Tika

This year the 13th annual Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally will be held at the Indiana Renaissance Faire near the town of Noblesville, Indiana (northeast of Indianapolis). The Rally dates are Friday, October 4 through Monday, October 7 — three nights. You are also welcome to come a day early on Thursday, October 3rd, and stay 4 nights if you like. Reservations are now being taken, (you must make a reservation in advance). Call the Rally Coordinators NOT THE RV PARK to reserve a spot. The deadline for the early-bird rate is Sunday, September 29. The Renaissance Faire will take place on both Saturday and Sunday from 10a - 6p, and there are multiple activities of interest. Tickets are $12 per day for adults, and $5 for kids ages 5 - 12, if purchased online in advance; ($14 and $5 at the door). The RenFaire will be held on the grounds of the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center, 12880 E 146th St, Noblesville, IN 46060. Feel free to wear Renaissance Faire costumes if you have any. For more details see the "Links" section below. The RV Park where we will be staying is called GloWood Campground, located about 5 miles east of the festival. (See their website and the map links below.) This RV campground is reasonably quiet, with lots of trees and Wi-Fi near the office, and the proprietors seem very accommodating. This park is rather modest compared to some, and the park’s roads are a bit uneven in places, however it is the closest RV Park to the RenFaire that has enough sites for our group. We can “RV-Pool” to and from the festival on Saturday and Sunday. The address of the RV park is: 9384 W 700 S, Pendleton, IN 46064. Driving directions and GPS coordinates are at the end of this invitation. Camping sites with water and electric hookups cost $28 per night (including tax). Free use of the dump station is also included. Now here is the RALLY SCHEDULE: Friday afternoon starting at 2p we will have "Open House" for those that want to tour each other's RVs, and see what owners have done to personalize them. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. Friday evening at 6:30p we will have a get-acquainted Pot-Luck dinner in the RV Park’s “Pavilion” which is close by. (We'll eat whatever food shows up.) We will also light a campfire for marshmallows afterwards (weather permitting). Saturday morning at 9:30a we will meet up to RV-Pool to the Renaissance Faire which is open from 10a - 6p. There are so many fun performances and activities that you will probably want to stay all day at the festival. Saturday evening we will again have the use of the RV Park “Pavilion” for a another potluck (bring leftovers?), and light another campfire. Sunday will be the same schedule, with RV-Pooling to the Renaissance Faire at 9:30a. Sunday evening at 6:30p we will have a “Community Meal” rather than a potluck — This means everybody brings their own dinner, but we'll all eat together. We can also light another campfire if folks want one. Monday morning at 9:00a we will gather for a "How-to" Session about Toyota RVs for anyone (new to RVing or otherwise), to answer questions about RV operation or maintenance or anything else. Especially if you have been RVing for a while, come to share your expertise with others. A 11:30a Monday we will line up our RVs to drive in a caravan to a nearby restaurant for a group lunch. (We’ll order and pay separately for our food.) Click the links below to see photos and the lunch menu for the “Fresh-to-Order” Restaurant. Address is 13230 Harrell Pkwy #400, Noblesville, IN 46060. After lunch on Monday we will say our goodbyes until next year. If all this sounds like lots of fun, please call us on the phone (not the RV Park) to say you are interested and want to be put on the list of attendees. Then send us a payment (PayPal or check) for the number of nights you will be camping with us (2, 3, or 4). (We will give you the payment address when you call to reserve.) We will be collecting payments in advance from everyone, and then paying for our group all at once. The total payment for 3 days of camping (with water and electric) is $84. Add another $28 if you want to arrive on Thursday, as many people will (= $112 total). The reservation deadline for early-bird reservations is Sunday, September 29. After that there is an additional late-registration fee of $10. Cancellation Policy: Refunds are available if another Toyota RVer takes over your campsite after you cancel. Attendance at the Renaissance Faire is optional of course, and you will buy your own entry tickets in advance or at the door. As usual we expect about 20 Toyota RVs. The RV Park is likely to be quite full because of the RenFaire, so we can only take that number of RVs and that’s it. (If you wait to call after we are full up you will be put on a waiting list for last-minute cancellations.) If you are new to Toyota RV Rallies, don't be shy — we always have some first-time attendees. Please call us directly (not the RV Park) to have your questions answered. It's gonna be fun! Tika and Tom (Rally co-ordinators) 626-798-4510 Please leave a message if you get our business voicemail (health center) and we will call you back. - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: GloWood Campground website: Glowood Campground and RV Park Glowood Campground and RV Park GloWood Campground Facebook Page Glowood Campground Maps of the RV Park (three versions): (GloWood Campground Location) Glo Wood Campground (View of route to RenFaire) Google Maps (Closer satellite view. We will be camping in the west section, not clearly visible on this satellite view because it is under the trees.) Glo Wood Campground Link to RenFaire page: indianarenfaire Link to RenFaire Schedule of Performers Schedule | indianarenfaire RenFaire Facebook page: Indiana Renaissance Faire Fresh-to -Order Restaurant Pics https://tinyurl.com/Fresh-to-Order-Restaurant Fresh-to-Order Restaurant Lunch Menu https://www.freshtoorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hamilton-Town-Center-Noblesville-Menu.pdf Directions to GloWood RV Park: 9384 W 700 S, Pendleton, IN 46064 GPS LOCATION: 40.00279 85.85099 I-69, exit 214, 0.5 mi N on SR 13 to CR 700 S, then 0.5 mi W. to 9384 W 700 S. Please PRINT this invitation if you need to, so you can have these directions and the Rally Schedule with you when you come! See you soon! Reply Delete

Yes, I am hoping someone out there has a used Kohler with a good stator. There is a manner to get the stator out that isn't too hard if you know how. I can explain it to anyone who has one for us. Tika

I'm trying to help someone locate a part for a generator in an Itasca. The generator motor runs just fine but does not output electricity. Yes, he has already tried flashing the rotor. I already know that Kohlers are not very optimum and that parts are scarce. However this vehicle requires a generator for the owner, and replacing it with an Onan or other brand is way too extensive of a project. A portable generator that has to be regularly filled with fuel is not workable. Repairing the current one is the best option. What we are looking for is a stator to fit a Kohler model 2.5CMZ, either submodel spec 177111 (gas) or 177113 (propane). The Kohler part number is 228280. If anyone has or knows of an used Kohler geneset and would be willing to sell this part off of it, we would certainly compensate someone for the removal, and pay for shipping it to Illinois. Phone replies are preferred if you have the actual part. Tika 626-798-4510 (business cell phone) __._,_.___

Please start a new topic if the replies are to be about different rallies on the West Coast. Don't sidetrack this one, thanks. Details about the Quartzsite Rally in January 2019 will be posted in this forum in November, but it will be pretty much the same as last year. We are about half full with reservations for the upcoming Mid-West Rally, so please call soon if you are interested. Tika

Heads-up, Rally Enthusiasts: Please see the info on the upcoming Fall Midwest Rally. It is in the sub-forum here called "Rallies and Toy-ins" if you don't regularly look there. The Rally will be at the Oktoberfest in Amana Iowa, Oct 4-7. Read all the details and then call (not email) if you would like to make a reservation. 626-798-4510. Leave a message with our business voicemail and we will call you back. Tika and Tom, Rally Coordinators (If you would like to reply to this topic, please reply in that sub-forum.) Hope to see you there!

