We have had a great time planning the rally for 2005.  We have four sites ready for our trip, starting with a great send off from Mercedes (Texas) Fair Grounds.  You may come in on February 13, 2005 and park at the Fair Ground with full hook-ups.  There are more than 200 sites available.  A Valentine Party is being held at the Fairgrounds at 4pm on February 14.

Rally registration will be on Tuesday, the 15th, after which you will have time to get your papers in order to travel in Mexico. 

You will need your Mexico auto insurance prior to arrival at the fair grounds.  Saturday, February 19th, Day one in Mexico, will be at the Big Bass Resort, approximately 180 miles south of the border.  We will stay two nights at Big Bass with a Pot Luck Dinner on Saturday.  There will be time for you to relax and fish.  Our next stop will be at Pueblo Viego, just south of Tampico.  There is a restaurant with some great ice cream.  The next day, we will travel to our final destination, Costa Esmeralda.

We want to suggest a few things to bring with you.  You will need to bring (1) Golf clubs; there is a nine-hole course in Poza Rica.  (2) Swimming suit; you can swim in the Gulf of Mexico, river, lake or the swimming pool. (3) Fishing gear for the lake or ocean.  (4) Insect Repellant. (5) Sunscreen. (6) Camera and film.  (7) Insect granulates to place around your rig. (8) Fan. (9) Plenty of money. (10) Musical instrument; if you wish to join the daily jam sessions.

Once you arrive at the Costa Esmeralda, you may not want to leave.  It is a tropical paradise with all kinds of fresh fruits, right from the tree.  You can take a trip down the rapids for 90 pesos, or spend the day fishing in the lake or in the ocean at Costa Esmeralda.  You will see orange trees, coconut trees, and the many flowers that typically grow in a rain forest.  It will be wise to bring plenty of money to buy coffee beans, pots, clothing and leather goods.  Bring plenty of money to eat out.  The deep-fried fish is great.  The fresh fruit plates are even better.

This is our 20th Anniversary Rally, and we are planning a great birthday party.  hotels.  Big Bass Resort has 17 cabins, which will take up to four persons each.  Tampico Alto is just a few miles from our overnight stay and hotel rooms are available there; also beautiful hotels await you in Costa Esmeralda.  There will be additional charges for the hotel rooms.  We hope that having the hotels available will make it possible that some of our members can join us for this anniversary celebration.

There will be two opportunities to win prizes for the best dressed person or persons: 1) for western wear at Big Bass Resort Pot Luck Dinner and 2) the anniversary celebration, formal wear optional.

The following is a description of the four Day Tours at Costa Esmeralda:

Day Tour # One

Departure after breakfast.  On the way, you will visit a banana plantation at San Rafael, and Martinez de la Torre, which is the world's first Persian lime producing and exporting city.  Our next stop is the Tlapacoyan country, where we will visit a coffee treatment, handling and processing plant.  We will enjoy a coffee break with fruit and bread at Rancho Hotel El Carmen.  Very close to this place, we will admire a beautiful waterfall known as Filobobos, where you can take a breath taking hike through the canyon.  As a finishing touch, we will enjoy a meal at Rancho Hotel El Carmen. 

Day Tour # Two

We will depart very early and after visiting Jicaltepec, a very old village that was founded by the first French immigrants, we will continue on to Misantla, where we can see and buy a great variety of hand carved wooden objects.  We will stop for our brunch in Naolinco, which is a nice town, where you can buy leather crafts.  We will continue on to Coatepec, a very important coffee producing area, which is world known for its unique wilderness.  We cannot continue without stopping at Xico, a typical town, where we will enjoy our meal and visit an amazing waterfall before we return to the hotel.

Day Tour # Three

After breakfast, we will be headed for Quiahuiztlan, which is an archaeological site where you can visit a pre-Hispanic graveyard.  From there, we will go to Cempoala, another archaeological site known for being the place where the Spaniards and the Totonacas became allies against the Aztecs.  Shortly after, we will arrive at Vera Cruz, visiting San Juan de Ulua and take a tour downtown.  On our way back, we will stop at La Antigua, a small town where Hernan Cortes lived.  After that, we will have a delicious meal at a very famous seafood restaurant and head back to the hotel.

Day Tour # Four

We will head north toward the ancient city of Tajin, the fourth most visited archaeological site in Mexico and hometown of the Totonacas.  At Papantla, we will stop at the botanical reserve named Xanath, where we will have a typical meal, surrounded by abundant vegetation.  We will visit a vanilla treatment, handling, and processing plant, after which, we will return to the hotel.

Fare includes: transportation for all our tours on first class air conditioned buses with English-speaking guides, entrance fees, scheduled meals and tips, RV parking and transportation from Posada del Zorro to Torremolino, special Torremolino dinner with Mariachis and folkloric dancers, fruit every morning, meeting area ready for the event, and a cake for the celebration of our 20th anniversary.

Several members have asked how they could donate to the charities while we are in Mexico.  We have included an opportunity for donations on the Registration Form.  This is completely optional.

We have also included an opportunity for each person coming to the rally to volunteer.  You will get a lot more out of the rally, if you are part of the fun.