Another Vistabule Gathering has come and gone; this time it was held in beautiful Whitewater State Park in Southeastern Minnesota from September 18th-22nd. Nearly 60 Vistabules were in tow, with both coasts of the US being represented, attendees coming from as far as California and Maryland. As many of you know, the Vistabule Gathering is the official unofficial meetup held every other year between the big Vistabule Rally. Unlike the Rally, which is supported directly by VB Staff with a more structured itinerary, the Gatherings are a bit looser in scope, though no less a fun and informative time. The festivities this year kicked off with a rolling good storm that came through during the welcome speech.
The owners of the very first official DayTripper, the wonderful and lovely McNetts, got to enjoy a bit of the spotlight as well, with many attendees eager to see our newest model for the first time. All told they counted over 80 people stopping by to take a look. Hopefully any concerns that they would be considered wild radicals not fit for the refinement of the more traditional Vistabule crowd was quickly dispelled by the warm and excited reception.
And in Vistabule’s ongoing partnership and friendship with Urban Boatbuilders, our annual raffle was held raising over $1,200 for the non-profit. Prizes ranged from hand-sewn aprons, a gift basket full of ingredients for Wisconsin-style Old Fashioneds, and the grand prize featuring an evening with Gretchen and Bert Taylor.
These Gatherings are a great success thanks to everyone’s varied passions, interests, and skill sets. Many of you put on your own talks, seminars, little shindigs, and so on, it would have been hard to find any time to twiddle your thumbs. Subjects ranged from extending your livable camping space with external shelters like the Gazelle, the ins and outs of the Vistabule Ambassador Program, working remotely, foldable bikes, better understanding your trailer’s electrical system, the Women of Vistabule group, planning for a group trip to Utah; and not to be outdone, one of the camp rangers gave a great talk on bats!
These events are always a special time, and we love it when we can all gather together to meet up with old friends and make new ones. We hope that we can see you at the next one for the 2025 Rally at Lake Itasca State Park, from September 3rd-7th.
