2018 - DE Rendezvous Wrapup
2018 DE Rendezvous Wrapup
by Bob Jacoby
Even though the weather didn't completely cooperate, the 2018 Desert Explorers Rendezvous was a fun and action packed event. We had a solid menu of events and an excellent turnout of about 61 members. This represents around 60% of our members. That would be an excellent percentage for most organizations.
The weekend started on Friday (4/6) with two interesting inbound trips led by Sue and Bob Jaussaud (Boron/Randsburg area) and Bill Powell (Coso Mountains). Both of these trips were interesting with lots of mines and other ruins that everyone enjoys. The weather on that Friday was pretty good also with not too much wind for most of the way.
We, of course, had our annual mega potluck on Friday night at Sage Hall at the Ridgecrest Fairgrounds. As usual there was a significant amount of food to be shared with each other. Also on Friday night, Bill Powell presented a video of his pre-run for the Hastings Cutoff DE trip to be held in July. Even though the trip will be in eastern Nevada, this looks like potentially a great adventure. Also we setup the annual silent auction on Friday night. Bob Jaussaud and Steve Marschke should be congratulated for conducting another successful auction what earned the club some extra spending money.
Everybody got up early Saturday morning ready to explore the area with two scheduled trips available. The first trip of the day was led by Jerry and Dolly Dupree with the destination being the area of the Trona Pinnacles. Although there were some wind issues this was an educational and scenic trip. The second trip of the day was led by Bill Powell to the nearby eastern Sierras. This was a rugged and scenic trip which, unfortunately, had to be somewhat curtailed because of rain and wind.
Saturday evening was outstanding. First of all, back at the Fairgrounds, we had a BBQ dinner catered by Casey's Restaurant in Ridgecrest. The food was very good and there was plenty of it. This was followed by an outstanding presentation by our guest speaker, Sandy Rogers. Mr. Rogers spoke primarily about rock art in the Coso Mountains. This was an excellent preview for those who were going on the Petroglyph Canyon Tour the next morning. Also on Saturday night some folks hung around to complete their silent auction shipping.
