alfa roadrunner fall 2018 newsletter · 2018-11-15 · calendar: quartzsite- january 18th - january...
TRANSCRIPT
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Alfa Roadrunner
Fall 2018
Newsletter
OFFICER CONTACTS:
President: Susan Prichard [email protected]
Vice-President: Dave Rypma [email protected]
Secretary: Brian Hood [email protected]
Treasurer: John Kurz [email protected]
Editor: Denise Gray [email protected]
Webmaster: Chris Mooney [email protected]
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook.com/groups/AlfaRoadrunners
https://groups.Yahoo.com/neo/groups/alfaseeya/info
https://groups.Yahoo.com/neo/groups/alfaroadrunners/info
WEBSITE ADDRESS:
www.Alfaroadrunners.net
CALENDAR:
Quartzsite- January 18th - January 27th, 2019
Roadrunners Pre-Rally- April 3 – April 6, 2019
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Alfa Owners Clubs Rally (AOC) – April 7 – April 12, 2019
ABQ International Balloon Festival- October 5-13, 2019
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE- Susan Prichard
Hello Fellow Roadrunners, Sitting here on the beach in Puerto Penasco this early
November and contemplating best thoughts to share with all of you this newsletter – so
many options….humm.
Foremost as we approach the next few months, I am feeling thankful and blessed. On
Facebook today I saw a quick post about celebrating “The Holidays”. The statement was
made that there are 27 various holidays in the next few months. Holidays celebrated by
many different religions and faiths. In our current world so full of hate, violence and
mistrust, I hope we can all strive for tolerance of the beliefs of others and acceptance of
one another. I am thankful that I live in a country that has given me the freedom to
make these choices and blessed to have friends and acquaintances with different beliefs
that have helped me to better understand cultures and faiths different than mine.
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I am thankful that I can report to all that the last few months have seen several severe
illnesses amongst our members, and friends, and to the best of my knowledge the
outcomes have been positive and folks are on the mend. I am thankful that as many of
our friends have made choices to change their lifestyles and have been successful in
taking steps towards successfully doing so. As sad as it might seem to be losing our
friends, I realize that is not the case, our friendships are evolving into lifelong ones
regardless of our rolling homes. In the process, we are gaining new members and
friends as our Alfas are being rehomed to another generation of owners. So, I wish the
best health for all and I want to welcome our new members.
Late summer and fall found Dale, Da Girls and me still on the move. We spent time
with family in the Midwest and were able to make our first ever visit to Choudrant, LA to
visit with the Albritton’s before moving on to Albuquerque for our 3rd Annual
International Balloon Fiesta Volunteer Rally. What an event. So amazing to have been
able to share this time with fellow members. Look for more on that as you read this
newsletter. We then moved on to Yuma where we now have a lot and plan to spend a
good part of the winter. If you are in or near the area, I hope you will let us know as we
would love to connect and catch up with you.
We are looking forward to the upcoming events in Quartzsite in January and Texas in
April and hope to See Ya here or there. Till then, be safe out there and be on the lookout
for your fellow Alfa owners. May your holidays be full of health, joy and happiness,
Susan Prichard, President, Alfa Roadrunners
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MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT- Dave Rypma
Hi Roadrunners!
With the coming of fall and cooler weather in the northern parts of the continent,
Roadrunners will be migrating south. I just did, arriving in Florida in early November
after a stop in Gaffney for chassis service at the Freightliner Custom Chassis
Corporation factory service facility (if you haven't been there, make a point to stop in for
service next time you're in the area; competent and reasonably priced service).
Now on to some details for the spring Rallies in Fredericksburg TX (I'll let others
provide information on the January Quartzsite rally).
It's time to get things ready for the upcoming Alfa Owners Club spring rally and the
Roadrunners pre-rally. You should have previously received a message giving you the
initial information you'll need to plan for the rallies and get your reservations made. I'll
repeat here the information needed to book and pay for your reservation at the RV park.
There are 104 sites reserved so far for the AOC rally and the chapter pre-rallies. We're
still busy putting the program together for the AOC rally and the Roadrunners pre-rally
and will send out more information when it becomes available. Meanwhile, I'm
repeating what you need to know to make your reservations.
