The Ontario Sunrisers held its 2024 spring rally from May 28-31 at the lovely Golden Lake Park in Golden Lake, Ontario. The hosts, attendees, and Mother Nature made the event a delight with her sunshine, cool temperatures, and no-bug offerings. 11 of the 33 LTVs registered were first-time rally attendees. Participants gathered early on the afternoon of May 28, went through the registration process, obtained their name tags, and were presented with a nice key chain and pin provided by LTV.
A tradition for the Sunrisers rally is the first night appetizer and dessert gathering. Not only does this give folks a chance to mingle, but it also offers some delectable food samples, which tend to be sufficient enough that dinner is not required. Morning Chat & Chill sessions over coffee & continental bites have traditionally been a great way to start our days and review our daily activities. One of our most popular activities is the LTV open doors, where owners open their LTVs for visitors to not only see layouts but also ideas from efficiency practices, storage solutions to
upgrades.
With the weather cooperating, Canadian Voyageur Adventures of Renfrew brought two 18-seater voyageur canoes, along with a presentation and lunch of a traditional pea and pork soup with a side of bannock (bread). This was followed by a lengthy paddle across Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River.
Kleen Tank, a black-and-grey tank industrial cleaning service, presented, demonstrated, and cleaned several LTVs during the rally, and everyone was impressed with the results.
Those of us in a daring mode made a short road trip to the famous Bonnechere Caves. An adventurous excursion was a trip underground in the naturally carved caves by the Bonnechere River (which still runs right beside the caves). Deep within the caves, the lights were turned off, and as there were no natural light sources, everything was completely black—give credit to the fella who initially explored these caverns when water was still running through them.
The Royal Canadian Air Force is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024. The rally had the privilege of receiving a presentation by the RCAF Association on the airforce’s beginning and some of the flying heroes in planes and pilots that Canada has had to date.
A local bicycle shop owner provided a presentation on everything e-bike. The addition of a couple of bikes for tryouts was a hit. The insight into buying, maintaining, riding, and transporting was well received, even with the experienced e-bikers. Newcomers had the opportunity to win an LTV dish set; they had to guess the number of peanuts in a jar. Submissions went from 100 to over 1000; the actual number was 249! A lucky winner guessed within 15.
The rally concluded with an excellent catered dinner provided by Backyard Gourmet and an LTV question-and-answer campfire chat, which is always informative for all levels of experience.
The next rally will be held on September 24-27 at Lakewood Christian Campground. Registration is open, and all LTVers are welcome!
Written by: Gregg Kennedy
Comments