National Rally in Goshen

[2psnapod2]

Thanks Mickey for the log. I already knew we should have been there but with work, it just is not working out. Not looking to good for next year either. But the next year after that will be GREAT! Retirement! Your log really makes me say we really do have to be at the next Goshen Rally in 2013. I hope Jim is already working on it. Have a safe drive back. Need a place to stay over, There is a great park here in Montgomery. Talk to you later.

 

[SJH]

Sounds like you are having a great time! Wish we could be there but living in the "fourth corner" of WA state 2 miles from the Canadian border, we just didn't have time this year. The 2012 Wyoming event looks like the ticket! Are they taking reservations yet?

 

[Hogladyrider]

Thanks for keeping us all up to date on your travels and the Rally. Congratulations on the new addition to your family!

Wish we could have made the Rally this year but with work commitments it was not to be, hopefully things will turn around in the near future.

Hope your return trip to Florida is uneventful!
Susan

 

[jbeletti]

I bet it is a great site to see, a sea of Heartland choaches all over the fair grounds. I sure wish I could have been a part of all the excitement. Good Job Heartland employes and a big thanks to Jim B.!!!

E - we missed you big time. But we know what you are dealing with. Praying for the best with Lana. Keep in touch.

Jim

 

[jbeletti]

Sounds like you are having a great time! Wish we could be there but living in the "fourth corner" of WA state 2 miles from the Canadian border, we just didn't have time this year. The 2012 Wyoming event looks like the ticket! Are they taking reservations yet?

Hi Steve! We'll likely open up rally registrations for Gillette 2012 in December. Registration will be open to club members first, then to all Heartlanders.

Jim

 

[back2nature]

Enjoyed your log since we had to cancel because of scheduling, but today is day one of a five week trip to S.D., WY, Utah, etc. Maybe we'll run into some of you Heartlanders on your way home.

 

[jbeletti]

Thanks Michey for the log. I already knew we should have been there but with work, it just is not working out. Not looking to good for next year either. But the next year after that will be GREAT! Retirement! Your log really makes me say we really do have to be at the next Goshen Rally in 2013. I hope Jim is already working on it. Have a safe drive back. Need a place to stay over, There is a great park here in Montgomery. Talk to you later.

Michael - you and Kelly really are missing out on some great rallies but we know "duty calls". I believe you are still active duty? Thank you for your service!

I am not "working" on Goshen 2013, only "thinking" about it. I'll get active on Gillette starting this August.

As a side note, I spent a bit of time in a new Key Largo at the plant the day of the tours. I really think I could get used to it. Though I prefer the split bath, I think we did a decent job on the all-in-one in the KL and I just love the whole downstairs area. Keep enjoying yours

Jim

 

[2psnapod2]

Yes Jim I am still Active Duty. I am waiting to start seeing the working on the next Goshen Rally. No hurry though, we know you have another in between. Yes the KL is great but yes that split bath does make it really open up top. We have lived full time in ours now for almost 2 months and would not change a thing. Thanks HL for making us wait and finally giving us something that we didn't even know we wanted. If any of you remember our Ontario fiasco that is.

 

[jbeletti]

... I am waiting to start seeing the working on the next Goshen Rally...

Michael - you won't see "much" from me on Goshen 2013 planning until August of 2012 or so.

Jim

 

[MICKEY]

Hi guys and girls;

Well I need to update this thread. Sunday morning we were treated to a farmers breakfast. Eggs, ham, hasbrowns, fruit, and more. Almost everyone passed through before departing. Saying goodby to friends and wishing everyone a good and safe trip home. I had to move my rig because another rally was coming in Sunday. Bonnie and I relocated our rig and then hit the area for some sightseeing. We ended up at Amish Acres, a restored original Amish farm with many buildings, so us ENGLISH could see how similar they were to our country up-bringings. It wasn't very different from my grandfathers farm. However the orietation film showed the history of the Amish and how they made the pilgrimage to the new world. Also on site were a meat and cheese merchantile, fudgery, ice cream shoppe, and of course a restaurant where we were treated to another fantastic meal. We also took the wagon tour around the site. While there we got word they were having a AFTER THE RALLY POT LUCK DINNER back at the fairgrounds. I stopped in and could not believe how many people were there. Probably 40 - 50 people were there sharing stories and having fun, hating to leave. I had service scheduled for Monday morning so I managed to leave as the last few folks departed.

 

[floridarandy]

Hi guys and girls;

Well I need to update this thread. Sunday morning we were treated to a farmers breakfast. Eggs, ham, hasbrowns, fruit, and more. Almost everyone passed through before departing. Saying goodby to friends and wishing everyone a good and safe trip home. I had to move my rig because another rally was coming in Sunday. Bonnie and I relocated our rig and then hit the area for some sightseeing. We ended up at Amish Acres, a restored original Amish farm with many buildings, so us ENGLISH could see how similar they were to our country up-bringings. It wasn't very different from my grandfathers farm. However the orietation film showed the history of the Amish and how they made the pilgrimage to the new world. Also on site were a meat and cheese merchantile, fudgery, ice cream shoppe, and of course a restaurant where we were treated to another fantastic meal. We also took the wagon tour around the site. While there we got word they were having a AFTER THE RALLY POT LUCK DINNER back at the fairgrounds. I stopped in and could not believe how many people were there. Probably 40 - 50 people were there sharing stories and having fun, hating to leave. I had service scheduled for Monday morning so I managed to leave as the last few folks departed.