Dates:
Roadrunner Pre-Rally: April 3rd to 6th, 2019
AOC Rally: April 7th to 12th, 2019
That's 10 days in the park for both rallies (arriving on the 3rd and leaving on the 14th).
You might want to arrive on the 2nd so you're all ready for the start on the 3rd.
Location:
The Vineyards of Fredericksburg RV Park
2647 N US Highway 87,
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
http://thevineyardsrvpark.com/
Contact:
Courtney at (830) 992-1237
Office Hours
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Mon – Fri
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sat
8:00 a.m. – 10:00am | 1:00pm – 5:00 p.m. Sun
Tell Courtney you are with the Alfa group and you want to be with the Roadrunners
chapter. Although the park will probably assign you a site number, that could change
based on our need to organize the chapters to stay together. Either when you come to
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the park or earlier, you'll get a confirmed site assignment.
The rally rate at the RV Park is $40 per day ($360 for RV park fees for the full duration).
Please note that the RV park fee and the rally fees will be handled separately, so you will
need to call the RV park to reserve and pay for your stay. When you reserve, please send
a note to the rally organizers to confirm your booking:
AOC - Ray Fowler ([email protected])
Roadrunners: Dave Rypma ([email protected]) or Susan Prichard
You can come a few days early and get the same rate. Since there is another rally coming
in after us (April 16th I think), there is a limit on how many spaces will be available to
stay after the rally, but book early if you want to extend your stay or arrive early - first
come, first served!
The final AOC rally fee and the Roadrunners pre-rally fee hasn't been finalized yet, but
expect about $170 for the AOC rally (based on past years’ experience) and $100 or less
for the Roadrunners pre-rally. You will be receiving additional messages containing the
rally and pre-rally details and costs when they are available (probably in November
some time). The rally fees quoted here are just for planning purposes; the actual amount
will be calculated based on final plans.
Finally, Sue Rogers will be coordinating one or more craft activities. If you have a
particular interest or if you'd like to lead a craft session, please contact her at tom-
There's LOTS to see and do in the Texas Hill Country, so come and enjoy the area and
the rally! See you in Texas in April!
Dave Rypma, Vice-President, Roadrunners and co-coordinator for the AOC Pre-Rally
2006 Alfa SeeYa Gold #4078
VE3HTC/VE3DTR
(519) 843-4932 (Ontario)
(772) 361-1284 (Florida)
TREASURER MESSAGE- John Kurz
Treasurer’s Report:
The Alfa Roadrunners currently has 186 members in good standing. This is a net gain of
7 members since the last newsletter.
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There have been no major expenditures during this quarter and we have the following
funds available:
PayPal $ 77.05
Checking Account $ 4,451.92
Savings Account $ 5,001.07
-----------------------
Total Funds $ 9,530.04
===============
Happy Holidays to all and I hope to see you on the road.
John Kurz
Treasurer
WEBMASTER- Chris Mooney
From your Webmaster –
There have been a few changes made to the Roadrunner website over the past few
months. Here are some highlights:
1. Last spring we added the “Members Only” access to some areas of the website. If
you haven’t already logged in and setup your profile, I encourage you to do so. If
you no longer have the introductory e-mail sent out last spring, you can request a
password reset which will send you a temporary password. If you still have
trouble, contact me.
2. Along with the website logon, you get the ability to build your profile with as
much info about you and your rig as you like. Unfortunately, there is no magic
synchronization between your profile and the master membership spreadsheet
maintained by out Treasurer. So, if you change your e-mail, phone, or mailing
address, please update your profile, but ALSO please let the Treasurer know. We
are looking into possibly enhancing this, but for now, that’s the way it works.
3. Due to changes made to the Chrome browser (and probably coming to the others)
we now are a “secure” website. That means the full URL starts with HTTPS:
instead of HTTP: What does this mean to you? Probably nothing other than you
will not see a nasty warning if you do use Chrome as your browser. If you have
any trouble getting to the website from a saved favorite or shortcut, try changing
the shortcut to HTTPS. This should happen under the covers, so it’s unlikely you
will have a problem.
4. The URL for our website was always WWW.ALFAROADRUNNERS.NET. A few
months ago we obtained WWW.ALFAROADRUNNERS.COM also. You can now
enter either one and get to the same place. Why do this? Because the .COM
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suffix is what people normally think of first when they are looking for a website.
