Our First RV Rally!

Our first RV Rally! We have been looking forward to attending this rally for many months. It's in Sevierville Tennessee and takes place over the next 7 days. RV-Dreams is hosting the rally and doing all of the training. They are a husband/wife team (Howard and Linda) who also travel full time. They host this rally twice a year. This is a learning time for RVers who are thinking about RVing or are new to RVing and those who are traveling full time. Everyone we have talked to who has attended this RV rally, says they learned so much, even seasoned Rvers! So, we are here. We have a back-in site and neither Tom nor I are very good at backing up. Luckily, Howard is in a nearby campsite and came down and helped us out! We have a nice campsite on the river. The rally is taking place at River Plantation RV Resort. And it IS a resort!! It has several pools, a zip line, workout room, RV wash, and it's beautiful!

Our site at the River Plantation RV Resort, Sevierville, TN

So, we got all set up and decided to go out to eat. Seems like a simple thing... get in the truck and go out to eat. Well, not here!! We decided to go to the Paula Deen restaurant just to see what it would be like. It's just 4 miles away so we thought that will be an easy drive. NO! Bumper to bumper traffic!! All 4 miles! The area that the restaurant is in, is called "The Island" and is a cross between an amusement park/Branson/Mall of America etc.  We had to park and take a tram to the restaurant! Of course the food was the best we have eaten in a long time.... I added up the calories and I ate over 2200 in one meal! Yikes!! Karis texted us and said we might as well eat a couple sticks of butter!

Well, when in Rome.... So we enjoyed a ride on the Ferris Wheel to get a better look at those beautiful Smoky Mountains!

It was a long week but educational week for us. There were 175 people attending this rally, all wanting to learn all they could about RVing, especially RVing full time. The agenda was very full and very detailed. We met each day at 9:00am and were usually crawling into bed around 11:00 or midnight. We had yummy catered meals, a Country Hoedown, several campfire gatherings, and lots of fun. We had a great movie night where we all watched "The Long Long Trailer"! We played silly games and had a lot of fun. But most of all, we learned how to take care of our new home! How to maintain tires, how the electrical system works, how the various options and additions might be helpful. We learned how to obtain and maintain a legal residence. What to look for in insurance, roadside assistance plans and extended warranties. We learned new strategies for locating campgrounds we are interested in and what to look for in GPS systems. They talked about solar, generators, trucks etc. There are many people here who are just looking into buying an RV and are learning what questions to ask. We had an inflatable boat (kayak) demonstration too! Howard and Linda shared great information in an easy to understand and interesting format. They have been providing this training for many years and have a huge following! They jumped into full time RV travel 12 years ago with no experience and no knowledge about RVing.

Linda and Howard of RV-Dreams.com

Can't be learn'in ALL the time! (as they say around here!)

7 hours a day of training.... 

Tom and I signed up to take a 12 hour driving course. We spent 6 hours one day and 6 hours another day with the instructor. I have to admit that I was nervous going into it and my nervousness only got worse. I felt the instructor was great but when I began driving... it appeared to me that he became nervous which made me get even more nervous. He took us to the smallest streets and in the most congested areas with turn after turn after turn.We even came upon an accident and had to maneuver around it. I could only do this for a short bit of time before I was totally worn out!!  I realize this is all good for me but I was exhausted!! Tom did great and didn't seem the least bit nervous. When we returned to our RV site, I backed in without much problem at all! I guess I'm learning!

Our very good friends, Sheryle and Joe from Newton (and our former neighbors) came here and attended the rally also. They are looking at buying an RV in the next year or so, to vacation in. When we had free time from the rally, we enjoyed the area with them. 

Sheryle and Joe at our campsite

Tom and Joe hired a fly fishing guide and spent a beautiful afternoon learning more about fly fishing. No, it's not about catching a fish.... it's all about peaceful relaxation, learning a new skill and being out in the wild. Their guide's name was Josh. He was very knowledgeable about everything to do with fly fishing. He also gave other helpful tips.... he uses his tobacco spit to rub on his legs and arms to keep the bugs away! 

Tom

Tom

Joe

Joe and Josh the guide

A full grown male black bear wandered by to watch them fish. Joe and Tom didn't even notice him,
but their guide had the bear spray ready. 

FUNNY STUFF:

After an afternoon in the mountains with a true Tennessean, Tom began to talk just like Josh. after fishing with Josh, he called later that same evening and I overheard Tom say, "Thanks for all the learnin'!" 

Here was a sign that was at the Country Hoedown dance: 

We've made a lot of new friends here and hope to keep in touch with them and see them later along the road. 

Sandy and Scott
They are on their way to Elkhart, Indiana to see about purchasing an RV just like ours!
We are so excited for them! They are also traveling full time.

Mike and Ann, soon to be full time travelers
Roberta and Dennis, still dreaming of being full time travelers

Cathy and  Jack

Fun group! Sue and Steve, travel about 9 months out of the year
Tom and I, Dennis, Mike and Ann, and our hosts: Linda and Howard.

Another dinner with friends. The Stoners and Bauers are Augusta Ambition RV owners like us so we met on-line in a Facebook group. Also below are Linda and Howard who host the RV-Dreams events. The Bauers and Stoners have attended the event in the past.

And that is the end of our first RV Rally. It was fun and we met so many people who are excited about traveling full time in an RV or are thinking about living this lifestyle of freedom! And, as I say that, you can wait for the next blog as I talk about the ups and downs of full time RVing....