Arrivals – Check in at campground

Open day for arrival of rally attendees.  Check in at park.  Pick up name tags and T-shirts at group site.  Pay any outstanding fees owed.  Confirm Elks Lodge Dinner information.  Confirm art project participation.

4:00 pm – Happy hour

Gather at group sight (BYOB) for introductions, meet and greet and socializing.  We will also have a discussion about the rally and how it will go for the week.

9:00 am – 10:30 am – Seminar – Driving your RV/HDT Safely – Glyn Carson

Glyn has been a commercial driver since 1974.  He drove limousines and busses for entertainers while living in Nashville, TN and after moving to Alaska in 1997 he worked for the Highway Department plowing snow on the Alaskan Ice Road to Prudehoe Bay.  He also drove the Alaskan Ice Road and on the frozen ocean.  He is a certified Class-A CDL instructor and has taught RVers to drive their rigs safely since 2013.  He has presented safe driving seminars at Escapees Boot Camp.  Glyn is also available for private lessons if so desired.  Glyn will be arriving in the area on the 10^th and staying for a week or so after the rally if anyone is interested.  Contact Glyn directly if you would like to discuss this or schedule something around the rally time.   twolanedrivingtips@hotmail.com

10:45 am – 12:15 am – Seminar – WiFi Ranger presentation – Mark Maliwauki and Randy Keyes

Mark Maliwauki is the Director of Customer Experience & Success and Randy Keyes is the Customer Service Manager & Technical Lead for WiFi Ranger, a local (Idaho) company recently acquired by Winegard that produces WiFi and LTE Capture devices allowing RVers to connect to distant WiFi networks and LTE signals and create local area networks in their RV’s.

 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm – Lunch break

 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm – Seminar – Firearms Safety and Personal Protection ­– Chad Heiser

This presentation will cover firearms safety considerations, personal safety considerations and self-defense.  This presentation will not cover individual state laws and is not intended to be state specific, but more of a general overview of the topics.

 3:15 pm – 3:30 pm – Break

 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Seminar – Firearms for Beginners – Chad Heiser

This is intended for novice or inexperienced firearms users to teach some basic firearms skills in preparation for the firearms day on Thursday.  This class is intended for the novice or beginner but is open to anyone.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Dinner time

Everyone is free to retreat to their RV’s or gather as desired for dinner.

6:30 pm – ??:?? pm – Happy hour

Everyone is encouraged to congregate at the group site for socializing, storytelling, or whatever may come.

9:00 am – 10:30 am – Seminar – RV Batteries presented by Chad Heiser

Considerations and components for an RV battery bank.  I will discuss the current battery technologies along with the pros and cons of each type.  I will cover charging, discharging, wiring, sizing and monitoring of an RV battery bank.  There will also be specific information on various battery banks I have installed.

10:30 am – 10:45 am – Break

10:45 am – 12:15 am – Seminar – Inverter installations presented by Chad Heiser

Considerations and components for an RV inverter installation.  I will discuss all aspects of inverter installations including basic electrical calculations, sizing, wiring considerations, charging, inverter types and recommendations, battery monitoring and finally a phased approach to the installation.  There will also be specific information on various systems I have installed.

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm – Lunch break

1:45 pm – 3:15 pm – Seminar – Solar installations presented by Chad Heiser

Considerations and components for an RV solar installation.  I will discuss all aspects of solar installations including basic electrical calculations, panel types and array sizing, wiring considerations, charge controller types and recommendations, monitoring and finally installation considerations.  There will also be specific information on various systems I have installed.

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm – Break

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm – RV Fire Suppression by Aaron Jones

Aaron is a rally attendee and a representative for Proteng.  Proteng provides lifesaving fire suppression systems for RV’s, cars, trucks, aerospace, and the list goes on and on.  Aaron will discuss RV fire suppression and the systems available from Proteng.  Aaron will also be available for free, no obligation assessments if anyone is interested in the products.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Dinner time

Everyone is free to retreat to their RV’s or gather as desired for dinner.

6:30 pm – ??:?? pm – Happy hour

Everyone is encouraged to congregate at the group site for socializing, storytelling, or whatever may come.

9:00 am – 9:30 am – Mandatory Range Safety Meeting – Chad Heiser

This meeting is required attendance for all people who wish to go to the range for the day.  We will cover basic range safety and the rules for the day.

9:30 am – 10:00 am – Break

Take a break and gather your equipment to head out to the range.  Bring food and drink you would like for lunch as there are no food services at the range.  Chairs would also be advisable.

10:00 am – 10:30 am – Travel to the range

We will caravan out to the range together.  We will be heading to Pickle Butte Shooting Range/George Nourse Range at 16802 Nash Road, Nampa, ID 83686.  This is a public range open to anyone.  We will do our best to keep the group together once we arrive at the range.

10:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Shooting

This is intended to be a fun outing for both experienced and inexperienced/novice shooters.  Please bring your own firearms and ammunition to be used at the range.  If you do not have you’re your own forearms, but would like to participate, contact me and we can discuss options.  I will provide some targets and stands, but if you have some you would like to bring and use/share that would be extremely helpful as well.  I will have some additional help to provide individualized shooting instruction for anyone who would like.  Obviously, firearms can be dangerous, and we want everyone to be safe, so we will implement safety rules and instructions, but this event is a participate at your own risk event.