Now, if someone is looking for us and guessing the name, they may have a better
chance of finding us.
5. We added the regional winter breakfasts to the Upcoming Events page of the
website. Times, location, and contact info are there.
6. We have added a “For Sale” page. If you have rig for sale or something else Alfa
specific, feel free to send me the info and I’ll post it there. Please also let me
know when your item sells, so I can keep the page tidy.
TECH TALK
Bullseye Leveling- Dale Prichard
Alfa Owners, I am happy to report I have found a system to replace the obsolete Atwood
Level-Legs System. As you know, I am always on the lookout for new products that will
enhance or replace current items on our motorhomes. An example would be the
Dometic (formerly Atwood) Air Command Air Conditioner. Since I last reported, many
Alfa motorhome owners have upgraded to this new air conditioner. I am now proud to
report, a replacement for the obsolete Atwood Level Leg system.
As many of the 2007 and 2008 Alfa Owners realize, our current leveling system has
reached the end of life. We all have realized that the rear level leg jacks, were undersized
during the design and manufacturing process, causing premature failure of the rear legs.
This undersize of the legs has been involved in creating stress on the Freightliner frame
rail, in relation to the steel tubular frame floor. This resulted in causing the rear end
wall, of the living-room slide, to rub against the motorhome wall. This has caused
damage to both the living room slide and motor home wall.
We have all discovered that just one level-leg can cost $2000, IF one could be located.
We also realize, the replacement leg, if located, will be undersize in the load bearing
capability needed on the rear, and would still be prone to failure.
Up until 2015, spare parts could still be widely found on the internet. The last spare
items I was able to find was the shear pin and spur gear utilized on the mechanical level
leg. As of now, I cannot locate even the spur gear.
My goal was to locate a new supplier with a similar system for our Alfa’s. I am pleased to
announce a company name Bullseye Leveling Link-Press-Here, which has been in
business since 2004, creating an electric leveling system.
I have discussed our situation with Alan Brink, regional Direct Sales & Support. Alan,
can be reached at 574-727-5795. I have also copied Alan in this email and Martin, at
Leisure Coach Works.
The level leg is a mechanical single Jack-Screw system, capable of lifting over 60,000
lbs. The level legs can be equipped, with 3 different DC motors: 6k, 9k, 12k or a special
order motor, capable of lifting a total weight load of 60,000 lbs.
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The jacks use a single ball and jack screw system, where the Atwood system, comprised
2 different systems. The gearbox is located in a metal housing, whereas the Atwood was
plastic and contained a mechanical clutch.
The electronics’ consist of 2 modules, a control board and a keypad module, similar to
our current system. The obsolete Atwood control system and Bullseye system were
designed and build by the same company, a subsidiary of LCI. Bullseye Level has
changed their approach, from outsourcing (sub-contractor, who supplied the Atwood
system), to a new in-house design and patented system.
At the time of my investigation, a new electronic control and keyboard assembly were in
design, and should be released soon. The new system includes a new software control
processor. A new feature incorporated is a circuit that will detect a hard stop condition
(leg fully retracted) faster than the old Atwood Level-Legs system. This will protect a
premature failure of the gearbox. There will be both a visual and audible alarm system,
to warn of jacks remaining extended prior to driving away. Under discussion is a 1 or 3
year warranty on the control and keypad module. The new control is currently
undergoing a software change, however the new Bullseye Level Legs will plug directly
into the current cable connection.
Systems can be ordered directly from Bullseye. The current cost for a 4 leg system, is
less than $2700, depending on the estimated total weight of the motorhome. Plus
installation, based on your installer. Installation instructions can be viewed online.
Dale M. Prichard 2008 Solong Gold, Floorplan 1015-08
MEMBER SUGGESTIONS
From Joe Hughes
I have been paying 110.00 dollars a month for my Verizon phone service. Unlimited
everything Phone, Text and Data. At the Cape Cod family get together (My 75th birthday
celebration) my daughter asked why don’t I join her “Friends and Family” program. We
looked into it and I have switched. My 110.00 dollars a month is now 40.00 dollars a
month and I have exactly the same service. That savings will pay for the rally! I think
many other members could look into that program.
