I appreciate everybody’s understanding when I didn’t post a blog yesterday. I was just worn out physically and mentally from the rally, and when I sat down at the keyboard nothing would come out. But I got a good night’s sleep Friday night, and didn’t do much yesterday, and I’m back and raring to go.
The rally was a lot of fun, but it was a very busy week, and Terry and I were running on a maximum of four or five hours’ sleep and adrenalin all week long. We love putting on these events, and from the feedback we get from everybody, our attendees enjoy them too. But they take a big toll on our time, our bodies, and our emotions.
It takes months to plan a rally, and for a month before it starts we are going crazy with details that keep popping up. And the work doesn’t end when a rally is over. We’ll spend at least two weeks resolving all of the paperwork, sending out refund checks to people who had to cancel at the last moment, and balancing the books. By the time we get everything wrapped up from the Arizona rally, we’ll start planning our Eastern rally, in Celina, Ohio September 3-7.
During rally week, our jobs include everything from parking new arrivals and getting them checked in, to making sure the coffee is made early every morning, teaching seminars, visiting with vendors and attendees, and yes, even mopping up spills. I guess if the RV newspaper and rally business ever goes kaput, I could get a job as a janitor somewhere.
Friday morning, after a crew of volunteers helped us get all of the buildings swept and cleaned out and everybody vacated the fairgrounds, Terry and I settled our bill with the fairgrounds and then made ready to leave. Usually we park in the back corner of the fairgrounds for a day or two and just vegetate as we try to rest up, but they had another event coming in, so we had to pull out.
After a quick stop at the dump station, we drove a few miles east to the Foothills area of Yuma, where we parked on Daryl and Cheri Lawrence’s lot, along with Charles and Chris Yust, and Greg and Jan White. Chris made us a delicious dinner of halibut that she and Charles caught in Alaska, and we sat outside enjoying visiting until the week caught up with us and we started to fall asleep.
We slept in yesterday, and then Greg and Jan, Chris, and Miss Terry went to the big flea market, while I stayed home and printed out booklets to fill a number of orders that had come in during the last week. When they got back, Terry and I spent a couple of hours trying to get one of our bay doors un-jammed. As it turns out, the wedge-shaped nylon striker that holds the bay door closed had broken and will need to be replaced. We actually have two different bay doors with the same problem. Whether your home has a foundation or wheels under it, they all need maintenance and upkeep.
Today we plan to drive to Tucson, where Terry and I have medical appointments scheduled this week. We will be there a couple of weeks and then we’ll figure out our next stop.
Thought For The Day – They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold; and I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Reference the wedge-shaped nylon strikers, I read in a piece by a Newmar technician that the main cause of failures of that part occurs when people allow their bay doors to slam shut. Over time the part fatigues and breaks. He recommended easing the door down to the latch point then either pushing on the door until it latched or, better yet, pull up on the latch handle until the nylon part cleared the latch point then letting go of the latch handle to let the nylon part locked in place. That’s the method I use and have been using for the last 10 years. I marvel at people who slam their bay doors shut so hard you can hear the wump of the door across the entire campground. Then they complain about “cheap crap rv stuff” when their doors break. Ahh, people…
Of course I’m not saying that you do such a thing, but perhaps the previous owner was not as careful.
At least you two can have a good time when you are completing janitorial duties. Not all cleaner-uppers after a big rally are smiling.
Glad to see you had a great time with great friends. Enjoy Arizona while you are there … it sure seems like spring is arriving early here in Iowa. Some of the trees already have buds on them.
glad that you finally got a good nights sleep. Now try to relax some. We enjoyed the rally once again, you and Terry do an awesome job. see you in Celina so we can do it all again. Please be safe when you are back on the road
Nick, don’t know if you want this info or not, but you or Terry could fix those latches if ya have access to a philips screwdriver, a drill and bit to drill out the old latch, a rivet gun and rivets, and new latches. 15 minutes is a very conservative estimate to have them fixed. Having said all that you’ve probably already taken the repair into account and the problem is already solved. I’ve replaced most of the latches on my 99 Chieftain, just figured they were part of the aging and repair process for a moho. However, the advice from Terry H given above for not slamming the doors is something I’ve never thought of (DUH!) as I’ve been one of those people who are making the noise! I’ll be trying to follow that advice in the future!
While we have not been able to attend your rallies, from what you write and everyone says, you run a really good show. Perhaps, as your rallies have gotten so large, it is time to start delegating some of the smaller details so that you can oversee the whole picture without getting yourselves ill. After all, you are one of the most important parts of the rallies.
Saturday just went to prove that Chris the Geek is not always correct. sometimes you just cant make something out of nothing glad to see ya back at at least near full steam. see ya in the fall or hopefully late summer.