Finally, After Two Years - Some RV Rallies!

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Saturday, March 5th, which was our last full day in Yuma for this season. Normally we would stay through March, but we have some other plans, including rallies, for this March. Sunday was our first travel day in a couple of months. We are only going 31 miles today, from the Foothills to the Copper Mountain RV park in Tacna, just over the mountains East of Yuma. We are going there for three days to spend some time with my Brother Ken and his wife Susan. We left Sunset Palms RV park about 11:00 and by 11:45 we were checking into Copper Mountain. We got parked in a spot just across the street from Ken and Susan and after we got set up we went over to their coach to visit. They just recently retired, sold their house in Goodyear, Arizona, and went full time in their RV. At the time they retired they had a 40 foot Newmar motor home, but we learned today when we went over that they have upgraded and just a few weeks ago bought a new 43 foot Newmar coach. We spent a couple hours talking travel plans and full time RVing tips. We had cocktails on the patio about 5:30, but didn't stay out too long because it got chilly. We went back to our coach for the night. We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 7th, we had a nice, relaxing day. We went out after lunch to do some local geocaching. We went on our own because Ken and Susan are also avid geocachers and have already gotten all of the local caches that we would be able to go to with our wimpy, low slung car. It's our own fault because we got them started in caching some years ago and now watch them catching up to us in total finds. We were able to get nine new finds, and one DNF, in a an hour an a half or so, then we went back to the coach. About 2:30 Ken and Susan came over to our coach and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards. About 5:00 we left with Ken and Susan in their car and drove west a few miles to the town of Wellton for dinner. They took us to a Mexican place called Geronimo's and the food was pretty good. The service was a little slow, but they were packed and had several large parties along with a vigorous take out business, so it was understandable. We were back home before 7:00 and after they dropped us off we got into our jammies and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, March 8th, we had an enjoyable day with Ken and Susan. About 1:00 we left and went out with them in their Jeep to do some off road geocaching. Since we traded in our last Jeep four years ago we haven't been able to do anything rougher than a graded dirt road, so it was fun to get out on a trail again. We were out for about two hours and got nine new finds with no DNFs. After caching we went back to the RV park and played cards until about 4:30. We took a break and Jackie cooked dinner, a nice Chinese chicken casserole, and we had dinner. They stayed and talked until about 7:00, after which we watched TV and then went to bed. Wednesday was another travel day. We were packed up and on the road by 10:30, heading East to Arizona City, just south of Casa Grande, Arizona. We arrived at the High Chaparral RV park about 1:15 and got registered and parked. We have been at this park a number of times over the years. It is located about 8 miles South of Casa Grande, making for easy access and is a lot less expensive than parks right in Casa Grande. The town has become a haven for Snow Birds, so the prices are much higher than they were ten or fifteen years ago. We got set up for a week long stay, then spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach relaxing.

Thursday, March 10th, was a stay at home day. We had a couple of Zoom meetings with groups back at the SKP park in Pahrump, and we did a few chores around the coach. Friday we left about noon and drove into Casa Grande to the Big Wa Chinese restaurant, one of our go-to places in Casa Grande. We had a great lunch, after which we ran some errands. We went to Walmart for some supplies, then drove to the mall area so Jackie could go to a Bath and Body Works store. We got one geocache in the mall parking lot. Jackie was going to also get a haircut today, but all of the Great Clips in town were back up, some as much as two hours. We went back to the coach and put everything away, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV.

