May 2014 Rally
Dates: May 16-18, 2014
Location: Clifton Forge, VA
Hosts: Timm and Sharon Seaman
Campground: Buckhorn Campground
Six Coaches gathered May 16th – 18th at Buckhorne Camp Ground, Clifton Forge, for our monthly Rally. Attending were Bob and Vicky Ellett, Kamal and Deni Rojiani, Paul and Carol Melton, Feliza Jones, Dave and Evelyn Crabtree, and a guest couple, Jerry and Millie Cohen, from Virginia Beach. Timm and Sharon Seaman, our hosts, had to make a sudden trip to South Dakota due to a family emergency, but had the Rally planned very well. All we had to do was follow the script! Thanks, Timm, for setting up the Rally and taking care of all the details!
This was the Chapter’s first visit to Buckhorne, and Ray Allen, the owner, made sure we enjoyed our stay. Ray is an accomplished poet with three books and several national awards to his credit. During the Friday night ice cream social (Buckhorne has an ice cream parlor!) he sang an original composition for the group and entertained us with stories about the area around Clifton Forge.
We had sunny skies all weekend but the campfire felt good in the evening since night temperatures got down to 40 degrees. Lucky for us because the one thing Buckhorne lacked was a shelter but we could cook and eat outside, no problem.
This was the weekend for the 15th Annual Douthat Lake Run Car Show. There were lots of beautifully restored cars to enjoy as well as a BBQ ribs cook-off. There were other attractions the group enjoyed in downtown Clifton Forge including a train museum (the C&O was headquartered here) and a great Arts and Crafts Center featuring local artists.
We welcome Jerry and Millie as new members to the Cardinal Virginians. They are very active in FMCA and their home chapter is the Colonial Virginians. Jerry currently serves as the Eastern Area’s Central Region Vice President. Millie will be our voting representative at the FMCA Family Reunion being held in Redmond, Oregon August 13th – 16th. We hope the Cohen’s will find room in their busy schedule to attend many of our future Rallies.
Many thanks to Timm and Sharon for hosting the May Rally and taking us to a part of Virginia we have not camped in for a while. Thanks also to Carol Melton for the devotions on Sunday Morning. It was a great weekend with great food, unique and interesting things to do and, as usual, great fellowship!
Submitted by Dave Crabtree