Despite a relatively low turnout this year, the SoCal Mini-Rally offered unique experiences that were truly unforgettable. Some enthusiasts had to cancel at the last minute due to the nature of our vintage buses, adding to the rally's charm and unpredictability.  

The rally ran from Wednesday, April 24th, through Sunday, April 28th. Many potential attendees thought the campground was too expensive and the fuel price in California was too high. Only one hardy camper showed up on Wednesday besides me, so we visited for a while and then got caught up on some personal things before the big rush that we expected on Thursday. 

Thursday brought the arrival of three more buses and a wave of new faces and connections. Despite the damp and chilly weather, the rally was filled with warmth and camaraderie as we ran errands and visited each other's buses.  

On Friday, the weather turned warmer and dryer, so we got out and around, visited more, and toured each other’s buses. That evening, Mark and Marsha Williams surprised us with firewood. The campground was filling up with weekenders, so we quickly claimed a fire ring and started our party early that day. People brought finger food and other partial meals, and we ate, drank, and laughed a lot until the sun went down.

Saturday was our big day as we left the campground around 9:30 AM and toured three locations of vintage bus collection dating from back in the 50s.  Many of these buses have been used in movies over the years. Frank Gambino, the owner, walked us in and out of each bus as he told us the history of each one, which amazed me as he seemed to remember how he acquired each bus, how much he paid for each one, and which if any movies they have been in.

Frank told us stories of buses he rented and modified to pick up famous people at the airport and deliver them to their venues. He had the buses in three different locations spread several miles apart.  Frank just purchased six acres of land and told us about his plans to move all 75 buses to a new location in Palmdale, California by the end of the year.  

We learned how Frank started his bus business by transporting school children around to different events.  When he showed up with entertainer-type coaches, rather than traditional school buses, the kids loved it, as they were much more comfortable riding in than school buses. Soon other schools got jealous, so much so that they eventually hired Frank to transport their kids as well.  Frank is also involved in a lot of charity work and he donates his buses, time, and resources to help out where he can.

Frank has since passed on the transportation business to one of his sons, who is taking over the daily operations, while Frank concentrates on the vintage bus business that he rents to movie studios all over the U.S. and sometimes even overseas. 

Rather than put a lot of unnecessary miles on these old buses and take a chance of them breaking down or getting damaged on the way to the filming location after selecting the exact type of bus the producer needs for a movie, he bought a Lowboy to shuttle these buses around. He frequently delivers the buses to Hollywood and other places and sometimes even drives the buses in the movie shoots. 

Frank was fascinating to listen to. We spent from 10:00 in the morning to about 4:00 in the afternoon as he showed us not only his full-size buses but hundreds of model buses and trains he has in his collection, as well as the stories behind how he obtained many of them. He has several one-of-a-kind model buses and trains that most people have never seen.

People said their goodbyes on Sunday, packed up, and headed out.  Everyone said they had a great time, and plans are already in the works for next year's So-Cal Mini-Rally, which will probably be held in an entirely different location.  For more information about next year's rally, watch our Events page and the So-Cal Mini-Rally page here.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/441641462705458

For a video tour of the Vintages Buses we visited, click here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6d14xtoSQ

These are the buses attended this years rally.

Some of the 75 Vintages Buses, and other vehicles we toured.

Some of Franks model collection.