October 2008 Rally

Lincoln New Salem Park

Petersburg, Illinois

Directions: From I-55 Southbound, US 136 W, IL 29 S, IL 123 W, IL 97 S

From I-55 Northbound, I-72 W, IL 4 N, IL 97 N

October 9th - October 12th ,2008

Hosts: Larry & Judy Whitehouse 309-968-6846 or lwhitehouse@grics.net

Camping fees: Payable to campground host at arrival. Thu - $15, Fri, Sat - $20

Rally fee: $5.00 per rig payable to rally host at arrival

Thursday, October 9th

Arrival day - Free day

Fire ring gathering

Friday, October 10th

Coffee, juice, waffles, and bacon at 8:00 am

Lunch on your own

Dinner Chili dump (bring quart of chili and salad or relishes) at 5:30 pm

Fire ring gathering

Saturday, October 11th

Coffee and juice at 8:00 am

Lunch on your own

‘Mystery Dinner’ at 5:30 pm

Fire ring gathering

Sunday, October 12th

Coffee, juice, and Good Byes at 8:00 am

Sheets describing local and nearby activities will be handed out at arrival.

Please let us know if you plan to attend. We need to plan the shopping for the ‘Mystery Dinner’. Our deadline is October 2nd to get everything figured up and head for the store.

September 19, 2008

Hello Everyone,

We are back at the lake and getting caught  up on house chores and 
attending grandkid activities (cross country events, cheerleading and 
Grandparents day at school).  I have received more orders for Needles 
on the Road which need to be completed before we head south for the 
winter.  What fun!

Ev and I met Ken and Lenore Steinhart from the Northern Illinois 
Kountry Kampers  and Don and Luanne Shay from the Kountry Kuzzins at 
Shady Lakes Campground in New Windsor, Illinois on Sunday, August 24 
for the beginning of our caravan west to the Region 4 Rally in the 
Black Hills.  We spent time in the Quad Cities touring the John Deere 
Pavilion and the display at the John Deere Headquarters.  In 
Dyersville, Iowa we toured the All American Homes Factory, the 
National Farm Toy Museum and the Dyer-Botsford Doll Museum.  Wow!  So 
many farm toys and so many dolls.

Over Labor Day weekend we were able to enjoy the Spirit Lake area of 
Northern Iowa.  Ev's cousin hosted us on a tour of their new high 
tech self contained beef cattle feed lot and took us to another high 
tech operation, a dairy farm, just down the road from them.  Of 
course we hit all the shops, enjoyed a boat ride on Spirit Lake, 
sampled fresh cinnamon buns and even feasted on fresh fish caught by 
a fellow camper in the park.

We spent a night at the Red Barn in Tea, South Dakota just south of 
Sioux Falls.  Spent the afternoon at Falls Park and then joined Al 
and Marilyn Harms, South Dakota State Directors and Joe and Sharon 
Morrison, members of the Rushmore Roamer Chapter for dinner.  After a 
trolly ride around town we enjoyed conversation, coffee and yummy 
cake at the Harm's home.  The next day it was on to Mitchell and a 
visit to the Corn Palace.  We were able to watch workers changing the 
murals that decorate the outside of the Palace.  On a visit to the 
Dakota Discovery Museum the next day we discovered an antique 
thrashing machine that had been built in Peoria, Illinois.

We stopped one night at Al's Oasis for dinner, homemade pie and 5 
cent coffee.  No trip across South Dakota would be complete without a 
stop at Wall Drug and some shopping.  We also drove the Bad Land Loop 
and even though it was cloudy and misty from time to time it was well 
worth the drive

We arrived at Hart Ranch, in Rapid City, on Monday, September 8 and 
were welcomed by Jim and Wilma Weeks. There were four other rigs from 
the Northern Illinois Kountry Kampers already on site. The Weeks  had 
a busy and fun filled week
planned for us.  We got to experience the Black Hills at their best 
from the magnificent lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore at night to 
the all you could eat pancake breakfast at Fort Hays, from the 
Journey Museum with our own tour guide to the fabulous trolly ride 
through town, from the Air and Space Museum and tour of the 
underground minute man missile silo that was used during the cold war 
with Russia to a drive through Bear Country to meet the animals up 
close and personal, from a tour of a Black Hills Gold jewelry factory 
( and of course shopping) to the eeriness  of Cosmos. It was a 
wonderful week.

Thanks again to Jim and Wilma, to Ken Steinhart for playing taxi 
driver on our caravan west and during the rally, and to Don Shay for 
keeping us on our toes and meal times coordinated.  We laughed 
together for three weeks.  What more could we ask?

Keep checking the web site for upcoming events at the local, state, 
regional and national level.  If you have any problems let us know.  
Remember all information for the web page MUST come to us and we will 
send it on.


Before signing off I must add a bit of humor that was sent to us from 
Guaranty Rv in Oregon.  It is called Moonlighting.  It seems a Rver 
in a motorhome was traveling along and became hopelessly bogged down 
in an unexpected muddy hole along a dirt road.  After a  few moments, 
a passing farmer came along with his tractor and offered to pull him 
out for $20.00.  After the motorhome
was back on dry ground, the Rver said to the farmer, "At those 
priced, I bet you're pulling vehicles out of the mud day and night."  
The farmer replied "Can't.  At night I haul water to fill the hole."


Travel safely and keep in touch.
Everett and Julie Israel (10622L)
Illinois State Directors