“Sun City brought us together. Cub Fans and Sox Fans – it didn’t matter. It’s about friendship,” said Roy Diez, explaining how Retro Rovers became what they are today.
Retro Rovers is a small group of Sun City Residents who have taken over 40 trips in an RV.
“We make about 3 to four trips a year,” Diez said.
The trips are multi-day trips and one-day excursions to state fairs, fests, attractions, sports events and just to have fun!”
Retro Rover club members (L to R): Bill O’Malley, Sharon Lynch, Roy Diez, JoAnn Diez, Phil Cody, Bill DeGiulio and Judy DeGioulio. (Photo by Christine Such/Sun Day)
Bill DeGiulio said, “We have these red shirts that we wear on the trips and it makes it easy to find each other when we are at these festivals or excursions.”
Diez added, “We start a trip about 8 or 9 in morning. Someone shows up with donuts, or some fruits and snacks. We hop on the RV. There is enough room for everyone. And I drive.”
Phil Cody said, “We play trivia sometimes on the road. Sometimes we have multiple choice. As seniors, we need those multiple choices sometimes.”
Cody answered the question if there have been any problems.
“We had a tire blow,” he said.
JoAnn Diez agrees: “It was scary it was so loud.”
Cody continued, “We called for help and sat on the side of the road relaxing and waiting for help.”
Diez shared, “A squad car shows up, and sees all these red shirts on the side of the road. We have a picture of the moment. The officer was great. He just wanted to make sure we were all okay.”
Roy said, “Retro Rovers is about friends. We have different stories on how we came together. Some of us were on the Softball team when we first moved in – The Harris Lions. We were undefeated. But somehow managed to lose our first game in the playoffs. But that game and team brought us together.”
DeGuilio said, “Our group has changed through the years. We have had two couples move away. One couple to Las Vegas and another to Florida. But we were lucky to meet another traveling friend Sharon Lynch.”
The RV Club enjoys the members of the group no matter what.
Diez said, “Our group changes but we still have fun and love to go places.
When asked about their favorite trip, Bill O’Malley answered, “Twilight River Boat tour. We board the Twilight in LeClaire, Iowa. We saw wildlife, valley landscapes, and historic river towns. There was also live entertainment, games, and lots of food. We arrived in historic Dubuque, Iowa where we stayed the evening and we saw the city.”
JoAnn Diez added, “Starved Rock was nice and we hiked, but it was scary. The trails were tough and we were so close to the edge.”
Clearly, not every trip has been idyllic.
Roy Diez states, “My worst experience was driving back from Galena. It was dark and so foggy. I could hardly see ahead of me. I gripped the steering wheel so hard that my hands cramped. I was so glad when we arrived home.”
The sights and attractions seen by the group are amazing, but Cody states, “Some of us just like to sit and relax.”
Traveling is not the only thing the rovers do together. The Rovers get together to host Halloween Fun for the grandkids after the party at the lodge by Grandpa, Grandma and me. There are dinner get-togethers. Cody states, “We get together to cheer on our sport’s teams.” He points to photographs on his wall of the Rovers celebrating the Sox World Series victory.
O’Malley points to another set of pictures.
“We participated in the Golf Cart Parade. We have our own golf carts and we had five in the parade. It’s all friendship and fun.”
1 Comment
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!