This year the 12th Annual Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally will be held October 4 - 7, 2018, at the OktoberFest in Amana, Iowa. As before, this is a highly scheduled rally, and we have lots of events arranged that you can choose to participate in if you like that sort of thing. See the Schedule below. WE HAVE RESERVED ONLY 20 RV CAMPSITES for this Rally. So, if you are interested in reserving a site, we suggest you call us right away this week to avoid being disappointed. You must call US, not the RV Park. Read the description completely BEFORE you call as it will answer most all of your questions. Call 626-798-4510 — Leave a message if you get our business voicemail, and we will call you back. Hope to see you there! Tika and Tom, Rally coordinators Now here is the complete invitation - please study carefully as it will answer most all of your questions: - - - - - - - - - The Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally this year will be held at Amana Colonies RV Park in the town of Amana, Iowa (southwest of Cedar Rapids). This Rally location is a reasonable drive for most Mid-West folks. If that is you, consider yourself invited! The Rally dates are Thursday, October 4 to Sunday, October 7. We are now taking reservations (by phone only) at 626-798-4510; the deadline for the early-bird rate is Friday, September 21. This is the weekend of the annual OktoberFest in Amana, and there are multiple activities of interest that we can participate in: - Historic Tour of the Amana Colonies with a private tour guide (Friday 1p to 5p) - Downtown Parade (Saturday morning 10a) - German music and food in the Festhalle Barn (all weekend) - Eisenmann (IronMan) Contest and other games (all afternoon Saturday) - Arts and Crafts Demonstrations (Saturday) - John Denver Tribute Concert at the local theatre (Saturday evening 7p) - Restaurant Buffet Brunch (Sunday noon) - Tour of Amana Furniture Factory (Sunday afternoon) For more details on each of these events, see the "Links" section below. In addition, on Friday morning (not Saturday) we will have our usual "Open House" — a time to tour each other's RVs, and then Friday evening (not Saturday) we will have our group potluck dinner. Amana Colonies RV Park is located on the north side of town. (See their website and the map links below.) This RV Park is reasonably quiet, with decent restrooms, and Wi-Fi throughout and with Premium Wi-Fi for a modest fee. It is located close enough to the OktoberFest activities that folks who are able can walk to it (1.3 miles). There is also a shuttle to and from the festival on Saturday only. The address of the RV park is: 3890 C St, Amana, IA 52203. Driving directions and GPS coordinates are at the end of this invitation. Camping sites with water and electric hookups are $36.00 per night ($34 plus $2 tax). Free use of the dump station is included. If you would like to have a sewer hook-up, it can be requested and they will unlock the sewer dump at your site for an extra fee of $3 per night. In addition we are suggesting a one time payment of $9 per RV, which is to help cover the costs of putting on the rally. Now here is the Rally Schedule: Thursday evening at 6:30p we will have a get-acquainted “Community Meal” — meaning everybody brings their own dinner, but we'll all eat together in the RV Park’s “Pavilion” which is close by. Friday morning starting at 9:30a we will have "Open House" for those that want to tour each other's RVs, and see what owners have done to personalize them. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. Friday afternoon at 1:00p we will gather to “RV-POOL” to the Amana Colonies Visitor Center for a historic tour of the town and surrounding sites with a private tour guide especially for our group. The cost for the guided afternoon tour is $10 per person, which includes admission to all the museums, (which normally would cost $10 by themselves). Sights on the tour include the Amana Heritage Museum with a video history show; a miniatures museum called the Mini-Americana Barn Museum; the General Store stocked with traditional items from yesteryear; and the Broom and Basket Factory/Gallery/Museum with a Giant Rocking Chair. (See all the website links below.) After the tour we will return to the RV Park, where we again have the use their “Pavilion” for our group potluck dinner at 6:30p. (We'll eat whatever food shows up.) We will also light a campfire for marshmallows afterwards (weather permitting). Saturday morning at 9:00a we will meet up to take the shuttle to town for the OktoberFest Parade at 10:00a. After the Parade those who want to can stay in town for the Festival to watch (or participate in) the various contests (noon ’til 5:00p), and/or to shop at the many antique /boutique stores. Plan to have an early dinner in your RV, or in town at a local eatery, or at the OktoberFest Festhalle Barn with German food, beer, and music (admission is $10 at the door, or $7 in advance). (See the links to websites which follow.) After dinner we will meet up at 6:30p at the RV Park to walk across the street to the Old Creamery Theater for a John Denver Tribute concert at 7:00p. The performer is reputed to be a very believable John Denver look-alike musician. Last year this event was sold out. Our discounted group ticket price is $27.50, and we will need to confirm the number of our group that want tickets by September 21st. (Please order tickets for this event when you confirm your campsite reservation.) We will also have another campfire Saturday evening at the RV Park if folks want one. Sunday morning at 9:00a we'll have a "How-to" Session about Toyota RVs for anyone (new to RVing or otherwise), to answer questions about RV operation or maintenance or anything else. Especially if you have been RVing for a while, come to share your expertise with others. Sunday at 11:30a, we plan to “caravan” with our RVs into town to the Ox Yoke Restaurant for a buffet brunch. The cost per person is $16.99 plus tax, paid directly to the restaurant. (See the link to their website which follows. Look at the photos of the buffet and it appears to indeed be worth the price!) After lunch many of us will say our goodbyes until next year. For those who can stay in town a bit longer we have arranged for one additional event which is a free tour of the Amana Furniture Factory from 3:00 - 4:00p. (See link below.) If all this sounds like lots of fun, please call us (not the RV Park) to say you are interested and want to be put on the list of attendees. Then send us a payment (PayPal or check) for the number of nights you will be camping with us along with the $9 rally participation fee. (We will give you the payment address when you call to reserve.) You also need to include payment for the John Denver concert tickets and the Historic Tour tickets if you would like to attend these events. In each case will be collecting payments in advance from everyone, and then paying for our group all at once. The total payment for 3 nights of camping (with water and electric), including the $9 rally participation fee is $117. The Tour ($10) and the Concert ($27.50) are optional activities, so adjust the total if you also want to participate in these. And also let us know if you want to be on the list for the Sunday brunch. The reservation deadline for this early-bird rate is Friday, September 21. After that the rally participation fee goes up to $10. Cancellation Policy: Refunds are available if another Toyota RVer takes over your campsite or your excursion tickets after you cancel. As usual we expect about 20 Toyota RVs. The RV Park is expected to be very full because of the Festival, so we can only take that number of RVs and that’s it! (If you wait to call after we are full up you will be put on a waiting list for last-minute cancellations.) If you are new to Toyota RV Rallies, don't be shy — we always have some first-time attendees. Please call us directly (not the RV Park) to have your questions answered. It's gonna be fun! Tika and Tom (Rally co-ordinators) 626-798-4510 Please leave a message if you get our business voicemail (health center) and we will call you back. - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: (Yes, lots of them this time! Enjoy!) Amana RV Park and Event Center website: http://www.amanarvpark.com Map location of the RV Park (three versions): (Wide view) https://www.google.com/maps/place/Amana+Colonies+RV+Park+%26+Event+Center/@41.8182054,-91.8701208,10.59z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87e5ac6f4f19c9f9:0x1513d3904747a3e0!8m2!3d41.8129985!4d-91.8779073 (Closer satellite view) https://www.google.com/maps/place/Amana+Colonies+RV+Park+%26+Event+Center/@41.8063027,-91.8811916,3039m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87e5ac6f4f19c9f9:0x1513d3904747a3e0!8m2!3d41.8129985!4d-91.8779073 (RV Park Sites Map - scroll halfway down the page to see it.) http://www.amanarvpark.com/amenities.html (We will be camping in 2 sections: Section EW and half of FW [even numbers].) OktoberFest Festival page: http://www.festivalsinamana.com/oktoberfest.html OktoberFest Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OktoberfestinAmanaColonies/ Old Creamery Theatre: (Scroll down to read about the John Denver Tribute Concert.) http://www.oldcreamery.com/shows-and-tickets/special-events/ Ox Yoke Inn Sunday Brunch Menu: (Looks delicious!) http://www.oxyokeinn.com/en/menus/breakfast__brunch/sunday_brunch/ Amana Colonies website and promo video: http://www.amanacolonies.com/amana-colonies-full-length-video/ History of the Amana Colonies: http://www.amanaheritage.org/history.html Amana Heritage Museum website: http://www.amanaheritage.org/museums.html Miniatures Museum website: http://www.barnmuseum.com/heny-moores-legacy.html http://www.barnmuseum.com/about-us.html High Amana General Store: (Cycle through photos.) https://www.thegazette.com/subject/life/people-places/high-amana-general-store-stocked-with-vintage-charm-20170918 Broom and Basket Shop info: (Home of the Giant Rocking Chair) http://sixlegswilltravel.com/weekly-wow-093-broom-basket-shop-amana-colonies-iowa/ http://broomandbasket.com/iowas-largest-rocking-chair/ Amana Furniture Shop website: (See photos of factory.) https://www.amanashops.com/furniture Directions to Amana RV Park: Exit 225 on I-80 and go north on Hwy 151 for 5 miles. At the Hwy 6 intersection, turn right towards Homestead. Hwy 6 will merge with Hwy 151, 1/2 mile south of Homestead. Proceed on Hwy 151 for 3 miles towards Amana. At the intersection of Hwy 151 and 220, proceed straight 1/2 mile to C St. and turn left (west). Go 1/2 mile and RV Park Entrance is on the left. GPS Coordinates: N 41.81396 W 091.87819 Please print this invitation so you can have these directions and the Rally Schedule with you when you come. See you soon!

