For the third year in a row there has been no campout for the El Konejo Kampers in January. This last one was to be held at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, a favorite of this group, but due to the exaggeration of those reporting the news and weather, folks must have imagined Thousand Oaks sliding away on a sea of mud. Consequently, the campout was cancelled. Yes, we had some much needed and welcomed rain, but it was not a winter storm deluge as the news would have us believe. As I write, they are calling for more and more rain – we’ll see. I might still have to eat these words.
For others in the group, we had planned an alternative campout in Indio. Yes, the desert does get rain and it can be extreme, but more times than not, the rain passes the desert by. This campout is what is known as a rally. RVers gather from all over the country, I’m guessing many of them are snowbirds and a lot of others are desert rats, and some, like the errant EKKs just want to experience the thrill of over 800 RVs gathered in a single location with plenty of planned activities. Yes, it is planned and there are many, many vendors with everything you need to trick out your RV, fix anything broken, customize and much more. They sell clothing and wigs and even had line dancing instruction for those interested. Each morning there is complimentary coffee and donuts and three nights of excellent entertainment. They have drawings for vacations, money, prizes and more. During the day they conduct seminars on every topic under the sun for RVers and have complimentary ice cream socials. Aside from the microcosm of activity at the fairgrounds, the town of Indio has a lot to do and see. So David and Jessica Stull, Sue Osgood, Cheryl Templeton, Carol Spinner, Ann Digman and friends, this alternative proved to be a good choice. We did have a little rain on Friday night into Saturday morning, but we didn’t let that stop us. Most activity took place in giant tents or buildings. Maybe the EKKs might want to plan to go to Indio in 2020.
The two Sunday breakfasts put on monthly by the EKKs continue to be popular with numbers increasing each month. A big thank you to all the volunteer crew chiefs and and kitchen crews. Come on down and enjoy a hardy breakfast for a reasonable price.