74 Leisure Travel Vans, including one rarely seen Regency, gathered at Blackwell Island on the north end of Idaho’s Lake Coeur d’Alene for the 60’s themed Evergreen Leisures 2025 Fall Rally. For some, this was a week-long event, as the board and officers arrived two to three days early to ensure that everything was ready for the group. The board hosted a Tuesday evening sausage festival for the early arrivals in honor of Coeur d’Alene’s ongoing Oktoberfest celebration.
The official start on Wednesday began with 2 pm check-ins, followed by a club-hosted welcome dinner of delicious pastas and salads. After dinner, we conducted the annual business meeting, including recognition of our outgoing Club Leaders, Neil and Jules Nesenblatt, and introduction of the nominated Board for 2026. First-time rally participants were honored with a raffle of club plaques created by our own Dan Taylor. We also had the opportunity to meet Darrell Heide from Leisure Travel Vans, who represented the company throughout the event.
After dinner, we were treated to a 60’s music extravaganza by local band Rad Fondue, arranged by local members Jim and Sue. While not designed as a sing-along, many of our members were reliving their youth!
Thursday was our first full day and was packed with activities. We began with an informational session on RV suspensions by Henderson Super Steer, followed by a presentation from SkyMed. This company provides medical evacuation services, including having a licensed driver to bring your RV home if you are incapacitated. Our thanks to both for sponsoring meals during the rally.
The information sessions were followed by the highlight of the week, a two-hour cruise around the north end of the lake, including passing by the world’s only floating golf green (for the members who tried it out on Friday, they were happy to see a two-stroke limit to hit up, followed by a drop on the green).
Following the cruise, we all jumped into a group craft event where we made tie-dyed shirts for the group picture on Friday. An entire range of techniques was demonstrated by board members Patti and Tim, but it was also clear that some were really into it and had practiced in advance.
This set the stage for Thursday night dinner hosted by Johnson RV of Sandy, Oregon—the LTV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. Darrell introduced them from LTV, who provided a great presentation on frequently seen issues with LTVs and how to address them. By the time dinner was over, many exhausted participants retreated to the quiet of their world-class RVs, while some joined in a night of karaoke (’60s music, of course) led by our own Neil and Jules.
Friday was just a bit slower. We started with an excellent bagel breakfast hosted by Caroline and Yas. Then we followed with two informational sessions: Johnson RV on how to address maintenance issues and upgrade services available, and member Sandy (supported by our treasurer Mike) with an introduction to Harvest Hosts (thanks to Harvest Hosts for gifting a one-year membership). Thanks, Tim, for setting up the vendor presentations.
Then a good portion of the group headed out on a 30-mile bike ride on the paved trails around the Lake and Spokane River, while others headed to Vantage Brewery for a first-ever (for our club) beer tasting event, arranged by board members Bruce and Patty. Once everyone returned to the Rally site, we were treated to a pre-dinner wine tasting by Rivaura Winery, and then off to our traditional closing potluck dinner.
Saturday was for packing, reminiscing, hugging, and saying goodbye—until the spring. At dinner on Friday, we announced our 2026 Rallies—Winchester Bay on the Oregon coast in June and Fidalgo Bay on the Puget Sound in Washington in September. If you’re not in the Evergreens and belong to one of the other clubs, we would love to have you join us. Watch our Facebook Group!
Rally Leaders Bob and Brenda want to thank the members of the Evergreen Leisures Board, the departing club leaders Neil and Jules, Darrell Heide from LTV, and all of the volunteers who worked to make this Rally such a successful, fun event. See you next year!
Written by: Bob Schuetz
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