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Dear Fellow Chinookers,
It is my honor to have accepted the position as your new president for the next three years. As such, my hope is to keep our club alive and active and possibly even increase the membership.
Thank you to Mary Coleman for hosting another great rally. One of my favorite tours was the Legends and Ghost Tour. There were so many interesting and colorful characters in the town of Wickenburg back in those frontier days. My grandfather worked in the copper mines of Arizona back in the 1920s, but I had no idea that there was also lots of GOLD mining! The Vulture Ghost Town & Mining tour was so enlightening on that fact.
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members Ron and Melody Noble from Spokane, WA, Norm and Lennette Spidell from Mountain Home, ID, and John Hunter from Bozeman, MT. We look forward to meeting you in person at one of our future rallies.
Happy Trails,
Mary Esther Chavarela, President
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Membership: The renewal process continues – A really big “Thank You” to everyone who has replied whether renewing or not. I still have 17 people who have not replied or renewed. The club membership for 2023 stands at 66 not counting the 17 unknowns.
Published Directory: A DRAFT PDF version of the 2023 Directory has been published on the club Google Drive page. https://bit.ly/2Yf5mzw If you would take a moment to review your entry for any changes or updates, I would appreciate it. Let me know so I can get the changes into the printed directory that will be mailed next month.
The Google Drive page is the same place where the member photo directory is posted. Please send your photos to me to post. Either a photo of the member(s) and a photo of their coach or a photo of the member(s) with their coach.
~ Dave Shehane, V.P. Membership and Webmaster
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UPCOMING RALLIES SNAPSHOT |
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Branson, MO - East Meets West Joint Rally #3. In May 8, Out May 11, 2023 - Branson Lakeside RV Park, https://bransonlakesidervpark.com/lakeside_rv_park/, hosted by Jim and Marnie Weidmaier (see article).
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Naches, WA Mini Rally - Was scheduled for May 25th to May 28th, 2023; however, we are in the process of trying to move it to sometime in June (see article).
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Please Think About Hosting A Rally |
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Now is definitely the perfect time to plan some more rallies for 2023 and 2024. It's easy enough to get started. Just contact an RV park of your choice to see what dates are available for a Chinook RV Club Rally. In on Thursday/out on Sunday is typical, but not required, and we usually ask to reserve 15 sites for a three-day Mini Rally, 20 sites for a four-day Annual Rally, which is usually later in the year. Mini Rallies can be pretty laid back, or you can plan some fun activities. An Annual Rally includes a business meeting/dinner and an excursion.
So, make some calls to see what you can come up with, and then email me at debbieshetland@gmail.com, and we'll talk about it. I'll send you some more information and, if you decide to move forward, I'll help as much or as little as you would like.
For those of you who have hosted a rally before . . . wouldn't it be fun to do it again!!!
~ Debbie Shetland, V.P. Rallies and Newsletter Editor
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<<< HOODSPORT RALLY BONUS PICTURES >>> |
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Check Out the Updated Hoodsport Photo Album! |
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Before we move on to the recap of our fantastic October Annual Rally in Wickenburg, Arizona, thanks to Jane and Jerry Earley, we've added even more photos to the Hoodsport, Washington Rally Album. There's a couple in there from Dale and Mary Frank too. |
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Check Out the Updated Hoodsport Photo Album! |
I uploaded the new photos under my name, so you can easily see which ones are the new shots. Enjoy!
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<<< OCTOBER RALLY RECAP >>> |
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WICKENBURG, AZ (19th Annual)
Held October 5-9, 2022
At Desert Cypress Mobile Home & RV Park - Hosted by Mary Coleman
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Although we love traveling the highways, Bob and I really appreciated the one day of driving to get to Wickenburg! And then to top it off, when we got to Cypress Desert and had just pulled over across from the office, suddenly a redhead in a golf cart came along side and told us just to follow her. She even directed us right into position in our back-in site. We would see a lot of Gerry and her co-worker Jackie, both very friendly and helpful, throughout the rally, as they taxied people to and from the Clubhouse/Rec Center where we did most of our gathering.
Everyone arrived in time for our Meet & Greet, where we happily attacked the food and wine! Mary handed out gift bags with lots of brochures from the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, a cool boot magnet to add to our collection, and some candy treats.
During the evening Mary called Ole Jensen and Ray Blackburn up to the front of the room and brought out a special bottle of whisky that her late husband Bob used to drink with them.
