Kansas City Unit Gopher News WBCCI Kansas City, Mo. Unit 059 March 2016 Website: http://kansascityunit.wbcci.net Issue 6 President s Message Greetings, Linda and I are still in Arizona. Temperatures have exceeded average high by 10-20 degrees reaching 90, requiring air conditioning at mid-day, while cooling down to a very comfortable level during the late afternoon and evening hours. Tentative plans are to leave Gold Canyon early March and head west to Lake Havasu and be home by March 20 in time for our granddaughter s spring break. We are anxious to be home for spring, green grass, and trees, and a multitude of Airstream activities. Gotta love the mid-west! Thanks to Don and Shirley Sutton for hosting last month s luncheon. A special shout out to Beth for announcements made at the luncheon, which appeared to be many based upon upcoming events. Beth s diligence in keeping unit members well informed surpasses all expectations. Thank you Beth! Be sure to mark your calendars for the March 5 th luncheon hosted by Cheryl Ball, details in this newsletter. It s our hope that this newsletter finds everyone in good health, love of family and friends, and with the anxiousness of what tomorrow might bring. I leave you with the following quote from Bruce Littlefield, Airstream Living - An Airstream is a lot like a first love: you are lured by her charm, seduced by her beauty, and once bitten, you are forever chasing after her mystique. Safe Travels & Best Wishes, Your Pres
FEBRUARY LUNCHEON Red was the color of the day, when twenty-nine members met at the Golden Corral in Olathe for the February luncheon. After hitting the buffet, and before everyone fell asleep, 1 st VP Rachel Ugaz, announced birthdays and anniversaries, and some of the members actually admitted their age! Several announcements about upcoming rallies, illnesses, etc. were made by Beth McCall, and those announcements were sent to all the members later in the day. This newsletter has additional reminders and details regarding many of those upcoming activities. Members attending were: Our hosts, Don & Shirley Sutton plus Dale & Barbara Burger, Neil & Delores Crain, Glen & Pat Harris, Paula & Tim Timmons, Henry& Kerstin Roberts, Bob & Mary Lee Piepho, Wayne & Genny Gurtler, Frank & Coke Melton, Maxine Finks, Terry & Louise Mercer, Mike & Linda Bedinger, Kay Corder, Rachel & Martin Hughey, Rachel Ugaz, and David & Beth McCall. New Members! New Members! We welcome to our silver cocoon the following: MEMBER NEWS! Patrick & Jennifer Kyle, 2929 McGee Trfy, Apt 407, Kansas City, Mo. 65108, email pkyle@bellsouth.net. And phone number 2015-243-0707. The Kyles are the proud owners of a 2016 24 Interstate Grand Tour. Daniel & Debra Doll, 6321 W. 145 th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66223, email dedoll1@yahoo.com (Daniel) and dpdoll01@att.net (Debra). Phones: Home 9134-851-8289, Dan cell 913-219-3256, and Deb 913-210-4317. The Dolls have recently purchased a 2016 28 Flying Cloud and have already done a bit of travel. We look forward to meeting both of these couples at an upcoming luncheon, campout or rally. Or all three! New Furry Member! Some of you may not be aware that Clinton & Bonnie Gregory lost their beloved Wellington in November. We heard this week that they are picking up a new puppy, same King Charles spaniel breed, and his name will be Nelson. Bonnie says that they will begin his training to become a good Airstreamer. ILLNESSES & CONCERNS Haven t heard a darn thing from anybody. That s probably a good thing!
BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES David McCall Don Wardrip Bud McFie Helen Fults 1 st 1 st 7 th 9 th Neil & Delores Crain 4 th David & Beth McCall 11 th - Their 50 th!!! CALENDAR OF EVENTS March luncheon - March 5 th Haywards BBQ hosted by Cheryl Ball - New Address: 12804 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Lenexa, near old town Lenexa. CONSTRUCTION DETOURS: Due to the fact that this restaurant is in the area of the recent closure of the junction of 95 th Street and I-35, we offer the following detour, provided by Don & Shirley Sutton, who live in the area: For those coming from east or south: 95th street is closed over I-35 so therefore you cannot get off there from the east on 95th. So if anyone is depending on their GPS it might try to lead them that way. I would say that from I-35 it would be best to get off at 87th street heading west. At Quivira Rd. turn left and almost immediately turn right which is Sante Fe and restaurant is then a short distance forward. There are probably detours to get there other than what I said, so you may want to check it out ahead of time and let people know. Shirley For those coming in from the north or west, there doesn t seem to be a problem. Beth April luncheon April 2 nd 11:00 a.m. hosted by Glen & Pat Harris at June s Northland Restaurant, at 614 Pottawatomie, in Leavenworth, Kansas. For additional information contact Pat at glenpat@kc.rr.com Note from editor: You may remember this spot from last year. Don t let the exterior of the building fool you. You are in for a real treat. And all the decorative items in the restaurant are for sale, because this is also an antique/decorating store! There will be no May, June or July luncheon due to the Regional Rally in Hastings, Nebraska, the rally at Tuttle Creek, and the International Rally but don t let that stop you from gathering with friends some other time during the months. Send gathering/campout announcements to the editor for a quick forwarding to all the members. August Picnic August 6 th hosted by Jerry & Judy Van Vickle at Krug Park in St. Joseph, Mo. More details will be forthcoming September 22-25 th Unit Fall Rally Put this on your calendar now. We will be going to Arrowhead Point RV Park in Osceola, Missouri. This will be installation of new officers. Be thinking about volunteering for an officer position or a committee chair.
