Let me go back to Macon and over a week ago. We had been working with the Layout Crew for Monaco International, our club of Monaco owners. We had arrived a week before all the attendees arrived and we marked the whole parking of the Macon Centreplex. In my last update I related how Dottie and I had a free day on Saturday, the 10th. One of my tasks was to find a local computer repair business that could fix my laptop. The Fujitsu computer I bought a while back has no DC power cord. I have used an AC power cord continuously and I thought the pin on the plug portion of the computer had failed so the computer would not charge or operate on AC power. We found a local computer repair shop and took the laptop to their business location. After they looked at the computer they determined that the pin was fine, but the charger had gone bad and wasn‘t providing enough voltage. For the nominal charge of $60+ we walked out of the business with a working computer. We also found the Macon Mall and walked around looking at the numerous stores.
On Sunday, the 11th, the early arrivals began to show up. At 8AM we had 8 coaches parked in the entrance driveway prepared to be parked. The day saw a steady flow of early arrivals and by 5PM we had parked over 250 coaches - there were only 416 that had pre-registered! Most of our traveling friends arrived that day, but weren’t together so they weren’t parked together. It was fun parking the arrivals and seeing all the various driving skills. Usually we place two cones on the ground on the driver’s side of the coach so we can get the tires lined up correctly. The disadvantage to that is that many folks watch the cones and ignore our parking instructions. I’ve found that by kicking the cones out of the way the drivers have to listen to my instructions as I walk beside their driver’s window giving them instructions to turn the wheel to get parked. It was a long, tiring day but we had no accidents and successfully parked all the coaches before we closed the gates for the night. Monday and Tuesday we had a few coaches arrive but not like the rush on Sunday. In the experienced Monaco circle it is known that if you arrive after the “early arrival date”, you’re already too late.
The Rally actually started on Tuesday with the catered breakfasts and dinners, seminars, and new coach displays. We ate VERY well since Scott of International Catering provided all the meals. OF course there was a Happy Hour every night from 5PM to 6PM, but the lines at the bar were noticeably shorter. At this Rally arrangements had been made for a salad bar and people were eating more salad and visiting rather than drinking. It was a pleasant change from the normal boozing that takes place.
As usual, the Monaco Service Techs were there to fix two items on each coach. I actually had to look to find two things wrong with our coach, but finally submitted a couple of items. We had a vacuum breaker in the bathroom that was not sealing properly resulting in a foul odor. We also had a water valve on our toilet that had a very slow drip. The Techs fixed both of those in about 15 minutes and asked if we had anything else. We couldn’t think of anything, but got a supply of plastic latches for our doors and drawers. The other advantage to these rallies is the opportunity to have one-on-one talks with the Monaco corporate folks and talk about their coaches. We've gotten to know several of the VPs closely and can share experiences with them. They also know us and joke with us about our "old " coach! Looks like it's time to consider a new one - NOT!!!
The week passed with a lot of assistance to folks who arrived with no water, or had to dump their tanks. We gave help to get out of the parking area and back to their spots. It was a lot of fun working with the Parking Committee and we made some great new friends.
Sunday morning we were up early to get all the folks out of the parking lot that were going to caravan the 35 miles down to Perry for the FMCA International Convention. I was in my usual uniform of shorts and golf shirt with the reflective vest. Each of us on the Parking Committee had an assigned area - I was the “floater”, the one who they’d call if help was needed. Each of the caravanners had a card in their windshield designating their parking area at Perry. We cleaned out the parking lots based on the different categories of the cards. Surprisingly, everything went very smoothly. We were able to get the 150+ coaches out in a short time and fairly organized. Dottie and I watched most of our friends depart and said our goodbyes. Once we got all the coaches out, we went back to our coach to prepare for our departure. We got packed, hooked up the Kia, and drove to the front of the parking lot to wait for Don & Vicki Leith (who were going to accompany us) and the rest of our group.
Bob & Dorothy Larson (the Parking Committee leader) offered us the opportunity to join them at the old Warner Robins County Fairground. The Fairground used to be a viable operation until the Perry Agri-Plex opened and took all the business from the Fairground. It closed in 2000, but the manager kept the grounds open to a limited number of people for parking their motor homes temporarily. We had 30-amp electric and water hook-ups for $15/night. We could run our gray water out on the ground. There were six of us that went there and had a wonderful place to park that was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. We stayed there for four nights and enjoyed each other’s company and the chance to unwind after the Pre-Rally. We went out to eat a couple of nights and I was able to attend the Centerville Rotary Club on Tuesday morning. We found the local Super Wal-Mart and restocked our supplies. On Tuesday, after Rotary, The Leiths and I drove over to the Perry Agri-Plex to check all the vendors at the FMCA Convention. I was able to buy a few items that I needed and check out the other vendors and their wares. These conventions present the chance to get all the things we just can’t live without.
On Tuesday night we found Stevie-B’s Pizza Buffet. We paid less than $12 for both of us to eat and gorged ourselves on all the different pizzas that were available. It was quite a feast at an extremely reasonable price!
Wednesday morning saw us packing again and preparing to leave Central Georgia. We pulled out of the campground after saying goodbye to all our friends and headed north and east. This was the final goodbye to our traveling friends and it was a tough farewell. We’ve traveled with the Leiths since early January and have enjoyed their company. They will head back to California for the Baker-to-Vegas Race in April.
We drove on back roads east of Atlanta to I-85, and then to Fair Play, SC and the Carolina Landing Thousand Trails park. The park is an old NACO park and is smaller than many of the TTN parks. It is set in the beautiful mountains (760’ - yep, they call these mountains around here) of South Carolina. We are parked among the trees, but still have a great view of the sky for satellite reception. The water pressure is terrific resulting in our using an additional water pressure regulator. We were joined by another member of the Parking Committee and have enjoyed spending some time with them. The park was not designed for big rigs like ours, but a little care can be used in getting into the sites. It would be interesting for big rigs with apprehensive drivers. Our cell phone reception is good so we can have internet and email reception after 8PM.
We drove in to Anderson, SC today to check some of the historical sights. We stopped at the Anderson Police Dept. and managed to get a shoulder patch from them. I mean, an Anderson with an Anderson Police Dept. patch - it had to be done!! They were great about it and the Capt. I spoke to was very accommodating and took the time to talk to us. We found the two Super Wal-Marts and the Sam’s Club so we’re ready for the next few days. I’ll visit the Electric City-Anderson Rotary club in the morning and learn a little more about the city. It’s known as the Electric City since it was one of the first cities in the U.S. to have electric power. Anderson sits on the shores of Hartwell Reservoir and has a lot of businesses that focus on the water sports industry.
We have had superb weather throughout our stay in the Southeast. The next week looks like more of the same and we are loving it! Both of us have enjoyed our stay here and will treasure the great memories we’ll have of this trip.
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