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Others joined, shots were poured, and we made a toast to our good friend Bob Coleman, whom I know was smiling down at us from heaven. |
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We had a great showing for our 19th Annual Rally, with 28 attendees in 15 rigs (5 Concourse, 4 Destiny, 2 Glacier, 1 Cascade, 1 Premier, as well as 1 Winnebago and 1 Beaver). |
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Here's the group. Sorry to say, the old Canon camera may have seen it's final days. All the group pictures came out blurry, but here we are nonetheless. |
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Seated (l to r): Mary Coleman, Linda Blackburn, Barbara Jensen, Debbie Shetland, Sue DeMartini, Mary Frank
Others (l to r): Jerry Earley, Jane Earley, Skip White, Ray Blackburn, Ole Jensen, Doug Askerman, Jody Jory, Bill Jory, Patsy Shehane, Dave Shehane, Mary Esther Chavarela, Rich Scollay, Barbara Perez (Mary Esther's best friend since high school), Judy Scollay, Patty White, Judy Davidson, David DeMartini, Mike Davidson, Dale Frank, Jan Pavia, Bob Shetland & John Colabella
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Thursday:
Each morning Mary spoiled us with mini sweet rolls, mini muffins, fruit cups, and yogurt cups before we got on with our day.
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Our first excursion for the rally was to the Vulture Ghost Town & Mine Tour, where we saw lots of interesting artifacts and enjoyed the stories told by our well-informed tour guide. Vulture City was established in 1863 to meet the needs of Arizona's most successful gold mine. From 1863 to 1942, the mine produced 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver. |
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We got a big kick out of the preparations for Halloween. |
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Many thanks to Dale Frank, Doug Askerman and Jerry Earley for driving us over to the tour.
Back at Desert Cypress our pizza lunch in the clubhouse was soooo good I had three slices! Lunching in a nice air conditioned room after being out in the heat for the tour was heavenly.
After lunch Dave Shehane conducted our Tech Talk. If anyone has questions about your refrigerator, Bill Jory and Dave Shehane are the guys to go to!
Following Tech Talk we had a book/miscellaneous exchange at our rigs, but a bit of light rain had us putting things away early. Coming from Southern California where rain is scarce, we really enjoyed the scattered showers throughout the rally. We even had a thunder storm the first night. I just love the sound of rain and thunder when we're tucked away inside our Chinook.
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That night we gathered for cocktail hour and visiting before our scrumptious potluck dinner. I had to snap this shot of Sue and David DeMartini - don't you just love his hat!!! I'm sure it kept his head nice and warm. |
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Friday:
Friday morning's group excursion was the Legends and Ghost Tour of Wickenburg, and what an entertaining tour it was! As we rode on various open vehicles they like to call Ghost Coasters or Doom Buggies (LOL), we were entertained by a mother and son team.
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Madam Mariah and her son Raze'n Cane delighted us with many ghostly legends. What a great time. I mean, really, who can resist a good ghost story?
Thanks again to Doug Askerman and Dale Frank for driving us into town for the tour.
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In the evening we were treated to a catered dinner from Dillon's BBQ, followed by our Annual Meeting and elections, where Mary Esther Chavarela was elected President, and Dale Frank was re-elected as one of our Co-Members-at-Large. |
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Chinook RV Club 19th Annual Meeting
Desert Cypress
Wickenburg, Arizona, 85390
October 7, 2022
I. Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order by President Bob Shetland at 6:31 pm at the Desert Cypress Resort in Wickenburg, Arizona.
II. Attendance/Quorum:
President Shetland declared that we could proceed with the club's business since there were enough members to establish a quorum. (15 required votes). Mary Coleman made motion to accept and Dale seconded. All member present voted to accept.
Bob & Debbie Shetland, Mary Coleman, David & Sue DeMartini, Jane & Jerry Earley, Dale & Mary Frank, Dave & Patsy Shehane, Barbara & Ole Jensen, Jan Pavia & John Colabella, Ray & Linda Blackburn, Mike and Judy Davidson, Skip & Patty White, Doug Askerman, Bill and Jody Jory, Rich and Judy Scollay, Mary Esther Chavarela
III. Minutes:
The minutes from the General Meeting on September 21, 2021 at the Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City, Utah have been published on-line in the October 2021 Road Runner Newsletter for all to read. A motion was made to accept the minutes as published. The motion was seconded, and all voted in agreement.