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Elks Lodge Happy Hour and Dinner

The Caldwell Elks Lodge has agreed to host our group for dinner and no host cocktails (thanks to Dave Schonhardt for being an Elks Lodge member).  Dinner will be at 6:00 pm, but the cocktail bar opens at 4:00 pm, so we can arrive any time after that.  We will have our own bartender and bar area in the dining hall.  Due to COVID restrictions, we will not be allowed in the main bar area – this is reserved for local Elks Lodge members only.  If you have a special alcohol request, let me know so our bar can stock it.  They will have all the normal alcohol and soft drink choices available.  The dinner choices are prime rib or salmon, with all the fixings.  The fee for dinner is $40 per person and includes the hall rental, our own private bar area and all the necessary items to host a group our size. If you wish to attend, please purchase your dinner ahead of time through the rally website.  I will have a list of attendees and their dinner choices that I will confirm with everyone in person at the rally on arrival day.  The Caldwell lodge is large and can accommodate our entire group.  The Caldwell Elks Lodge is located at 1015 N Kimball Ave, Caldwell, ID 83605.

9:00 am – 9:45 am – Seminar – Firearms Cleaning and Maintenance – Chad Heiser

I will provide instruction on the proper cleaning and maintenance of your firearms after spending the previous day at the range.  Individuals are encouraged to bring their own firearms and cleaning kits to the seminar to participate.

This day was set aside for the wine/brewery tours.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to have the tours due to COVID restrictions.  The wineries were restricted to small groups and the tour company and I could not come up with a satisfactory way to break our large group up into enough small groups to make it feasible.  As a result, this was a free day for Rally participants to do as they pleased.  We did move the pot luck dinner to this evening once I found we couldn’t make the tours work.

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Pot Luck Dinner time

Everyone is encouraged to bring a dish to share with the group.  The WCR potluck dinner is wide open and meant to be a fun gathering (much like our rally in general).  I do not assign out specific dishes nor types of dishes to anyone.  Whatever you wish to bring and share will be gladly accepted.  I know there are a lot of good cooks out there and I look forward to sampling your creations.  We will have further discussions about this our first night at the park as a group.

7:30 pm – ??:?? pm – Happy hour

Everyone is encouraged to congregate at the group site for socializing, storytelling, or whatever may come.

9:00 am – 10:30 am – Seminar – Electrical Safety with you in mind – Dave Schonhardt

Dave will provide a class demonstration and lecture regarding electrical safety.  Dave is a retired electrician and encourages class input and questions.

10:30 am – 10:45 am – Break

10:45 am – 12:15 am – Seminar – Cellular Connectivity for the RV – Brian Marklin

Brian Marklin spent his career in the cellular industry.  When he made the switch to full time RV living, he realized he needed constant connectivity to make the lifestyle work for his working family.  Brian came up with a system to keep his family connected and then realized there were many others out there like him who needed connectivity for both work and play while on the road.  As a result, he started RV Mobile Connect to keep travelers connected while on the road.

12:15 pm – 2:00 pm – Lunch break

 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Painting Party – Michelle Brotzman of The Angry Easel Paint Parties LLC

The painting party will be led by a local artist and is open to anyone willing to have a good time.  No artistic talent is necessary.  This will be the fifth year we have offered the art project and it has gained popularity each time.  The artist will provide all the materials necessary, all you need to do is show up and have fun.  There is a $20.00 fee payable to the artist to cover the materials and her time.  The artist will guide participants through the process of creating a personalized painting.

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Free Time

Race Night – Tonight is Walking Sombrero Dollar Taco Night at Meridian Speedway.  Gates open at 4:45 and races start at 6:30.  A group of Rally goers has decided to go to the races for the evening.  Anyone interested in attending is welcome.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Dinner time

Everyone is free to retreat to their RV’s or gather as desired for dinner.

6:30 pm – ??:?? pm – Happy hour

Everyone is encouraged to congregate at the group site for socializing, storytelling, or whatever may come.

9:00 am – 10:30 am – Seminar – YouTube and You – Jim Stockman and Aaron Jones

Jim and Aaron are both YouTube content providers with their own channels.  Jim and his wife Kellie have a YouTube channel called Suite Travels and Aaron and his wife Tina have a YouTube channel called JonesN2Travel.  They both provide content related to fulltime living in their RV’s and other RV lifestyle related issues.  They will discuss how to document your travels and share memories with family and friends while on the road through Social Media and YouTube.

 10:30 am – 10:45 am – Break

10:45 am – 12:15 am – Seminar – Instapot Cooking – Lindsey Reinig

Lindsey is a professionally trained chef and an Instapot aficionado.  Lindsey will demonstrate the electric pressure cooker (Instapot).  The seminar will involve preparing a meal with samples and recipes to take home.

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm – Lunch break

1:45 pm – 3:15 pm – Seminar – How to Handle Medical Emergencies While Traveling – John Nokes

John Nokes is a Paramedic who has been involved in Emergency Medical Services for over 20 years and holds multiple instructor certifications.  Topics will include emergency preparedness, basic first aid and CPR with AED, traumatic injuries and medical emergencies.  There will also be time for questions and answers.  If you have a specific focus you would like me to discuss please email me at john@emsdynamics.com and I will incorporate it into the presentation. 

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm – Break

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Q & A – RV Repair and Maintenance – David Warteman

David Warteman is a professional RV repairman and will guide a discussion about typical RV maintenance and repair issues.  Come prepared to participate in the discussion and ask questions.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Dinner time

Everyone is free to retreat to their RV’s or gather as desired for dinner.

6:30 pm – ??:?? pm – Happy hour

Everyone is encouraged to congregate at the group site for socializing, storytelling, or whatever may come.

Departure day.  Goodbye to all.  See you next year.

A group of us are heading over to Hemingway OHV Park after the rally.  The OHV park is located on BLM land and you can stay there for free for up to 14 days.  OHV’s are not required, but they are definitely fun to have there.