What it's like to attend a rally, from a first-timer

[DLynn44]

We keep laughing about a random bunch of strangers getting together and having so much fun! I consider it as a time to meet new life long friends that have a common interest, camping! My goal is to attend some rallies in other states. I've attended the Michigan Rally and Indiana Rally and loved every minute! Mammabean is the ultimate rally planner and I can't wait for the next one!!

 

[dramaticpaws]

My wife and I attended our first rally a few weeks back (Indiana Fall Rally 2012 at Pokagon State Park) and had a blast. I really didn't know what to expect from the other attendees... well, other than that some were rabid college football fans.

We arrived after dark and were immediately greeted by portal members who helped us back the pup into position. Which I am so very thankful for as it was our first night time setup and only the 3rd or 4th time out with our N2U pup.

We sat around the campfire meeting everyone the first night and honestly it felt like these were people that we had known for years.

The following day we had the potluck and for the most part just hung out and got to know the other portal members better. The food was amazing - probably worth the trip alone

On Sunday we all packed up and said our goodbyes. For us, there was no doubt that we want to attend more rallies in the future. We had such a good time and met some great people.

Special thanks to DLynn44 for organizing the rally, you ROCK!!

 

[DLynn44]

My wife and I attended our first rally a few weeks back (Indiana Fall Rally 2012 at Pokagon State Park) and had a blast. I really didn't know what to expect from the other attendees... well, other than that some were rabid college football fans.

We arrived after dark and were immediately greeted by portal members who helped us back the pup into position. Which I am so very thankful for as it was our first night time setup and only the 3rd or 4th time out with our N2U pup.

We sat around the campfire meeting everyone the first night and honestly it felt like these were people that we had known for years.

The following day we had the potluck and for the most part just hung out and got to know the other portal members better. The food was amazing - probably worth the trip alone

On Sunday we all packed up and said our goodbyes. For us, there was no doubt that we want to attend more rallies in the future. We had such a good time and met some great people.

Special thanks to DLynn44 for organizing the rally, you ROCK!!

LoL and we all know the rabid one is LYNN those foaming at the mouth rabid buckeyes!!

It was a pleasure planning it and I am so glad you both enjoyed it so much.

 

[mamabean5]

Thanks for the kudos D'Lynn! You did an awesome job on the Indiana Rally! I'm planning on attending as many rallies as possible next year. Meeting new people, seeing their rigs and mods... what's not to like?!

 

[saratogaowner]

I had a great time at the ohio rally this summer everyone was nice and we all got along can't wait till next year the dw,dd's and I were surprised at the level of hospitality not just from our group but a family staying next to us even offered up some first aid when one of the girls fell after only 5 minutes of getting out of the tv I will be attending next year and may even check out the michigan rally if I can find the time and money as I am planning a full body off restoration in the spring

 

[Camp Addict]

The only thing I can say is awesome. We went to the Southern California Summer rally and had an absolute blast. some of the friendliest, most down to earth people we've ever met and hung out with. We were looking forward to the winter rally as soon as we got home that weekend.

 

[Bullfrog Bheer]

It's a shame we can't ever get more than 2 or 3 families in WI to come to a rally.

 

[DLynn44]

Bullfrog Bheer...join us in Michigan! Holly State Park Father's Day weekend.

 

[n2cruzn]

I dont know if anyone will read this but.....
we are new to pupdom and came to this site, and decided to go to the fishermans rally in rhode island. dw and i were a little nervous thinking of meeting a bunch of strangers (eeewwwww). but we went to the rally. first, rhode island was beautiful and the campgrounds the same. Second, i took out my list of where everyone was and started to make my "hellos". dw wasnt thrilled with that (eewwww strangers). upon saying hello and sitting down and chatting with "y'all" i was very happy to find a great bunch of people. saturday night at the "clam boil". 5 bucks per person!!! cheap!! about 30-35 people all sitting around a campfire and talking about anything and everything. we were reassured the same time next year by our wagon master . thanks every one for your hospitality and being yourselves. we had a GREAT time. only 350 days till i see you again, site 34 thurs-sun.
dan and teri

 

[IVBENS]

Thanks for kick-starting this post, Dan. I hadn't seen the thread before. Next year will be our 3rd year in the PUP and we'll be attending our 1st rally, the one at Fishermen's. Looking forward to meeting you all.

PS: the comment someone made earlier about meeting people in the woods who we met on line made me laugh.

