We were so excited to attend our first big Trailer Rally, with a trailer, that is. After our experience with the mini tornado and shorted out running lights, we were ready for a positive and fun excursion!
I packed us to the gills for "The Groovy Beach Bash" on Tybee Island, GA. The journey would be two days there and two days back with lots of time to explore in between. It was very near to Savannah and Charleston, places we've never been.
Talledega, AL was about half way there and then it was on to Tybee Island 🌴
Looks peaceful doesn't it?
WRONG.
After dodging what seemed like an inordinate amount of traffic in Atlanta, it appeared to be traveling with us....
Tybee Island is just outside of Savannah, GA. with access by one two lane road that was BUMPER TO BUMPER and barely moving. So much so, we crept into a gas station as we were running low. Gas stations are challenging enough when towing a trailer, let alone when all the spots are full with cars jockeying for position. For extra credit, add lines of questionable looking people out the door awaiting relief in the no doubt gilded, tufted, lavender scented environs of the gas station's toilets.
Thank God we had our own bathroom in the trailer!
We found out, while filling up, the reason for the press of people was something called "Orange Crush" a Georgia college spring break thing. No doubt the cultural event of the season.
They didn't look like college kids to me......
More like the entire "Hood" showed up. It was Boom Shack-A-Lacka Town! What I'm sure is music to some people was blaring out of automobiles, vibrating so severely when they pulled along side, you feared your dental work would loosen! Whoever had a car, filled it with Hoochies and hit the road and they poured out when stopped for gas.
There was so very much I could not unsee!
Traffic was at a snails pace so, I decided to use the station's attending hand held car wash to get the camper show ready and occupy time until traffic let up. It didn't. I had Dave stand guard ( so he could kill someone with kindness ) while I worked around the camper and just in case you think I'm exaggerating, later that night someone was shot dead on the beach and the event was cancelled. Classy. Nice. Might I have another canapé, please?
We could have walked to the campground faster. Backward. During our protracted excursion down the tidal two lane, people urinated in broad daylight, were being frisked and cuffed by officers, and gasless cars were pushed to the shoulder. What in the Hell had we gotten into?!
The reputation of Savannah being New Orlean's older, wealthier, more cultured sister was wearing thin.
The campground seemed like an oasis of peace by the time we arrived. Serious consideration was given to leaving right then and there. This was not what we signed up for. The folks in the office said none of the "spring breakers" were in the campground. Well, that was some comfort. And it all was supposed to be over that weekend. Okay. Turned out it was earlier when the bullets began flying.
We had arrived a weekend before the Trailer Rally and we had time to explore Old Savannah which is beyond lovely. We bought a DVD of the movie "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" and went sightseeing the next day.
We took the Old Town Trolley Tour which was very worthwhile and visited the cemetery.... The famous "Bird Girl" is in a museum now.
Another day trip carried us to Beaufort, a lovely little town my friend Delena told me about, and we took in Charleston.
We were the first campers at the rally and were told we helped everyone navigate because of our atomic light!
It all started with a get acquainted dinner at The Crab Shack. The kitsch and company were better than the food.
Then, participant open house, with so many great trailers....
That evening was a screening outdoors of "The Long, Long Trailer" replete with lawn chairs and pop corn.
The next day was judging and the public open house! After all the packing, traveling, and dodging debauchery....... it poured rain.
And no one came.
Ahhhhhhhh.... all dressed up and no one to show!
You can take the showgirl out of the show but you can't take the show out of the showgirl!
The rain finally let up and people began trickling in. Included in the touring public was the cast and crew of a film starring Tom Berenger but I missed getting a picture of him in our camper! We started taking down our display before the open house was over, apologizing the whole time, as we were between storms and the second round was proposed to be worse.
A bunch of us dressed in vintage clothing for the awards presentation.
WE WON IN TWO CATEGORIES! BEST 1960's AND PEOPLES CHOICE!
The two of us took our trophies and beat it back to the camper with lightening on our heels. We hunkered down for the storm by sitting on the floor of the camper and talking about going to the club house versus dying in the trailer. We chose dying in the trailer. Oh, and watched Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil! It blew and blew, poured rain, thundered, and we sprung a leak. One small steady stream out of the rear window drapery cornice.
Puzzling.
The storm passed and the next morning I went searching for the source of the leak and found it in a puttyless screw hole in the brow over the window. At least it was fixable! Oh, and one of our awnings was found about 100 yards from our trailer
.
The great thing about Trailer Rallys are the people, I think I found my tribe! Vintage Trailerites are self starting project people who love all things retro. They're a good natured bunch who like to have fun. A special shout out to Kim Hoke who organized this event. She's my kinda gal! There's a whole lot of work that goes into making sure other folks have a good time! We met a lot of people we are still friends with!
We headed home with the glow of victory in our smiles.
But, we were dog tired.
I suppose what happened next was inevitable.....
Our arrival in Talledega, AL half way home was met by twilight and a trailer park Yokel who had no sense of boundaries or propriety. There I was tired and trying to get level and hook up but this guy kept circling with a beer in one hand and a lifetime of conversation in the other. He wanted to "take a peek" with me holding a sewer hose. Keep in mind, he never offered to help.
Then he wanted his "Momma" to come look.
I'd had enough.
"I'm sorry, we have been driving all day and all I want to do is sleep, please leave us alone." You would have thought I shot the man. He left, never to be seen again.
Whatever
Rally's are tiring affairs. Fun, but tiring. You have to organize, pack, transport, setup, clean, participate, tear down, organize, repack, transport, unpack, clean, and plan for the next one. There's at least a weekend of activity before you go and another when you return.
You do not want to encounter me on the way back when I'm exhausted. You don't.
I posted this situation online that night and received a hot pile of criticism. "Why don't you buy a white box if you want to be left alone?!", was my personal favorite. Ahhhhh, the kindness of online strangers. Having a cute camper is like having a cute dog. People sometimes can't help themselves. I happen to have a cute dog, too. So, I'm used to the attention.
But.
People shouldn't help themselves to her when she's in my purse. She'll bite.
Safely home and feeling very much on a roll, I planned our next trip. Our 30th Wedding Anniversary was coming up and we would travel to Niagara Falls!
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