Mesa Rally 2016 – End of the Road?

Is this the last Mesa Rally for Chapter 44? See story & pics below

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29 Escapees gathered at Usery Mountain Regional Park just north of Mesa, Arizona from Sunday, March 13^th through Friday, March 18^th, 2016 for the 19^th Mesa Rally. The Park is ideally situated just a few miles north of Mesa and it is truly a beautiful desert place. Every type of fauna found in Arizona apparently grows here!

Our group included: 14 Canadian Members; 10 US Members; and 5 US guests. Included in the Canadian count are the eight “Mesa Winter Residents” who come out for day trips.

Five new members joined during this Rally. We are pleased to welcome into Alberta Roamers Karen and Richard Offutt, Fraser and Bonnie Armstrong and Sandy Bianchini.

Because registrations were down this year we cancelled one half of the site we had reserved at the Park but we fit 11 rigs quite nicely into the “A” section. Several of our “regulars” from other years were unable to attend due to health and family issues.

As always we enjoyed lots of good food, conversation, laughs, campfires and comradery. Kay and Tony prepared a wonderful spaghetti dinner on Monday evening for all to enjoy. Tuesday evening pot luck was a great feast as was Wednesdays Finger Food Buffet. On Thursday we enjoyed lunch at Organ Stop Pizza while we listened to the great music played by Charlie B. on the famous Wurlitzer organ – the largest in the world with its 6,000 pipes; 50 miles of wiring; weighs 30 tons; 276 keys to play; over 1000 buttons and switches; largest pipe is 36 feet high; would take 90 minutes to go through all the sounds it can play; worth $5 million! And it’s in a Pizza Joint! Only in America you say!

Other activities included the Great Battle of the Sexes (sometimes called Bean Bag Baseball!) The Ladies squeaked out another win!

Lots of valuable stuff changed hands during the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Games were played, Craft ideas exchanged, RV problems solved, and new friends made. As always the week ended Friday morning with a great Hitch up Breakfast thanks to John and his crew. Thanks to Karen, Fraser and John our photographers. Lots of pics for the memory books.

Since no one came forward to host a 2017 Rally the site has not been reserved and this may be the last Rally we hold in Mesa. All good things must end. I enjoyed being the “Co-ordinator” for this “No Host Rally” and wish everyone safe travels down the road till we meet again!

Carol Davis

Click on any photo to see a larger view or to start a slide show.

Pictures from Carol’s close call (See Story below)

November Lunch — John & Judi

We had a very nice lunch at Humpty’s Fish Creek on Wednesday. The small group was nice as everyone could sit around one table and visit.

John & Faye plan to leave after Christmas and Don & Diane are also planning a post-Christmas exit.  John & Norma have sold their coach and are contemplating either a cruise or an all-inclusive. Judi & I have signed up for a space flight with Richard Branson. Looking forward to it.

More Alberta weather coming this weekend with forecast temps in the minus high teens and low twenties. Enjoy the heat all you snowbirds.

Alberta Snowbirds Alert

The following letter is from the Canadian Snowbird Association. You do not have to be a member of CSA to support this initiative. If you think that Albertans should be allowed to be out of the province for 7 months without losing their health care coverage, then write today. You’ll find contact information below.

Dear Alberta Snowbirds

As you may have heard, the CSA has been successful in our most recent campaign in British Columbia related to increasing out-of-country stays. With legislative and regulatory changes now law, residents of British Columbia can now spend up to seven months out of their home province and still maintain their provincial health coverage. This is one month longer than previously permitted.

British Columbia is now the third province in Canada, along with Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, to allow residents to spend over six months outside of their home province and still retain their health benefits.

In September 2012, we distributed an online survey to CSA members in Alberta, inquiring if they would like the CSA to work on their behalf to increase out-of-country stays from six to seven months. With 98% of respondents ansering in the affirmative, the CSA has made contact with various government officials and their staff in Alberta, with the goal of extending health coverage for residents of the province.

An integral part of our action plan is to mobilize our Alberta membership. We are asking you, as a member of CSA, to write or email:

• your local MLA,
• the Minister of Health (edmonton.rutherford @ assembly.ab.ca),
• the Minister of Justice (calgary.acadia @ assembly.ab.ca), and
• the Premier (premier @ gov.ab.ca)

requesting that the Alberta Government extend health coverage from six to seven months.

In your correspondence we advise that you might highlight the recent change in British Columbia and ask that you please copy the association on the emails and letters you send off. Contact information for Alberta MLAs can be accessed online. Simply click on “Members of the Legislative Assembly”  located on the top right-hand side of the webpage.

We will keep you up-to-date on our progress. If you have specific questions of would like more information on this advocacy initiative, please contact Evan Rachovsky, Research Officer, at:

<csastaff @ snowbirds.org> or toll-free at 1-800-265-3200.

Thank you for your participation in this call to action!

Sincerely,

Bob Slack, President
Rick Thorpe, Director—Western Canada

Canadian Snowbird Association — The Voice of Travelling Canadians

Note: Remove the extra spaces either side of the “@” sign in the above email addresses. It was added to discourage spammers who use scripts looking for email addresses.

UPDATE See also Part 2 and Part 3 of this issue.

Hola de Mexico! — Bill & Sharon & Friends

In early February we got an Email from Elaine VandenBerg saying she was going to their place in La Penita for a short visit, accompanied by her friend Inez.

We arranged for a visit and Sharon and I hopped a bus for the hour trip from Bucerias.

The bus was nothing like the rattletraps that ply their trade between Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta! Air conditioned, movie, restroom and comfortable seats. Our bus was on its way to Tepic, so was absolutely full. They don’t announce where they are stopping so you have to keep a “heads up” for signs etc.

We did catch the town sign for La Penita and disembarked, address in hand! Elaine had mentioned that most of the cabbies would know where they were. Our luck being what it is landed us a new driver!  In our more than halting Espanol,we gave him the address. He did smile and say “Si” ! This of course means either A: He knows where it is! or: B: He had no idea what we were saying!

Once in the cab, we find he speaks fairly decent English and is delighted to practice. We also found that he really just had a vague idea about the address.

Some twists and turns through some questionable districts lead us eventually to Elaine’s complex.

Once there, we had a tour of their stunning location, on a tidal estuary, right near the beach, so bird pictures were in my future!

We walked back to town for a delicious lunch, while Elaine chatted with vendors along the way and arranged for needed things.

Inez and Elaine walked with us through downtown to the bus depot where another bus awaited us for the trip back to a  very spoiled, babysat poddle named Cappy!

Not much different than the Red Arrow from Calgary to Red Deer and back!

Life is good!