From John Kurtz
Peripheral Neuropathy: if you have it in your feet, you know exactly what I have been
going through. I was about ready to give up my Alfa SeeYa because of it. I can deal with
the pain, numbness, tingling, etc., but I was becoming very concerned for my safety. I
couldn’t feel the pedals. I didn’t know if I was pressing on the left side of the fuel, the
right side of the brake or the right side of the steering column. It was becoming scary. I
even started looking at other RV’s that would have a more car like setup so that there
would be a much bigger distinction between the two.
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I didn’t want to go barefoot. Even though that would allow me to feel the pedals, I didn’t
think it would be safe. I can move my toes, but I have no strength in them
whatsoever. If only my toes connected with the pedal I was seeking, it wouldn't work
and a crash would be likely.
My best friend suggested I try wearing moccasins. They have a soft leather sole that
would also give my toes some support and protection. At the same time, I would be able
to feel the pedals so I would know which one I was on. I was very skeptical, yet I knew,
nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thus, with my best friend's help, I bought a pair of
Minne Tonka moccasins with a soft leather sole. My best friend was right. It is like a
miracle. Yes, my feet still burn, tingle, etc, but I once again feel safe driving my Alfa. I
know exactly which pedal I'm using. This might not work for everyone, but it did for me
and if you have this annoying condition it is well worth trying.
2018 Albuquerque International Balloon Festival Rally
October 5-14, 2018
Before I fill you guys in on the great time we had at this year’s Albuquerque
International Balloon Festival (AIBF), we must pay our respect to Karla and Terry
Noble. This amazing couple volunteered to be this year’s Wagon Masters for the rally.
On June 12, 2018, Terry unexpectedly passed away due to complications from a minor,
out-patient surgery the Friday before. Karla reached out for some help and Becky and I
were more than glad to do what we could to make the event everything the two of them
wanted it to be. And, through the unselfish acts of others in our group, Karla, who did
not know how to drive their RV, was able to attend the rally and be her wonderful,
giving, smiling, and happy self. We love you Karla and we all miss Terry.
Well, that said, all I can say is that if you weren’t there with this year’s awesome group,
you missed it! The goal this year was 20 rigs, up from 17 last year and 15 the year
before. We came close, but due to some last minute cancellations, we ended up with
only 16 rigs. Eight of those were first time attendees! Our goal for next year is 20+ and
we have 22 slots reserved, so pencil in October 5-13, 2019 into your calendar and come
join us. Attendees this year were: Brereton, Charles, Danen (Karla’s friend), Freebern,
Godfrey, Gaboski, Grisham, Mares, Miller, Noble, Overton/Sneed, Peterson, Polk,
Prichard, Rogers, and Tabisola (Karla’s friend). If you know or see any of these folks
while you are running around the country, ask them about their week.
During the week prior to the start of the festival we all trickled in to Enchanted Trails
RV Resort out on Interstate 40 just west of ABQ. On Wednesday evening Oct 3rd we had
a social and all got together to go over the upcoming week’s events, answer questions,
share experiences, and to plan our approximate 22 mile caravan over to the festival RV
parking area. Bright and early Thursday morning the 4th, we headed out in two groups.
Susan had pre-registered us so when the first group arrived at the RV parking entrance,
they just went straight to our parking area and the second group followed in about 10
minutes. After everyone set up, some folks went to required training for their assigned
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assignments, some had cocktails, some ventured out to discover the area and festival
grounds.
The main AIBF events started at “o’dark thirty” Saturday morning October 6th with a
mass lift off at first light. The largest number of balloons to launch on any single day
was 538 on Thursday morning. The sight of 538 balloons launching is quite the sight if
you haven’t seen it before, and even if you have! The South RV Parking area, where we
stay, is directly in the line of flight for the balloons when the winds are out of the North,
which are the prevailing winds. The balloon below landed right behind our group. You
can see Dale and Susan’s coach in the background.
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This balloon landed just a few rows away from our coach.