Join the TOYOTA RV RALLY in Quartzsite, AZ - Jan. 19 - 22, 2018 The 12th Annual Toyota RV Rally is coming up soon in Quartzsite, Arizona. The town is located on Interstate 10, 20 miles east of the Colorado River (border with California). Registrations are now being taken (by phone only). It doesn't work to just show up. The dates are Friday, January 19 to Monday, January 22, 2018. This is during the first weekend of the huge RV Show which is held there every year. Some folks in our group will be arriving as early as Thursday the 18th, and staying for the entire 10-day show. Please read this invitation completely if you are interested, as it contains a lot of important information. Attached below are some photos from the 2016 Rally. The RV Show is a really fun event with free admission. A giant show tent is erected with hundreds of vendors that cater to RVers. In addition the rest of the town turns into one giant swap meet. There are specific sections for antiques, gems & minerals, and new merchandise. The Quartzsite PowWow Gem and Mineral Show is the same weekend this year. Plus there are multiple other vendors in every possible corner and location. If you like to shop for bargains, bring lots of spending money. We will be dry camping together at an RV park relatively close to the show grounds. Where we camp is close enough to walk to it; that way we don't have to break camp each day to drive to the show. In fact, the RVers coming to it from outlying areas have to park even farther away than where this RV Park is. (The distance is only .2 miles.) In addition to the RV Show and Swap Meets, this is a great chance to meet other Toyota RVers, and see what they have done to personalize their "Toyhouses." We will have an informal "Open House" on Saturday morning when folks can visit each other's vehicles and see the various ingenious things that owners have done to make them more livable and unique. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. We're expecting about 2 dozen Toyota RVs again this year. The RV Park's proprietors do their best to help us save enough space for all our vehicles. The discounted fee for a 24-hour parking/camping spot is only $9 per day. (One could easily spend a good percentage of that on gas each day just driving around to alternately find a parking spot in town and then a camping site.) In addition there is a one-time registration fee of $20 to participate in the Rally and to have us save you a camping spot with our group close to the events. Please make your reservation by phone, rather than email. When you call to confirm you are coming, you will get the specific location of exactly where to find us among the tens of thousands of RVers that will be there. We did say it will be a HUGE event, right? On both Saturday and Sunday nights about 6pm we will have a true Potluck Dinner in the 20'x30' party tent we will be erecting (weather permitting). We eat whatever food shows up. For those who have arrived by Friday evening, we’ll have what we call a Community Meal for anyone who wants, meaning you bring your own dinner, but we can all eat together. Besides some food to share for the potlucks, please also bring your lawn chair and some firewood for the campfires we'll have every evening. Where we will be camping we will not have hook-ups or restrooms. (This is because none of the RV parks with hook-ups will take such a large group reservation that weekend without full pre-payment way in advance.) Therefore it is best to arrive with your tanks full of water and propane. Generators are allowed. Water from a faucet and porta-potties are near the park entrance, and a dump station is at the rear. Showers, and propane are available within driving distance for a fee. The weather will be moderate during the day (60s-70s) and cool at night (40s), and possibly windy. We hope we won't get any really nasty rains or winds like we had a few years ago. Bikes and/or scooters are great to have to get around in this town. Pets are welcome, but large dogs are discouraged in the main show tent. WiFi internet service is not available from the RV Park, but it is available at various restaurants /fast food /truck stops in town. Cell phone service is adequate for most carriers, but expect personal hot-spots to run very slowly due to the quantity of RVers in the area. Broadcast TV reception is practically non-existant. If you have a small fold-up picnic table, please bring it for use in our party tent. We specifically need more of the tables that seat four, and carry like a suitcase when the seats are folded up inside. A reminder for those coming from the Pacific Time Zone, that Arizona time is one hour later. You’ll need to advance your clocks when you come east across the border. To register to have a parking/camping spot in the RV Park with our group when you arrive, please call (rather than email). Let us know which nights you will be coming, and how many folks and pets will be coming with you. As we said, for this Rally, it doesn't work to just show up. You can send us the $20 registration fee via PayPal or check. Please also include your cell phone number. When we get your payment, we will put you on the list, and be sure you've gotten the specific directions for how to find us. Upon arrival, don't be surprised to find that the RV Park is full of bus-sized RVs which is why, in this first-come/first-served RV park, it takes some effort to "defend our turf." The modest $20 registration fee helps to cover the costs of putting on this multi-day Rally, and insures a camping spot will be saved for you at our location close to all the events. The daily fee of $9 for parking or camping is to be paid to the proprietors of the RV Park at their office trailer when you arrive, for each day you will be staying or visiting. (Honor System, please.) To encourage folks to reserve soon, the $20 Early-Bird price is for registrations paid for before January 1st. If you wait until the last 2 weeks, the registration fee will be $25 if there are still spots available. If you have never attended a Rally before, don't be shy — we always have several first-time folks. This is a great way to meet other Toyota RVers. PLEASE NOTE: In order to participate in this Rally with the group, and camp inside the special section where we will be, YOU MUST REGISTER FOR A SPOT IN ADVANCE. Due to the increasing popularity of this Rally, we expect that this year we may have to put a limit on the number of folks we can accommodate. And as always, we are only going to rope off and hold camping spots for those that have registered by phone (not emailed) and paid ahead of time. If you don't want to be disappointed this year by hearing that the Rally is already full, please CALL SOON. CALL us at 626-798-4510 to put your name on the list. Call any day 11a - 9p Pacific time. Leave a message if you get the voicemail for our business (health center), and we will call you back. Yes, it's gonna be fun! Tika in Southern California '86 E-Z Ryder tika_ee at yahoo. com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: Here's a link to a National Geographic article that will give you a perspective on the amazing transformation of Quartzsite each winter: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0101/feature6/index.html Here's a link for more info about the RV Show: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/rv/rv-general-info/ Here's a link to the Tyson Wells, home of the Sell-a-rama Swap Meet, one of several in town. http://www.tysonwells.com/sell-a-rama.html Here is a link to photos of the Quartzsite PowWow Gem and Mineral Show: http://www.qiaarizona.org/Powwow-Pictures.html Be sure to also check the links on this page for lots and lots of additional fun photos and other helpful information: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/local-quartzsite-information Here are two links to photo albums of previous rallies: (You must sign in to YahooGroups to see these.) https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/toyota-campers/photos/albums/1527375223/lightbox/ https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/toyota-campers/photos/albums/18308625/lightbox/ Hope to see you there soon!

Thanks for the correction Dennis. We'll get it right next year. it's because of you that this annual rally got started. We had a fun time as always, especially seeing the balloons up close and talking to the pilots. Maybe we will see you again next year.

