Wednesday, March 17th

So far, it’s been a fun time at the Rally! On Monday night there was a sponsored party around the new show coaches. There was plenty of finger food and an open bar. We managed to restrain ourselves and hold off on all the munchies. But at 6PM we left the grounds and drove over to the Nimbus Brewing Co. brewpub. It’s in a commercial area just a short drive away from Beaudry’s. We got there and told the one bartender that we might have 10 people coming. By the time everybody arrived, we had 12 folks! It was a gathering of some of our old favorite friends - Dave & Marie Ostrander (and two friends of theirs), Jim & Peggy Grich, Ron & Wanda Farrar, Rick & Joann Stone, Ray & Glenda Roe, and the Andersons. The menu was simple, the beer was excellent, and the company was outstanding. We all had the opportunity to get caught up and share some excellent camaraderie!

Tuesday morning was the beginning of all the events - seminars, classes, and touring the vendor area. Dottie was able to do the laundry and I kept busy with little odd jobs around the coach. The Tuesday night catered dinner was great with the 5-6PM Happy Hour followed by dinner and entertainment. We stayed for about 15 minutes of the entertainment and went back to the coach. It was a couple of impersonators that did a mediocre job of the impersonations. I had the chance to stroll through the vendor area and find a couple if items that I can pick up.

Wednesday morning breakfast was followed by a trip to the local Wal-Mart. We went to a couple of the Monaco seminars and were brought up-to-date on the changes within the company. April Klein and Mike Snell, both Vice Presidents in Monaco, were there to tell us about the progress of the integration of Navistar and Monaco. Where they once employed over 6000 employees, there are now only 800 employees. The new engines will be able to meet the 2012 emission standards and Monaco will be slowly changing over from Cummins to the MaxxForce engines. They will be able to meet the Federal standards without having to use the urea tanks to scrub the exhaust components. It’s very painfully obvious to me that we have a gem in our “antique”, 10-year-old coach and we will keep it for a long time!

We had received an email from an old Rotary motorcycle friend, Tony D’Arcy. He now lives in Casa Grande and had a luncheon appointment with a client in Tucson. So we made arrangements to meet Tony here at the rally. He arrived about 4:30, just before I needed to be over in the dining area to fulfill my duties as a Sheriff (checking credentials to be sure the participants were actually attendees, and not free-loaders). Tony accompanied us to the dinner area and it gave us a chance to visit as I watched the entrance door. Tony stayed for a short while and then left for Casa Grande. It was terrific to see him again and have a chance to visit for a short period. Tony and I go back to some fantastic Rotary motorcycle rides through the Sierras in Northern California. After Tony left, we finished dinner and sat through a few numbers of the 60’s-era band before we returned to the coach for the night.

Tucson has blessed us with some warm, but windy days. We are conscious of the potential for dehydration and trying to keep on top of it with plenty of water. The great news is that there’s a warming trend coming and we will probably be getting some warm weather as we move east on Friday.