Days 79 thru 83 - FMCA Convention

Days 79 - Tuesday - thru  83 - Saturday - FMCA Convention

We're happy we got the car yesterday as our days promise to be very busy for the rest of the week.  Tuesday morning I have the first of a 2 part training class giving me tips on how to keep my students motivated in the online classes.  I learn about "hooks" - ways to get the students involved and waiting for more - and "teasing forward" - offering a sneak preview of what's still to come.

This afternoon there is a session for first time convention attendees, which promises to be interesting.  Things don't always live up to their promise and obviously the presenter hasn't taken the class I had this morning.  For an hour, after introducing officials (which no doubt made them feel good) whose names we will never remember, he just tells us things we've already learned from the printed program.

He tells us there's an app we can download to our smart phones that will let us put in our choices from the hundreds of seminars on offer.  He doesn't tell us how to get the app, and when Vicky asks him, he says to see him after the session.  We do just that, as do many other people, and he tells us we download it into another app he has on his phone.  He assumes we know what THAT app is (no one did) but working together we're able to find that app and then download the program.  The speaker is a volunteer who clearly knows a lot about FMCA and has no doubt done a lot for their members, but he doesn't understand how little new members know.  This, unfortunately, is the only session we're not asked to give feedback on.

The lecture is followed by a "Chapter Fair".  The Family Motor Coach Association has over 50 sub-groups you can join, and each of them has a table staffed by people who tell us what the Chapter does.  Mostly they get together for local rallies and social events.  Many of the Chapters are regionally based, which doesn't help us as we're touring, but we do find out about a couple of groups active in Arizona where we'll winter, as well as a group of full-timers like us, and a Monaco owners group.  We do join two Chapters.

Meanwhile it looks like the insurance company and the repair shop are working things out.  We have to pay the full price for the a/c unit before the shop will order it, and although the insurance company doesn't want to do it this way (nor do we!) they agree to reimburse us.  Now it's time to wait.

Over the next 4 days we attend seminars on everything from boondocking (camping in the field without hookups) and generator dos and don'ts, to electrical systems and how to keep your tires happy.  Unlike the Tuesday session, they are generally full of helpful info and we learn a lot as well as making new friends.  Besides the RV info sessions there are classes on hobbies and pastimes.  Vicky, who along with her brother is researching the history of her family, attends a series on genealogy and gets some good tips that have already helped her uncover things she did not know about her father, and I take 3 classes from a professional writer who offers helpful tips and also provides a detailed critique of one of my blog posts.

Our RV is parked within walking distance (a good, healthy walk) of the convention sessions and we do walk most of the time.  However, they also provide shuttle buses between the parking lots and the convention hall.  Because of where we are, it's actually quicker for us to walk when going to meetings, but if we take the shuttle back we're the first to get off!

Every evening there is live entertainment.  Thomas Michael Riley is a country singer I'd never heard of, and although most of his music was new to us, he kept us entertained and even had us join in some of the songs, mostly by having us shout things out!  On Thursday the air conditioners in the halls were turned down so low that we decided to skip the evening entertainment, but Friday night's program was the highlight for me.

I always enjoyed the music of Ricky Nelson, and his twin sons Matthew and Gunnar took us through some videos of his rise to stardom and shared personal anecdotes (Mark Harmon is their uncle and "Mama" Cass Elliott was their babysitter).  We found out that Ricky made his first recording after a girl named Arlene,  an Elvis fan, laughed in his face when he told her he was going to make a record.  That first disc sold over a million copies and when Arlene came round to ask why he never called her any more, he had the pleasure of shutting the door in her face!  Matthew and Gunnar performed many of their dad's songs, as well as their own music, and it was a great evening. 

We didn't go to Saturday's rock concert because we spent the time making increasingly frantic attempts to find Quill, who had disappeared.  Since both Vicky and I had been outside several times we figured she had somehow got out.  By 9pm everybody walking their dogs, as well as the shuttle drivers, was helping us look for her with no success.  Finally, after a prayer for inspiration, Vicky opened the closet doors under the range, and out walked Quill, totally unconcerned.  She must have heard our calls but she's never one to speak much and was probably asleep.  The water heater's under there, so it's a nice cozy spot.  Must remember not to leave it open when she's around in future.

Speaking of cozy, Cosette spent time trying to console us, even though I'm sure she'd be delighted if Quill disappeared - they've never gotten along.  We did discover, when Quill went straight for her food dish, that Cosette had cleaned out both dishes.  Maybe the affection was to thank us for the extra food!

Another part of the convention was, of course, a huge trade show.  I resisted the temptation to spend $150 (special price) on a metal bracelet that was supposed to cure all my aches and pains, help me to sleep and improve my balance.  (Nothing about adding nutrition if put in a cooking pot, but it was supposed to do everything else!)  However, we did invest in a stabilizer system that should make it easier to drive in cross winds, and we had the RV weighed.  Like 57% of RV owners, our rig is overweight - in our case by 1,000 lbs.  The primary problem area is the rear, so we're trying to figure out what we can get rid of.  If neither of us were in the coach that would solve part of the problem, but it's not an ideal solution, to say the least.

One feature of Gillette is flies, which are everywhere including inside the RV.  We bought some pads that stick on the window.  They contain a substance that the flies eat, which kills them.  These flies either knew it was toxic or didn't like the taste as the pads didn't work.  We also bought a bottle that comes with a putrid smelling substance that you mix with water and hang up.  Flies are attracted to the putrid smell, get into the bottle and can't get out.  They end up drowning.  This worked perfectly but it only survived a half hour inside the RV since the smell was so bad.  We hung it from the rear view mirror and by the end of the week it was full of dead flies, so it works.  We ended up solving the inside fly problem by hanging up a couple of old fashioned fly strips, which were soon covered in dead insects.  The fly swatter sometimes works, but mostly it just gives them exercise as they fly away.  In the case of fly removal technology it seems like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the best advice.

We also found an outfit that takes small groups (7 RVs max) on trips through Baja California, Mexico and have added that to the list of possibilities for our 40th anniversary celebration next year.  Other travel groups were at the trade show, but their prices brought home to us the fact that many RV people are driving million dollar rigs.  (We're not!)

Between convention sessions we worked with Casey, the Ford salesman in Spearfish and Don in Rapid City, who can transfer our towing equipment from the Focus to a new car, and decided to trade in the automatic Ford Focus, with its constant transmission problems, for a manual Ford Fiesta.  We had a Fiesta previously and loved it, and the manual shift should solve all our towing problems.

We were supposed to leave Gillette the Sunday after the Convention (Day 83 if you're counting) and head west for Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone Park.  However, between the need to get the new car tow-ready and the fact that the new air conditioner that's to be installed on the RV here in Gillette won't be done until Tuesday, we've decided to re-think our route to Santa Fe.

We're able to extend our stay here at Cam-Plex for a couple more nights so we don't have to move yet.

Verdict on the Convention?  Well worth the time and money, and we'll probably make it a habit.  There's one in March in Georgia that we can't make, and one next August in Fargo ND that would fit in with our thoughts of volunteering up there in 2019.