SoCal's Winter Blast at Lake Havasu Rally

Joel Langord's bears enjoyed our rally too  - I saw the bears when he first began
to carve them a year ago. It's neat to see the finished carving with the bears
relaxing in the hammock Joel made for them

Winter Blast is an appropriate name for this SoCal Alpine rally. It was, indeed, a real blast -  we had a terrific time, thanks to our rally hosts, the Guhses and the Lisecs.
The rally officially started Thursday February 11th and ended Monday. Many of us, however, arrived early.

An Alpine rally schedule is by now familiar: gathering in the mornings for breakfast and socializing; gathering an hour before dinner for Happy Hour and socializing; then indulging in the planned dinners and socializing some more. 
Breakfasts at this rally were noteworthy. Our hosts provided a gourmet, splendid, and sumptuous Continental spread: boiled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt, sweet rolls, bagels toasted to perfection courtesy of Chief Toaster, Dave. For dinner, we had pizza and salad one night, a Cowboy Barbecue Dinner put on by the Rodeo Fair hosting the fireworks weekend a second night, and a sumptuous chicken and salad dinner the final night. The best part about the final dinner is the surprise treat each sweetheart prepared for his Valentine. 

Here is a glimpse into our dry-camping rally:

Alpine SoCal gathering area 

consummate rally hostesses, Nicole and Katie, preparing our mouthwatering breakfast

Michael giving a helping hand by blowing up the "ice pool" to
keep the yogurts cold

Alpine couples socializing

the Cowboy dinner with entertainment by a Cowboy Band

my Valentine treat, made by my sweetheart...aaww

In between the group gatherings, we had free time of our own. As I found out at previous rallies, there is lots to keep one occupied. It's a time to reconnect with friends we have not seen for a while, a time to explore the area, and in this case, a time to do a "guy project".
Many in the SoCal group have flagpoles they erect in front of their Alpines.


We now have a flagpole too...thanks to Jack and Ed's expert construction help:


It was perfect timing for President's Day. We picked up a flag at the local Ace Hardware in town and waved it proudly in front of our Alpine too.


If there is a spare moment, anyone who needs it, takes the opportunity to solve Alpine issues that invariably crop up. It's the perfect time to get technical help and advice. Or, it's also an opportunity to work on yet another item on that lengthy Alpine To-Do list.

When he had a spare moment, Michael worked on the TV antenna

Besides the rally being a "blast" and all of us having a great time together, this was also literally a blast because it was the weekend of the Lake Havasu City industry fireworks extravaganza. And what an extravaganza it turned out to be. Every evening, beginning at 7:30 PM, the fireworks started and continued into the night, the loud booms reverberating throughout the grounds. This was the 27th Annual Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show, when the Western Pyrotechnic Association gathers for its annual convention to show off the latest and greatest in fireworks. We have seen many fireworks displays but the Saturday show was the best, and there were several new fireworks that I have not yet seen. In the evenings, we all gathered with our comfy chairs to watch the shows.It was like having front-row seats.
Here is a link to Michael's short video clip featuring the best of the fireworks display:
https://youtu.be/8LDb2kShJec
It will be more noteworthy and realistic than any photos on my camera.

Not to be outdone, each evening mother nature put on an explosive display of her own. The sunsets over the mountains were riveting. But the most memorable and striking sunset of all was the one on our final evening with the heavens ablaze: