RV Miles Second Annual Homecoming in Amana Iowa
Last time I wrote, we were in the Amana Iowa campground, so we could attend Amana’s Oktoberfest. We stayed another week, so we could be part of the second annual RV Miles Homecoming. We had a wonderful time with friends.
RV Miles
Our friends Jason and Abby Epperson started their RV Miles Podcast in 2017. We listened to them every week as our dream of being RVers was forming in our minds. We’ve followed them as they criss-crossed America on an epic road trip with their three sons. We’ve laughed with them. We’ve cried with them. Tony offered support for Abby when she had to create an episode alone, because Jason was in the hospital having brain surgery. We’ve interviewed one another for episodes.
We’ve met up for beer or wine or dinner as our paths crossed briefly. And we’ve camped together on several occasions. One such occasion was not even planned. We were walking to the pool, and I recognized Abby walking back from the laundry room!
RV Friendships
I didn’t know I was going to write about this when I sat down to start this post. The Epperson family is the perfect example of meeting people on the road who become lifetime friends. We do, naturally, meet a lot of people and share a weekend or a rally getting to know them, and then our paths don’t really cross again.
In this case, we have been lucky to meet up with the Eppersons all over the country. They have become true friends that we keep in touch with between meetings, whether those meetings are intentional or happy accidents.
Tony and Henry, the youngest Epperson, share a silly, funny, goofball bond that is a delight to watch.
Homecoming 2024
OK, so I was going to tell you about Homecoming. This event can now officially be called “annual” because they’ve hosted in two years in a row. Apparently last year they got called out for saying “first annual” instead of inaugural. I promise, it wasn’t me (even if I did think it).
Jason and Abby work with Amana RV Park to hold a group of campsites for the gathering. The campground is massive, and while we are often there when it’s practically abandoned, the weekend of Oktoberfest and this weekend saw a lot more RVs!
I guess it says that I was enjoying my time so much, when I realize later that I didn’t take very many photographs during the events.
Seminars
Homecoming 2024 offered a few seminars. We taught our “Don’t be Spooked by Boondocking” seminar. There was a couple who showed their photo books of National Parks. A lady talked about how she keeps up with her hobbies while living in a travel trailer. Another couple, who installs RV solar, talked about that technology.
A man recapped his trip across the country, following the route that his grandparent’s had followed 100 years ago. He made sure to keep the exact dates of his stops. It was a very interesting story and I hope his grandchildren do it again in 100 years.
Show and Tell
One morning we were invited to bring our favorite RV tool or gadget to share with the rest of the group. About half way through, there were finally items that we don’t already have. Of course, we took notes to remedy that oversight! We shared our AeroPress coffee maker, which we had also introduced during our boondocking seminar.
Service
Ryan from Nuts and Bolts Mobile RV Repair was on hand for service needs. Initially he offered to clean air conditioners, but I know he also fixed Bill’s furnace and re-sealed an entire Class A roof. We did have our air conditioner and solar panels cleaned. It hasn’t been hot enough really to need the air conditioner since then, of course!
Social Gatherings
Each evening during and after dinner was a great time to visit, hang out, and maybe play a game (or at least watch them).
One afternoon we all met at Millstream Brau Haus for a snack and a beer. We took over the entire patio and had a lovely time soaking up the sun and the fun.
Speak your mind
Jason and Abby hosted a consumer round-table. They invited us to help them create real, useful feedback that they could relay to the RV industry. This round table was sponsored by RV Life, who even provided a continental breakfast!
They also recorded this week’s episode of the RV Miles podcast, and invited audience questions. People asked a good variety of questions about RV Miles past, present, and future. Abby’s dad Dave played the theme song on his guitar. You can listen to their Episode 338 to hear how that turned out!
Suppers
Each night, dinner was provided. There was a sandwich bar, pasta bar, pizza night, and taco night. Most of the food was pretty good. Most importantly, we got to eat as a big group and we didn’t have to cook or clean up!
Sports and Games
There was a cornhole tournament. Last year Michael and Dave were the champions, and they tried very hard to defend their championship. They made it all the way to the last round. Sorry boys, maybe next year!
There was an afternoon of game time, when people got together and played board games. Some people started practicing for the cornhole tournament.
We rode our bikes along with Bill, Michael, and Micki into Amana one afternoon for lunch. That was actually the day we had planned to go to the Amana Renaissance Festival but my knee was hurting and we didn’t want me to make it worse. I used the throttle on the bike a lot in that four-mile ride to town and back!
Jason hosted a poker night one evening. It started after our bed time, so we didn’t even stay to watch.
Sky lights up
One night the northern lights or aurora borealis was visible. We all took time from the indoor activities to go out and take photos of the sky. It is odd that the lights are not very visible with the naked eye, but with our phone cameras we - especially Tony - got some spectacular photos. He is trying to convince me to update my phone so my photos will be better. That’s a whole other blog post.
Site Crawl
This was actually called “rig crawl” but I am trying to be clever with my “S” titles. Anyone who wanted to show of their RVs could sign up. We were encouraged to offer a bit or sip of something from home, if we wanted. Michael and Micki had very kindly transported a couple six-packs of Santa Fe Brewing 7K IPA for us, so we didn’t have to carry it for a month. We got cups and offered tastes of beer. Or whole beers, since not that many people accepted the offer. Michael and Mick made pozole.
I was protecting a sore knee, so I didn’t look at all the rigs. But I did walk over and get a bowl of pozole!
Settlement Stroll
Abby had arranged a group walking and kitchen tour of Middle Amana. We walked around the block with a man who lives in the home his family has lived for generations. He told us about the communal life of Amana colonies, and pointed out homes and business buildings. He told great stories about the history of Middle Amana.
We also got to tour one of the communal kitchens, and the family home of the woman that ran the kitchen. They offered a sampling of the food that might be on the summer menu. We got to try sauerkraut, pickled beets, and ham plus a horseradish jelly the we bought, and then discovered we don't really like it.
Sounds like a lot
The Homecoming meetup started Wednesday afternoon, and ended Sunday morning with our goodbyes. A heck of a lot of fun was had in that short time. However, we did not feel exhausted. Some rallies or meetups are either underplayed, in our opinion, like the FROGtoberfest rally we attended last weekend. Some are so full of activities that we feel like we need a vacation after it’s over. In our opinion, Homecoming was perfectly planned with just enough learning, playing, social, and free time so we could enjoy every bit of it.
So Long, Friends
It was a sad morning saying our farewells so we could get onto the road for our next adventure. We sure are looking forward to attending Homecoming next year!
Our RV Miles Family: Tony & Peggy, Bill, Michael & Micki, and Sue & Dave
