From tent to motorhome

Staff

Published Wednesday, September 28, 2005

By Linda Kane, Tribune staff writer

It starts with a sleeping bag in the back of the pickup, then comes the pop-up tent and finally, after years of hard work, it's time to graduate.

Graduation means a fully-loaded, 40-foot motorhome with pull-outs.

At least that's how the couples from the Minnesota Loons Chapter of the Newmar Kountry Klub describe their involvement in the motorcoach rally that pulled into town on Tuesday.

"You start out in your 20s with a tent and by the time you reach your 70s you've graduated to luxury," said Joyce Korsten of Richfield. "But you deserve it. You worked hard for it."

Her friends, Gen Neururer of Minnetonka and Edna Peterson, couldn't agree more. They laughed while remembering camping years ago in tents and the backs of their pickups.

"It's not roughing it at all," Peterson said of her modern-day accommodations.

"You can't camp without a microwave," Neururer added.

The ladies and their husbands joined 23 other couples for a "campout" at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds through Friday. The campers are from all walks of life from throughout the state.

That's part of the beauty of their group, the ladies said, their differences being forgotten once they get together.

"The commonality is we all drive the same brand of motorhome," Neururer said.

Through the group, life-long friends are made, said Peterson, who has been a member of the group since 1986, one year after it formed.

The Newmar Kountry Klub group gets together throughout the state and some meet at regional or national conventions throughout the country. Most of the campers from Minnesota travel from May through October. Then everyone either goes home or travels south for the winter.

Korsten travels to Arizona for the winter where she meets with other Newmar motorhome owners once a week for breakfast.

Peterson has traveled to three other rallies this summer, all in Minnesota. The other ladies made it out of state, they said.

The rallies are mostly a place to socialize, the ladies said. They play games and cards and plan tours in the areas where they're staying. During the evening they'll have campfires while some sing or play guitar.

They play bean bag baseball and "we beat the guys once in a while," Peterson said.

Most of the members are retired and most travel with their spouse. Sometimes a grandchild or guest is taken along, to which many of the campers then undergo questioning. "You call this camping?" some guests have said.

Skyrocketing gas prices are a concern for the campers, but it hasn't deterred them.

"We talk about it and then we still go," Neururer said.

"We still go, but we cut back somewhere else," Peterson said. "We're not taking a cruise this year."

While walking to their campers Tuesday afternoon, the ladies greeted new arrivals with hugs and lots of smiles, triumphantly declaring, "I haven't seen you for ages." All in all, the couples get

together to have fun and enjoy each other's company.

"It's kind of a family," Korsten said.

"We all just get along so well,'' added Neururer.

(Contact Linda Kane at newsclerk@albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)

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