Alyeska, The Great Land - 2016 - Farewell Banquet

Blog for September 12, 2016

The final event of any WBCC (Wally Byam Caravan Club) is the Farewell Banquet and for the Alaska Caravan, after being together for two months, the banquet was an emotional event complete with tears but, mostly, a lot of laughs. It was a opportunity to roast our leaders and each other, as we were participants in each other's lives and shared most of the same experiences over the past eight weeks. 

This Alaska Caravan, the Grandaddy of all Caravans, was a true adventure complete with rough and rocky roads and many less than ideal RV parks. We had a great time together, got to know the personalities each other quite well and had many unforgettable experiences. 

The banquet was held at the Ramada Inn in downtown Prince William. Our table included, left to right, Carolyn and Ian Muir (O'Fallon, MO) and Carl and Marlene Russell (Colorado Springs, CO). Table decorations were assembled by Caravan members.

Two Caravaners at their first Farewell Banquet.

There was a program for the banquet...

the cover - Sandy and JJ, Cissy and John. This is the 4th and last time that Sandy and JJ are leading the Alyeska Caravan. In two years the assistant leaders, Cissy and John, will lead the caravan.

The Program - it's easier to read if you click on the picture and enlarge it.  Many of these entries are skits, plus the chorus and "awards".

Frederick telling his joke during one of the Whack-a-Mole joke periods. Susan Browder had gotten about ten jokes off the internet and Frederick and I each had a joke to tell. 

The second oldest member of our Caravan - Dave Starr - telling a joke. His wife Oneida, the oldest member (she is a few months older than Dave) is the woman in blue. Dave had a birthday during the trip; he turned 84.

A not-very-good picture of Susan Browder.

Sandy Browder, in a Wally Byam tam and wig, was the "wacker". He used a swimming pool noodle.

A skit by Rick and Debbie Hentchel lampooning Carl and Marlene Russell. Carl drives a Porche and pulls a 19' Airstream. On the drive from Chicken to Eagle, Alaska, (we didn't go) Carl apparently drove his Porche at breakneck speed over the pot-holed, twisting and dusty road.  One of the lines from the skit - Carl says - "I know this isn't a race, but I'm in the lead".

This was perhaps the funniest skit - this is Charlie Tuten being a Totem Pole. We was, perhaps, the quietest person on the Caravan, but he delivered some very funny lines during this skit.

An Alaskan Tree was another skit that was a take-off of Joyce Kilmer's poem - I think that I shall never see....

Of course, there were three guys dressed as chorus girls from the various follies we attended.

They sure had a good time and...

they brought JJ up on the stage to be...

a fourth.

The Chorus - that's Frederick and me on the left in the back row. This picture shows me and...

in this picture you can see Frederick. Thank you Carolyn, for taking our picture.

Frederick and I were given two awards - one during the Uncommon Awards and...

another during the Proper Awards.

Several days ago I had a few days of depression at the thought of saying good-bye to all these good people. But the last few days I gotten really excited about being "on the road again." As they say about Wally Byam caravans, "you begin as friends and end as family." There are many people we will try to stay in touch with and I'm sure we'll see many of these Airstreamers "down the road".