Five years ago, Helen and I began traveling in an RV and immediately fell in love with the lifestyle. Those five years have included about six extended trips, which we have shared on Easin’ Along. We took an extended trip to California and back earlier this year but plan to remain closer to home for the foreseeable future for reasons explained in previous posts. Nevertheless, the lifestyle still calls us, and we plan to spend as much time in our beloved fifth wheel as possible.
Grand Design RV is the manufacturer of our trailer and does an outstanding job of reaching out to owners of their products to keep them informed and connected to the company. Social media is the primary vehicle for passing along items of interest to RVers. We read about product developments, tips for troubleshooting common problems, maintenance reminders, and company news daily.
In addition to the above, Grand Design sponsors owner rallies several times a year throughout the country and posts pictures from the events on Facebook. The idea of attending a rally has always interested Helen and me, but the timing of the events never meshed with our schedule…until this year.
Grand Design scheduled an owners’ rally in Sevierville, Tennessee, for the weekend of May 12-15 and began accepting reservations this past January. Sevierville is outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and less than an hour away from us. Since we planned to be home around that time, we reserved a spot for the weekend and followed the Facebook posts as the planning for the event evolved. May is not our preferred month for extended RV travel since schools are letting out about that time, and finding sites in campgrounds can be a challenge.
We arrived at Sun Outdoors Resort last Friday afternoon to find a beehive of activity. The campground has 186 campsites, and all of them were filled. Many of the attendees arrived earlier in the week and sent out Facebook messages about where to gather for opening day activities and Happy Hour(s). Volunteers greeted us at the entrance, checked us in, handed us a bag of goodies, and led us to site 146. I set up our campsite while Helen mingled about before the evening meal.
Many of the campers had attended Grand Design rallies for years and had made friends with fellow attendees. Large groups of old friends and acquaintances gathered to catch up, share stories of life on the road since their last meeting, and make plans around the weekend schedule. Helen didn’t take long to make new friends and return to our camp to give me the program. The program began with dinner for 385 of our new friends. Helen attended a Bingo session after the meal.
On Saturday, I attended a griddle cooking demonstration sponsored by Blackstone Griddles. The griddle chef prepared a superb offering of bacon, corn, onions, and spices intended as a side dish. It was excellent. He also shared tips for cooking on large outdoor griddles and suggestions for cleaning and maintaining them. Interestingly, almost all of the attendees were men.
I also attended a class on RV maintenance that dealt primarily with lubrication points. The class leader is a quality control engineer with Grand Design, and he knew his subject very well. The class, scheduled for an hour, went on long beyond that as the questions continued. I left the class feeling guilty, making a mental note to buy a grease gun when I got home.
We were on our own for dinner on Saturday evening since many campers chose to visit the National Park and nearby Gatlinburg during the day. I loaded up a pork nacho plate and couldn’t eat it all. The pork was smoked to perfection, and I tried to finish it off, but I finally waved the white flag. I don’t remember what Helen chose. I remember her saying that it was good.
The weather was perfect for an evening gathered around a campfire while a group of musicians entertained us with selections of mainly old favorites. The music wafted gently over the campground for several hours, and many campers stayed well past closing time in a very relaxing environment.
We left on Sunday morning, but not before we said goodbye to a lovely couple camping next to us. Gayle and Andre traveled from southern Georgia to spend their weekend with Grand Design owners. We met them shortly after we arrived and enjoyed their company immensely. Andre is very handy and shared several tips on RV maintenance that I will use soon. We promised to stay in touch.
A three-day camping trip is much better than no camping trip, and we made the most of this one. Life is good. We’re blessed, and we’re Easin’ Along.
Hi Joe, So glad you and Helen got away for a camping trip—and it was even in one of your favorite places, and so close to home! I’m not surprised that you two made new friends during the event. It’s always great to learn more about the RVing lifestyle and to share ideas with fellow travelers.
Do you have more camping trips planned for this summer?
Hi, Laurel
First, I loved the pictures from your Cape Cod post. We love the area and hope to spend a lot of time there as soon as possible. We had a lot of fun at the rally–it’s rare that we camp that close to home, but it was kinda nice, and we could have been anywhere. As you and Eric know–camping is camping. In September, we have some trips scheduled to the NC coast and will return to Edisto Beach in November for two weeks. As soon as we know how Helen does with her treatments, we will look into a few more short trips. Have a great week! Joe
What exciting times to spend with folks who love their RVs and actually use them, Joe! We bought our 2013 Jayflight in 2017–it had hardly been used. We certainly use it, too and will be on an extended road trip ourselves in late June. But wow, on your kitchen area and island. You have so much room and great storage, no wonder you love living in it for extended periods. Take good care and will try to read your post next week if we’re not out playing!
Good afternoon, Terri,
I want to hear all about your trip scheduled for June. We love our fifth-wheel and, you’re right, the size (34 feet) makes it perfect for longer trips because we have room to spread out if confined indoors due to bad (or hot) weather. Enjoy your Memorial Day; I look forward to reading the details of your holiday weekend. See you online! Joe
So glad you were able to escape for the weekend, and that “WonderWoman’ is amazing as always!
Carolyn,
Wonder Woman spread her wings and made several new friends. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for stopping by–loved seeing pictures of your trip abroad. Hope to see you soon! Joe
“The program began with dinner for 385 of our new friends”. Joe, at that point, I would have run for the hills and told Helen I’d be back at the end of the weekend to pick her up. That is just way too “peoplely” for this introvert!
That being said, the benefits of attending a rally sponsored by a large and reputable manufacturer like Grand Design are many – with one of the most helpful being the availability of a number of seminars, workshops and demonstrations.
I’m not surprised to hear that you and Helen found some new friends. Given more than a three day weekend, I’m sure your lovely wife would have been adding 385 names to your Christmas card list!
Hello, Mary,
You would have greatly enjoyed meeting all those RVers and hearing about their lives on the road. I don’t warm up to crowds quickly, and wasn’t prepared for the masses, but, I did some careful picking and choosing through the activity schedule and, in the end, enjoyed the gathering a bunch while learning a lot. I will go to another one at some point in the future and will be better prepared. Hope you and Alan made it home with no challenges and are right in the middle of planning your big event. Stay in touch.
I follow your RV adventures with a bit of envy – but mostly joy because of your joy. I’ve joined with so many in praying for Helen’s journey – the ups and downs knowing you both have so many close friends, but very willing to be asked at any point to give help. Blessings on you both, Mary Bond
Hi, Mary Bond,
I’m so glad you stopped by. We love our RV and the RV lifestyle, but I’m an outdoors person at heart. Any opportunity to get me in the woods is an opportunity I’m sure to take–joy describes it well. Thanks muchly for the prayers, they’re working. Please stay in touch. P. S. Fran has been wonderful to us during this time. We’re so blessed to have her around.