Tag Archives: 54th Escapade

2014/06/24 (T) Rainy Days

We had light rain overnight and woke to overcast skies and the promise of yet more rain today.  I find myself in a somewhat subdued mood on such days and am much more inclined to be a bit lazy.  I made reference in yesterday’s post to “monsoon season” but the idea applied better to today’s rain.  Around 10:45 AM it started to drizzle but by 11 AM a great quantity of rain was coming straight down.  It continued into the afternoon, though not as heavily, before finely quitting around 5 PM.

Linda made a run to the grocery store, but otherwise we stayed at home, worked at our desks, and read.  I finally got caught up on uploading blog posts.  My posts for the last few weeks have not included any photographs, so there is less work involved in uploading them to our WordPress website/weblog.  After creating so many images as official photographers at the SKP Escapade rally last month I took a break and just enjoyed the GLAMARAMA14 rally this month.  The thing about photography is that it is a serious hobby.  I enjoy it, but I do not have to do it; I am no longer compulsive about it as perhaps I once was.

We had a nice salad for dinner and then settled in for the RVillage Ambassador Program orientation webinar.  The webinar last week was an introduction for RVillage members who were interested in becoming RVillage Ambassadors.  This evening’s webinar was for members who have made the decision to be RVillage Ambassadors.  It was hosted by Curtis Coleman, CEO/Founder of RVillage, and Hillary Murray, a member of the RVillage core team and the lead staff member for the Ambassador Program.

The RVillage Ambassador Program was developed in response to members who were very enthusiastic about the site and wanted to help promote it and be of assistance to users without becoming paid staff members.  RVillage programmers developed a special color balloon (pin) to serve as an easily recognizable ambassador “badge.”  It appears on our profile page and on the EXPLORE map.  Staff also created an RVillage “Ask An Ambassador” group where members can post questions.  All RVillage ambassadors belong to this group and have been asked to keep an eye in it, and reply to questions if we know the answer.

Besides talking to our fellow RVers about RVillage as we travel and blog, and helping them with the use of the site, one of the things ambassadors are being asked to do is talk to RV park and campground owners about the benefits of “claiming” their park and helping them with the initial steps in that process.  Although some RVers want solitude, many enjoy social engagement.  RVillage wants to promote the idea to park owners that a “sociable park is a successful park.”  Once a park owner/manager claims their park, they have control over the park home page the same way a member has control of their personal profile.  They also gain the ability to send messages to any RVillage member who is “checked-in” to their park (in RVillage) and use the Get-Together feature to schedule social events at their park.  And it’s all free for them.

To support the work of RVillage Ambassadors the RVillage staff has developed promotional and tutorial videos, handouts, and support documents.  The handouts, support documents, and selected videos are available to RVillage Ambassadors for download so we can show them to people without having an Internet connection.  In the near future staff is going to create a private/closed group to serve as a place where RVillage Ambassadors can interact out of public view.  They also plan to create an area on rvfriendnetwork.com to serve as a repository for all of the resource materials.  We are very excited about RVillage and the opportunity to contribute in some small way to its growth and success.  From what we have already seen and experienced it is a unique resource for RVers that has the potential to reshape the RVing experience by creating real community among highly mobile people.

We capped the evening off with another episode of Doc Martin and turned in early as Linda is scheduled to be at the bakery all day tomorrow.

 

2014/05/16 (F) Final Approach

The overnight low temperature hit 33 degrees F; probably not a record for this location and date, but still unseasonably cold.  There are plenty of attendees at this Escapade who are from more southern parts of the country, and they find this cold snap particularly unpleasant.  We brought a range of clothing options so we have been able to layer our garments as needed.

Today is the last day of the Escapade.  For many participants there is a feeling of things winding down.  The vendors closed up at 3 PM yesterday.  Some left last evening and others pulled out today.  There were morning seminars, but not as many.  People are tired after a long, busy week, and the dreary, cold, damp weather has caused some folks to huddle in their rigs.

SKP craft donations at Goshen Hospital.  Bard (standing center) and Vera (standing right).

SKP craft donations at Goshen Hospital. Barb (standing center) and Vera (standing right).

The experience is different for the Escapade staff that is busy bringing Escapade to a safe and successful conclusion and preparing for the post-rally tear down and wrap-up.  Even after you have landed a plane on a runway there is work to do taxiing back to the parking spot and tying it down.  There is a technique to taxiing a small plane, and if you don’t do it correctly an unexpected cross-wind can flip the plane over; so too with a big rally.  The muddy infield situation, for instance, has added work for them.  It’s always something.

This greyhound at the pet parade had a jockey!

This greyhound at the pet parade had a jockey!  Such a sweet dog.

The fairgrounds appears to have finished spreading gravel around the worst part of the infield along the makeshift route leading to the place where we all have to cross the horse track and exit through the gate in the track perimeter fence.  It still feels very soft under our car tires, so it remains to be seen whether the repairs will be adequate to get the 100 or so RVs that are parked here out of the infield over the course of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Our hope is that heavy vehicles driving on the gravel will pack it down.  Our fear is that the loose gravel will simply cause our drive tires to spin and our steer tires to plow.

I took pictures every dog in the parade, but these greyhounds really captured my attention.

I took pictures of every dog in the parade, but these greyhounds really captured my attention.

I drove over to the seminar building around 8:45 AM and Linda stayed in our rig.  I took a few shots of Lou’s photography seminar and then moved the car over by Lou and Val’s 5th Wheel.  (They are parked in a particularly convenient place with room for an extra car.)  I grabbed some coffee and joined Curtis (from RVillage) for a brief chat before walking over to the Escapade office at 10 AM to meet up with the ladies who were taking donated craft items to the local hospital.  Lou was going to be tied up following his morning seminar putting together the final slide show for the closing ceremonies at 3:00 PM and asked me to cover the hospital event as we wanted to include a photo in the final slide show and Kathy Carr, Escapees RV Club president, wanted them for future use.

This "Scotty" was dressed for the parade.

This “Scotty” was dressed for the parade.

When I got back I went to Lou’s trailer, I gave him the CF card from the hospital shoot and got back the CF card I had left with Val last night.  I photographed the Pet Parade at 11:15 AM and then joined Linda at the SKP Amateur Radio BOF brown bag lunch.  We stayed as long as we could and then headed next door to photograph the Chili Cookoff.  With that activity captured we returned to Lou and Val’s 5th Wheel, transferred the new photos, and got my CF cards back.  We then headed back to our coach.

It was cold and drizzly, so I guess this makes sense, at least for a small dog.

It was cold and drizzly, so I guess this makes sense, at least for a small dog.

Michele Henry of Phoenix Paint had called me while I was taking photos at the hospital to let me know she was on her way to the fairgrounds.  I texted her when we got back to our coach and a little while later she pulled up with her kids, Raven and River.  Both of the kids know me from the time I spent at Michelle’s shop working on my own projects while her crew prepped and painted our motorcoach a few years ago.  We had a nice visit and Michelle took a few minutes to look at our rear bumper fascia.  All too soon we had to head over to the closing ceremonies so they took their leave of us.

We had a Golden Retriever that lived to be almost 15 year old.  They will also be our favorite dog breed.

We had a Golden Retriever that lived to be almost 15 years old. They will always be our favorite dog breed.  So gentle and loving, everyone is their new best friend.

We wanted to get to the Assembly Hall early so we could see the slide show.  Once again, Lou used a good selection of photographs that I took and did a nice job of manipulating them to improve their appearance.  Just before the opening ceremonies we received our Escapade Volunteer Pins and two tickets for the volunteer prize drawing.  Lou and I met briefly with Bob Pinner to coordinate what needed to be photographed, who was going to do what, and from what perspective.  Following the closing ceremonies we photographed the grand prize winners and sponsors and then headed over to the Escapade office to photograph the Chili Cook-Off winner in her prize apron.  We went back to Lou’s trailer to transfer a final set of images and we were officially done photographing the 54th Escapade.

There were some post-closing activities, however, and we attended the Chapter 46 Lincolnland (Illinois) social at 4PM with Lou and Val, who are members.  A couple of other groups were also meeting at 4:30 PM.  At 7:00 PM Johnny Cockrum provided the music for a farewell dance/party.  Snacks were provided, BYOB, but we did not go.  The temperatures dropped as the sunlight faded and by the time we finished dinner we did not feel like going back out in the cold.  I had requests from a couple of people for photos and took care of those via e-mail and Dropbox before going to bed.

2014/05/15 (R) Base Leg

As a private pilot of a small airplane there is a standard way to approach an airport that does not have air traffic controllers directing the flow of aircraft to/from the runway(s) and surrounding air space.  That standard way is called “the pattern” and when landing one must enter and follow the pattern correctly.  The pattern will be clockwise (right hand turns) or counterclockwise (left hand turns) and involves segment called “legs.”  Standard radio frequencies may let you know which runway and pattern are currently in use.

The pattern is usually entered on the “downwind leg” which is parallel to the runway with the wind coming from behind (tailwind) as much as possible.  You generally enter this leg at a specified altitude above the runway elevation and then start to descend.  How far you need to be from the runway is partially determined by your airspeed, but when I flew I would typically be a quarter to a half mile away.  As you pass the end of the runway you continue descending on the downwind leg for another 1/4 to 1/2 mile and then turn 90 degrees towards the runway.

This was our way out of the Elkhart Co. 4-H Fairgrounds horse track infield.  Not gonna happen.