Many of our group volunteered driving golf carts as Courtesy Shuttles and assisted in
moving people from the parking lots onto the event field. It isn’t unusual for there to be
80-100,000 people on the field during one of the weekend morning launches. There are
many areas within the festival other than Courtesy Shuttles and Hospitality that use
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volunteers (called Navigators). Some of these include working in the Balloon Museum,
Discovery Tent for the kids, Entertainment, parking, etc., and you can sign up to be part
of a chase crew. Additional information about volunteering can be found at
https://balloonfiesta.com/operations/volunteering/volunteering-faqs. Sign up for
volunteering will begin March 1, 2019 for new volunteers and you can reserve an RV site
for next years’ festival and Roadrunner rally right now by just contacting me at
[email protected]. The AIBF is using our Alfa group as a test group, so you don’t
need to make a reservation on their site if you want to be with us.
During the festival week we had impromptu social gatherings, assisted each other with
dog walking, and on Wednesday, we had a big pot luck dinner that was true to form;
great tasting and more food than twice as many people could eat 😊. The weather this
year was the least favorable for flying due to winds than either of the past two years we
were there, and some local folks said in the past five years. The balloons still flew most
mornings and had “glows” most evenings during the weekend. The accuracy
competitions on weekday mornings was amazing to watch. I guess you need to be there
next year to see it for yourself! You never know who might show up at the rally: we
actually got to see the famous “Boston” Joe Hughes this year, who stopped by with his
son to say hello! Joe, a past Roadrunner President, was the catalyst that got our
Roadrunner group interested in attending this wonderful event as a group based on a
presentation he gave at an AOC Rally. We just happened to be in the rig the afternoon
Joe was in the area and got to spend a few minutes with him and catch up, AND he paid
his 2019 dues!! Good to see you Joe. 😊
Becky and I have volunteered to be Wagon Masters again for next year, so if you have
any questions or would like more information about our rally, or the AIBF in general,
please feel free to reach out to Becky or me, or to Susan. Our one requirement for this
rally is that at least one member of each rig volunteer to be a Navigator. If you work
enough hours you can get free RV parking that otherwise costs $35.00 per night (for dry
camping). There are options for having power and water, just not in our immediate row,
but your volunteer hours don’t pay the total cost of those services. Holding tank and
freshwater services are available for a reasonable fee if you can’t make it the whole week.
We hope to have peaked your interest a little and we are looking forward to seeing more
of you at next year’s AIBF Rally and at the AOC Rally in Texas. Travel safe.
Jim and Becky Godfrey
Alfa Roadrunners Quartzsite Rally
Mark your calendars for January 18th – January 27th 2019 and plan to join us for a week
full of fun.
We will gather at our traditional camping location in the desert of North La Posa BLM,
just south of Quartzsite junction on Highway 93. As always, our event coincides with the
Big Tent RV Show.
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The week will be filled with many opportunities to visit with old friends, meet new
friends, learn /share upgrades and challenges to our ALFAs. Potlucks, sitting around a
fire and viewing the beautiful Arizona desert and evening sky. Please watch the
Facebook Group and the Roadrunner Website for updates.
If you have questions you are welcome to contact John & Karen Ratcliff, Email:
[email protected] Phone: 623-640-9361 or
Dave & Gloria Owens, Email: [email protected] Phone: 971-645-9271
See you there! John & Karen Ratcliff Dave & Gloria Owens
AOC 2019 -Alfa National Rally
See the VP article for registration information.
From Sue Rogers
I have been asked to organize a craft session for the upcoming Roadrunner Pre Rally in
Fredericksburg, TX. If you have a craft idea or would like to lead a session, please
contact me at [email protected].
FUN PLACES TO VISIT –Denise Gray
The Phoenix area has a lot to offer if you have not been here before.
The Musical Instrument Museum is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in April
2010, it is the largest museum of its type in the world. The collection of over 15,000
musical instruments and associated objects includes examples from nearly 200
countries and territories, representing every inhabited continent. Wikipedia 4725 E
Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050
The McClelland Irish Library is a Library situated in and owned by the city of
Phoenix, Arizona holding a collection of works related to Celtic culture and genealogy.
The building housing the library cost $5 million to build and is modeled after a Norman
castle. Wikipedia. 1106 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school in the
desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 91. Today it is the main campus of
the School of Architecture at Taliesin and houses the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Wikipedia 12621 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259
The Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, Arizona, is a landmark building constructed
between 1929 and 1931 by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. It is also known
as William Wrigley Jr. Winter Cottage and as La Colina Solana. Located at 2501 East
Telewa Trail, it sits atop a 100-foot knoll with views of greater Phoenix to the south,
close to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which Wrigley owned.