The 10th Annual Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally is coming up soon -- October 5 - 8, 2017, at the BalloonFest in Shelbyville, Illinois. We have only 16 campsites available for this rally. Most of them have already been reserved by attendees of our previous rallies, but if you haven't seen the invitation yet, we still have a few sites left. New folks are always welcome. If you are interested in being on the list, we suggest you call us right away this week to avoid being disappointed. 626-798-4510 — leave a message if you get our business voicemail, and we will call you back. Tika and Tom (Rally co-ordinators) 626-798-4510 PLEASE CALL US, RATHER THAN THE RV PARK, to be put on the list. Now here is the complete invitation: - - - - - - - - - The Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally this year will be held at Robin Hood Woods RV Campground in the town Shelbyville, Illinois (southeast of Springfield). This Rally location is reasonably central for most Mid-West folks. If that is you, consider yourself invited! The Rally dates are Thursday, October 5 to Sunday, October 8, but you can arrive on Friday or even Saturday if you like. This weekend of the annual Balloon Festival and Scarecrow Daze, and there are several activities of interest: - Balloon rides for our group (Friday late afternoon) - Downtown Parade (Saturday morning) - Arts and Crafts Festival (Saturday) - Farmhouse Restaurant Buffet Lunch (Sunday) For more details on each of these events, see the "Links" section below. In addition, Friday morning (not Saturday) we will have our usual "Open House" — a time to tour each other's RVs, and then Friday evening (not Saturday) we will have our group potluck dinner. Robin Hood Woods RV campground is on the south side of Lake Shelbyville about 3 miles from town. (See their website and the map links below.) This RV campground is reasonably quiet, Wi-Fi near the RV Campground office, decent restrooms, and located close to the BalloonFest and Scarecrow Daze activities. The address is: 2151 Highway 16, Shelbyville, IL 62565 Sites for this rally are $32.00 per night, for water and electric hookups. Free use of the dump station is included. If you have a GoodSam Membership card, the discounted rate is $3 less per night. In addition we are suggesting a one time payment of $8 per RV, which is to help cover the costs of putting on the rally. Now here is the Rally schedule: Thursday evening at 6:30 pm we will have a get-acquainted “Community Meal” — meaning everybody brings their own dinner, but we'll all eat together. Friday morning starting at 9:30 am we will have "Open House" for those that want to tour each other's RVs, and see what owners have done to personalize them. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. Friday afternoon about 3:30 pm we will gather to go to the BalloonFest “Kick-off Fun Flight.” Balloons will inflate and launch at about 5pm. (See links to their websites which follows.) We suggest "car-pooling” (“RV-pooling”) to the site for less parking hassle. If the weather is good, we have tentatively arranged for private tethered balloon rides for our group ($15 per person, donation goes to charity). After the balloon rides we will return to the RV campground, where we have the use their Pavilion for our group potluck dinner at 7:00 pm. (We'll eat whatever food shows up.) We will also light a campfire for marshmallows afterwards (weather permitting). Saturday morning at 6:30 am, any earlybirds can meet up for “RV pooling” to the airport for the Community Breakfast (fundraiser) and to watch the early Balloon “Sunrise Fun Flight.” At 9:00 am others will meet up to “RV Pool” into town for the Scarecrow Daze Parade at 10 am. After the Parade those who like can stay in town for an outdoor comedy show downtown, and the Arts and Crafts Festival on Main Street (goes ’til 3pm), and even a Pokeman GO hunt. (See the links to their websites which follow.) At 5 pm we will meet up at the RV Campground to “RV pool” to the airport for the “Balloon Glow” at sunset. About 14 Balloons will light up (but not take off). The local Fire Department is having a fundraiser Cookout Dinner with entrees of either rope sausage or pork tenderloin. There will be other food vendors too. At about 8 pm we’ll return to the RV Campground for another campfire if folks want. Sunday morning at 7:00 am for those that would like to go see it, there will be a second Sunrise Fun Flight, and contests for the balloon pilots (dropping items from the balloons to a target). At 9:00 am we'll have a "How-to" Session for anyone (new to RVing or otherwise), to answer questions about RV operation or maintenance or anything else. If you have been RVing for a while, come to share your expertise with others. Sunday at about 11:00 am, we plan to caravan with our RVs about 2 miles to the Farmhouse Family Restaurant for a buffet lunch. The price is $7.99 for adults and $2 less for kids. (See the link to their website which follows.) After lunch we will all say our goodbyes until next year. If all this sounds like lots of fun, please call us (not the RV Campground) to say you are interested and want to be put on the list. Then send us a payment (PayPal or check) for the number of nights you will be camping with us along with the $8 rally participation fee. We will give you the payment address when you call to reserve. The RV Campground would like us to collect all the payments from everyone, and then pay their office all at once. As usual we expect about 16 Toyota RVs. The RV Campground is full for the weekend, so we can only take that many RVs, and that’s it! (If you wait to call after we are full up you will be put on a waiting list for last-minute cancellations.) If you are new to Toyota RV Rallies, don't be shy — we always have some first-time attendees. Please call us directly (not the RV campground) to have your questions answered. It's gonna be fun! Tika and Tom (Rally co-ordinators) 626-798-4510 Please leave a message if you get our business voicemail (health center) and we will call you back. Now for the links section: Robin Hood Woods RV Campground website: http://www.robinhoodwoods.com/illinoiscampgroundrvpark.htm Map location of the RV Campground (three versions): (Wide view) https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=13uCA3fQk_F8fE_vYZ1k2pk6g8qA&hl=en&ll=39.47653118449147%2C-89.12112011920124&z=9 (Closer satellite view) https://goo.gl/maps/ycWQKZ2nHTz (Campground - close up view) http://www.robinhoodwoods.com/sat-big.jpg (We will be in the center of the long loop at the lower right, sites 230 - 246.) BalloonFest Events page: http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/events/balloon.htm Balloon Pictures: http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/events/Balloonpics.html BalloonFest Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/balloonslakeshelbyville/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE Scarecrow Daze Events pages: http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/events/daze.htm https://www.facebook.com/Scarecrow-Daze-147910095228710/?ref=br_tf Farmhouse Family Restaurant page: http://www.farmhousefamilyrestaurant.com Other related Facebook pages for the town of Shelbyville,IL: (This includes a video of the balloons last year) https://www.facebook.com/lakeshelbyvilleinfo/ https://www.facebook.com/lake.shelbyville

Hey, everybody, we are now back in California after having spent an enjoyable 4 days in Idaho, with some amazing Toyota-RVers, watching an amazing total eclipse. See some photos below. The first group photo of all of us wearing our eclipse glasses is at Lake Cascade State Park, taken just a few minutes before Totality. We had nine RVs in total, and a very agreeable group. Gail in Boise helped to put it together. We camped at Ponderosa State Park in McCall, ID, about 30 miles north of the path of totality. We have much appreciation for Gail's son, Jordan, who had reserved a perfect campsite at Lake Cascade about 8 months in advance. The seventeen of us who descended on it for the eclipse were able to view the event with completely clear skies and perfect-temperature weather. (The Telstar RV in the photo was our transportation from the campground to the viewing site.) Afterwards we all dined at Jordan and his wife's Sushi Restaurant in McCall -- a wonderful meal and delightful socializing. As always we enjoyed touring each other's RVs, and seeing what others had done to personalize them. Maybe we'll try to get together again next year somewhere in the area -- even if there IS no eclipse. We had such a great time! Tika

