Sizing up GNR

What a week!

After two or three days of heavy rain, this Iowa field we’re parked in is pretty darn soggy. And, it’s Day Two of The Great Winnie Exodus. You know what?

Big, heavy motorhomes and soggy Iowa soil don’t mix!

As we watch wreckers making their rounds this morning, we’re thankful we’re not leaving here until Monday morning. There’s not a drop of rain in the weekend forecast, so this swamp should have plenty of time to dry out. (Actually, most of the coaches leaving this morning are getting out just fine. There are just a few unlucky souls who need a little help from a great big truck.)

Between the entries in this morning’s parade of rolling homes, we’ve reflected on our first Grand National Rally. As “first timers”, we approached this GNR as an educational seminar. Other folks come for the socialization and entertainment, but we came to learn.

We learned so much!

Our chassis is no longer some mysterious hunk of steel sitting under our motorhome. We’ve seen one, bare naked, poked all around and sat down with some of the good folks at Freightliner to learn more. We’re looking forward to heading to Gaffney, SC this fall to attend Camp Freightliner for two more days of learning and reportedly darn good barbeque.

We’ve had similar learning experiences about everything from our awnings to our zerks. For four full days we sat like sponges in seminars provided by the manufacturers of our engine, transmission, generator, microwave, slide outs, levelers, towing system and satellite dish. We listened to a couple of Winnebago factory techs explain our electrical system and how to take care of everything from the fiberglass to the water tanks. And, a couple of fellow fulltiming couples shared helpful tips on organizing our RV, boondocking and living on the road. We soaked it all in. We stopped by several exhibit booths and got answers to a handful of other questions. We even learned how to change one particularly pesky lightbulb in our moose! (Really, we had to ask a professional!) And, I think we’ve decided to make the switch to Dish Network, but more on that in a future post.

Much of our learning over the last week has come from the owners of some of the 1200 other Winnies we’re sharing these water-logged grounds with. Just yesterday, with the heat and humidity well into the 80s, we had a question about our air conditioner, which wasn’t working quite like every other Winnie around us. I went in search of another ’09 Tour and found it and its owners just a few yards away. Turns out our AC was working exactly as designed, which is different from many others. And, I made a new friend! (And, our AC is just fine.) When every rig around you for a square mile or so is the same make as yours - and the factory is just across the street - you are steps away from the answer to any question.

Though our primary mission was to learn, a week of hanging around with some of the friendliest folks on the planet was icing on the cake. It’s been wonderful to catch up with old friends and make new ones from around the U.S. and Canada. We got to meet several virtual friends from an online Winnebago owners forum. It was great to put faces with the screen names! We never did hook up with Gloria and Don, who are friends of other virtual friends. And, when I went out on a mission to find fellow bloggers Chuck and Anneke, guess who stopped by our place? While I was wandering around the wrong section of the grounds, Paul got to meet them! (Next time I wander, I’m bringing my phone!) What timing! I’m hoping they’ve decided to stick around today. We’ll see.

Speaking of friendly folks, we can’t say enough about the people of Forest City. For two weeks every July the population of this little town nearly doubles. And, by the looks of things, the locals love it. They treat everyone like family. We have felt very welcome here.

There was all kinds of entertainment here this week, but the only gig we caught was the Thursday night show, which was quite enjoyable. We’ve heard rave reviews from many about this year’s entertainment. We’re sorry we missed so much of it, but after sitting in seminars all day, we were beat!

And, of course, there were beautiful motorhomes to see. Winnebago unveils its new models at GNR, and the 2011’s are very pretty. It was great to get a sneak peek. And, no, we’re not buying one!

So, see what we mean? It’s been quite a week! Definitely worth every penny, and then some.

And how many pennies did we pay for this? Well, we couldn’t remember. (We registered long ago!) So, we looked it up.

An intensive week of learning, fun and entertainment, and 11 nights of camping in a place where you feel like family: $185. (What a deal!)

The total value of our first GNR: Priceless.