ROADRUNNER MEMBER UPDATES
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Kevin & Andrea Harvey
This year, we have been in what we call a "Strategic Pause" as we continue our Grand
Adventure. Basing out of central Florida has allowed us to spend time with Andrea's
Mom and our oldest son, both of whom live in Tampa. It also gave us the opportunity to
attend the Florida RV Super Show this past January with the Alfa Sunrisers. We had a
great time meeting other Alfa owners and staying on-site at the Fairgrounds for the
Super-show. This is something we've wanted to do for years, as we have been to the
Super-show many times, but were never able to stay at the fairgrounds for the whole
show.
In May we loaded up and headed north. First to Gaffney, SC for scheduled chassis
service, then to the NAARVA Eastern Region RV Rally on the Outer Banks of North
Carolina for a week. From there we set course for Thousand Trails Hershey, PA where
we based for two weeks. This proved to be a good central location for us to spend
Mother's Day weekend with our oldest daughter in Washington, DC and later attend our
youngest daughter's college graduation from Saint John's University in NYC.
With our youngest joining us, we headed back to Florida, making stops in NC to visit
our younger son who is stationed at Fort Bragg, and Savannah, GA to tour the area.
In June we went to Patrick Air Force Base to visit The Defense Equal Opportunity
Institute (DEOI). July found us in Sarasota, FL for another NAARVA rally at Sun-N-Fun
RV Resort. October provided perfect weather, after the storm, for a week on the Atlantic
Ocean at Beverly Beach Campground, which is just North of Daytona. Here we visited
with old military friends and hung out on the beach.
If all goes well, Thanksgiving will find us celebrating with family at Cherry Hill
Campground in College Park, MD. Then, on 2 January 2019 we head west to join you in
Quartszite, AZ.
Jeff and Vi Polk
We spent the summer in Lakeside OR. We had planned on doing travel through
Oregon, but due to a car accident, we were pretty much homebound for the
duration. We explored the local area, Shore Acres, Sunset Bay, Port Orford, the
lighthouse at the Coos River in Bandon, attended the Cranberry Festival in Bandon,
visited the International Wood Carving exhibition in Reedsport over Father's day
weekend and enjoyed fantastic music at the 40th Anniversary of the Oregon Coast
Music Festival in Coos Bay, OR. We met up with other Alfa owners in Hagerman ID for
the Thousand Island Festival, a fantastic display of local music and local artists. Then
headed to Albuquerque to join the Roadrunners for NAVIGATOR duties at the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta as volunteers during the 9 days. A sprained
ankle coming down the MH steps turned out to be a broken leg, but I managed to do my
shuttle duties except for 2 days. Hoping a HARD BOOT will be enough to have it heal
itself. We are now parked for the next 2 months at Canyon Vista RV Resort in Gold
Canyon.
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Bob and Denise Gray
We spent our summer traveling through California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
Montana, Utah, Colorado and back to Arizona. We were chased by forest fires all the
way through our trip! We seemed to stay from a few days to a couple of weeks ahead of
the fires and smoke, although Salt Lake City was under a red alert the entire time we
were there. That was okay, as we spent most of our time at the Family History Center
meeting and greeting our ancestors! We visited with friends and family along the way,
eating too much and Bob enjoying trying lots of new brews along the way.
We arrived back in Arizona with Denise having Shingles after cataract surgery and Bob
headed for the doctor’s office for his pre-op testing. On Nov. 5, Bob had in and out
surgery, which was the first part of the process to place a BAHA, which is a Bone
Anchored Hearing Aide. Soon, he will be able to hear in his right ear for the first time in
his life!
Chris Mooney and Barbara Leachman
The MoonBus spent the summer in New York State, in the Hudson Valley. We got there
in mid-May and left in mid-September. My older brother still lives in the house we grew
up in, and has twenty acres of land. He had a long list of projects that he was looking
forward to my help with over the summer. The projects included cleaning up an eighty
year old oak tree that fell in a storm the day after we got there, building a 20’ x 14’
building to house bee keeping supplies, getting his 1965 VW Bug running and
roadworthy again (it hadn’t run in ten years, but only has 52,000 miles on it and is
100% original), and organizing his garage so that his Class C RV, the VW, and his 1927
Chevy could all fit inside where they belonged. There were of course some bus projects
too. The most noteworthy bus project was doing my own annual service. I’ve not done
it myself in the past, primarily because we have no place to do it. At my brother’s, I had
the place and time to do it. What should have been a simple task to change the oil and
filters, turned into a major ordeal thanks to Tolleson Freightliner using a gorilla to
install my oil filter a year ago! The short story is that after attempts over several days,
and destroying three different types of filter wrenches, I finally got the filter off.