Join the TOYOTA RV RALLY in Quartzsite, AZ - Jan. 20 - 23, 2017 The next Toyota RV Rally is coming up soon in Quartzsite, Arizona. The town is located on Interstate 10, 20 miles east of the Colorado River (border with California). Reservations are now being taken. The dates are Friday, January 20 to Monday, January 23, 2017. This is during the first weekend of the huge RV show which is held there every year. Some folks in our group will be arriving as early as Thursday the 19th, and staying for the entire 10-day show. The RV show is a really fun event with free admission. A giant show tent is erected with hundreds of vendors that cater to RVers. In addition the rest of the town turns into one giant swap meet. There are specific sections for antiques, gems & minerals, and new merchandise. The Quartzsite PowWow Gem and Mineral Show is the same weekend this year. Plus there are multiple other vendors in every possible corner and location. If you like to shop for bargains, bring lots of spending money. We will be dry camping together at an RV park relatively close to the show grounds. We're going to be close enough to walk to it; that way we don't have to break camp each day to go to the show. In fact, the RVers coming to it from outlying areas have to park even farther away than where this RV Park is. (The distance is only .2 miles.) In addition to the RV Show and Swap Meets, this is a great chance to meet other Toyota RVers, and see what they have done to personalize their "Toyhouses." We will have an informal "Open House" on Saturday morning when folks can visit each other's vehicles and see the various ingenious things that owners have done to make them more livable and unique. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. We're expecting about 2 dozen Toyota RVs again this year. The park's proprietors are very amiable and happy to help us save enough space for all our rigs. The discounted fee for a 24-hour parking/camping spot is only $8 per day. (One could easily spend a good percentage of that on gas each day just driving around to alternately find a parking spot and then a camping site.) In addition there is a one-time reservation fee of $15 to participate and to have us save you a spot with our group. Please make your reservation by phone, rather than email. When you call to confirm you are coming, you will get the specific location of exactly where to find us among the tens of thousands of RVers that will be there. We did say it will be a HUGE event, right? On both Saturday and Sunday nights about 6pm we will have a true Potluck Dinner in the 20'x30' party tent we will be erecting (weather permitting). We eat whatever food shows up. For those who have arrived by Friday night, we’ll have what we call a Community Meal for anyone who wants, meaning you bring your own dinner, but we all can eat together. Besides some food to share for the potlucks, please also bring your lawn chair, and some firewood for the campfires we'll have every evening. Where we will be camping we will not have hook-ups or restrooms. (This is because none of the RV parks with hook-ups will take such a large group reservation that weekend without full pre-payment way in advance.) Therefore it is best to arrive with your tanks full of water and propane. Generators are allowed. Water from a faucet and porta-potties are near the park entrance, and a dump station is at the rear. Showers, and propane are available within driving distance for a fee. The weather will be moderate during the day (60s-70s) and cool at night (40s), and possibly windy. We hope we won't get any really nasty rains or winds like we had a few years ago. Bikes and/or scooters are great to have to get around in this town. Pets are welcome, but large dogs are discouraged in the main show tent. WiFi internet service is available in the RV park for a daily or weekly fee. Broadcast TV reception is practically non-existant, but cell phone service is terrific! A reminder for those coming from the Pacific Time Zone, that Arizona time is one hour later. You’ll need to advance your clocks when you come east across the border. To reserve a parking/camping spot in the RV Park with our group for when you arrive, please call (rather than email) and let us know which nights you will be coming, and how many folks and pets will be coming with you. You can send us the $15 reservation fee via PayPal or check. Please also include your cell phone number. When we receive your payment, we will contact you with the specific directions for how to find us. Upon arrival, don't be surprised to find that the RV Park is full of bus-sized RVs which is why, in this first-come/first-served RV park, it takes some effort to "defend our turf." The moderate $15 participation fee is for us to save a spot for you and to help cover the costs of putting on the rally. The daily camping fee of $8 is to be paid to the proprietors of the RV Park at their office trailer for each night you stay. (Honor System, please.) To encourage folks to reserve soon, the $15 Early-Bird price is for reservations paid for before January 1st. If you wait until the last 2 weeks, the reservation fee will be $20. If you have never attended a Rally before, don't be shy — we always have several first-time folks. This is a great way to meet other Toyota RVers. Be sure to see all 33 photos of last year's Rally at the end of this post. PLEASE NOTE: In order to participate in the Rally with the group, and camp inside the special section where we will be, YOU MUST RESERVE A SPOT IN ADVANCE. There is no limit on the number of rigs we can have, but we are only going to rope off enough space and hold spots for those that have called ahead of time. Call us at 626-798-4510 to put your name on the list. Call any day 11a - 9p Pacific time. Leave a message if you get the voicemail for our business (health center), and we will call you back. Yes, it's gonna be fun! Tika in Southern California '86 E-Z Ryder tika_ee at yahoo. com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: Here are the links to photo albums of previous rallies, in the Yahoo toyota-campers group (membership required to view): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/1527375223/pic/list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/18308625/pic/list Now, here's a link to a National Geographic article that will give you a perspective on the amazing transformation of Quartzsite each winter: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0101/feature6/index.html Here's a link for more info about the RV show: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/rv/rv-general-info/ Here's a link to the Tyson Wells, home of the Sell-a-rama Swap Meet, one of several in town. http://www.tysonwells.com Here is a link to photos of the Quartzsite PowWow Gem and Mineral Show: http://www.qiaarizona.org/Powwow-Pictures.html Also check the links on this page for lots and lots of additional fun photos and other helpful information: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/local-quartzsite-information Hope to see you there soon! Now for the photos of last year . . .

Announcing the Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Owners Rally in Illinois -- October 6-9, 2016

 This year's Rally will be held at the Blackhawk Valley Campground (RV Park), in Rockford, IL, (two hours west of Chicago). It looks like there will be several activites in the area that weekend that are worth checking out.
 The dates are October 6-9, 2016, (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).
 Reservations are now open -- Please call us to hold your spot! This RV Park is holding 11 hook-up sites for us for our Rally. If you want to camp with us, first call us and we will put you on the list. Then you must send us payment by check or PayPal for the number of nights you will be with us. The reservation fee is $26 per night. The RV park would like us to collect the payments from everyone, and then pay their office all at once.

 Yes, it's gonna be fun as always!
 Tika and Tom '91 Itasca Spirit
 626-798-4510, leave a message with our business voicemail and we will call you back.
 Now see below for all the details in the complete invitation.
 
 - - - - - - - - - -

 The Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally this year will be held at Blackhawk Valley Campground (RV Park), just south of Rockford, Illinois, and about two hours west of Chicago. This Rally location quite central for most Mid-West folks. If that is you, consider yourself invited! The Rally dates are Thursday, October 6 to Sunday, October 9, but you can arrive on Friday or even Saturday if you like. 

 This weekend in the city of Rockford there are several activities of interest: -- Tinker Swiss Cottage Historical Museum Private Tour -- Friday afternoon -- "First Fridays" Downtown Art Festival -- Friday evening -- Nellie's Barn Sale Antique Fair -- Saturday afternoon -- Halloween Haunted Pavilion -- Saturday evening -- Anderson Japanese Gardens and Lunch -- Sunday mid-day For more details on each of these events, see the "Links" section below.
 In addition we will have our usual Saturday morning "Open House" -- a time to tour each other's RVs, and then Saturday evening we will have our group potluck dinner.
 Blackhawk Valley Campground is 7 miles south of the town. (See the map links below.) This RV park is reasonably quiet with lots of trees, Wi-Fi near the RV Park office, decent restrooms, and located right on the Kishwaukee River. The address and phone is: 6540 Valley Trail Rd., Rockford, IL 61109, (815) 874-9767. The group camping rate is $26.00 per night -- tax included, for water and electric hookups. Free use of the dump station is included. Here is the schedule for the Rally: Thursday evening at 6 pm we will have a get-aquainted “Community Meal” -- meaning everybody brings their own dinner but we'll all eat together. Friday afternoon at 3 pm we have arranged for a private group tour of the Tinker Swiss Cottage Historical Museum in downtown Rockford. Admission is $8 ($7 for over 62). (See the link to the Tinker House website below.) We suggest "car-pooling (RV-pooling)" to town because of limited parking in the downtown area. For those who wish to stay in town after the tour, there are a variety of activities on Friday evening ("First Fridays" Downtown Art Festival) put on by various merchants. (See the link to the "First Fridays" website below.) Saturday morning at 10 am we will have "Open House" at the RV Park for those that want to tour each other's RVs, and see what owners have done to personalize them. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. Saturday afternoon north of town there is an Antique Fair called Nellie's Barn Sale with 55 vendors, for those who like antique-ing. (See link to website with photos below.) We will arrange to RV-pool again. Saturday night, we have arranged for a location at the RV Park for our potluck dinner at 6 pm. (We'll eat whatever food shows up!) Afterwards there will be Halloween festivities provided by the RV Park (i.e. Haunted Pavilion). We will also light a campfire for marshmallows (weather permitting), so bring firewood if you have it. 