UNIT SPRING RALLY APRIL 22 25, 2016 LAKE SHAWNEE TOPEKA, KANSAS Hosted by Linda & Mike Bedinger and Betty & Leonard Sullivan Final preparations are being made, and schedules are in the works for our annual opening the season spring rally. This year it will be held at Lake Shawnee in Topeka, Kansas. For those of you who haven t been to Lake Shawnee for a while, or haven t ever been, you will be pleasantly surprised by the RV Park and the surrounding area. There are level gravel sites, all with electric and water, showers, laundry, lots of trees and green grass, walking and bike trails. The RV park is completely fenced with a coded entrance gate, and local law enforcement patrols the area. The dump station is just outside the front gate. The entire lake complex is designed for enjoyment of the entire family. Besides the walking and biking trails, there is a baseball complex, playgrounds, paddleboats, fishing, several picnic areas, and when warm enough, a swimming beach. A beautiful arboretum is across the lake from the RV park and it will be in full bloom with spring flowers. Depending on the weather, the thousand s of tulips may still be in all their glory. Plan to spend at least an hour and a half at the arboretum, to completely enjoy all the paths, seating overlooking the lake, the gazebos, bridges and waterfalls. Our business meeting and another evening gathering will be held in a beautiful lodge built by the WPA when the lake was created, just down the road from the arboretum. In a separate email sent on Tuesday, March 1, your will receive 3 images that you can open and copy. (If you have problems, please contact Beth). There will be two maps, one of the campground and one of the city of Topeka. The other image is the registration form. Print off the registration form. The registration form will allow you to make a reservation, and pay your fee in one check. Mike Bedinger will then handle all the reservations with park office, and advise you of your numbered space. The form allows you to write down a choice of 3 spaces. The campground map shows the numbered spaces that you may choose from. We have decided on this plan instead of making your own reservations to attempt to get all of us in more or less the same area. When choosing your site, please note that 50 amp service is on one side and 30 amp on another. The length of your rig will also come into play in choosing your site. For the most part, the longer rigs need to be on the west side. Copies of the map and registration forms will also be available at the luncheon on March 5 th. A full schedule for the rally will be included in the April newsletter, but should you have any questions prior to that, please call Mike at 816-729-5422. NOW, ALL THIS BEING SAID. We want to remind you that the rally will be Friday, Saturday & Sunday night. However, if you plan on going on to Hastings, Nebraska, for the Region Rally on Tuesday the 27 th, you will have to make a reservation for Monday night also. There is a space for that additional night on your registration form. A caravan will leave the RV park on Tuesday morning for Hastings. Our unit is in charge of some set up, table and stage decorations, so we need to be there on Tuesday about noon. The rally fee covers Wednesday through Saturday night (4 nights). Therefore, there will be a $16.25 camping fee for Tuesday evening, payable to the Region Treasurer, June Ryan. Of course, those members who are there on Tuesday night, get to party an extra night!
