Post by Teachndad on Aug 13, 2022 5:46:36 GMT -8
Hello Friends,
In early August, I was visiting relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area. During that time, there was a small rally in the Santa Cruz Mountains put on by a Facebook group called Aristocrats Anonymous. They have been at the same venue for a few years and I was curious about the rally. So, I figured I would go and meet the organizer and check out the venue. I drove an hour to get there from the peninsula.
It’s a lovely venue nestled in the redwoods with room for 75 trailers. Gorgeous tall majestic trees surround the RV park that hosted the event. A small river runs adjacent with a short hiking path down to the river. A river crossing takes you over into Henry Cowell state park where years ago I had camped with my family in our go to camping pop up trailer – a 1985 Starcraft Starmaster 21. Twice we had camped there. A web of trails escorts you through some beautiful scenery as that area of California has a lower average temperature in the summer than the rest of the state. The beach is about 20 minutes away.
PXL_20220729_201616399
Tent site video
After viewing everything and talking with the organizer, I wanted to get on the waiting list. The waiting list is created after the participants for a given year have first dibs at returning for the next year. You have to jump on it right after the event.
I got a warm welcome and the vibe was quiet and peaceful. They do a “garage sale” and prices are reasonable. They have a trailer walk with some folks hosting drinks. Mostly Aristocrats sat in campsites, but other trailers were visible and accepted. An Aristocrat isn’t mandatory to be part of the rally. They had a few rules.
1. No talking politics
2. No talking Current events
3. Be kind and respectful
Or you will be asked to leave. Seemed pretty sensible to me.
I initially thought I would go after this rally, but after visiting I decided not to pursue despite the attractive venue. Here are the reasons why. The biggest issue became the cost of gas. I live 360 miles south and my truck when towing my Rod and Reel gets a measly 12 miles to the gallon. Gas is over $5 a gallon. That’s a 720 mile round trip. Do the math and it gets expensive. I even figured I could tie it in with seeing my mom which adds another 45 miles both ways over the Santa Cruz mountains. Site fees were $90 - $130 for three nights. You could do two nights, but I never like doing just two nights. You spend all your time setting up and taking down with little time to enjoy things. Add food. It becomes a very very expensive weekend.
There is also the time issue. I am currently working on a long winded restoration of my 57 Westerner. Add drive time to a three night rally and I have lost 5 days of working on my Westerner as well.
In the end, I decided regrettably not to pursue it. I have a few rallies within 150 miles of me here in So Cal and I think that’s going to be the gauge for deciding which rallies to pursue. In California, the big rallies set you back over $300 for three nights except for 1 which I am signed up for in October. I hear about some rallies up in the PNW and I think, gee that would be nice to go for a tow, but then reality sets in with the cost of gas and WHAMMO!...
I wish…
Rod
In early August, I was visiting relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area. During that time, there was a small rally in the Santa Cruz Mountains put on by a Facebook group called Aristocrats Anonymous. They have been at the same venue for a few years and I was curious about the rally. So, I figured I would go and meet the organizer and check out the venue. I drove an hour to get there from the peninsula.
It’s a lovely venue nestled in the redwoods with room for 75 trailers. Gorgeous tall majestic trees surround the RV park that hosted the event. A small river runs adjacent with a short hiking path down to the river. A river crossing takes you over into Henry Cowell state park where years ago I had camped with my family in our go to camping pop up trailer – a 1985 Starcraft Starmaster 21. Twice we had camped there. A web of trails escorts you through some beautiful scenery as that area of California has a lower average temperature in the summer than the rest of the state. The beach is about 20 minutes away.
PXL_20220729_201616399Tent site video
After viewing everything and talking with the organizer, I wanted to get on the waiting list. The waiting list is created after the participants for a given year have first dibs at returning for the next year. You have to jump on it right after the event.
I got a warm welcome and the vibe was quiet and peaceful. They do a “garage sale” and prices are reasonable. They have a trailer walk with some folks hosting drinks. Mostly Aristocrats sat in campsites, but other trailers were visible and accepted. An Aristocrat isn’t mandatory to be part of the rally. They had a few rules.
1. No talking politics
2. No talking Current events
3. Be kind and respectful
Or you will be asked to leave. Seemed pretty sensible to me.
I initially thought I would go after this rally, but after visiting I decided not to pursue despite the attractive venue. Here are the reasons why. The biggest issue became the cost of gas. I live 360 miles south and my truck when towing my Rod and Reel gets a measly 12 miles to the gallon. Gas is over $5 a gallon. That’s a 720 mile round trip. Do the math and it gets expensive. I even figured I could tie it in with seeing my mom which adds another 45 miles both ways over the Santa Cruz mountains. Site fees were $90 - $130 for three nights. You could do two nights, but I never like doing just two nights. You spend all your time setting up and taking down with little time to enjoy things. Add food. It becomes a very very expensive weekend.
There is also the time issue. I am currently working on a long winded restoration of my 57 Westerner. Add drive time to a three night rally and I have lost 5 days of working on my Westerner as well.
In the end, I decided regrettably not to pursue it. I have a few rallies within 150 miles of me here in So Cal and I think that’s going to be the gauge for deciding which rallies to pursue. In California, the big rallies set you back over $300 for three nights except for 1 which I am signed up for in October. I hear about some rallies up in the PNW and I think, gee that would be nice to go for a tow, but then reality sets in with the cost of gas and WHAMMO!...
I wish…
Rod