 Sunday morning at 9 am we'll have a "How-to" Session for anyone (new to RVing or otherwise), to answer questions about RV operation or maintenance or anything else. If you have been RVing for a while, come to share your expertise with others. Sunday about 10:30 am, we plan to caravan with our RVs to town for lunch at Frescos Restaurant at beautiful Anderson's Japanese Gardens. Admission to see the gardens is $8 (optional). (See links to their websites which follow.) For those who don't have to leave right after lunch, there is the Burpee Natural History Museum, the Discovery Center Museum, and the Rockford Art Museum that are worth visiting in town. (See links below.)

 If all this sounds like lots of fun, please call us to say you are interested and want to be put on the list. Then send us a Paypal payment or check for the number of nights you will be camping with us. (Your payment is fully refundable, less $5, up to 7 days in advance.) As usual we expect about a 10 to 15 Toyota RVs. The first 11 paid reservations are guaranteed hook-up sites with our group; after that you may be put in a site near us but without hook-ups. NOTE! If you wait to call after September 29th, you may not get a site near us either, because they will release any of the 11 sites that are not yet reserved to be available to the general public who are coming for that weekend.

 First, please call us now, if you are at all interested in coming, and leave us a message just to say so, even if you can't make your payment just yet. 

If you are new to Toyota RV Rallies, don't be shy -- we always have some first-time attendees. Call us directly (not the RV park) to have your questions answered. 

 It's gonna be fun!

 Tika (Rally co-ordinator)
 626-798-4510 Please leave a message if you get a business voicemail (health center) and I will call you back. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section. Take time to look at each of these:
 Google Photo of Blackhawk Valley Campground: (Our sites are in the trees at the bottom right in the photo.) http://tinyurl.com/Blackhawk-Valley-Campground Blackhawk Valley Campground (RV Park) website: http://www.BlackhawkValleyCampground.com/ Map of RV Park: (Our sites are 56 - 62 and 158 - 161.) http://www.blackhawkvalleycampground.com/sitemap_new.htm Link to Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum: http://www.tinkercottage.com "First Fridays" Downtown Festival info: https://www.gorockford.com/event/first-fridays-art-music-food-and-shopping-in-downtown-rockford/11747/ Nellie's Barn Sale Antique Fair info: https://www.gorockford.com/event/nellies-barn-sale-vintage-extravaganza/12609/ http://nellieskitchenbarnsale.blogspot.com/p/photo-gallery.html Link to Anderson Gardens: http://www.andersongardens.org Frescos Cafe website: http://www.frescorockford.com/index.html Google Map to Anderson Gardens/Frescos Cafe in Rockford from RV Park: http://tinyurl.com/to-anderson-gardens Burpee Museum of Natural History website: http://www.burpee.org Discovery Center Museum website: http://www.discoverycentermuseum.org/ Rockford Art Museum website: http://www.rockfordartmuseum.org/ Call us now to get on the list!

To all in the Southeast, we plan to be back in Florida next spring 2017 and will plan for a rally then. However anyone can plan a rally anytime. Tika

Join the TOYOTA RV RALLY in Quartzsite, AZ - Jan. 15-18 The next Toyota RV Rally is coming up soon in Quartzsite, Arizona. The town is located on Interstate 10, 20 miles east of the Colorado River (border with California). Reservations are now being taken. The dates are Friday, January 15 to Monday, January 18, 2016. This is during the first weekend of the huge RV show which is held there every year. Some folks in our group will be arriving as early as Thursday the 14th, and staying for the entire 10-day show. The RV show is a really fun event with free admission. A giant show tent is erected with hundreds of vendors that cater to RVers. In addition the rest of the town turns into one giant swap meet. There are specific sections for antiques, gems & minerals, and new merchandise. Plus multiple other vendors in every possible corner and location. If you like to shop for bargains, bring lots of spending money. We will be dry camping together at an RV park relatively close to the show grounds. We're going to be close enough to walk to it; that way we don't have to break camp each day to go to the show. In fact, RVers coming to it from outlying areas have to park even farther away than where this RV Park is. (The distance is only .2 miles.) In addition to the RV Show and Swap Meets, this is a great chance to meet other Toyota RVers, and see what they have done to per- sonalize their "Toyhouses." We will have an informal "Open House" on Saturday morning when folks can visit each others vehicles and see the various ingenious things that owners have done to make them more livable and unique. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. We're expecting about 2 dozen Toyota RVs again this year. The park's proprietors are very amiable and happy to help us save enough space for all our rigs. The discounted fee for a 24-hour parking/camping spot is only $7 per day. (One could easily spend a good percentage of that on gas each day just driving around to alternately find a parking spot and then a camping site.) In addition there is a one-time reservation fee of $15 to participate and to have us save you a spot with the group. Please make your reservation by phone, rather than email. When you call to confirm you are coming, you will get the specific location of where exactly to find us among the tens of thousands of RVers that will be there. We did say it will be a HUGE event, right? On Saturday and Sunday nights about 6pm we will have a community Potluck Dinner in the 20'x30' party tent we will be erecting (weather permitting). We eat whatever food shows up. Besides some food to share, please also bring your lawn chair, and some firewood for the campfires we'll have every evening. Where we will be camping we will not have hook-ups or restrooms. (This is because none of the RV parks with hook-ups will take such a large group reservation that weekend without full pre-payment way in advance.) Therefore it is best to arrive with your tanks full of water and propane. Generators are allowed. Water from a faucet and porta-potties are near the park entrance, and a dump station is at the rear. Showers, and propane are available within driving distance for a fee. The weather will be moderate during the day (60s-70s) and cool at night (40s), and possibly windy. We hope we won't get any really nasty rains or winds like we had a few years ago. Bikes and/or scooters are great to have to get around in this town. Pets are welcome, but large dogs are discouraged in the main show tent. WiFi internet service is available in the RV park for a daily or weekly fee. Broadcast TV reception is practically non-existent, but cell phone service is terrific! To reserve a parking/camping spot with our group in the RV Park, please call (rather than email) and let us know which nights you will be coming, and how many folks and pets will be coming with you. You can send the $15 reservation fee via PayPal or check. Please also include your cell phone number. When we receive your payment, we will contact you with the specific directions for how to find us. Upon arrival, don't be surprised to find that the RV Park is full of bus-sized RVs which is why, in this first-come/first-served RV park, it takes some effort to "defend our turf." The moderate $15 participation fee is for us to save a spot for you and to help cover the costs of putting on the rally. The daily camping fee of $7 is to be paid to the proprietors of the RV Park at their office trailer for each night you stay. (Honor System, please.) To encourage folks to reserve soon, the $15 Early-Bird price is for reservations paid for before January 1st. If you wait until the last 2 weeks, the reservation fee will be $20. If you have never attended a Rally before, don't be shy — we always have several first-time folks. This is a great way to meet other Toyota RVers. PLEASE NOTE: In order to participate in the Rally with the group, and camp inside the special section where we will be, YOU MUST RESERVE A SPOT IN ADVANCE. There is no limit on the number of rigs we can have, but we are only going to rope off enough space and hold spots for those that have called ahead of time. Call us at 626-798-4510 to put your name on the list. Call any day 11a - 9p Pacific time. Leave a message if you get the voicemail for our business (health center), and we will call you back. Yes, it's gonna be fun! Tika in Southern California '86 E-Z Ryder tika_ee at yahoo.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: Here are the links to photo albums of previous rallies, in the Yahoo toyota-campers group (membership required to view): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/1527375223/pic/list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/18308625/pic/list Now, here's a link to a National Geographic article that will give you a perspective on the amazing transformation of Quartzsite each winter: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0101/feature6/index.html Here's a link for more info about the RV show: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/rv/rv-general-info/ Here's a link to the Tyson Wells, home of the Sell-a-rama Swap Meet, one of several in town. http://www.tysonwells.com (site available soon) Also check the links on this page for lots and lots of additional fun photos and other helpful information: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/local-quartzsite-information Hope to see you there soon!

