RV Adventures

Jim and I just spent the last ten days volunteering and attending our fourth FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally in Phoenix, Arizona.  These rallies are a great opportunity to learn at seminars, see new products, and make new friends.  We are reaching the point where the seminars are starting to sound the same and new products are few and far between.  But we made some great friends!

Taking the scenic route to Phoenix.  A tunnel marked 13′ 3″ in height on the map almost gave us a heart attack when we noticed it (we are 13′ 4″).  But the tunnel was 13′ 6″ when we got there.  Jim was all set to dump the air out of the RV suspension so we could squeeze through.  Phew.  We need to pay better attention!

We had some socializing to do before the rally started.  Last Fall we met Buddy and Cindy (from Georgia) in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.  They were also working the sugar beet harvest.  Since they winter in Mesa, we popped over to their RV Resort for Happy Hour.  it was good to catch up.

Happy Hour with our buddies from the Sugar Beet Harvest last fall.

It was now time to volunteer with the parking team.  As part of the Advance Crew, we showed up four days before everyone else in order to get ready.  There were 80 volunteers participating in what I like to call “controlled chaos.”  Seriously, for an organization that has done this over and over, you would think it would be more organized.  The first day was spent laying out the grids in the parking lots so the crews knew where to park the RVs on succeeding days.

The parking crew…getting our instructions the first day.  Don’t you love the vests and hats?

I was totally annoyed that I didn’t get assigned to a team.  Darn it, I’m here, smart, and younger than most.  Use me!  I complained to the head of the parking team.  Viola, all of a sudden I am in charge of getting lunch together for 80 volunteers for the next 3 days.  That’s what happens when you whine.  I received this assignment at 2:30 p.m. and by 3:00 p.m. had a source of sub sandwiches and a quote to present to the parking team leader.  I also assembled a group of others who didn’t get put on teams.

Let’s just say we had a blast!  Kay (far right…also my neighbor at the rally) and I would run out and get the subs in the morning.  The Lunch Ladies, as we called ourselves, would meet at 11:00, subdivide the subs, then head out in two golf carts to deliver them to the parking teams scattered all over the event grounds.  By day three, we were getting really efficient at this!

The Lunch Ladies

The RVs started rolling in Sunday morning.  The parking team started parking the RVs at 8:00 a.m. and went until 5:00 p.m.  RVs had to report to Lot A and get their parking insurrections.  Then they had to follow a “Follow Me” car to find out what lot to report to.  As I said, Controlled Chaos.

RVs coming in.

Then the people in the parking lot took over from the Follow Me cars.  Jim’s crew parked Lot C and Lot B1.  I know that means nothing, but they are BIG lots.

The parking crew in action.

The image below is of the entire rally grounds.   The Advance Crew (us) were parked in the blue square.  The rally seminars and vendor booths are in the red square.  The new motor-homes that the manufacturers brought in for people to tour (and hopefully buy) are in yellow.  RV’s with handicap attendees are in purple.  The green box is where the majority of the coaches were.  Jim and his team parked half the green box.  The pink box is where the RVs had to report first, then be led to their appropriate lots.

So, the numbers…let’s start by saying Jim’s team parked OVER 600 coaches over three days:

TOTAL COACHES:  2, 627
Number of attendee coaches:  2,273
Number of vendor and display coaches:  354

The Rally Grounds after everyone was parked.

Heading out one morning to get the subs for lunch, we happened upon this sight.  Someone tried to do a U-turn on the shoulder.  Oops!  Their back end is dragging and they got stuck.  There were jacks under the front wheels and a tow truck at the back.  We can only assume they got out of there somehow!

Oh my. Make U turns cautiously.

The Rally was held at the Rawhide Western Town and Event Center.  It is a western town filled with seminar rooms and fake gunfights in the street.  Yes, it was an odd combination.

The Rawhide Event Center

A small stream on the rally grounds.

The seminar topics varied….how to treat your black tank…tire pressure…diesel fuel….etc. etc. etc.  I let Jim go to those.  I attended the On-the-Road Quilters Seminar!  This group donates children’s quilts to the local community where the rally is being held.  And the woman behind the podium on the right is Lois Marvin, the school nurse from Bernabi Elementary School when my kid’s were in Spencerport Schools.  Can you say “Small World?”

On-the-Road Quilters Seminar.

The quilt below is my donation.  It’s a Jelly Roll Race quilt that I made from leftover fabrics.  If you want to learn more about what a jelly roll race quilt is, visit http://www.jellyrollrace.com/.

My Jelly Roll Race quilt.

At the seminar after the charity quilts were presented to the local organization, it was time for show and share.  This quilt below intrigued me.  The woman who made it bought batik fabrics while RVing in Alaska.  Each block represents something she saw in Alaska.  What a cool idea!  I’m going to keep this in mind when we get up to Alaska.

Alaskan Batik Quilt.

These rallies are always a great place to get work done on your RV.  Our awning was giving us problems retracting plus it had holes from a hail storm we experience last fall.  So we bought a new awning and had it installed right on site!  We would have also bought two new tires, but Michelin Tires canceled on the event.  Oh well, that’s a few bucks I still have anyway.

A new awning, arms, and motor.

The rally came to an end yesterday.  We had a final dinner out with some of our new friends from the Parking Crew.

Sunset over the Rawhide Event Center.

Dinner out with our new friends…Al and Cindy from Texas, me, Kay and Paul from Maine.

We departed bright and early this morning to avoid competing with 2,600 other RVs trying to leave.

Sunrise as we pull out early and avoid the rush to depart.

We are now at Tucson Mountain Park, a lovely county campground outside Tucson that we stayed at last Spring. It’s just for one night. Starting tomorrow, we will be in Green Valley visiting my Dad. Till next time…..