The "Rally"

I’ve written about Rally’s before. Kind of like a big fair for RV’ers. Vendors, seminars, RV’s for sale, food, and entertainment. But this was the Grand National and it was huge! We walked through RV’s until my knees didn’t work anymore. Maybe even saw a couple (RV’s I mean) we liked. But then we’d need to win the lottery. I guess even before that we would have to start playing the lottery. I’ve learned you can’t be guaranteed a win if you play, but you can be guaranteed not to win if you don’t play! We went to some good and not so good seminars. Seminars on safety, cooking, maintenance, exercise, even one on romance. And even if we didn’t need that seminar I had fun. I probably embarrassed Kat a little though. I played in the golf tournament and had a great time. I played with a couple and their friend from Montana. They were very nice but a load to carry for 18 holes (golfers will understand) so we didn’t finish in the money.

Another important aspect of Rally’s is that it’s a huge opportunity to spend money. “It’s Like pouring sand down a rat hole.” Our big expenditures were two “Fantastic” exhaust fans and a supplemental brake system. The brake systems are for the ‘toad’ (see previous entry). Because of insurance liabilities they have become mandatory. Most states are requiring it now. Ironically Oregon does not. Police are being trained to investigate at accidents. So if you don’t have an aux braking system and you are involved in an accident you can pretty much bend over and grab your ankles. So we got one! And even if it was expensive we did save some on the deals at the “Rally”.

We enjoyed the whole experience.

Who wants to join us in Perry, Georgia, next year for “The Rally”?

This was the write up in the Good Sam Magazine.

Many Good Sam Club members were among those in the 3,852 rigs that gathered in the high-desert town of Redmond, Oregon for The Rally, July 19 through 22, 2007, joining what has grown to become the definitive annual gathering for RVers.

Organized by the Good Sam Club's parent company, Affinity Group, The Rally put almost every facet of the RV experience at attendees' fingertips on the 132-acre grounds of the Deschutes County Expo Center. Participants could choose from a broad range of seminars, RV displays, parts and accessory exhibits, fun activities, tours and live entertainment from some of the hottest performers in the country. TV game show emcee Bob Eubanks even joined the fun to host the Good Sam Club's Almost Newlywed Game on The Rally's final day.

The Rally had something for everybody. Like kicking tires? You could have spent days touring the hundreds of 2008 RVs from more than 15 manufacturers. Just about every RVer could find the rig of his or her dreams, from lightweight trailers that sold for around $15,000 to diesel-pusher motorhomes with million-dollar price tags. One of the most popular rigs was Country Coach's 2008 Rhapsody, which featured four slide-outs, one-and-a-half bathrooms and a host of high-tech features. The price: a cool $1.3 million. Visitors could also browse the aisles of RV accessories - everything from cookware to trailer hitches to handcrafted art - in three large indoor-exhibit areas.

The RV hardware on display was rivaled only by the lineup of more than 150 seminars on topics that ranged from personal safety in an RV to how to set up a satellite dish and tips on planning a trip to Alaska. The impressive roster of instructors included Highways columnists Joe and Vicki Kieva and Bob Livingston.

Beyond the seminar halls and exhibits, Good Sam members found plenty of ways to have fun. Pet lovers got a chance to trot out their four-legged traveling companions during Friday's Rally Dog Show, which featured a swimsuit competition, a singing contest and - we're not kidding - a competition to see which pet owners bore the closest resemblance to their pooches. The event was hosted by Robin Dickson, CEO of Dogs for the Deaf.

On Sunday, the Good Sam Club sponsored the Almost Newlywed Game, hosted by longtime television host Bob Eubanks. Scores of Good Sam Club members watched as four couples chosen at random squirmed under the hilarious questions and double entendres posed by Eubanks.

It's a good bet that the awesome surrounding scenery inspired a sense of wanderlust, and The Rally's tours proved to be the perfect tonic. Throughout the day, buses took Rally guests to such destinations as the Deschutes Brewery in nearby Bend, the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and Crater, and Mount Bachelor, where tour guests enjoyed a high-altitude lunch at Pine Marten Lodge.

You didn't even have to have a driver's license to have a good time. The Rally's Youth Program offered a full slate of activities for young people ages 6 to 17. Participants kept busy with an Oreo cookie stacking contest, face painting and trips to some of the area's surrounding attractions.

The fun didn't stop as the sun dropped. Evening entertainment at the Hooker Creek Event Center included performances from Suzanne Somers, Gary Puckett, BJ Thomas, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Beatles tribute band, Ticket to Ride.

Of course, a special thanks needs to go out to the 291 RVers who volunteered for activities, parking, registration, seminars, transportation, security and attendance duties during The Rally. As Marty Hayes said, "I like to help out, but I also made sure that I took some time to have fun."