Yes, we are planning another Toyota RV Rally in Quartzsite, AZ in January. Read last year's announcement here: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7730 Everything will be pretty much the same. Details for this coming year will be posted after Halloween. We typically have about 30 Toyota RVs. Reservations must be made in advance by PHONE if you want to camp in the section that we are reserving for our group.

Thank you for the "heads up" about the trains. The sites assigned to us are about as far from the tracks as you can get in this campground. Let's hope they are far enough.

Currently we have confirmed reservations for 8 vehicles, with three on the "maybe" list -- meaning we could have as many as 24 people. - - - - - This year's Rally will be held at the Autumn-on-Parade Festival in the town of Oregon, IL, located south of Rockford and about two hours west of Chicago. It looks like they have quite a wide variety of activities simultaneously! The dates are October 2-4, 2015, (Friday Saturday, and Sunday). This RV Park is holding 15 sites for us for our rally. If you want to camp with us, first call us and we will put you on the list. Then you must call the RV Park directly, with a credit card number to make a reservation deposit. Be sure to tell them you are with the Toyota RV group! See the previous posts for the complete invitation. It's gonna be fun! Tika 626-798-4510, leave a message with our business voicemail and I will call you back.

Did you see that there is already a Toyota RV Rally planned for the weekend of October 2-4 in Illinois? It will be south of Rockford and west of Chicago. Please consider coming if that is not too far for you to attend. Currently there are 8 reservations -- some are Toyota RVers who are coming from Michigan. I can give you their contact info if you would like to connect. See the previous post in this forum, if you haven't already, to read all the details. If the distance is farther than you are comfortable with, perhaps some others here will reply for your suggested location. Tika

Announcing the Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Owners Rally in Illinois -- October 2-4, 2015 This year's Rally will be held at the Autumn-on-Parade Festival in the town of Oregon, IL, located about two hours west of Chicago. It looks like they have quite a wide variety of activities simultaneously! The dates are October 2-4, 2015, (Friday Saturday, and Sunday). Reservations are now open -- call to hold your spot! This RV Park is holding 12 sites for us for our rally. If you want to camp with us, first call us and we will put you on the list. Then you must call the RV Park directly, with a credit card number to make a reservation deposit. Be sure to tell them you are with the Toyota RV group! See below for the complete invitation. It's gonna be fun! Tika 626-798-4510, leave a message with our business voicemail and I will call you back. - - - - - - - - - - The Fall Mid-West Toyota RV Rally this year will be held at the Autumn-on-Parade Festival in Oregon, Illinois, about two hours west of Chicago. This Rally location quite central for most Mid-West folks. If that is you, consider yourself invited! The Rally dates are Friday, October 2 to Sunday October 4, but you can arrive early on Thursday if you like. This weekend the town hosts a huge festival with all the expected activities: Arts and Crafts Fair and Farmer's Market with Live Entertainment around a Historic County Courthouse Fun Zone Carnival Food Court by local civic groups Antique Tractor Show and Auto Show (Saturday) Boot Camp Challenge Course 5K Race (Sunday) Historic tours of Old-time School House and of Stronghold "Castle" A 100-unit Parade on Sunday at 1p. The theme for this year's parade is "Flashback to the 70's." Post Parade Show and "Duck Dash for Cash" (Raffle) In addition there is also a small Old English (Renaissance) Faire nearby on the grounds of the historic mansion ("the Castle") once owned by the Chicago Daily News family. Shuttle bus service goes to it from town for $2/day. A separate admission is charged for the Faire, $9 for adults, $5 for kids age 7-12, and 6 and under free. See the links section below for more details on each of these events. We will be staying at Lake LaDonna Family Campground, just 7 miles west of the town. (See the map links below.) This RV park is reasonably quiet with lots of trees, Wi-Fi, decent restrooms, two streams, and a nice lake. The address and phone is: 1302 S. Harmony Rd., Oregon, IL 61061, (815) 732 – 6804. Friday evening we will have a “Community Meal” - meaning everybody brings their own dinner but we all eat together. Saturday morning will have "Open House" for those that want to tour each other's RVs, and see what owners have done to personalize them. Saturday afternoon is a time to visit the Autumn Festival. We suggest "car-pooling (RV-pooling)" because of limited parking in the downtown festival area. Saturday night, we have reserved the "Pavilion" at the RV Park for our potluck dinner at 6:30 pm. (We eat whatever food shows up!) Afterwards we will light a campfire for marshmallows (weather permitting), so bring firewood if you have it. Sunday morning at about 10:30 am, we plan to caravan to the festival again and stay for the parade. Afterwards for those who can stay a bit longer, we will convene at the Festival Food Court at 4:15 pm for a final get-together before heading off down the road. The Fall camping rate is $30.00 per night -- tax included, for water and electric hookups. Free use of dump station is included. First please call one of us to say you are interested and want to be put on the list. Then call the RV Park directly to make your site reservation. NOTE: You MUST tell them you are with the Toyota RV group to be assigned to one of the sites that is reserved for our group. Give them a credit card number for the deposit for your first night's stay. (It is fully refundable up to 7 days in advance; 50% refundable if cancelled less than 7 days in advance; not refundable after 24 hours in advance). The balance for your second (and/or third) night is due upon arrival. If you pay for it there entirely with cash or check, you will avoid the 5% surcharge for credit cards. As usual we expect about a dozen Toyota RVs. The first 12 paid reservations are guaranteed hook-up sites with our group; after that you may be put in a section farther away from the rest of us. NOTE! If you wait to call after September 24th, you may not get a site with us either, because they will release any of the 12 sites that are not yet reserved to be available to the general public who are coming for the festival. Please call us now, if you are at all interested in coming, and leave us a message to say so, even if you can't make your deposit just yet. If you are new to Toyota RV Rallies, don't be shy -- we always have some first-time attendees. Call us directly (not the RV park) to have your questions answered. It's gonna be fun! Tika (co co-ordinator) 626-798-4510 Please leave a message if you get a business voicemail (health center) and I will call you back. Jutta Rubright (co co-ordinator) 319-325-9246 Now for the links section. Take time to look at each of these: Town Festival Info: http://www.autumnonparade.org/events.shtml Old English (Renaissance) Faire info: http://www.autumnonparade.org/faire.shtml Google Photo of Lake LaDonna Campground: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9976355,-89.4265827,18z/data=!3m1!1e3 RV Park Website: http://lakeladonna.com/about-us/ Map to RV Park: http://lakeladonna.com/contact-us/ RV Park Sites Map and Reservations Info: You must say you are part of the Toyota RV group! http://lakeladonna.com/reservations/ Google Map to Festival from RV Park: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lake+Ladonna+Campground,+Pine+Creek,+IL/Oregon,+IL+61061/@42.0150218,-89.3788312,13z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x88085676307c83eb:0x7c9824c67fbfa8f7!1m2!1m1!1s0x8808f943a07d1ea7:0x5b35c87e7939cd49!3e0

