VIRGINIA WHEELS

Tom & Gloria Rezentees (21867)

Presidents

Gloria & I have had a busy couple of months. We started out attending the Virginia State Rally in Misty Mountain Campground with many of our fellow Virginia Wheels family and met some new friends as well. As always, we had a great rally and even though the weather did not cooperate, we were able to enjoy everyone’s company and fellowship.

 

We departed for central Texas to see our daughter and meet our new great granddaughter. However, we were also trying to stay ahead of Hurricane Helene, which was now Tropical Storm Helene. Our first stop over was in Sevierville, Tennessee for the night. We drove through some light rain, but overall, it was not too bad. We checked in to the campground and I asked the desk clerk if they had any flooding problems, being on the Pigeon River. She said no, they had never flooded. We turned on the local news and they started reporting the storm was coming! Severe flooding was being forecasted along with sixty mile per hour winds around 8:00 the next morning. I told Gloria we needed to get out early or we would be spending a few days there.

 

We departed around six thirty the next morning in standing water (over the top of my shoes) and windy conditions. Fortunately, the winds were around fifteen miles per hour. Thank you, Newmar for Comfort Drive!! We fought rain and wind all the way to Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis. Luckily, the wind gusts never exceeded thirty-five miles per hour. We continued to monitor the wind but since we got out early and ahead of the storm, we continued our trip with no problems.

 

We ran into a couple that we met on our Fantasy Alaska Caravan in 2022. They were also at Tom Sawyer RV Park, and we went to dinner and caught up on the last two years of life happenings. What a pleasant surprise and to know that you have friends throughout the community is a great feeling. No, they are not Newmar owners, but they do have a Winnebago!

 

We had a great visit with our daughter, great granddaughter, son, and grandkids in the Dallas area, including my nephew and his family. We departed north and west for the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and our meet up with friends, and Virginia Wheels members Tony & Heather Gallo. We stopped over for the meet up in Moriarity, New Mexico so we could arrive together in Albuquerque and park next to each other.

 

I need to give a huge shout out to Jim & Lorie Landers, Region 3 Directors, and hosts for the Balloon Festival Rally. Wow is all I can say. They did a super job and are really the nicest people you could meet. The only comment I could make is everyone should experience this fantastic event. The Gallo’s and us had a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute we were there. So many different balloons, with our site feet away from the gate to enter the field was just magnificent. Afternoon socials, with our fellow attendees and Newmar owners and fun packed days left us exhausted every evening. We found ourselves in bed by 9:00 pm every night.

 

We want to wish all our Newmar friends a happy holiday. With the end of the travel season for many of us coming up soon, I know it is disappointing to put our rolling condos away for a winter sleep! We are preparing for our winter home in Zephyrhills, Florida and look forward to seeing many of you at the Tampa RV Show for our annual Y’all Come Gathering lunch. If you are in the area, stop by and join us. You will find us under the big white hard tent like cover. Grab a bite to eat and come sit with an excellent group of Newmar owners.

 

Travel safely and please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. We can be reached at  tomrezentes@comcast.net, Cell: 804-892-7727.