 

[yetavon]

If you really want to feel nervous have your 1st rally at the Sewer......The DW and I had a great time and can't wait to get back to meet some old friends for the 1st time....

 

[n2cruzn]

ben were you there this year and did we meet??????

 

[RotnMom]

If you really want to feel nervous have your 1st rally at the Sewer......The DW and I had a great time and can't wait to get back to meet some old friends for the 1st time....

You know, Darrin, you ain't backed in OR plugged in yet!! BWAHAHAHAHA

I hope the couple having an anniversary make it!!

 

[n2cruzn]

mom,
we had an anniversary, while at rally in ri are you talking about us?

 

[vagov]

I attended my first rally this weekend, didn't really know what to expect, upon arriving I was greeted by bev our rally host, she and her husband was kind as anyone could be, they gave a welcome packet with a nice gift in it. during the day me and my wife took off and explored the area by ourselves for awhile. I like the fact that you can get involved with the group as much as you want. sometimes I like my privacy as well. after getting back from shopping I noticed my awning got blown down due to high winds from rain that just blew through the area. I was then greeted by a fellow camper (not even from our group) who helped me put it back up, that said a lot for the campground as well. that evening we got together as a group, played some games, enjoyed a committal campfire together and ate a dinner. the food was outstanding, after dinner we had a good time playing a Chinese auction in which everyone received nice door prizes. and everybody attending seemed pretty nice. even though I didn't get to talk with everyone the ones I did seemed nice and I do believe I made a few new friends. it was nice to put a face on some people that you actually communicate with through threads. even though it was a long distance to travel I had a good time. I plan on attending more in the near future, and maybe even trying hosting one myself sometime.

 

[n2cruzn]

GREAT TO HEAR IT! VAGOV

 

[Genie2010]

I am going to my first rally this coming weekend! The Vermont Fall Foliage rally. Some people I have told think it's weird, but I don't care!

 

[silverfz]

I have done a lot of rally, mostly motorcycle ones and no not the dress like a pirate and hit the bar scene. Its all gear , sport bike riding on the best mountains kind. NC and TN.

my wife still thinks its weird, I plan to attend a New England rally next year. the popup is only been with me for 2 months and we have done 14 days camping so far. I need a better/cheaper T.V . towing with the wife`s 40k explorer freaks her out for some reason.

I am also still learning navigating this site , fisherman is only 30 minutes from my house .I should have gone.

 

[ironeagle81]

I just attended my first rally in October. I was very new to the site (about 2 weeks) and had no idea what to expect. My dad had been working for a bit on his and my mom's pop up and it was close to completion. I brought up the idea and showed them photos from last years rally. With a name like "C U @ the Sewer Rally", I knew that whoever came up with it had to have a good sense of humor. My parents hadn't been camping in a while and liked the idea. When going somewhere and knowing no one, you don't really know what to expect. I can say with total honesty that we had a great time. As soon as we pulled in, Rotnmom met us with a smile and excitement. She made us feel welcome from the first minute. As we set up, the neighbors started coming by and introducing themselves....and more neighbors pulled in. We had a great time and the food at the Saturday night pot luck was amazing. There are some very talented cooks. It was nice to meet like minded people who enjoy camping as much as we do. For anyone who has never attended a rally, I can't stress how much fun we had and how welcome we felt to be a part of this exciting time!!!

Now...about camping at a sewer... Some people might think it sounds yucky or just plain gross. If you have never camped there, you don't know what a great place you're missing. This was a great camping experience. This sewer was CLEAN! I believe that I caught wind of a subtle smell one time. They have a well kept camping area. We rode around the entire place and it didn't disappoint. Had I taken fishing gear, there was a great place to wet a hook and after seeing it, I hated that I had left it at home. The bath house was very clean and spacious. There was plenty of wood already cut for our fires. The best part about it was that all proceeds went to the local fire department. They do a great job of taking care of this place so that everyone has a fun and safe time.

It took one trip to the sewer to reignite that camping desire. My parents and I are already looking forward to going back next year and reuniting with some amazing people and hopefully meeting many more new comers as the news spreads about this great rally! Thank you again to Rotnmom for planning this rally and to everyone who attended this and made it such a fun time!!!

Here's hoping to C U @ the Sewer in the fall of 2014!!!!!!!!

 

[RotnMom]

mom,
we had an anniversary, while at rally in ri are you talking about us?

Hi N2.....nah it was a couple who didn't make it to the Sewer Rally.

But we had them all ready for a nice evening if they did show!! LOL



Sent from my Droid Razor Maxx, while NOT driving!!