We left NY in mid-September and headed south. We made our way to the Charlotte, NC
area with visits along the way with some family and old boating friends. In Charlotte,
we visited my son and took in a NASCAR race. After the race, we continued south vising
more friends and stopping in Savannah. We had never been to Savannah before, either
by land or sea, so it was all new to us. We were only planning to spend a few days in
Savannah, but extended to over a week to stay out of the path of Hurricane Michael.
Our next planned stop was to be Panama City Beach, but the storm changed that.
Instead we went to Gulf Shores, Alabama and met up with a group of our Trop Rock
musician friends. The group we met were musicians and fans who are traveling mostly
by RV from Texas to Key West where they will attend the annual Parrothead convention.
We spent six days with the group, traveling from Gulf Shores to the Orlando area. At
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that point we turned around and did three days back to the Houston area where we will
spend the winter.
GET-TOGETHERS: available in winter months only
Casa Grande
Hi Friends!
Well a new season is here! We will have our first Alfa breakfast get together on Monday,
November 12th at 9:30 am at the Golden Corral on Florence Blvd in Casa Grande. If you
plan on attending, please RSVP to this email or call 928-710-3681 on or before
Thursday, November 8th. Thanks and we are looking forward to seeing you there!
We have made arrangements for the following dates for future gatherings if you want to
mark your calendars. Time and place remain the same. They did not have a calendar for
the rest of the year. We will give you those dates as soon as we have them.
December 17
January 7
MOAB (Mesa Owners Alfa Breakfast)
It’s that time of year again and Myrna and I hope that each one of you have a very
“Happy Thanksgiving” celebrating that special day with your family and friends.
We are ready to meet and greet you at our first MOAB on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at
the Golden Corral located on the SW corner of McKellips Rd & Power Rd, Mesa, AZ
starting at 8:30 am. Pass the word to other Alfa owners that might not know about our
MOAB get together.
The dates for the MOAB (Mesa Owners Alfa Breakfast) at the Golden Corral in Mesa are:
December 8, 2018, Jan. 12, 2019, Feb., 9, 2019, March 9, 2019 and April 13, 2019 and
for you long range planners the last MOAB for 2019 is on December 14, 2019
‘SeeYa’ there to exchange all the great travels and other points of interest that happened
to you since our last MOAB. As usual, we’ll have a “Q&A” session exchanging ideas and
asking questions about our Alfas.
John n Myrna ’04 SeeYa’ #2408
Westside Phoenix Area
The Westside Phoenix Alfa breakfast is on the third Wednesday of each month
November to March. 8:30 AM at Tivoli Gardens. Located at 12535 W Bell Rd, Surprise,
AZ 85374. Contact Linda Rees 623-236-4061, or [email protected] Come on out, good
food, good company!
Yuma, AZ
Every second Tuesday of the month, from November thru April, Alfa owners in the
Yuma area meet for breakfast. All Alfa owners and former owners are welcome to
17
attend. The first get-together of the season is this Tuesday, November 13, at 8:15 am at:
Foothills Eatery & Spirits Restaurant
12871 South Frontage Rd
Yuma, Az
Please pass the word to any other Alfa owners who are in the area.
Dan & Jenny Sheppard
'04 40' See Ya #1590
Alfa Breakfast is the 2nd Tues of month at The Eatery, on the SW corner of Foothills &
I-8., at 8:15 - 8:30 am. Nov thru April. Mel & Judi Kirkland & Dan & Jenny Sheppard,
are the Coordinators.
FROM THE EDITOR
The next newsletter deadline will be February 5, but you can send me articles whenever
you want and I will keep them for the next newsletter.
Suggested ideas:
What you have been up to!
Interesting places that you have visited.
Great RV parks where you have stayed!
Tech issues
Denise Gray [email protected].