This was our way out of the Elkhart Co. 4-H Fairgrounds horse track infield. Not gonna happen.

As you complete the turn you are now traveling perpendicular to the centerline of the runway on what is known as the “base leg” where you continue to descend.  On the base leg you often have a crosswind trying to blow you sideways off of your intended path and have to correct for that.  As you approach the centerline of the runway you again turn 90 degrees towards the runway, timing your turn so that you are lined up with the centerline as you complete your turn.

You are now on “final approach” and descending at a rate that puts you very close to the ground as you cross the end of the runway.  On final approach you are flying into the wind as much as possible, causing your ground speed (motion with respect to the earth) to be slower than your airspeed (motion with respect to the air mass you are flying through).  This slower ground speed makes it easier to land, particularly on a short runway.  Once you are over the runway you cut the engine power, bleed off more airspeed, and put the wheels on the ground.

Lou Petkus, head Escapade photographer, at the SKP Photographers BOF "row" table with Linda.  My friend Kate designed the logo.

Lou Petkus, head Escapade photographer, at the SKP Photographers BOF “row” table with Linda. My friend Kate designed the logo.

Landing an airplane is a complex task but all of the things you need to do become second nature with enough practice.  You develop a “feel” for your aircraft and the ability to visually judge altitude, distance, and speed, or use instruments to know these things.

So what does that have to do with the Escapees RV Club Escapade?  Not much, except that I have always liked analogies and today was the “base leg” of the event.  Tomorrow we “turn on final” and land.  Saturday is when we taxi from the runway back to our hangar.  For other attendees it will be a “touch-and-go” in which the landing is immediately followed by the application of full power and the airplane is taken back into the air.  Perhaps it will go around in the pattern and land again or it may vector off in some direction on a cross country trip.  I could extend this analogy in other ways, but I’m not going to.

Linda at the SKP Ham BOF "row" table pretending to use the HF rig.  We had a special event call sign (W9E) but not a good location for antennas.

Linda at the SKP Ham BOF “row” table pretending to use the HF rig. We had a special event call sign (W9E) but not a good location for antennas.

It was cold and overcast with light rain this morning and the Escapade decided to stop running the golf carts into the infield where we are parked because they were getting stuck in the mud.  (Golf carts are not off road vehicles.)  That meant we had to walk through the mud and puddles (small lakes, really), drive our car, or stay put in our coach.  I checked-in to the 7:30 AM ham radio 2 meter net and then put on a pot of coffee.

We wanted to hear Nick Russell’s seminar at 10 AM so we drove over around 9:45.  We gave a lift to one of our fellow infield campers who was struggling through the bad conditions using a cane.  After Nick’s talk we were heading to the hospitality area when I got a call from Curtis Coleman, founder/CEO of RVillage, inviting us to his rig for a chat.  We spent an hour with him and Patty (village tart) and his dog, Augie, who was very cute and friendly.  The central focus of our conversation was FMCA and how to get the leadership to understand what RVillage is, and how an FMCA/RVillage relationship is a win-win situation.  I have been appointed to the FMCA National Education Committee, which is charged with examining this issue and making recommendations to the national executive committee and that is why Curtis and I have been trying to arrange a conversation for awhile.

Curtis had an online business meeting to attend so we made our exit and headed over to the Geeks On Tour seminar on The Cloud.  In many respects the “cloud” is just another name for the Internet, with a subtle but important distinction.  In the past our interaction with the Internet (World Wide Web) was conscious, intentional, explicit, and initiated/controlled by us.  We typed in web addresses and navigated websites.  With the Cloud, much of the interaction with the Internet has been moved into “apps” that automatically move our data around and make it accessible from multiple devices from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.  Take a picture on your smartphone and it shows up on your laptop and tablet.  Click, click and it’s in your latest blog post which shows up in a subscriber’s aggregator/reader.  It’s not magic, but it seems like it at times.

L-2-R Cherie and Chris of Technomadia and Curtis, founder/CEO of RVillage.

L-2-R Cherie and Chris of Technomadia and Curtis, founder/CEO of RVillage.

We went back to our rig and Linda prepared fresh grapes to take to the RVillage social at 4:30 PM.  We had a good turn out with about 90 people in attendance.  Many of them were already RVillage members, but some were not.  Just prior to the social there were 39 RVillage “members” “checked-in” to the 54th Escapade, although some of them, like us, were couples.  Everyone brought a snack, hors d’oeuvres, or beverage to share.  We mingled for a while and then Curtis connected his computer to the projector and grabbed the microphone.  He spoke at length and his vision, enthusiasm, and passion for this project was obvious.  Even those of us who are active on RVillage learned something.

