May 1 – 8, 2016 Sevierville, TN
We made it to River Plantation in Sevierville the day before the Rally was scheduled to begin. We have been traveling from Florida for the month of April. We did not have a chance to meet very many new people along the way, probably because we were sightseeing every day and not spending much time at home.
I was beginning to feel like we were not going to meet any new friends until we got back to Florida this fall. Not long after we got set up, these ducks came by for a visit.One female and 2 males. I think Susie was courting 2 fellas at the same time.
She decided to become our friend. How nice was that?
And they decided to stay awhile.
Then Cliff decided to ride his bike around the park and see if anyone was out. He was ready to meet some people. He saw a couple walking around and he stopped to chat. He told them our site number and invited them to stop by.And they did. Chris and Heike are attending the rally and don’t even have an RV yet. Still doing their research. Very smart!!
And right across the street from us in Lisa and Todd.
So on our first day, we have met 2 couples that will be life long friends. Lisa and Todd have a motorhome and are full time RVers. I don’t know why I did not get a picture of their home. Sorry. And of course, these photos were taken later in the week and not on day one.
Okay, so the week is really starting off Great.Howard and Linda of RV Dreams offer Educational seminars at various times of the year and in many locations. Howard asked me to make a sign and make it colorful. It gave me something to do twice a day. This Rally was so informative. I would encourage anyone that is RVing or even thinking about RVing in the future, to attend one of these Rally. We learned a lot about Basic RV maintenance and safety. He still has the tentative itinerary on their website, look for 2016 Spring Rally.
It was not just fluff, it was serious safety stuff. That is Trey in the photo. He taught about weight and tires. I learned so much, it was great.
I also learned that you can put your bread and cheese in a reusable bag and put it in your toaster and make a grilled cheese sandwich. Wow. Okay, some stuff was fluff.
This is Howard teaching about Internet on the Road.
We love the mountains.
Everyone has pets. This guy works at River Plantation.
Look closely, this cat is on a leash. And Sheryl walks him everyday.
And then we met Dawn and Roger and now our small circle of close friends at Table 7 is complete.What a great time this small group had this week.
And I can’t forget about John. He is a solo full time RVer. He was our neighbor.
Then we learned about inflatable kayaks.
I see one of these in their future.
This is wine I want to get when we get to Traverse City, Michigan. Dawn and Roger shared it with our little group one night.
On Friday, RV Dreams gave us a free afternoon. So we decided to go to The Island in Pigeon Forge and have an early dinner at Paula Deen’s new restaurant with our friends from Ohio, Colorado and Michigan. It was very good and a lot of food.
The Island has a dancing water fountain to music.
There is a Large Ferris wheel. I did not get on it.
And of course, if you are in East Tennessee you have to try the Free Moonshine tasting at Ole Smoky Moonshine. With live Bluegrass music outside.
And we did! There were 11 different moonshines, a whiskey and baileys kind of drink.
Leah was very sweet and Cliff gave her a kiss.Saturday was open house day. Anyone could open their rig to visitors. Tracy and Lee really know how to organize. Their blog is Camper Chronicles. They have a lot of good information on their blog too.
The Rally is almost over, it is Saturday night, the day of the Kentucky Derby. I had a lot of text messages from Nashville friends wondering why we were not in Nashville throwing the Derby Party. I kind of miss that Derby Party, but this was a nice change.
RV Dreams had it catered. It was very nice.
There were games.
And Derby Hat contests.
Lisa and Todd should have won. Her hats were so creative.
And we brought the Mint Juleps.
We had a great week. Learned a lot and met some great friends.
Now we are off to Nashville for a week of doctor’s appointments, family and friends. We can’t wait to see everyone again.
Cheers!!