The Evergreen Leisures gathered in September for our fall rally at Fidalgo Bay RV Resort in Anacortes, Washington, along the spectacular Strait of Juan de Fuca. The festivities kicked off with our traditional “early arrival sausage fest,” courtesy of Bruce and the Club board. What began years ago as a gathering of 10-12 LTVs has grown into quite an event—this rally drew 132 people representing 70 LTVs to join the fun!
The official “Color My World” rally began on Sunday as the full crowd of 70 LTVs and 132 attendees arrived to absolutely spectacular weather. This was a first rally for 12 of those LTVs! The resort provided outstanding indoor event space, with a smooth welcome and registration process (special thanks to Karlyn, Patty, and Brenda). We held our official all-member annual meeting, where we approved the board for 2027 (congratulations to Bruce and Patty as our next Club Leaders, and to Phil and Joanne as new members of the board). Then everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Gere-A-Deli, featuring multiple pastas and a salad bar.
Monday began with our traditional donuts, coffee (thanks, Yas and Dale), and dog walk (thanks, Patti) before launching into a full day of vendor presentations coordinated by board members Tim and Patti.
The morning started off with a presentation by Johnson RV, and then a full maintenance crew spent the next two days doing minor repairs and even some upgrades to the LTVs in attendance. Johnson was followed by Bend Battery, which specializes in solar and electrical upgrades, returning for its third rally and providing upgrade consultations to members. We were also treated to a delightful mimosa brunch hosted by SkyMed, followed by a presentation about their medical evacuation services. They were followed by David & Cheryl, who talked about their RV journey all across the U.S. The vendor block was closed out by a new vendor for us, CTM Customs based in Florida, who gave a great presentation on their upgrade packages and provided excellent video services for the week.
After lunch, past Club Leader Neil took a bunch of us out on the bay for some crabbing. They had quite the catch, and the whole group learned not just how to catch a crab, but also how to prepare and cook it. We all ate crab over the next two days, and some of us got to bring a bunch home.
Prior to dinner, we had a self-supporting wine tasting and charcuterie (thanks Jules!) where members brought some of their favorite beverages for everyone to sample. Back by popular demand, dinner was a potluck where small groups (organized by Patty and Joanne) of about 16 members gathered around the RV resort, bringing their favorite on-the-road dinners. This event was a little more personal than a large dinner and gave us the chance to get to know the others in our group a little better.
Tuesday morning began with coffee and the dog walk, followed by an incredible breakfast potato bar organized by board members Caroline and Yas and the crew from “Caroline’s Kitchen.” The team was led by Dale from the Southwest Roadrunners club, who has attended so many of our rallies that he and Sherrill feel like family. I think people raised their eyebrows at a potato bar that early in the day, but Caroline, who is also our volunteer coordinator, was spot on—there were no leftovers!
Following breakfast, a large group set off for a bicycle ride around Guemes Island, including the ferry ride over and back. This event was led by Neil and was so popular that we doubled the number of ferry tickets we had initially purchased. While the bike riders were out, we had two craft events: garden wands and suncatchers by board member Patti, and decoupage rocks by Debbie. The indoor craft space was packed for both!
After the riders were back, we moved to an outstanding burger dinner hosted by Johnson RV and cooked by the seven-person maintenance crew who came along. Johnson RV has been doing this every year for as long as I can remember, and their dinner is always the closing highlight of our time together. Johnson RV also donates a large service credit for us to raffle, and all raffle proceeds from ticket sales stay with the club.
The Johnson RV credit, along with a custom-made sink cover and beautiful homemade quilt thanks to Dan and Carol, were the raffle prizes. We also have a second raffle where everyone gets a different raffle ticket when they register, and we are able to give away a lot of LTV swag (Club leaders Bob and Brenda picked some stuff up at the Winkler Rally, which was held right before our club rally) plus some service credits from Bend Battery and more homemade LTV gear made by Dan and Carol. Board member Tim also coordinates the raffle and set a high goal for himself this year—far exceeding what we expected and helping to defray all the costs of the rally.
After dinner and the raffles we were treated to an exceptional night of music by the group “Young Kidz” with lots of members singing and dancing. They played for three hours straight with no breaks, and took lots of requests from the audience. The resort had the perfect venue with the band inside but lots of windows and open doors to the patio right on the water.
By Wednesday morning, most attendees were heading off on their next adventure. Beyond the efforts of the board members, this rally’s success was made possible by the incredible “jump in and help” spirit demonstrated by so many volunteers throughout the week.
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Valerie, Destiny, and the outstanding staff at Fidalgo Bay RV Resort for their hospitality. If your travels take you through the Pacific Northwest, Anacortes, the San Juan Islands, and Fidalgo Bay RV Resort are well worth a visit.
We’re looking forward to our next gathering—the Spring Rally at Whispering Pines RV Campground in Cle Elum, Washington, in May 2027. We can’t wait to see everyone there!
Written by: Bob Schuetz
Comments