Saturday, March 12th, we left the coach after lunch and drove to the Pinal County Fairgrounds to visit the Pinal County Fair. When we got to the fairgrounds, East of Casa Grande, we did not find a fair. Doing some checking online we realized that we had both misread the articles we had seen and that the fair actually started next week, not this one. Oh well. We enjoy going to small fairs, so that is why we got excited when we thought it was going on during our stay here. We headed back into town so Jackie could get her hair cut. There was still an hour backup at the salon, so to kill some time we did some geocaching, getting four new finds and one DNF. Jackie finally got in and got her haircut, after which we headed back to the RV park. We spent the rest of the day in the coach relaxing. Sunday is my son, Roy Jr's birthday. It also was a stay at home chores day. I did some minor repairs to the air conditioner in the bedroom, a diverter plate had come loose. I then went outside and cleaned all of the windows and the front of the coach so it would look better for the rallies. Jackie and I then cleaned all the windows inside of the coach. We then watched some TV, had a chili relleno casserole for dinner, and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 14th, we left the coach about 12:30 and drove to the Casa Grande In N Out for lunch. It has been months since we visited an In N Out and lunch was as good as ever. After lunch we went to a laundromat for laundry day. We finished the laundry about 3:00, after which we went to a nail salon so Jackie could get a pedi. Once she was done we went back to the coach, put away the clothes and made the bed, then relaxed for the rest of the evening. Tuesday was another stay at home day. We just relaxed for the entire day, getting ready for a couple of weeks of being busy at the rallies. Jackie made a meatloaf for dinner and we watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, March 16th, was another travel day. Today was a short trip, about 70 miles South to Tucson, Arizona. We arrived at the Voyager RV Resort about 12:30 and got checked in and parked. We are here for five days for the Monaco International chapter of FMCA pre-rally to the FMCA Convention next week. We have been members of Monaco International since 2005, shortly after we bought the motorhome and went full time. This and the Full Timers Chapter are the FMCA groups we have been most active with over the years. Today was pretty much a free day since it was an early arrival day. We did go to one of the activity rooms at the resort for some games with other early arrivals. We played card bingo for about 90 minutes and caught up with some old friends and made a couple of new friends. After the games we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening in. Tomorrow is the also pretty much a free day until the 4:00 welcome social since it is the official arrival day for the rally. The actual rally is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, after which we move to the Pima County Fairgrounds for the FMCA rally.

Thursday, March 17th, Happy St. Patrick's Day. We went out after lunch to do some local geocaching, getting ten new finds, and one DNF, in a couple of hours. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for a bit. About 4:00 we went down to the activities room for the welcome social. There are probably 40 or 50 attendees and we had a good time visiting. They only had appetizers to eat, but there were a lot of them and they were pretty good, so it took the place of dinner. They also served beer and wine, but we brought our vodka drinks with us. The social was over at 6:00, after which we went back to the coach and just relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening. Friday was the first full day of the rally. We actually were up and out of the coach a little after 8:00 to go to breakfast. The Monaco rallies always feature breakfasts and dinners, along with happy hours, as part of the rally fee. After breakfast we relaxed for a bit then went to the first timers meeting. Of course, we are not first timers, but we volunteered to serve as mentors to another couple who were. Fortunately for us, they have been active in FMCA for many years and have gone to a lot of rallies, just none with Monaco. This meant they didn't need much coaching. I think they were paired with us because they have a home

