Sunday, 28 Aug
Journey to Goshen
We left Grand Lake St Marys State Park, OH, around 9:45 and arrived at Elkhart County Fair Grounds around 12:30. We took US-30 to Fort Wayne and US-33 into Goshen. As we approached Goshen, we saw a lot of campers everywhere, which helped define this area as the RV Capital of the World. At least 60% to 80% of all recreational vehicles made worldwide are made in Elkhart County.
One interesting town we drove through was Churubusco, home to Indiana’s oldest continually held festival. Turtle Days is rooted in the lore of Oscar the Turtle or the Beast of Busco, a giant snapping turtle that reportedly haunted nearby Fulk’s Lake in Allen County. It is also the home of the popular clown-themed Magic Wand diner.
Elkhart County Fair Grounds
We arrived at the fairgrounds around 12:30 am, where we first got our trailer weighed to learn how much weight each of our wheels and axles was carrying. We then went to another gate to check in, where we were given a swag bag. Then, we followed a golf cart to our camping spot in Area B. We were parked relatively close together, but we had enough room to extend our awning. We only had a connection for water and electricity but were given two dump tickets for use with a “honey wagon” service during the week. After we unhooked the trailer, we drove back to the weigh station to get our unhitched truck weighed. The weigh-in results will be given to us later in the week.
It was a very humid day in the high 80s. We walked around the fairgrounds, which were still being set up. The Rally did not officially begin until Tuesday, though some activities were planned for Monday.
That evening, the host sponsored an icebreaker where they served hamburgers and hot dogs for Area B. Someone there introduced us to a game called Left-Right-Center, which was a lot of fun.
That evening, we learned the hard way how close we were to the train tracks. Between 90 and 120 trains go through Goshen daily, and they all blow their horns loudly since there are no quiet zones. Our camper was about 100 yards from the tracks.
Monday, 29 Aug
RV Museum and Hall of Fame
After breakfast, we went to the visitor’s information table to secure some tickets for a factory tour on Friday. We then took off and visited the RV Museum and Hall of Fame in Elkhart.
Errands and Lunch
On returning to the camper, we stopped at a grocery store and bought some grapes for the evening potluck. We ate lunch at the camper and then hung around the area until the Newcomer’s briefing at 3 pm.
Newcomers Briefing
The briefing ended up being very short and provided very little information. It was very much a disappointment.
Ice Cream Social
At 4 pm, they had an Ice Cream Social where I helped serve mostly melted ice cream to everyone. They probably had been out of the freezer for over an hour before we began serving. We were pouring off the melted ice cream from the 5-gallon buckets into empty buckets and trash cans so that we could even see the harder ice cream to serve. During the Social, a rainstorm with very high winds came through.
Wind Storm
During a break in the storm, we returned to the camper and saw some signs that had been blown around. At least one camper got their awning damaged when they left it out during the storm.
Area B Potluck
Around 6 pm, Area B had the potluck. We all played a National Park trivia game where we were given hints and had to guess the National Park. Most of the answers were National Historic Sites or Landmarks which were hard to guess. Those that were able to get the answer won Grand Design fidgets.
Tuesday, 30 Aug
Breakfast
Today was the official start of the Rally. They served us breakfast which had a large selection of your typical breakfast items.
Opening Ceremonies
Then, they had the Opening Ceremonies, where they posted the American flag, gave some welcome speeches and announcements, and led the group in a prayer.
Presentations
After the opening ceremony, we walked through the vendor area and headed to the “Meet the Matts” seminar.
“Meet the Matts” were two Grand Design marketing people who ran a Question & Answer session. It was in the center of a bunch of new Grand Design campers brought for display. As usual during Q&A’s, the questions were silly or too specific to an individual’s issues. The Matts agreed with those present that the wiring within the RV was horrible, but they didn’t have any answers to it.
We then approached the “RV Tire and Safety” booth to discuss our weigh-in. The overall result was that we were within the mandatory weight limits of the truck and camper, but we should avoid carrying anything more when we travel.
We then tried to see a Tips and Tricks Seminar, but it was already full, so we went back to the Grand Design and Lippert Service desks to check on the work orders we had submitted. As part of our ticket to the rally, we were permitted to submit three work orders, but I was unsure if they could fix our problems. Grand Design could not correct any of my problems, but they referred me to Lippert to fix a window issue, and they said they would make it out during the week to look at it.
We also talked with a Morryde vendor about their CRE3000 suspension system and the possibility of getting it installed. They did not install the suspension systems at the rally but sold the parts at a discount, so we walked away thinking about them.
Dinner
The rally also served dinner that evening, but I had to stand in line for almost 45 minutes. We passed the time by drinking some beers I returned and got from the camper.
That evening, we played bingo at the main shelter but won nothing.
Wednesday, 31 Aug
Seminars
We attended the breakfast in the morning and then went to the RV System Basic Seminar at 9 am.
I went back to the camper for lunch and then attended the following seminars in the afternoon:
- Ask the Owner RV Tech
- “RVing in National Parks
- Tips from an RV Tech – Part 2″ seminar. I could not attend Part 1 because it reached capacity before arrival.
Dinner
Half the areas had a Mexican dinner that evening, and the other half had a BBQ dinner. I am not sure why we were split up.
Thursday, 1 Sep
After Breakfast, I headed over to the “Tips and Tricks from a Tech – Part 1” seminar, which they added to the schedule.
Grand Design Factory Tour
The Grand Design Factory Tour loaded buses at 12:30 and took us to the factory. We were given a swag bag of safety glasses, a reflective vest, and a nice thermal lunch box. The factory tour was very interesting because I saw how my trailer was assembled and the parts hidden within the walls or insulation.
Dinner
That night, they had a pig roast for dinner. We met in the main shelter and were released to the outdoor food lines in groups.
Evening Activities
After dinner, we gathered for a fireside chat with the CEO of Grand Design, and many silly questions about his personal life were asked. When asked a meaningful question like why service at the Grand Design dealerships was so lousy, he acknowledged that he heard the complaint often and stated that it was an industry-wide problem. He said that Grand Design made maintenance a higher priority than other manufacturers, and they were in the process of sending more GD techs to the dealerships.
Afterward, we listened to a band play while he signed baseball caps for his adoring fans. We just hung out with people from our Area and enjoyed the beautiful evening.
Friday, 2 Sep
Seminars
After breakfast, I attended some more seminars:
- Swintek Slideouts
Saturday, 3 Sep
We took off early morning and headed north to visit family in Hersey, MI.