OMG....more food! Back on the treadmill Randy....

You guys better walk home towing that rig .

 

[MICKEY]

Monday morning 5am I'm up getting things put away and getting the coach ready for departure. Bonnie and I were ready and pulled out about 7am for the short trip to Lippert. Surprizingly there was a pretty good line in the parking lot. Folks getting upgraded axles, trailair pin boxes ect. I dropped off the trailer and headed out to Heartland customer service for an FM antenna whip that dropped off somewhere. The folks were great and I was off to RV surplus to check that famous place out. Believe it or not we didn't buy anything. But should have. Everything from furniture to instrument clusters for class A's. Maybe it's a good thing they are 1200 miles away from home base. Lots of ideas running through this head! Oh well we scurried off to Flair Interiors where they have just introduced a new slider disc that goes under the recliners to help you move them. We bought 2 for our recliners and headed back to Lippert to check on our rig. Just as we got there they were ready to pull it out. We were already fueled and we departed Goshen in the rain just shy of 12 noon. We drove for about 3 hours in the rain before it slacked off. Since the wheels were off the coach I bought a torque wrench and checked the lugs occasionall at stops along the way. The first time one wasn't tight enough, but they stayed tight there after. We made it to Corbin Ky and stayed at our favorite stopping point, Cracker Barrel in Corbin, KY. Ther manager was great. We ate dinner at the restaurant after we fed the dog and got the coach ready. We only had in 7 hours of driving but we had started early getting things ready that morning.

 

[MICKEY]

Tuesday started early again at 5am, getting the generator online, heating the water walking the dog ect. After a quick shower leaving Bonnie enough hot water we again got the coach ready and went in to grab breakfast before hitting the road. At 7 am we pulled out of the lot. An uneventful day, thank you, the miles whizzed by. We stopped at a few rest areas, ate lunch in a rest stop in Tennessee, trying to use up some of the food we took with us. We took a different route home to see some mountains of the Blue Ridge. We were tired but kept the miles rolling by. We finished the last 750 of the 1190 in one day so we could be back at the office on Wednesday. No problems just good times, Bonnie and I talked about future rallies and plans for the future, the whole time. She is quite the navigator. We rolled in the house at 8 pm. GPS said we averaged 63 mph rolling time, which is fantastic through the mountains and big hills. We had a great time. Saw old friends, made new ones, saw lots of things we would like to try on our rig, laughed so hard our shorts were damp (credit debbie b) and ate way more than we should have. If you get the chance, next year you should write about your trip to the Nationals. We originally weren't planning on going all the way to Gillette, Wy., but after this trip we may HAVE to put it on the list. Thanks Jim B and all volunteers for all the hard work. It was perfect.
In a day or two I'll get some pictures posted. I thnk Deb B has posted some to the gallery, and I'm sure Jim will have some as well.

back home and planning the next rally

Mickey, Bonnie, and Max

 

[floridarandy]

Tuesday started early again at 5am, getting the generator online, heating the water walking the dog ect. After a quick shower leaving Bonnie enough hot water we again got the coach ready and went in to grab breakfast before hitting the road. At 7 am we pulled out of the lot. An uneventful day, thank you, the miles whizzed by. We stopped at a few rest areas, ate lunch in a rest stop in Tennessee, trying to use up some of the food we took with us. We took a different route home to see some mountains of the Blue Ridge. We were tired but kept the miles rolling by. We finished the last 750 of the 1190 in one day so we could be back at the office on Wednesday. No problems just good times, Bonnie and I talked about future rallies and plans for the future, the whole time. She is quite the navigator. We rolled in the house at 8 pm. GPS said we averaged 63 mph rolling time, which is fantastic through the mountains and big hills. We had a great time. Saw old friends, made new ones, saw lots of things we would like to try on our rig, laughed so hard our shorts were damp (credit debbie b) and ate way more than we should have. If you get the chance, next year you should write about your trip to the Nationals. We originally weren't planning on going all the way to Gillette, Wy., but after this trip we may HAVE to put it on the list. Thanks Jim B and all volunteers for all the hard work. It was perfect.
In a day or two I'll get some pictures posted. I thnk Deb B has posted some to the gallery, and I'm sure Jim will have some as well.

back home and planning the next rally

Mickey, Bonnie, and Max

MB&M - thanks again for the travelogue. although i enjoy reading about folks problems with their coaches, and enjoy seeing neat mods, i especially like living vicariously through the travels of others, regardless of how much traveling we do. Although we didn't attend this Rally, between your day by day diary, and Deb B's pictures, we felt we were there. Even the video she posted of the hypnosis routine caused us to laugh, albeit with dryer results.

Thanks again...and hope you're enjoying being back at work .

Randy and Karen

 

[TravelTiger]

MB&M - thanks again for the travelogue. although i enjoy reading about folks problems with their coaches, and enjoy seeing neat mods, i especially like living vicariously through the travels of others, regardless of how much traveling we do.

I agree, I have enjoyed reading the play-by-play. (Followed JayC and Stella's blog, too!) A fair substitute for not being there. Now we're hoping to go to Gilette!

Erika

 

[MICKEY]

RANDY AND TRAVEL TIGER;

The REALLY hard part was coming back at all. We could really get used to the "NON-WORK" thingy. Note to self....Got to start playing the lottery!

 

[davebennington]

Mickey,

How did the truck run going home?

Dave

 

[MICKEY]

Dave and Julie;
The truck did great, no problems. I hope the same for you guys on your trip. Keep us posted!