address of Pahrump, but it is just a mailing address for them. They were originally from Las Vegas. They seem like a nice couple. After the first timers meeting we went back to the coach again for a while. About 4:30 we went down to the activities room to meet tonight's entertainment and so I could set up the sound and video equipment for tonight. I am one of the few in the group with experience with sound and video equipment, so I generally get the job at these rallies. Happy hour started at 5:00 and dinner was at 6:00. Tonight we sat with our mentees, although after tonight we can make the rounds to other tables. The entertainment started at 7:00 and was a musical couple act called the Cordell's. They had a very 60's vibe in their tie-dye wardrobe and musical choices. They put on a two hour show and frankly it was terrible. Bad singing, bad backing tracks and mediocre musical ability. They did have some cute videos on their video screen which played while they did songs. After the show was over we went back to the coach and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Saturday, March 19th, we again went down to breakfast about 8:30. After breakfast we went back to the coach and just did our normal stuff. At noon I dropped Jackie off at the activities room for the ladies luncheon. I went back to the coach and did some office work. I picked Jackie up at 2:00 and we went back to the coach until just before 3:30 when we went back the main room for the meeting of the caravan group. One of the regular things for Monaco pre-rallies is that the dates of the rally are coordinated with FMCA so that our rally usually ends on Sunday. Monday is usually the first entry day for FMCA attendees, so Monaco International has a caravan from the site of the Monaco rally to the site of the FMCA rally. This allows MI people to be parked somewhere near other MI people. Over the years we have had some really long caravans, both in numbers of coaches and distance. We have been at MI rallies where we have had upwards of 500 coaches, that makes for quite a parade of fancy motorhomes. We have also had some that were long, two that come to mind are Coos Bay, Oregon to Salem, Oregon, and Lancaster, California to Pomona, California, both of which were well over 100 miles. Of course today rallies are much smaller. This caravan is only 20 coaches and we are only going about six miles to FMCA on Monday. After the rally meeting we just stayed in the room since we had to greet the night's entertainers when they came in around 4:00. I helped them get their equipment in and set up before happy hour started. We had happy hour and then dinner, which tonight was stir fry chicken. It was OK, but still not up to old Monaco International standards. At 7:00 the entertainment started which was a local four piece band called Southern Roads. They were very good, very entertaining and way more people stayed until the end at 9:00 then did last night. After the band quit we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Sunday, March 20^th, the last full day of the Monaco rally. There weren’t a lot of rally activities during the day. I spent some time in the afternoon getting the coach ready for the FMCA rally. We will have 30 amp electric at FMCA, but no water or sewer. I wanted to make sure that the water tank was full and the waste tanks were empty when we left tomorrow. I also had to test the water pump to be sure that we would have running water in the coach. Everything checked out. About 4:00 we went down to the activities room for the evening events. We had cocktails at 5:00 and then before dinner started at 6:00 I did a brief veteran’s tribute for the group. Dinner tonight was excellent, the best of the rally. We had prime rib, carved to order, and it was wonderful. After dinner we had a musical couple called Musical Reflections, and they were also very good. They played a lot of 60’s and 70’s stuff and a lot of good dance music. Most of the group hung around until they finished at 8:30. After the entertainment we helped clean up the room and put away the tables and chairs. We then went back to our coach and watched a little TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 21^st, we were actually up at 5:00 a.m. getting the coach ready to travel. We are going with the group to FMCA and they were planning on leaving at 8:30. The trip to FMCA is only a little under 10 miles, but by going in with the caravan we will get parked quicker. The caravan went well and we arrived at FMCA by 9:00 or so and were parked by 10:00. We got set up and just relaxed the rest of the day. We did take a drive around the grounds in the afternoon just to get a feel for where everything is in relation to our parking location. We have been to several rallies at the Pima County Fairgrounds in the past, but we are always parked in a different place. We stopped and visited briefly with our friends Mike and Darlene Neighbors who are also at the rally. Like most of our RVing friends, we have not seen them in two years. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.

Tuesday, March 22^nd, we spent most of the day around the coach. I spent an hour or so outside setting up our pop up canopy and some tables for the Block Party on Thursday. A few years back FMCA came up with the concept of Block Parties, where on a specific day and time individual chapters can set up a party site. FMCA provides a $50 stipend for food and beverages and arranges for the individual hosting the party to have a larger parking site. This year Jackie and I are the hosts for the Block Party for the Military Veteran's Chapter. We got a nice big end site when we parked yesterday. About 3:00 I went down to the activities area for the FMCA Chapter Fair, where chapters can set up tables to try and recruit new members. I was splitting my time between the Full Timers and Military Veterans tables, which were right next to each other. About 4:30 Jackie and I left the fairgrounds and drove to the Del Lago Golf Resort, located a few miles away, for a dinner with the Eastern Gourmands Chapter. This is a chapter which is basically just about having a very nice, high end dinner with the group during an FMCA rally. We had 29 attendees tonight at the Hacienda Restaurant at the resort, including the National President of FMCA and several other National Executive Board members. We are friends of probably two dozen of the people who came to the dinner. I had a rib eye steak that was outstanding and Jackie had salmon, which she said was also very good. Our table mates were the Neighbours, Mike and Darlene, and we had a very nice time. We were back home by 7:30 and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, March 23^rd, the first day of the actual rally. I went down to the activities area for a seminar on veterans benefits at 9:00. It was informative, although I didn't really learn much new. After the seminar I went back to the coach and did a few chores and had lunch. After lunch we both went back down to the activities area for a few meetings. We first went to a meeting of the Elks International Chapter, which we have belonged to since we first joined FMCA. It was actually the first FMCA chapter we joined. Although not actually associated with the BPOE, to join the Chapter at least one of the couple has to belong to an Elks Lodge and have a current membership card. After the Elks meeting we went to a gathering of the International Area. FMCA has a number of geographical areas, Western, Eastern, and so forth. These Areas are for chapters that have members primarily in one geographical area. The International Area is for those Chapters who have members all over the country, including Canada. Most of the Chapters we belong to are in the International area. We know almost all of the elected Board of INTO, as the International Area is known. After the Into gathering we were going to the Western Area gathering, but since the INTO meeting got out early, we decided to go shopping in the vendor area instead.

