. Lots of presentations going on at the resort today. Still time between presentations to visit with folks or even kite flying. First the day started off with biscuits and gravy that were supplied by Sally and George.
Sally serving up some breakfast.
George making sure all is well with breakfast.
Speaking of Sally and George, they brought their truck camper collection. Truck camper trinkets are hard to find.
Impressive collection.
Some kite flying at the resort.
One of the presentations was on Geocaching. Since I was doing the presentation along with Sally…it appears I have no pictures on that. Here are pictures of other presentations though. Here are some from Stablecamper..
It sure was nice having these folks attend the rally.
Talking about their products.
Introduction of who they are and how this company became about.
One of the products they make, the Stablecamper.
Next was a presentation for Torklift. Torklift was very busy and could not attend the rally. Hey, it is good to be doing so well! So Pete did a presentation of some of the Torklift products for them with their blessing. A big thank you to Pete for that!
Pete talking about some of the Torklift products.
Always great products by Torklift.
Thanks again Pete.
After the presentations it was time to gear up for the potluck dinner. We got tables set up, decorations put up and prizes set out.
Prizes to be given away.
Plenty of great things to give away.
Okay, about ready for dinner now.
Dinner time! NATCOA provided the hamburgers and chicken for dinner. Then there was lots of potluck dishes to enjoy that were brought by rally attendees. As usual, a potluck with lots of great food.
Lining up to eat.
Joanne, Sally and Cody did awesome cooking dinner for us all on the grills.
It was really great to finally meet in person, Angela and Gordon from Truck Camper Magazine.
Lots of fun at the potluck.
So many choices.
George and Sally looking their best.
After dinner I thanked all who supported the rally. So many to thank. Then attendees took their raffle tickets and put them in the cups for whatever prize package they were wanting to win. Prizes were handed out. Lots of people walked away with many great prizes. The rest of the night was relaxing and visiting. A great day.
Sunday morning, the end of the rally. Really? It is over? So long in the making and so quick to go by. We had a farewell breakfast that was omelets in a bag. Basically you put in your eggs and whatever else you want in the zip lock bag. Then you put it into the boiling water pot. After a few minutes…breakfast.
Building the omelets.
It was a fun way to do breakfast.
The pots for boiling the bags of omelets.
Cody was a big help for the breakfast.
Our last meal together for this rally.
The rally closes after breakfast. What a fun time it was. Always great to see folks from all over. It has to end at some point though and we all must go on travels to wherever. I can not wait to see them all again. Great people.
Thank you to;
Grande Hot Springs Resort, NATCOA, Northwood Manufacturing, Torklift, Stablecamper, Lynx Levelers, Valterra, Thetford, Dometic, Prime Products, Truck Camper Magazine, Pete, Sally & George, Billie & Ron, Sue & Paul, Doug for donations and help with the rally.
A big thank you to everyone who could attend the rally. You are what makes the rally, a rally.
Oregon rally 7/11 – 7/15 2018
