RoadTrek Rally
"Explore the Door Once More"
June 5-9, 2003
Nancy and I headed off in our RoadTrek to our first RoadTrek rally. It was held in Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin. Attending the rally were 31 people in 16 rigs; half of the rigs represented first timers for a RoadTrek rally. They were mostly from the upper Midwest, but one couple came from as far as Massachusetts. For you non-Wisconsinites, Door County is the upper half of the peninsula extending from the city of Green Bay into Lake Michigan. The body of water on the north is known as Green Bay. The area is well known for Great Lakes sailing, including many shipwrecks in the area. The county is largely rural with resorts along the shores and has a definite Scandinavian flavor.
Being able to meet other Roadtrek owners, compare notes about experiences,
and see modifications people have made was a great pleasure. One morning I was
in the camp store using their phone line to read my e-mail. I was within hearing
distance, but out of sight, of the person at the cash register. Someone came in
and asked about all those white vans in the campground. "Is that some kind of
club?" she asked. The cashier responded, "That is a club of Roadtrek owners.
They are somewhat like Macintosh computer owners. Roadtrek owners absolutely
love those little RVs, but none of the rest of us can understand why! In my
opinion they are much too small. But they really love them."
One of the activities was a bus tour of Door County. It was nice to let someone else drive us around and keep us entertained with historical tidbits and stories.
Al Johnson's Restaurant in Sister Bay was one of the more novel sights
on the tour. It has a herd of "four-legged lawnmowers" keeping the grass on the
roof under control.
Dinner time at the rally. RoadTrekkers love to talk as much as they love to
eat. Even though very few of us had met before this weekend, some real bonding
took place. Right stage front is Betty Goranson, the organizer of the rally; she
did a great job.
Campfires were always a draw for people.
As the evening wore on, the circle got larger and the tales got taller.
However, these Roadtrekkers are not too smart; they don't know enough to get out
of the rain.
The entire group assembled in front of the "traditional" Door county fish
boil. In this case the traditional wood fire was supplemented by propane burners
and electronic timers. But the fish still tasted very good.
A highlight of a fish boil is when the cooks throw kerosene on the fire to cause it to flare up. This makes the water boil very rapidly and overflow the pot, carrying off the grease so that it doesn't get on the food as it is lifted from the water..
A popular door prize was an autographed Green Bay Packer football. Bill and Barb Slater were the lucky winners..
After the weekend, we each headed our separate ways. Nancy and I went back up to the tip of Door county, where she caught the ferry to Washington Island to do some historical research on the first American Baptist woman pastor in Wisconsin.