IV. Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Mary Coleman gave the year-to-date Annual treasurer's report for fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. Beginning balance (10/01/21) was $7,924.62. Income for year totaled $2,520.00. Expenses for rallies, bank charges, printing, postage and supplies totaled $757.27, leaving an ending balance of $9,687.19 as of September 30, 2022. Motion to accept was made Doug Askerman and seconded by Debbie Shetland. All present voted in agreement.
V. Vice President of Membership Report:
Vice President of Membership, Dave Shehane, reported that currently he has received payment from 61% of last year’s 80 members. Twenty-five percent of last year’s members have not responded. Dave will follow up with a new email to the non-responding members.
Dave informed the group the Sue Gilbert had succumbed due to cancer in March and Steve had sold their Chinook.
Marta (one of the founders of the Chinook RV Club and first president) sent a message that she was thinking of us all.
VI. Vice President of Rallies Report:
Vice President of Rallies, Debbie Shetland thanked Dale and Mary and their family for the wonderful August 18-21 Hoodsport rally in Hoodsport, WA. Debbie thanked Mary Coleman for sponsoring and putting together the Annual Rally for 2022 at the Desert Cypress Mobile Home & RV Park, Wickenburg, AZ. The group responded with applause for the two wonderful rallies.
The up-coming rallies for 2023 include the joint sponsored Eastern and Western Chinook Clubs rally at Branson Lakeside RV Park hosted by Jim and Marnie Weidmaier.
Jane Earley is going to see if the date can be changed for the third “Home Coming” rally in Yakima, Washington to sometime in June.
It was suggested that Quincy, CA would be a nice rally destination for many members possibly in March (Spring) of 2024.
VII. Nominations:
Dave Shehane, as Immediate Past President, heads up the nominating committee. He said that three positions need to be filled: President, Secretary, and Member-at-Large.
Dave made a plea for someone to come forward that would consider being President. After some discussion on the responsibilities of President, Mary Esther said she would be interested in being President. Dave made the motion for Mary Esther to be president. Debbie seconded the motion and all voted to confirm Mary Esther as President.
Dave then made a request for a volunteer for Secretary. Since no one came forward, Dave said the club would need to appoint a person to take notes at each board or general meeting and then submit the minutes to Board.
Dave introduced Dale Frank as one of our Members-at-Large whose term was expiring. Dale said he would be willing to accept the position for a second term. Jerry Earley made the motion for Dale to be Member-at-Large. Mary Coleman seconded. All voted yes unanimously. Thank you, Dale.
VIII. Old/Unfinished Business:
No old business.
IX. New Business
Discussion Topic: Can an Associate member serve as an officer of the club? The board introduced the topic to the membership present for discussion and feedback. The ensuing discussion provided feedback and the board was advised that the topic should continue to be studied for future membership consideration.
X. Adjournment:
Motion to adjourn was made by Mary Coleman. It was seconded by Dale Frank. Motion carried by voice vote. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted
Patricia A. Shehane, Secretary
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With no group excursions planned, Bob and I took it easy. While taking a nice walk down Jack Burden Road, we spied what I believe to be free range steers. This one seemed to be wondering about us too! |
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Late that afternoon a few of us gathered in the Clubhouse for cocktail hour and some games of 13 Card Bingo. We had 3 or 4 players at each table with a pack of cards (no jokers). We dealt out all the cards, 13 to each player (a non-playing dummy hand if only 3 players). Mary was the caller, who called out cards from another deck. If you had the card, you put it in the middle of the table. The first player to play all 13 cards called Bingo and won a prize. We had a lot of fun. We should do this at every rally. Thanks so much, Mary!
Some people were still off on their own, so we had a small gathering for our potluck leftovers and, of course, we had to play some more 13 Card Bingo!
Bob and I said many good-byes that night, since we planned to get on the road early Sunday morning.
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The Wickenburg gathering was a truly great event with lots of excursions and things to do, but the best part of any rally is the time spent with our Chinook family. |
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Sunday:
I normally don't comment on our trip home, but I just had to share something. As we passed through Hope, Arizona on the 60 West, Bob spotted a roadside sign "You're Now Beyond Hope." It made us laugh, but I also thought the following: We're never beyond hope, as long as we have the open road before us.
Happy travels, everyone!
P.S. There wasn't time to snap a picture as we drove by, so I found one online.
