Summer Trip 2010 #1

Well we are on the road again in our RV. We left home July 6th and our first stop is the Winnebago Grand National Rally in Forest City, Iowa. Our next stop is Sturgis, SD. We don't have a tow car on this trip but we are towing our motorcycles in a trailer. This will be a new experience for us, not having a car. We met up with friends from our Winnebago club from Virginia and also our two friends, Joe and Janet Utley, from Tulsa, Oklahoma at Amana, Iowa. Then we all caravaned to Forest City Forest City on Sunday. After getting set up, the four of us took a ride around town and pointed out the Winnebago factory to Joe and Janet and the grocery store, etc. The town is very small, only about 4,000 population. But it is a very family oriented town. After our ride and ice cream at A&W, we went back to the town square and listened to the Forest City Municiple Band under the shade of the oak trees. It was a very enjoyable first night. Jim and Joe go back a long way as airplane buddies. Joe and Janet recently bought a Winnebago motorhome and we invited them to meet us at the rally. This week is known as the pre-rally. Not a whole lot is going on, except trips downtown Forest City and lots of happy hours. We have a pot luck dinner planned for all the Virginia RVr's here at the rally on Thursday. Then our club is going to go to a steak resturant called the Branding Iron just outside of Forest City. The town of Forest City celebrates Puckerbrush Day (I told you it was a small town) and they have a parade, and all kinds of entertainment and they close off the main street in town and set up these big cookers for chicken and corn. So we'll be going there on Saturday. Sunday is the kickoff day for the Grand National Rally and all kinds of activities are planned. Oh and before I forget, we have a new addition to our family. We have a little 12 week old Yorkie, named Baxter. He is the cutest thing and he has really gotten in to this camping. He loves going for walks and greeting people and when we head back to the motorhome he goes racing across the lawn and knows which motorhome to stop at. That is pretty amazing since they are expecting 1200 motorhomes this year and most of them are already here.