Black Hills Boomerang

This is a delayed posting about our week with the Escapee RV Club Boomers at the Rush-No-More Campground in Sturgis, South Dakota.

A large gathering of Boomers is called a “boomerang” and this was the second Black Hills (SD) Boomerang hosted by Betty Anderson and Duane Peyton.  The week-long ‘rang is a pre-rally before our Escapee RV Club’s Escapade, the national club rally, which is meeting again in Gillette, Wyoming.  We did both of these rallies three years ago.

We arrived on Friday, August 19 and most of the group was out exploring the local historical towns of Deadwood and Lead.  We got parked in a pretty awkward site (mentioned in the previous blog) but we were ready for all our Boomer ((( HUGS ))), a traditional greeting at Happy Hour.

For our non-RVing friends, ‘Rang Happy Hours are 4 pm gatherings that begin with announcements, introductions, sharing of what folks did during the day, snacks and extended socializing until dinner plans are confirmed.

Betty Anderson announces the week’s schedule while I take photos of the gang.  We were rig #20 to arrive.

That evening a group of us took a stroll to a neighboring horse ranch where the horses were more curious to meet our dog, Star, than to get the grass offered to them.

 

 

 

 

Weekend Activities

Since we had done all the tourist spots three years ago when we were here, we decided this week we were going to “rest” after nearly 3 months in travel mode.  We did miss a couple of easy hikes to some waterfalls in the area.  Oh, well… next time.  We did do the group socials.

On Saturday evening the campground owners held a Steak Dinner in their “beer garden” (double-wide garage) for our group and opened it to other campers. (Sorry, no photos.)

Multiple Happy Hours were enhanced with contributions from Steve (and Kay),  fondly known as the “Margarita Boomers”.

 

 

 

Monday

While Luke spent time cleaning the rig (his favorite – and necessary – past time), I grabbed the golf clubs for the first time in three months and joined eight other Boomer Duffers for 18-holes at Boulder Canyon Country Club.  I played with Joey Christensen and Kay Krasovetz and we only got lost once on the course!  The 95-degree temperature took its toll on everyone, but we still had fun. For the record, two really bad holes ran my score up to 112 but with my high 45 handicap, that wasn’t too bad for me.

Another large group decided to pack lunches and ride the Mickelson Bicycle Trail.  They were well organized and actually rode about 15 miles, almost all downhill, to their arranged pick-up vehicles to shuttle their bikes back to the start.

That evening we went to Si Senior Mexican Restaurant for dinner with two other couples and compared our day’s adventures.

Tuesday

On Tuesday afternoon I made myself available to talk about our upcoming Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta ‘Rang.  Many of our past participants and a number of newbies who will be with us next month had a chance to ask and answer questions.

Tuesday was Chili Throwdown Day, a friendly competition between “Wild Willie Pollock” and “Soup Slingin' Steve Bufty”.  Each competitor prepared their chili and the group conducted a blind tasting and then voted for our favorite.

Organizer Chuck Moore announces the winner, Bill Pollock, who will be taking his recipe to another chili cook-off in his home town later this summer.

I contributed an extra chili pot made with turkey sausage and a spicy sausage.

Non-chili cooks provided plenty of side dishes for a complete meal.

Wednesday

After a number of hot days and hot foods, we offered Root Beer Floats as our contribution to Happy Hours.

 

 

 

Thursday

During Thursday’s Happy Hour Becky Hazen (far right), Betty Anderson (middle), and others shared how they have created travel books from their digital photos. Beth Miller, Gisela Pollock, Kay Krasovetz and Margie Mahoney checked out the software program and the finished, beautiful books.

Have I mentioned Boomers like food?  Thursday night was our Farewell Potluck and silent auction for our club’s charity, CARE, Continued Assistance for Retired Escapees, a place RVers can go if they have to get off the road for health issues or to “hang up the keys” when too old to continue the mobile lifestyle.

Checking out the bid items…

 

 

 

 

A total of $202 was collected for CARE!  Then it was time to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our table had to have patience while others fixed their dishes.

Group Photo Time

The Boomers have an excellent 12-page monthly newsletter that craves photos of Boomerangs and “mini-rangs” (smaller gathering).  Getting a group photo is always a goal and we try not to leave out the photographers.  Thanks to tri-pods and delayed timers on today’s digital camera, that task is becoming easier.  With three cameras, we ought to get at least one decent photo.

After a beautiful sunset we called it a night.  On Friday morning we pulled out and headed back west to the Cam-Plex in Gillette, WY for Escapade.

 

NEXT:  Escapade