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: https://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 regis101 on October 17, 2023 at 3:51pm: Bird prep isn't too hard. Put a frozen 13# bird in the fridge on Wednesday. On Friday shove the still wrapped mostly thawed roadkill into a garbage bag or two and place that into an ice cooler. Keep it chilled until Saturday morn. Latex gloves are a bonus at this point. Wake it up by removing the factory wrapping and give it a hose down. Pat dry. Hold it up to the sun as a rite of sacrifice giving thanks for hanging with like minded peoples. Place back into a clean oven bag for sanitary reasons. Place that back into the cooler until the cook give the signal. Your job is done. A dorm style fridge or RV fridge works also since there's power at the sites. And don't forget to remove the giblet bag. Ask me how I know. But that was a handful of years ago.

Comment by John LaTorre on October 18, 2023 at 10:51am: You'll at least have to show up to collect the case of beer I made for you.

Anybody else? Scott and Karla? I haven't heard whether WestyWoman or the Marlowes will be showing up.

Comment by John LaTorre on October 18, 2023 at 12:20pm: And it looks like Scott has a big bird that is just dying to be consumed. So we're set.

Comment by Wendie Wu on November 12, 2023 at 2:49pm: Glad John found a bird. I was out of the country and late to the discussion.

I can bring cranberry "salad" and either a dessert or a sweet potato pumpkin soup. Any preference?

Comment by Wendie Wu on November 12, 2023 at 2:57pm: Oh, one more update: website says they do have first-come-first-serve sites. The webpage (left side, scroll down) tells how many sites are sites are available "right now, for tonight".

https://parkreservations.solanocounty.com/reservation/camping/

Comment by John LaTorre on November 12, 2023 at 5:43pm: That's new! (Or should I say "new again").

The weather calls for rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, but it should dry up in time for the party. I'll bring a pop-up for the turkey grill.Temps will be in the mid-40s at night, but I can bring an extra electric heater if anybody wants it.

So wendie's bringing a cranberry salad-type thing and a dessert. Scott and Karla are bringing the bird and I'll be cooking it. I see that Lev, Jane L, Gene and Kris say they'll be there, but I don't know which slots they have or what they'll be bringing.. And Regis might or might not be there (he's Shroedinger's Camper Cat). Wendie is in 19, I'm in 4, and Scott and Karla are in 16.

Comment by Jane Lindsey on November 12, 2023 at 8:12pm: Denise is comming too and we'll be in site #19

I'm going to bring Sweet potato casserole, rolls, a can of cranberry sauce and a pie. Denise is bringing a vegetable I think. I'll check in again when I know more.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Comment by Jane Lindsey on November 12, 2023 at 8:15pm: OOps our site is #18

sorry for the mix up!

Comment by Scott & Karla on November 13, 2023 at 8:27am: I'll bring an 8x16 awning with attachable walls in case the weather inleads into our feast. We can set it up over the tables.

Comment by John LaTorre on November 13, 2023 at 9:24am: And I will, of course, bring the Tent of Doom and the Annex of Despair, now new and improved so that it doesn't have those long guy ropes that were trip hazards.

Comment