Let's have a
Burro Rally!
Recognizing that no single date or location will work for everyone, I am posting a date that works for me at a location that I am familiar with, with an offer to organize and host a
Burro Rally for anyone interested/available to join in. Please let me know if you have any questions, and comment below if you plan to attend!
Save the date: 2025
Burro Drove
Friday September 19 to Sunday September 21, 2025
YOUR HOSTESS: Heather of Davenport, Iowa. I have owned my 1983 Burro since 2021. It’s the one with the orange “Burro + Beagle” decals.
DATE: Official activities start on Friday September 19 and end on September 21, though you are welcome to come early or stay late. Unofficial visiting starts when the second person arrives.
WHO CAN ATTEND: The
rally is open to all. It is targeted to Burro owners, since we don’t (yet) have a
rally specific for our brand, but it is a public campground and all makes and models of
fiberglass campers are welcome, as well as those who haven’t yet bought a Burro but are curious about them.
LOCATION: Thomson Causeway in Thomson, Illinois. The campground is an Army Corps of Engineers facility located on the main channel of the Mississippi River, with lovely views, very nice restrooms, and newly renovated campsites with electric/water. The campground is near some nice attractions, such as the Great River Bike & Hike Trail, Fulton Windmill, Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Thomson-Fulton Sand Prairie, and other locations.
BOOKING A SITE: Reservations open six months before your arrival date, so for actual event, the earliest you could make your reservations would be March 19. There is a two night minimum stay. This is a popular campground, especially spots in the PMAN loop where we will try to be, so if you are interested in attending don't delay booking. Recreation.gov has generous cancelation policies, so if your plans change later you won’t be out much. If you do cancel, though, please post in the group that you are releasing a site so hopefully another Burro can take your place. The direct campsite link is
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/c...33651?tab=info
WHICH SITE TO CHOOSE: I’ve camped in this park multiple times, and honestly, there are no bad spots, it is just depends what your priorities are. The campground is flat with blacktop roads that are easy to walk or bike around, so anywhere you land, you won’t have any trouble getting to the rest of the group. We will try to congregate in Potter’s North loop, which is closest to the river and has some of the best views. Sites 29-53 are along the causeway, have good shade, and are closer to the bathroom. Sites 54-78 are “on the point” overlooking the Mississippi River, they have great views but not as much shade and are a bit more exposed in bad weather. Anywhere in the South loop sites 1-28 are fine, but may be a bit further from the rally action and can tend to be buggier in damp years.
Since most of our Burros don’t have bathrooms, you may want to keep in mind that there are several bathroom buildings, but just one shower building, which is located in Potter’s North (but very near Potter’s South). Three of the loops are within walking distance of each other.
Below are the loops in order of preference and with their abbreviation
Site Numbers--- Loop Abbreviation
29-78--- PMAN (Potter’s North loop)
1-28--- PMAS (Potter’s South Loop)
99-126— HPOI (Hickory Point Loop)
River Birch campground loop is not on the island and would require a short drive or bike ride. It has not been open the past 2 years due to flooding and subsequent renovations, so I don’t know if it will be open for the 2025 season.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: I plan to model this rally after an
Escape fiberglass rally that is also held at this campground (many thanks to that group, who have allowed me to attend with my non-Escape trailer for the past 3 years). A schedule of events will be published at a later date, and will depend somewhat on how many people (if any) plan to attend. The
Escape group does several fun events during their rally, including morning coffee get togethers, trailer tour hours, and evening events like a potluck and outdoor movie (there is a really neat outdoor amphitheater at the campground). I'd like to hold some of those events if others are interested, but that can be decided later.
Tweaker's Casita
I have camped with them many times over the last several years....
Frog's Egg
Linear Mode