We have put together a Summer Mini-Rally in Minnesota in two weeks, for any interested Toyota RV owners. We will be at the River City Days Festival in Red Wing, MN (southeast of Minneapolis, on the border with Wisconsin). The dates are: Thursday, July 30 to Monday, Aug 3. You can come for 2, 3, or 4 nights, depending on your schedule. (Many folks are coming on Thursday.) If you are close by enough to join us and would like to attend, we will hold a site for you. But you must CALL us RIGHT AWAY to be put on the list. We have only a VERY VERY FEW sites available for our group. The Town Festival activities include the following: Arts and Crafts Show Vendors Food Booths Musicians and Entertainers Kite Festival Car Show Carnival Rides Frisbee Golf Tournament Pancake Flipping Contest Ice Cream Social Town Parade and Brass Band Concert on Sunday One of our most popular Rally activities is having "Open House" on Saturday morning when we all get to see each other's RVs and what folks have done to personalize them. We will be camping at Island Campground just across the Mississippi River in Hager City, WI. The address is: 650 825th Street, Hager City, WI 54014. Right now we have only 3 hook-up sites left in the block we reserved for our group. So call US immediately (NOT the RV park) if you want one! The fee is $35 per night (tax included) for electricity and water and a free dump, but no sewer. WI-FI is available, and pets are allowed. You will pay the RV Park upon arrival by cash or check, but not credit cards. Festival website is: http://www.rivercitydays.org/ The RV Park website is: http://www.islandcampingandmarina.com/index.html Please CALL right away (rather than email) if you are interested, so that we can hold a site for you. Call 626-798-4510. Leave a message if you get our business voicemail (health center) and we will call you back. This sounds like a fun festival! Tika & Tom '91 Itasca Spirit

If you are within driving distance of St. Augustine, Florida, you are invited to a mini-Toyota RV Rally, Friday night and Saturday, May 1 & 2. The location is St. John's RV Park and Swap meet. Read the complete details in the "Rallies & Toy-ins" Forum. Hope to meet some new folks there! Tika

If you are within driving distance of St. Augustine, Florida, you are invited to a mini-Toyota RV Rally, Friday night and Saturday, May 1 & 2. The location is St. John's RV Park and Swap meet. The cost for the Dry Camping sites, in the "Field" where we will be, is $16.80 for the night. A few sites with electric ($29.70) and/or Full hookups ($36.30) may still be available nearby. Make your reservation for your choice of site directly with the RV Park. Friday night we will have a "Community Meal," meaning you'll need to bring your own dinner but we will all eat together. On Saturday morning those who want to will attend the swap meet next door. Check out time is 12 noon Saturday, but folks can stay an additional night if they like. Here is a link to the RV park's website. http://staugustinefleamarket.com/index.php/rv-park/about Call the RV Park directly for a reservation, 904-824-9840. Tell them you want to be with the Toyota RV group. Then please also call US to let us know you will be joining us. We want to know to expect you. Call 626-798-4510, leave a message if you get our business voicemail (health center) and we will call you back. Tika & Tom Now with a '93 Dolphin for travels in the Southeast

We now have 26 reservations for the Rally in Quartzsite. Reminder: the early-bird discount ends January 1. Tika

So far we have 11 reservations. Please call to be put on the list. It's gonna be fun! Tika 626-798-4510 Leave a message if you get our business voicemail and we will call you back.

Join the TOYOTA RV RALLY in Quartzsite, AZ - Jan. 16-19, 2015 The next Toyota RV Rally is coming up soon in Quartzsite, Arizona. The town is located on Interstate 10, 20 miles east of the Colorado River (border with California). Reservations are now being taken. The dates are Friday, January 16 to Monday, January 19, 2015. This is during the first weekend of the huge RV show which is held there every year. Some folks in our group will be arriving as early as Thursday the 15th, and staying for the entire 10-day show. The RV show is a really fun event with free admission. A giant show tent is erected with hundreds of vendors that cater to RVers. In addition the rest of the town turns into one giant swap meet. There are specific sections for antiques, gems & minerals, and new merchandise. Plus multiple other vendors in every possible corner and location. If you like to shop for bargains, bring lots of spending money. We will be dry camping together at an RV park relatively close to the show grounds. We're going to be close enough to walk to it; that way we don't have to break camp each day to go to the show. In fact, RVers coming to it from outlying areas have to park even farther away than where this RV Park is. (The distance is only .2 miles.) In addition to the RV Show and Swap Meets, this is a great chance to meet other Toyota RVers, and see what they have done to per- sonalize their "Toyhouses." We will have an informal "Open House" on Saturday morning when folks can visit each other's vehicles and see the various ingenious things that owners have done to make them more livable and unique. This is always a highlight of our Rallies. We're expecting about 2 dozen Toyota RVs again this year. The park's proprietors are very amiable and happy to help us save enough space for all our rigs. The fee for a 24-hour parking/ camping spot is only $7 per day. (One could easily spend a good percentage of that on gas each day just driving around to alternately find a parking spot and then a camping site.) In addition there is a one-time reservation fee of $8 to participate and to have us save you a spot with the group. Please make your reservation by phone, rather than email. When you call to confirm you are coming, you will get the specific location of where exactly to find us among the tens of thousands of RVers that will be there. We did say it will be a HUGE event, right? On Saturday and Sunday nights about 6pm we will have a community Potluck Dinner in the 20'x20' party tent we will be erecting (weather permitting). We eat whatever food shows up. Folks who aren't camping with us are welcome to come for just the dinners. Besides some food to share, please also bring your lawn chair and some firewood for the campfires we'll have every evening. Where we will be camping we will not have hook-ups or restrooms. (This is because none of the RV parks with hook-ups will take such a large group reservation that weekend without full pre-payment way in advance.) Therefore it is best to arrive with your tanks full of water and propane. Generators are allowed. Water from a faucet and porta-potties are near the park entrance, and a dump station is at the rear. Showers, and propane are available within driving distance for a fee. The weather will be moderate during the day (60s-70s) and cool at night (40s), and possibly windy. We hope we won't get any really nasty rains or winds like we had a few years ago. Bikes and/or scooters are great to have to get around in this town. Pets are welcome, but large dogs are discouraged in the main show tent. WiFi internet service is available in the RV park for a daily or weekly fee. Broadcast TV reception is practically non-existant, but cell phone service is terrific! To reserve a parking/camping spot with our group in the RV Park, please call (rather than email) and let us know which nights you will be coming, and how many folks and pets will be coming with you. You can send the $8 reservation fee via PayPal or check. Please also include your cell phone number. When we receive your payment, we will contact you with the specific directions for how to find us. Upon arrival, don't be surprised to find that the RV Park is full of bus-sized RVs which is why, in this first-come/first-served RV park, it takes some effort to "defend our turf." The moderate $8 participation fee is for us to save a spot for you and to help cover the costs of putting on the rally. The daily camping fee of $7 is to be paid to the proprietors of the RV Park at their office trailer for each night you stay. (Honor System, please.) To encourage folks to reserve soon, the $8 Early-Bird price is for reservations paid for before January 1st. If you wait until the last 2 weeks, the reservation fee will be $10. If you have never attended a Rally before, don't be shy — we always have several first-time folks. This is a great way to meet other Toyota RVers. PLEASE NOTE: In order to participate in the Rally with the group, and camp inside the special section where we will be, YOU MUST RESERVE A SPOT IN ADVANCE. There is no limit on the number of rigs we can have, but we are only going to rope off enough space and hold spots for those that have called ahead of time. Call us at 626-798-4510 to put your name on the list. Call any day 11a - 9p Pacific time. Leave a message if you get the voicemail for our business (health center), and we will call you back. Yes, it's gonna be fun! Tika in Southern California '86 E-Z Ryder tika_ee at yahoo.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now for the links section: Here are the links to photo albums of previous rallies, in the Yahoo toyota-campers group (membership required to view): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/1527375223/pic/list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/18308625/pic/list Now, here's a link to a National Geographic article that will give you a perspective on the amazing transformation of Quartzsite each winter: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0101/feature6/index.html Here's a link for more info about the RV show: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/rv/rv-general-info/ Here's a link to the Tyson Wells, home of the Sell-a-rama Swap Meet, one of several in town. http://www.tysonwells.com Also check the links on this page for lots and lots of additional fun photos and other helpful information: http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/local-quartzsite-information Hope to see you there soon!