We didn't go through the entire vendor area, but I did go to the Roadmaster booth to look at a new supplemental braking system for the car. This is a system, legally required in most states, that applies the brakes on the car when it is being towed behind the motorhome. We have had a Roadmaster system since 2005 that we have moved between the various vehicles we have had, but it finally gave up the ghost this past summer after 15 years of service. I ended up buying a new system from Roadmaster that they will install on Friday. While I was spending a bunch of money Jackie was over looking at wigs. She has wanted one for a long time, but never found one she liked. The company that is at the rally has a good reputation and Jackie finally found one she likes and she bought it. Now she has something for those “bad hair days” that come once in a while. After the shopping we headed back to the coach and relaxed for a little while. At 7:00 we went over to the entertainment venue for the evenings entertainment. FMCA always has three nights of entertainment at the big rallies. They had the opening ceremonies first, then a group called Southwest Surfers and was basically a Beach Boys tribute band. They were pretty good and played most of the Beach Boys and other surf band music. However, the venue was outside and after an hour or so it got too cold, so we left and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, March 24^th, we left the coach about 10:30 and went down to the vendor area to go through the entire building. We bought a few little things, but certainly not like yesterday. After the vendors we had lunch at the Cantina, a little indoor restaurant here on the fairgrounds. After lunch we went through a few display coaches before heading back to the coach. After resting for a bit I went outside and put the top on the pop up and starting getting ready for the Military Veterans Chapter Block Party at 5:00. A couple of the other Board members from the Military Chapter came over with food and drink and other stuff for the party. At 5:00 people started coming over for the party. I would guess over the course of the two hours we had 75 people or so pass through. There were dozens of other block parties going on at the same time and they were widely scattered, so most people could only go to one or two at most. At 7:00 we cleaned up all the food and drink and closed down the party. I left the tables and pop up for tomorrow. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing.

Friday, March 25^th, I took the car over to the Roadmaster service area on the other side of the fairgrounds at 8:30 so they could install the new braking system. I walked back to the coach and had my coffee. About 10:00 we left and went to one of the seminar areas for the Full Timing Chapter's seminar on Full Time RVing. I helped the chapter president, Mike Neighbours, put on the session. It went pretty well and only lasted an hour. After the seminar we had a quick lunch and then spent a little more time in the vendors tent. At 1:00 we went over to one of the entertainment stage areas to help with the ice cream social. FMCA always has a ice cream social at their rallies and the Full Timer's Chapter has always been the one's in charge of putting it on. FMCA provides the ice cream and we provide the servers. It is always a lot of fun because you can be sure that just about anyone at the rally will show up for free ice cream, so you get to meet a lot of people. We gave ice cream to about 3,000 people in twenty minutes. After the social we went back to the coach and relaxed. I did spend some time outside taking down the tables and pop up from the party and kind of cleaning up the outside. It was warm today, close to 90 degrees, so we actually had to run the air conditioning in the coach for most of the afternoon and evening. At 5:00 we drove over to another parking area in the Fairgrounds to go to a happy hour with the Monaco International group. We had a good time visiting with people. About 5:30 we went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Saturday, March 26^th, the last day of the rally. We didn't have too many obligations today. About 9:00 a service tech from Roadmaster came over to the coach and installed the air outlet for the new braking system on the car. This allows me to connect the air brakes on the coach to the car braking system. After lunch we went over to the vendors for one last look. We still had a few “bonus bucks” coupons from FMCA left and we didn't want to leave any money on the table. After shopping we went back to the coach until 7:00 when we went to the entertainment area for the closing ceremonies. They did a brief veterans and first responders tribute before the entertainment started. The entertainment was a folk rock group which was mediocre at best. We left after about a half hour and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, March 27^th was another travel day. There were people pulling out of the fairgrounds as early as 6:30, but we were not in a big hurry. We left the fairgrounds around 9:30 and started north, headed to Buckeye, Arizona, a suburb on the West side of the Phoenix metro area. We arrived at the Leaf Verde RV Resort about 1:00 and were quickly parked. We got set up for our four day stay here and then just relaxed in the coach for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

We are now about three weeks into this episode and it time to get it published. We now have just a little over a week and two more stops before we are due to arrive back in our home of Pahrump. Until next time, ponder the words of the 19^th Century writer Guillaume Apollinaire. “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” Be happy and see ya soon.