The Rocky Mountain Club’s spring rally was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, from May 15 – 19, 2024. 27 Leisure Travel Vans and one local friend attended. Josiah Wiebe, LTV’s Marketing Manager (not the Assistant to the Regional Manager), also attended.
It was four days of friendship, fun, and enjoying the sun, especially for those who had a snowy winter. We stayed at the Hacienda RV Resort, right around the corner from historic Mesilla where the San Albino Basilica stands and where the law finally caught up to Billy the Kid.
Wednesday
Most people arrived and settled in on Wednesday afternoon. In the evening, we held a happy hour, during which we reviewed the agenda, informed everyone of the White Sands situation (an F-16 jet crashed near the park), and played a rousing game of Las Cruces and New Mexico trivia.
Thursday
Thursday morning, we kicked off breakfast burritos and an informative presentation from SkyMed, a supplemental insurance company that helps RVers who need to be airlifted during a medical emergency. Unfortunately, we learned in the morning that our planned Friday event at White Sands National Park had been canceled, so we quickly came together as a group to coordinate a pitch-in lunch for the group instead at Hacienda RV Resort.
After the morning activities, we divided the group into bird watching, biking, and hiking. Luckily, we saw no snakes on the trails, but if we had, it’s good that I’m faster than 80% of all snakes.
In the evening, we gathered again for a bingo happy hour, prizes, and LTV giveaways for the winners.
Friday
Friday morning was open to explore Las Cruces, Mesilla, and the surrounding areas until lunch. Everyone pitched in for a great lunch, with several folks cooking burgers and hot dogs for everyone while others provided other dishes and sides. After lunch, everyone was free to explore.
That evening, we held the fan-favorite progressive happy hour van tours. Several LTVers opened their vans for tours and provided snacks and beverages for everyone who participated.
Saturday
Saturday was open for exploration until we gathered together for one final time to hold our tech talk. Las Cruces has an eight-block-long Farmers & Crafts Market, and many attendees spent the morning exploring it.
During the tech talk, Josiah shared an LTV update with us. We then walked through the LTV preventative maintenance slide deck and answered many questions about how to care for our LTVs.
Afterward, Josiah held an open Q&A and asked the group for ideas, suggestions, and constructive compliments.
Our evening dinner was a taco bar from a local New Mexican restaurant. Tacos are our favorite meal, but the only problem is whenever I try to make a taco, I get too excited and crush it. Fortunately, we had plenty of food for extras.
Sunday
We said our goodbyes Sunday and rode off to our homes or other destinations.
Many thanks to Josiah for traveling to Las Cruces via Atlanta. Thanks to Doug, Marilyn Rhodes, and PJ Decker for taking pictures for us and being our “Uber” drivers to pick up food for the group. Special thanks to everyone who pitched for the progressive happy hour and Friday lunch.
This was our first rally as club leaders, and while we knew exactly what we would do, in a much more real sense, we had no idea what to do, so we want to thank everyone for your patience and participation in making this a great first rally.
The Rocky Mountain Club’s next rally will be at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, KOA, September 26 – 30. The group’s reserved spots have been gobbled up, but the campground still has sites available. If you haven’t signed up yet, contact the KOA and register, then send us a note that you’re coming.
Written by: Ryan and Kate Rhoten
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