It’s hard to believe we’ve now past the midway point in our 2-month stay in Cedar Key. The time is going by so fast.
Despite some unusually chilly temperatures for Florida this winter, our group here is glowing in the warmth of community. It seems every day we have someone new pull in, either joining us for a while or just stopping in for a quick visit. I’ve now lost count of how many folks have joined us here – it’s well over 30 RVs.
While our social energy is often running near empty and we have to consciously carve out isolation time – we’re loving it. This is exactly the sort of stuff we’ve craved in our years on the road.
An opportunity to really connect and make new friends … and help share information.
And it’s had me giving thought to how we can make convergences like this happen more often, without it becoming work.
We’ve attended a lot of RV-centric gatherings in our years on the road – festivals, rallies, gatherings, theme camps and convergences. We’ve even fantasized about hosting a rally of our own, with focused talks relevant to those of us running businesses and working on the road.
But most RV Rallies tend to be a more hyper focused for a shorter time period of a few days. There’s a solid start and end date, a schedule of events running all day and every day. The events can be wonderful and informative, but there’s little time left over for really connecting with people.
And having done my time as an event organizer, I know how much work goes into running such an event.
And that’s not what this winter has been for us. We just generally announced our arrival and departure dates, and others started booking up spots in the area to join up. We never said ‘We’re hosting an event – come join us!’
Cedar Key is just the right place to attract the right people.
The dynamics of the group changes on an almost daily basis as folks move in and out of the area.
There was also no pre-scheduled events. But yet, we’re abundant in them. The group adjusts to planning events as they’re desired.
From potlucks, bartender wars, movie nights, music jams, tiki bar sunsets, kayaking adventures, RV tours and experiencing local events. But there’s never an expectation, personal time and non-group time is always respected (although, it can be difficult to resist temptation to participate in everything.)
And as things turned out, our group ended up having a lot of newer-to-the-road nomads joining us.
So we’ve also been hosting some topic focused discussion groups to create a time & space for idea sharing and education. Earlier this week the topic was Working on the Road, and soon we’ll be having some topics like Choosing a Domicile, Quick RV Meal Prep, Boondocking Tips and Favorite RVing Gadgets.
This is the style and balance of socializing & education that suits us quite well. Informal. It’s more like an Un-conference… or maybe an Un-Rally.
And we didn’t have to plan it, schedule it, book a park, collect fees, book speakers, arrange catering & entertainment – or any of that stuff.
And that’s what makes a convergence different from a rally. It just happens.
A bunch of like minds end up in the same place at the same time, and wonderful things happen. Ya know, like serendipity.
And because we’re not super busy running the show, we actually have time to soak it all in and connect with community here. Not as organizers, but as fellow peers on the road. We like that.
We like that a lot.
And of course, this is all on top of the project we’re working on that is absolutely lighting us up and keeping us super busy. We’re so excited about it, and can’t wait to reveal what we’re up to. Soon.
And with that thought.. I leave you with some more Cedar Key sunsets.
Thank you for creating such an awesome blog with so much great info on it! We’re new to RV’ing and just crave new info and ideas.
And thanks for your new creation, RVillage! I started the Acoustic Musicians group on there today, and I’m excited to have a way to possibly find other musical RV’ers.
Absolutely the best blogpost I’ve ever read.
I am soooo jealous, and cannot wait to join you on “the endless road.”
Note that somedays, I nearly have my wife convinced….
She goes from”I ain’t never living full time in that 40′ tube on wheels” to “it might be fun for a while” to “where should we move to when we leave Illinois, there are soooo many cool places” and of course my answer to that is “we just need to drive around in the motorhome until we find it!”
To make the idea less scary for her – don’t try and sell her house right out from underneath her. Give it a try with a month or two long trip.
See you out there on the road!
– Chris
Sitting here now in Clearwater where we are visiting with many friends from up north (no like-minded RVer types), we find we are missing the laid-back Cedar Key vibe. Thanks so much for letting us be part of your Cedar Key “convergence”. So glad we finally got to meet the ‘technomads’. 🙂
It was fantastic to meet up with you guys, and so glad you could be part of it for a while! I *know* we will be catching up with you guys in the future. Cheers to happy adventures ahead of you!
Great post. Some responses assume “convergence” means everyone is packed into one place, just as at a rally. Looking at rvreviews.com shows 5 rv parks “in” Cedar Key and checking out blogs of folks pictured, it seems (?) that folks were scattered for 30 miles or more along the Florida Gulf Coast with a nucleus in Cedar Key. I think this is an important difference from a rally — you don’t have to be living in each other’s pocket. -e3
Correct indeed, Edward. We’ve had folks stay in the same park with us (and we’re scattered all over the park), stay at nearby parks and even had some just drive in for the afternoon from wherever they are staying. It’s a great mix, but I do have to admit – we really appreciate the casual impromptu hanging out we get with our temporary neighbors.
Love your site.We are still a few years away from full timing.I own a campground in northeast PA if you ever get up this way look me up.
Thanks Jamie.. we’ll try to remember if we get up that way!
Staying incedar keytovolunteerat Cedar Key State Park Museum. I am parked atrangerstation butwaswondering if could join in on some of your programs. Inmyfirstyearat this and wouldwelcomeany tips
Hi Nancy… if you’re on Facebook, we’re organizing our events at http://www.facebook.com/groups/cedarkey2014 . Or, feel free to write us at contact@technomadia.com, and I’ll be happy to let you know what we’re up to.
Neat that you are at the State Park! We’ve ridden our bikes there a few times, but we’ve never stopped to check out the museum. That is something I definitely want to do while we are here this year.
Hope to meet you soon!
– Chris
In project management and organizational change management this is what we call “self-organizing groups”. That’s where the magic happens!
well done, sharing the road knowledge without fleecing the Plebes, well done! Cedar Key is on our map of possible stops on the way out but not sure if we will go there or stay in the interior since we have no reservations anywhere…
Love this post!!! Love you guys and so wish we were already full timing so we could be down there!!
Soon soon soon… and you’ll be joining up with great people in great places!
Sounds like the perfect way to have a “rally!” Planning a huge affair is just way too much. I really like the way you are handling your stay. Sure does make for a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Beautiful sunsets:)
It really is a great way to bring a bunch of great people together.. we dig it!
Would you mind sharing your campsite # and name of park? I’m looking for a place for this December. As usual, always enjoy your posting, pics and tips.
We’ve posted the name of the park many times (Sunset Isles). But no, we’re not sharing our site number – after all, we may very well want to return here next year.
I love this post. We are working our way to be fulltime come this September and this just makes me want to up and go now! It is your spirit that attracts all of these people to converge in Cedar Key! Enjoy the rest of your time you have there.
You’ll be out here on the road with us soon enough… see you at a future convergence!