After the social we moved the car over by Lou and Val’s 5th Wheel, which is parked near the Assembly Hall.  We watched the slide show and were pleased to see that quite a few of our images had been used.  We did not win a door prize, and left before the Ham-O-Rama talent show began.  Lou was there so I did not need to stay and take pictures.  Since he was taking photos I gave Val the Compact Flash card from my camera so Lou could transfer the photos to his computer after the talent show.  We then returned to our rig.

As the sun sank low in the western sky I photographed the infield of the horse track where we are parked.  The fairground is placing large quantities of gravel to try and repair the rutted, muddy mess that has developed as a result of the rains this past week and vehicle traffic going in and out of the infield.  The fairgrounds and Escapade management worked out a deal whereby we have been asked not to move our rigs until Sunday in exchange for a free night’s stay Saturday night.  We have been towed out of two other fairgrounds in the past, and would rather not repeat that experience if it can be avoided, so we will be staying until Sunday.  We would like to get out then as we have company coming for dinner Sunday night, but if not we will stay until we can.

I worked with Butch via telephone to get them set up on RVillage.  Even though they are parked next to us, we were both comfortably situated in our own buses for the evening and did not want to go back outside.  The high temperature today was around 50 degrees F and dropped quickly as the sun set.  With a strong wind from the north the wind chill was even lower.

2014/05/14 (W) The Mid-Point

The Escapees RV Club Escapade started on Monday afternoon and ends on Friday afternoon, so the middle of the event is sometime Wednesday afternoon.  Many attendees arrived on Sunday and many others, including us, on Saturday.  Most of the event staff, and many of the volunteers, arrived before that so today probably did not feel like the mid-point of the event to them, even though it was.

Teresa Moore, SKP RV Club COO, and Geroge Maylaben, owner of the RV Driving School.

Teresa Moore, SKP RV Club COO, and Geroge Maylaben, owner of the RV Driving School.

Linda still wasn’t feeling 100% so we skipped breakfast and went to the hospitality building for some coffee.  We like our own coffee better, but this coffee was included in the price of admission.  We took a stroll through the Marketplace (vendor area), which is in the two buildings adjacent to the hospitality area, and picked up a new regen tube and end caps for our portable water softener from RV-Water-Treatment.  We stopped to visit with Nick and a Terry Russell and renewed our Gypsy Journal subscription for two years.  As much as I love to read TGJ on newsprint, we switched our subscription to digital.  Printed materials are just more difficult to deal with in a mobile lifestyle.  Along with other informational and transactional activities we are trying to make our lives as paperless and mobile friendly as possible.

Our photo work continued even as the rains returned and intensified.  We tried to drop in on every seminar and the crafters to get photos.  Today was the Ladies Tea & Social, and some of the Ladies wore their Red Hats.  We attended the Ham Radio seminar, put on by Tom Abernathy (W3TOM), and Nick Russell’s seminar on Boondocking and off-the-grid RVing.  I got a few photos of the Ham-O-Rama (talent show) dress rehearsal while Linda went back to our coach to get some things.  As busy as we are, we always take time to smell the flowers and admire their beauty.

Some of the plants at Elkhart Co. 4-H Fairgrounds.

Some of the plants at Elkhart Co. 4-H Fairgrounds.

We met back at the seminar building for the Chapter 6 (Great Lakes) social.  We’ve been members of Chapter 6 for four years, having joined at the 2010 Escapade in Goshen, but to-date we have not managed to attend a Chapter 6 rally.  We may have met with other Chapter 6 members at a small social at the 53rd Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming last summer but today’s social was the first time we recalled meeting a larger group of members.  The Chapter will celebrate its 30th anniversary in September and we are planning to attend the rally if at all possible.  At the conclusion of our social I took a few pictures of the SKP Geocache BOF leaders in front of their BOF banner.  They asked if I would be willing to share the photos and gave me their contact information.

No entertainment was scheduled for this evening, leaving Escapade attendees free to socialize, go to dinner, or play cards or bingo in one of the two rooms designated for those purposes.  I photographed the bingo and then went to Lou and Val’s 5th Wheel so Lou could transfer my camera photos, and Linda’s cell phone photos, to his computer.  A few of the images will be used in an upcoming Escapade slide show and subsequently by the Escapees RV Club for other purposes.

Rally "bling."

Rally “bling.”

I had planned to work with Butch on some things this evening but by the time I got back to our coach it was an hour later than I had expected.  I chatted with him and Fonda for a half hour and then retired to our rig for the evening.  Nick Russell had asked if I would send him some of my photos (of him).  I went through all of the photos I had taken thus far and found the ones that included him and/or Terry.  I resized them to a maximum dimension of 1936 pixels (from 3872 for the hi-res JPEGs that come out if the camera), reducing each file to 25% of its original size, put them in a Dropbox folder, and e-mailed him the link.  I did the same thing for the SKP Geocache BOF photos.  By the time I checked and replied to e-mails and logged in to RVillage it was way past bedtime.