A camping forum for VW bus and camper owners.

14th Annual Thanksgiving Warmup and Food Fest

Event Details

Time: November 17, 2023 at 2pm to November 19, 2023 at 11am
Location: Sandy Beach Park, Rio Vista, CA
Street: 2333 Beach Drive
City/Town: Rio Vista, CA
Website or Map: http://parkreservations.solan…
Phone: (707) 374-2097
Event Type: campout, and, potluck
Organized By: John LaTorre
Latest Activity: Nov 20, 2023

Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)

0 members like this

Event Description

We are going back to Sandy Beach in Rio Vista, CA. This is our annual practice run and food fest before Thanksgiving. Reserve sites soon as they may go fast if the sport fishermen/women come back this year.

It's a pot-luck, and I'll be roasting a turkey on-site. Electrical outlets will be available for people with hot pots and such,

A few more things: the reservation section of the park's web site has been a bit dodgy, and senior discounts aren't on the menu there. If you qualify, go ahead and reserve your spot at the going rate, and make contact with the park by phone to arrange a refund of part of the fee. The point is to grab your spot first, and settle the bill later.

The second thing: Note that all reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance of the date, and no "first-come-first-served" sites are provided anymore. But if you're late, look for the people willing to share a spot and hitch up with them.

Third, all sites have electricity FOR FREE. Bring your electric heaters if you think you need them. (If you don't have one and need one, let me know and I'll bring one for you.)

Brett made a little video about what kind of adapter you need if you want to use the AC outlets that are at every site (FOR FREE!). Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOF7aCUfwZ0

Lastly, be aware that there are wild critters (raccoons, feral cats, etc.) that will go into any open camper that you're not around. So be sure to keep your doors closed.

Party Central will be at site #4o. Bring food, wine, and wood (although wood may also be available on-site).

As usual, I'll share my spot with another camper, and encourage you to to the same.

Comment Wall

Comment by Scott & Karla on November 13, 2023 at 10:13am: Another option for the guy ropes is to run some battery powered string lights along them. Also, because the rain tends to lock the smoky air in the tent, I'm bringing a couple of battery operated fans to experiment with air flow if needed.

Comment by John LaTorre on November 13, 2023 at 10:35am: Sounds good to me. I'm always up for experimenting. As for the guy rope removal, the new method has been tested and works well.

Comment by Wendie Wu on November 15, 2023 at 3:45pm: Any food allergies/restrictions? Nuts, dairy, alcohol, etc?

Comment by John LaTorre on November 16, 2023 at 10:09am: Not for mre, Wendie.

Comment by regis101 on November 16, 2023 at 2:05pm: Five lbs, maybe six, of green salad coming at ya. Ranch and Italian dressings. Bowls, plastic ware, paper towels. Chocolate chip cookies. Coupla armfuls of wood. What time is check-in?

Comment by regis101 on November 16, 2023 at 2:58pm: Found it. 2pm check-in. 11am check-out.

Comment by Wendie Wu on November 16, 2023 at 5:38pm: Got my cranberry salad ready and the gin & tonic cheesecake is done.
Bringing extra tonic because I only had a liter bottle.

Will have Irish breakfast shots for Saturday (though I’m out of bacon). .

Comment by regis101 on November 19, 2023 at 12:37pm: So that was fun. It's always nice to see familiar faces as well as new ones. Plenty of food. I did my best with five trips to the buffet table(s). I didn't take any pics but hope others did. The rain didn't seem to be an issue. Plenty of firewood to keep warm and toasty. Peace, ~R

Comment by John LaTorre on November 20, 2023 at 10:20am: Thanks to everyone who was there and helped with food, shelters, firewood, and companionship! It was a great example of why we have these sorts of things. Here's hoping that we keep it all rolling!