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Check Out the Wickenburg Rally Photo Album! |
Thanks to Mary Coleman, Jane and Jerry Earley, and my hubby Bob, the photos above are but a small representation of those taken at the rally. Click this link to view all the photos:
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~~~ EAST MEETS WEST JOINT RALLY #3 ~~~
BRANSON, MO Mini Rally
In May 8 (Mon.) - Out May 11 (Thurs.), 2023
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Experience world-famous live entertainment, thrilling
attractions, outdoor beauty, delicious food and genuine
Ozarks hospitality that will make you feel right at home!
Branson is an Ozark town in southwest Missouri known as a family vacation destination. Its 76 Country Boulevard is famously lined with theaters, which once hosted mostly country music performers but today present diverse entertainment. Also along the strip are the Marvel Cave, the Wild West-style Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction and Silver Dollar City, an 1800s-themed amusement park with live music.
Our “East meets West”3” is open for reservations. The reservation window is September 10-2022 until April 10-2023. The total number of sites is now 41. Some very important items, Jim has negotiated a 20% discount below listed price. Everyone needs to look at the park map closely. We have the shelter all 3 days, the back-in rally row are the BLUE sites along the shelter, the other Blue back-in sites are ours also to make 41 sites; we will also have the YELLOW pull through. The full price per night including tax will be Blue $ 42.43 the Yellow will be $44.93.
The earlier you make your reservation, you will get the best price and location. Everyone can make a reservation on line or by phone 417-334-2915, Angie is very knowledgeable. Make sure you let them know you are making a reservation for the “Chinook Rally.“ The deposit is one night and is NON REFUNDABLE.
LOCATION: Branson Lakeside RV Park, 300 South Boxcar Willie Drive, Branson, MO
65616 (located right on the White River, also called Lake Taneycomo)
HOSTS: Jim and Marnie Weidmaier
SITES RESERVED: 41
COST: The full price per night including tax will be Blue back-in Sites $42.43; the Yellow Pull through will be $44.93.
When you make your reservation please let me know as the VP of Rallies, so I can keep a track of the reservations. I will forward the list as necessary to Jim and Marnie.
~ Debbie Shetland, V.P. of Rallies & Newsletter Editor
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~~~ HOMECOMING MINI RALLY #3 ~~~
NACHES, WA
MAY CHANGE: In May 18 (Thurs.) - Out May 21 (Sun.), 2023
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NOTE; The contract has not been finalized for this rally, and the dates may change. As I receive any additional information, I will pass it on to the membership.
In 2003 the club had its Homecoming Rally that included a tour of the Chinook RV plant and an exclusive barbeque with Gary Lukehart, the founder and then-owner of Trail Wagons Inc., the manufacturer of the Chinook motorhome. Eileen Disbrow, from the Chinook Camping Club, (the East club) has provided a link to a movie of the photos from that event: CCC 2003 Sep Yakima Washington.mp4
In 2019 Marty and Tom Dittmar put together a second Homecoming Rally on Gary and Mary Lukehart's historic 153 acre Running Springs Ranch in Naches, Washington, and in 2023 we're going to do it again! Check out the write-up in the August 2019 Newsletter: https://conta.cc/3cpCCeo.
The Lukehart ranch is not an RV Park, but a unique event center that borders the Naches River. As such, this piece of the Old West has neither hook-ups nor a dump station, so this will definitely be DRY CAMPING. Dogs are welcome.
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The ranch has an incredible
collection of old artifacts.
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LOCATION: Running Springs Ranch, 271 Running Springs Lane, Naches, WA 98937
HOSTS: Marty & Tom Dittmar (martynannie@gmail.com 509-930-8731)
So far, the following members have said they are interested in attending:
- Rick & Patti Anthony
- Ken & Robyn Baranek
- Mike & Sue Bonnet
- Larry & Sue Campbell (If still camping next year)
- Mike & Judy Davidson
- Ben & Sharon Dayot
- Marty & Tom Dittmar
- Jim & Nancy Donald
- Jane & Jerry Earley
- Dale & Mary Frank (will do Branson & Naches)
- Mark & Suzie Hurston
- Gene & Marcia Johnson
- Bill & Jody Jory
- Katherine Quinby & Sara Myers
- Fran Rehrmann
- Doug & Kathleen Sapp
- Jim Scharff
- Vern & Mimi Starks
- Doug Tyler
If anyone else is interested, you can reply to this newsletter, and I will pass your info on to Marty and Tom.