REGION 8 RALLY FOLLOW THE TRAILS WEST April 27 May 1, 2016 It s not too late to make your reservations to attend the Region 8 Rally, to be held at the Adams County Fairgrounds, in Hastings, Nebraska. Also known as the Queen City of the Plains, the Cigar Capital of Nebraska, and the home of Kool-Aid, Hastings is also the site of the World War II Naval Ammunitions Depot. A bus tour has been arranged to tour the ammunitions depot. We will also be close to the geographic center of the lower 48 states, if you want to impress your friends with a picture of yourself standing in the middle of the United States. The sites are on gravel or black top, with water and electric (30-50 amp). There is a shower house and the dump is on site. Our meeting building is close by. There is very little shade, however, so if you have an awning, share it with your neighbors! The cost will be $245 (prior to April 1) and $260 (after that). The cost includes 4 nights of camping, 4 breakfasts, 3 catered meals, 2 nights entertainment and other activities. The bus tour is an additional $5.00 per person. Also included is an unlimited amount of fun, fellowship and adventure. At this rally, we will be having some seminars. Topics are still being chosen, but right now we know that there will be seminars on planning a caravan, planning a rally, first time to international, merit awards, and possibly some question and answer sessions about maintenance. If you have a topic that you would like to have addressed, please contact Beth at bpooh49@gmail.com If you haven t received a registration form, please contact Beth and one will be sent by email right away. TUTTLE CREEK RALLY JUNE 2 5, 2016 Hosted by Henry & Kerstin Roberts and Lee & Joyce Cantrell If you haven t made your reservation for this great campout, time is running out to be in the loop with the rest of us!!! This is a Corps of Engineers Park at Tuttle Creek Lake outside of Manhattan. We are gathering at Tuttle Point Loop, Sites #23 39. All have 50 amp electric and water hook ups. If you have a Golden Age Pass (America the Beautiful Pass), the cost is $9.00 per night. Call 1-877-444-6777 or visit the website www.recreation.gov to make your reservation now! Be sure you advise either Roberts (henryandkerstin@sbcglobal.net) or Cantrells (ljcan@twinvalley.net) that you are coming and what site you have reserved. Special activities are being planned and they need a head count. The May and/or June Newsletter will have a schedule of the weekend and information about meals.
AIRSTREAMERS ON THE GO Many of you who are away for the winter, will begin the long trip home this coming month. We have missed all of you. It is the editor s understanding that Florida has been cool a nd rainy and Arizona has been hotter than usual and very dusty. The weird thing is that the KC Unit area has been unusually warm and dry this winter, so those of us who did stay at home, were fairly comfortable most of the time. Is it global warming? Climate change? Evil scientists playing with the weather? Who knows? We just hope that our luck holds out for another month, because. While many of you are coming back to the area, David & Beth McCall are taking off (if the weather holds) for Oklahoma for the Region 9 Rally. For their 50 th wedding anniversary, it was decided that instead of spending big bucks at some fancy resort, they would rather be with their aluminum loving friends; so they are leaving March 13 and will return March 20 th. THE CONTINUING SAGA OF AGNES, THE TRAILER Episode 5 In our last episode you may remember that the floor had been laid and the C channel was being replaced. This month, we are happy to report that the C channel is done, the banana wrap is done, and the front belly pan has been replaced. After much discussion and searching, a new vinyl floor was purchased, and David and Beth rolled it out and cut it to fit while the body was still off, and then rolled it up to be installed after the interior walls are done so it will be protected from damage during that work. The big news was that on Saturday, February 25 th, a group of extremely good helpers showed up to reattach the body to the frame. This was a great day for Agnes! She was finally reunited with h er shinier half. Those attending the ceremony were: Mike Bedinger, Terry Mercer, Martin & Rachel Hughey, Dale & Barbara Burger, Wayne Gurtler, Mickey McCall, David McCall and of course, Agnes s momma, Rachel. She was beyond happy. The happy crew worked from 9:00-11:30, with a cinnamon roll break in the middle, and then had homemade soup before heading home about 1:00. Not only was Agnes put back together, but the crew was able to release Moby from his cramped quarters. All of Agnes s cabinets, sink, wheel well covers, and miscellaneous walls and frames were stacked around him. Those parts and pieces were moved to the shop. In March the work will begin on the new wiring, insulation and reinstalling the interior bottom panels, and painting the interior of the trailer. Rachel will be off work the entire last week of March, and will be spending the week with the McCalls, so we expect to have lots to report in Episode 6. Agnes welcomes company, so if any members want to stop by and check her out, please do. Just call first to make sure her surgeon is around. 913-683-2458. Pictures on next page.
Ever try to carry a 13 roll of vinyl in a short bed truck it don t work. so through the window we go. David cuts around the vents in the front section of the trailer floor. Measure twice, cut once, for cuts around the wheel wheels. Moby s concrete pad came in handy as a flat surface. Rachel realizes that Agnes is coming together again. That s Martin inside the trailer, handling one of the chain pulleys to lower the body, while the spotters are around and inside Agnes making sure that it comes down straight.
The front driver side corner gave Mike some grief. The work crew stops for lunch Dale Burger, Wayne Gurtler, Martin Hughey, David McCall, Terry Mercer, and Mike Bedinger. Proud momma Rachel is in the door. Mickey McCall helped earlier with the lowering, but had to run off to his other projects. Rachel would like to thank all of those who came to help and support the on-going Agnes project! She deeply appreciates all those who have volunteered their services, and the special angels who have donated supplies and other parts and pieces to this undertaking!