Life At Fun Valley

Ah! Life at Fun Valley is fun! Here is a general run down of our summer within the campground.

We've had many get togethers and pot luck meals. Along with our pot lucks are food and music. Pictured are the Wild Rose Band at the Square Dance Hall. There are even square dancers in full costume. They played 3 times a week for your dancing pleasure - country and line dancing, etc. Also pictured is a get together band - with Joni on percussion..... tambourine and wood blocks.

We've had Street Dances hosted by the Bruce Scott DJ Dance Music. Held out in the middle of the campground, the music was heard throughout the park.

The park was very full this year, with many RVs waiting in the holding area for a spot. I guess the hot Texas summer and the lower price of gas has brought people out this year. Many of our Fun Valley friends came back for their yearly vacation. Some of their pictures are shown.

Sarah Getto came to Fun Valley again this year to entertain us all with her beautiful voice and sweet smile. She sings like a bird. (See the article on Sarah in last years archives). If your would like to have Sarah sing at one of your events, check out her website site http://www.sarahgetto.com/ . You'll be happy that you did.

Home made donuts... delicious. Mark and Nancy were back again and made donuts for all. Heat up a pot of oil over the campfire, open a container of biscuits, add some sugar, cinnamon or powdered sugar and eat! HMMMMMMM good!

Dana and Karen Lemmerman came to visit! We met Karen and Dana in Florida at Ocean Resorts. They own a home in Salida, CO, just 100 miles from Fun Valley, so they got in their motorhome and came to visit and play golf. See the photo of Dana and Karen and Us with the bear in the Square Dance Hall and enjoying a picnic outside our motor home.

We met "Cowboy" and his wife Pam this year. Cowboy is seated on his saddle scooter. He's a special person and inspiration to all. Cowboy has terminal pancreatic cancer, but he spreads his love for people and God each and every day, enjoying each and every day to the fullest.

Biking is one of Joni's favorite sports and she has racked up over 40,000 miles over the last 9 years. See Joni and her bike friends enjoying their daily Fun Valley ride.

Kayaking the Rio Grande

Kayaking down the Rio Grande in Colorado - Great! We enjoyed a few days of floating down the river with a few of our friends. We waited until July, as the river flows too fast in June. The snow melt fills up the river and the rapids are alittle too high in June.

Steering around the rocks and watching for rapids is what makes this such an exciting experience. The weather was great, the water was cold and the mountains were majestic. The pictures say it all! Wherever you see some yellow and blue blobs in the water - that's us!

Karaoke

In the spring, we upgraded our karaoke system and volunteered to host a weekly karaoke night in Fun Valley RV Resort. We set up in their "big metal barn" (see Delton getting ready).

When our friends, Kandy and Val (see photo), arrived, we combined out karaoke systems for 2 nights of fun. Val and Kandy got us interested in getting our own systems. They had been hosting karaoke in Fun Valley for years and we helped them for the last few years.

Our crowds ranged from 250 on a good night to about 100 as the park emptied.

Dances like "The Chicken Dance" and "The Macarena" were also part of our repetoire. See us doing the Y.M.C.A in the photo. Also shown is Rick, better known as "Cowboy" singing his rendition of "Sold", a song about an auctioneer. Cowboy is an auctioneer.

We have enjoyed hosting karaoke and plan on continuing this in other parks as we travel around the country.

Big Meadow Hike

Hiking in Colorado is the best! One morning we took a hike to Big Meadow, an area that has a lake and hiking trails around the lake and also up the mountain.

With a friend, Brian, we enjoyed the beauty of the mountains. The lake was calm as glass and the reflection outstanding. We hiked about 3 hours that day.

On our way down the mountain, some horses and mules passed us on the trail. The mules were hauling food and supplies up the trail (see photo).

When we reached the lake, we noticed a group of campers enjoying the meadow. We met Louis, the leader of the group. They were juvenile offenders (teenagers) who were serving their time in the wilderness for 90 days, clearing trails, learning about relationships, and learning how to survive in the mountains. Working hard and getting along with each othe earns them points which give them rewards. Rewards can earn them cover while they sleep instead of sleeping out in the open. What a great program.... much better than jail time. They bond and form a special family as they are rehabilitated. Many don't want to go back to their homes and parents when they realize they can have a better life.

Look carefully at the photo and you can see the kids having a friendly game of frizbee and their yellow tents and backpacks. The horses and mules were bringing the supplies up the mountain for this group of kids.

A Fun Valley 4th

We spent our 2009 4th of July in Fun Valley RV Resort, in South Fork, Colorado. This is our 8th summer in Fun Valley.

The day started with a parade through the campground. The parade included decorated bikes, decorated golf carts and 4 wheelers, the Wild Rose Band, a firetruck, horses and lots of kids. "Cowboy" also rode in the parade on his motorized horse - a skooter with a saddle on top!.

The boat race on the South Fork of the Rio Grand, which runs through the campground, was held in the afternoon. About 180 kids built boats out of whatever they could find, threw the boats in the water and the first boat to the other end of the campground was the winner. We liked the Mickey Mouse boat (shown), but it didn't win. The most fun was watching the kids catch the boats at the finish line (shown). They made a line across the river and quickly caught the boats before they passed them and headed down river.

During the 4th of July diner, a street dance was held outside the dinning hall, but the dance got rained out. Pictured is Delton with "Sunshine" who made her annual appearance at the street dance. Elvis also showed up. Fun was had by all.