The rest of the COA rally was really fun. Each day I met up with old and new friends. I can’t say enough about what a great group of people these folks are. After our day activities we would gather around one of the vans and have cold beverages, talk, laugh, listen to stories and have a great time. One evening we had 30 people hanging out in a big circle talking. I am really blessed to have come into such a great group of people and friends both old and new.
One of the fellows in the group has a sad but interesting story. We first met J.J. at the Ocala rally in March. His wife passed away in November. He and his wife had visited most states but had a few more to go. In memory of his wife, he purchased his van and took her ashes to more of the missing states that they never got to visit together. Also, along the way he wanted to visit all of the baseball parks. He is well along his way with that goal and will finish that this year.
One evening our Class B van group had a potluck gathering. Some of the folks brought food items from their hometown area. Such things as Elk Chili from Montana, Cheese curds from Wisconsin, Boudin from the south/ Louisiana area. As a matter of fact, a group of folks are now planning a caravan on the Boudin Trail for next year.
The Rally offered optional excursions for sale. One of them was a trip to see a show at a local Amish theater and have dinner in Shipshewana, IN. The other was called the “Brown Bag Amish Tour”. I opted for that tour, and it was a fun day. It was an 8-hour day and deserves its own post so keep an eye out for that.
Coincidence? One of the first couples that I met and spoke with at the rally was this couple from New Hampshire. They have had their van for two years. They live in an area of New Hampshire, where they need to winterize their van and put it in storage prior to the beginning of October, because the road to their house is often impassable. I introduced myself and the woman says, “my name is Doris”. I said that was my grandmother’s name! Then her husband says, “my name is George”. I told him that was my grandfather’s name! (Doris and George were my mother’s parents). I definitely did not forget their names the rest of the week! Maybe that was Grandma and Grandpap sending me a little message and saying hi!
During the week there were many food trucks available. Some were included, and some you pay for. Some of the included ones were a pretzel food truck, a strawberry shortcake and ice cream food truck. Others that you had to pay for included coffee, donuts, snow cones, Mexican food, Burgers, Fish and Pizza.
Presidents’ / Customer Appreciation Dinner: This dinner is where the president and management of Coachmen show their appreciation to their customers and to their staff. The dinner consisted of different food stations, and they had some wine and beer available. The president introduced all of his department heads, and when he introduced Nick who is in charge of the Class B division, he received a standing ovation from all of us Class B owners who were in attendance. he was definitely the most well-liked division manager. Each division manager is in charge of a different class of RV. Ex: Big class A motorhomes, Class C motor homes, travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers, etc.
Nick really knows his customers and he gets personal with those that he meets along the way, and he remembers his customer stories. He goes out of his way to take care of people and “Treating People Right”.
After dinner a band was playing. I went to listen for a while and then headed back to my van.
My departure day from the rally: My plan was to drive as long and as far as I could as long as I felt good and was not tired. This day I felt really good. I stopped every two hours (at least) and in the end I drove over 12 hours and my miles driven were 666.2! Yes, you read that right! I can’t believe it myself and I am so glad that I used that day to travel as far as I could as this gave me time and a day to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I will talk about that in another blog. That was also a fabulous day. About an hour prior to ending my drive I stopped and went online and booked a site at a campground, and I was soon resting in my new campsite. “RV There Yet” in Alexandria, MN. It was nothing fancy, but it was a nice shady spot and was quiet. I had a good night’s rest. I also gained an hour during this travel day and was in the central time zone.
Thanks for following along!