washington state truck camper rally- june 26-29 2014

[the_tc_life]

WASHINGTON STATE TRUCK CAMPER RALLY

JUNE 26-29 2014

ELECTRIC CITY, WA.

SUNBANKS RESORT

(3.7 MILES S.W. OF GRAND COULEE DAM)



sunbanks resort has a lot to offer. it is a resort and not a traditional campground. I have secured 20 sites all in one area of the resort. the resort has swimming, boat launch with moorage, boat rentals, karaoke on Friday night and a band will play on Saturday night, a playfield, mini-golf and a cantina all on the shores of Banks Lake.

the resort is a short 10 minute drive to the grand daddy of them all, Grand Coulee Dam. the dam offers a fantastic free visitors center as well as a laser light show on the dam starting at dusk, around 10 pm.

30 miles to the south of the resort is the dry falls visitors center. see what once was huge falls from the last ice age floods and learn what forces shaped this region.

5 miles to the south is Northrup Canyon. enjoy and easy 3- 4 mile hike (round trip) to an abandoned homestead while enjoying the diverse ecosystem of this canyon like no where else in grant county. continue on from the homestead if you wish to Northrup lake. that section of the hike is more strenuous.
golfing, horseback riding and more are very close to the resort also.

schedule of the rally

THURSDAY: meet and greet

FRIDAY: morning hike to Northrup canyon or go to the grand coulee dam visitors center

FRIDAY: afternoon sometime there will be a craft project for the kids

FRIDAY: in the evening enjoy karaoke at the resort or see the laser show at the dam

SATURDAY: mid morning, caravan to the dry falls visitors center

SATURDAY: evening, potluck dinner and enjoy the live band

SUNDAY: farewell breakfast

reservations must be made by april 1st. after that date the sites will be given to others. all 20 sites are held under my name (rich bain) so when you call to make the reservation let them know it is under my name and that you are with the truck camper rally.

rates: NOW LOWERED FOR US AT $36.00 PER NIGHT for our group. our sites have 30 amp and water service with a dump station there at the resort.

the sites: our sites are in yellow in the picture below. sites 66-74 are no pet sites. all of our other sites are pet friendly. your host will be in site 107. (see picture link at bottom to enlarge the map)



we hope to see you at the 2014 Washington state truck camper rally.

rally sign up link: I want go

links:


resort link: link

a few resort pictures link: link

northup canyon link: link

dry falls link: link

[Bedlam]

We had great time meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Thanks to the organizer, The TC Life, we had Adventurer provide a "Taste of Yakima" (although someone performed a successful rain dance during our event) and Torklift came out out with their truck with all kinds of neat new products that will make you want want lighten your wallet.

A much better write up with pictures can be found at this link thetclife.com/2014/06/30/washington-state-rally-625-629-2014/ but here's a taste of our rally:

Torklift Truck


Adventurer's Taste of Yakima


Bedlam Naked (TC offloaded)

[the_tc_life]

looks like a bit cooler weather for the rally this week. here is the forecast according to the weather channel:

mid to high 70's with a very slight chance of rain. actually...nice weather

[the_tc_life]

some have asked about the potluck menu. i leave it up to a surprise. its never been an issue before. people bring all kinds of great food. so bring whatever you like. joanne and i will be bringing a apple chili. its a washington apple thing since it is the washington state rally. the food does not have to be themed, its just what we are doing.

less than two weeks to go. the weather forecast will start to come into the picture here soon. it is always warmer in central washington.

[the_tc_life]

there are a couple people who will be golfing friday morning at about 10 am. if anyone would like to join them, please let me know as soon as you can so i can let them know.

thanks!

[the_tc_life]

a bit more information on the area...


main fuel station is in grand coulee :


jacks corner

630 e grand coulee ave

grand coulee wa 99133

convenience store hours 5 am - 11 pm (midnight on Saturday) pumps open 24 hours a day


grocery store :


safeway

320 midway ave

grand coulee wa 99133

hours - 6am - 10 pm 7 days a week


suggested family restaurant :


pepper jacks

113 midway ave

grand coulee wa 99133

hours - 7am - 9pm 7 days a week

[the_tc_life]

just over 3 weeks to go! here is the new updated itinerary for the rally. for those that signed up for the rally i will be sending the itinerary in a email shortly too. i talked to the resort today and there are a couple sites still available.

[the_tc_life]

on friday afternoon after the torklift presentation there will be a "taste of yakima valley" sponsored by adventurer truck campers and a member of the adventurer team. it will be a relaxed gathering at a specific camp site. the details will be in the itinerary that you will get when you arrive at the rally.

as of now, there are 19 rigs signed up. i called the resort on may 17th and there were 3 sites left available in our group area.

[the_tc_life]

okay, here is the info on the tour at grand coulee dam. all that is available is the basic tour. the more accessible tour is for groups for the schools, scouts and such. that being said...

basic tour times run from 10 am - 5 pm every hour.
the tour takes 50 minutes to do.
meeting point for the tour is on the north end of the dam. check in first at the visitors center though for any questions.
cameras are OKAY but no camera bags, purses or any other bags.
you will be scanned and or searched before the tour.
THE TOUR IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED, NO RESERVATIONS.
they can take up 38 people at a time.

at the visitors center for grand coulee dam they have a new film (free) to watch about the construction of the dam. the film is 45 minutes long.

the NEW laser show will be running this summer. it starts at 10 pm. i will not be hosting that part of it and will be at the resort.

[the_tc_life]

SRT - google "lake Missoula" and it will pull up a bunch of information and what caused the landscape from parts of western Montana through Idaho and Washington to the pacific ocean. very interesting. there are some amazing land features to see. so even if you can not attend this rally it is still worth a visit at another time.

[SRT]

Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli wrote:
We buy the Discover Pass every year begrudgingly. What is really cool too is to drive down into the basin of the Dry Falls and look around.

Great picture from the air. Must have been a torrent of water for a period of time to create the dry falls and "gullies" during glacial times.

[the_tc_life]

a couple updates for the rally...

for those who have signed up for the rally already, be sure to check for an email from me asking a couple questions.

question one is: how many kids are attending with you? this is for us to gather enough items for a kids craft.

question two is : are you interested in doing a tour at grand coulee dam? most likely saturday mid morning time frame but that is not confirmed yet. i am gathering information on a more accessible tour than the basic one. i hope to get a confirmation on that by the end of the week.

rally stats:

holding steady at 16 rigs signed up.

rig coming the farthest is from new jersey.

if you still want to join there is still time. sites right next to us might be available but are a first come first served. let me know if you wish to attend and i will do my best to get you a site next to the group.

[Camper_Jeff___K]

We buy the Discover Pass every year begrudgingly. What is really cool too is to drive down into the basin of the Dry Falls and look around.

[the_tc_life]

I am working on a more specific itinerary for the rally. I have had to make a couple changes. the caravan to dry falls looks like will have to be scratched. at least as a group thing. seems that the little pull off viewing area is requiring a discovery pass or a $10 fee to park there. I don't remember that being a case in the past. not for the viewing spot. that's too steep of a price for those without the pass to park for 20-30 minutes.

a caravan to the grand coulee dam would be fun during the day on Saturday. in fact it is even a shorter trip than to dry falls.

I will post the update very soon

[the_tc_life]

thought id post a picture of the area we will be at for the rally. yesterday we climbed steamboat rock and had fantastic views of the area. steamboat rock is about 6 miles south of the resort. the picture is looking from steamboat rock towards the resort.
yes the sites are now a first come first served but at this time there are still sites available to join.