Rally Details & Costs: TBD
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A Little Humor to Brighten Your Day |
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Want to share an interesting and fun Chinook travel experience?
Forward your short write-ups on some of the great trips you've taken in your Chinooks to
debbieshetland@gmail.com -- and don't forget some photos!
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Great Forum for Technical Questions |
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A valuable resource that is not a part of the club is the free group site ChinookRVOwners, which I run and moderate. Most all members of the club are members of the site as well but there are many that are not part of the club. This forum is mostly technical – troubleshooting, problem solving, references and questions. Link is https://groups.io/g/Chinookrvowners. This site was at Yahoo Groups for nearly 15 years and is now moved to groups.io. ~ Dave Shehane, V.P. Membership and Webmaster
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To Join the Chinook RV Club Facebook Page |
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Our Facebook Page is private and hidden, so if you haven't already joined, there's a little process you need to follow:
- If a club member wants to join our club's FB page they must first be signed up with Facebook.
- I can only send invitations to FB Friends, so send me a friend request.
- I will then issue an invitation to the club's FB page, which the member must accept to complete the process.
- Then, I will “unfriend” the member in my personal FB account. Please do not take this as a slight! Our friendship will still exist at the Chinook RV Club page, but there is no telling if our social media preferences align, and I do not want to take a chance that our individual preferences would in any way endanger our Chinook related relationship!
~ Dave Shehane, V.P. Membership and Webmaster
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Chinook History Since 1938 |
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First Generation
1971 Chinook 18 Plus
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Second Generation
1988 Chinook Concourse 18+
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Third Generation
1998 Chinook Concourse XL
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THE CHINOOK SONG (OPUS THREE) by Al Enriquez 9/17/2003
(Sung to the tune of On Top of Old Smokey)
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WE ARE HAPPY RV'ERS
WE SELDOM GET SHOOK
AND OF ALL OUR POSSESSIONS
WE LOVE OUR CHINOOK
WE TRAVEL THE HIGHWAYS
WITH NO CARES TO BEAR
WHEN WE STOP AND HOOK-UP
MOST PEOPLE STARE
THEY GATHER AROUND
TO ADMIRE OUR RIG
WE ASK THEM INSIDE
IF THEY'RE NOT TOO BIG
REFRAIN
WE'VE TRAVELED THE COUNTRY
AND WHEREVER WE ROAM
IN OUR TWENTY-ONE FOOTER
WE NEVER MISS HOME
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WE GO EAST AND WEST
NORTH AND SOUTH TOO
WE FACE HILLS AND MOUNTAINS
THEY'RE EASY TO DO
WITH ONLY TWO SEATS
IT IS QUITE A THRILL
TO NOT HAVE TO WORRY
IF GRANDKIDS ARE STILL
TRAILWAGONS GO FORWARD
KEEP CHINOOKS WITH ZEST
FOR AS LONG AS WE'RE ABLE
WE'LL BE DRIVING THE BEST!
WE ARE HAPPY RV'ERS
WE SELDOM GET SHOOK
AND OF ALL OUR POSSESSIONS
WE LOVE OUR CHINOOK
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Club Officers 2022-2023
President:
Mary Esther Chavarela mechavarela@earthlink.net
V. P. Membership:
Dave Shehane dshehane@gmail.com
V. P. Rallies:
Debbie Shetland debbieshetland@gmail.com
Secretary:
TBD
Treasurer:
Mary Coleman maryccoleman@hotmail.com
Co-Members-at-Large:
Dale Frank dale.frank@centurytel.net and Jane Earley earleyjane@gmail.com
Immediate Past President:
Bob Shetland bshetland2@gmail.com
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Other Club Positions
Webmaster:
Dave Shehane webmaster@chinookrvclub.com
Editor:
Debbie Shetland debbieshetland@gmail.com
Club Historian:
TBD
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PURPOSE: This Club (Chinook RV Club) exists to promote social, recreational & informational exchange activities that provide for the enjoyment and pleasurable use of all its members. Our club functions primarily in the western and central US, although it is open to qualified members from the Eastern club (Chinook Camping Club).
DUES: Our dues are $35.00/year. Our fiscal and membership year is October 1 through September 30. Prompt payment not only helps Treasurer in budgeting expenses, but also helps the V.P. Membership to produce our Membership Directory. Please advise V.P. Membership of any changes in e-mail and mailing addresses.
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