BernieD
Well-known member
taoshum said:
We had 3 bowls custom made; one regular, one without jalapenos, and one without cilantro. All very good but somewhat pricey.
2010 FMCA International Rally in Albuquerque, NM, March 2010
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We had 3 bowls custom made; one regular, one without jalapenos, and one without cilantro. All very good but somewhat pricey.
Bob Maxwell
Moderator Emeritus
We paid more for the showmanship --it's made fresh at the table.
Some pics may be in their way soon as there were a lot of cameras flashing as several staff members were CYAnnual Rally Pic Requirement on page 37, line 67.
Some pics may be in their way soon as there were a lot of cameras flashing as several staff members were CYAnnual Rally Pic Requirement on page 37, line 67.
The FMCA Roadtrek rally is living up to our expectations.
Some 60+ Roadies are camped in the Exp-Fairgrounds infield where we potluck and watch the horses work out in the mornings.
We ran into electrical problems on our recently purchased 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous RS. John Slaughter, a well-known Roadie brought over his Volt meter and diagnosed the problem. So I took the bus up to the famous FMCA service center. First, I hired Interstate Batteries to drive down and evaluate my batteries and clean or replace them. They said it would cost $30. A nice techie showed up at about 5. He tested the batteries, cleaned the terminals and said that while they needed a slow charge, they were fine. He said NO CHARGE. You know where I'll get my next batteries! The previous owner had replaced the original ones with NAPA batteries.
I also hired Blue Sky RV of Elkhart, Ind., to evaluate the battery separator, which John had flagged as a possible problem. They said the charge for the service call would be $105. Their tech, Steve Clark and another Blue Sky man made us the first call this morning. They found that the battery separator wasn't making full contact. It's installed on the engine, and the engine heat causes the contacts to corrode. They went back to their headquarters at the FMCA service center and discovered they had the part we needed. Later in the day, while we were touring the Roadtrek display, I got a call. They were at our "Addy," which was a 10-minute walk away. They installed the part. Total cost, $196. They recommended that I find a spare and carry it with us.
After that was done, we toured the exhibits and bought a nice, light aluminum step that has adjustable legs. $80. Now, I'm at a deli, eating fresh, hot apple pie.
Except for the weather, the show has been great fun. We're meeting great people and our RV is breaking us in pretty gently.
Some 60+ Roadies are camped in the Exp-Fairgrounds infield where we potluck and watch the horses work out in the mornings.
We ran into electrical problems on our recently purchased 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous RS. John Slaughter, a well-known Roadie brought over his Volt meter and diagnosed the problem. So I took the bus up to the famous FMCA service center. First, I hired Interstate Batteries to drive down and evaluate my batteries and clean or replace them. They said it would cost $30. A nice techie showed up at about 5. He tested the batteries, cleaned the terminals and said that while they needed a slow charge, they were fine. He said NO CHARGE. You know where I'll get my next batteries! The previous owner had replaced the original ones with NAPA batteries.
I also hired Blue Sky RV of Elkhart, Ind., to evaluate the battery separator, which John had flagged as a possible problem. They said the charge for the service call would be $105. Their tech, Steve Clark and another Blue Sky man made us the first call this morning. They found that the battery separator wasn't making full contact. It's installed on the engine, and the engine heat causes the contacts to corrode. They went back to their headquarters at the FMCA service center and discovered they had the part we needed. Later in the day, while we were touring the Roadtrek display, I got a call. They were at our "Addy," which was a 10-minute walk away. They installed the part. Total cost, $196. They recommended that I find a spare and carry it with us.
After that was done, we toured the exhibits and bought a nice, light aluminum step that has adjustable legs. $80. Now, I'm at a deli, eating fresh, hot apple pie.
Except for the weather, the show has been great fun. We're meeting great people and our RV is breaking us in pretty gently.
taoshum
Well-known member
weather; just heard the forecast for tomorrow... another 12" of snow in northern NM... maybe rain in ABQ.
Betty Brewer
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Terry reports we had 5/100 of an inch of rain last night. It rained ust enough to make it wet enough to send Ken and Terry to get the car after last night's entrtainment. Nice to have our own personal valet parkers. We really enjoyed The Pink Flamingo Express at the Sandia CAsino last night. They sang and danced and had audience doing the same. The Sandia Casino is very nice and we are happy that FMCA tok the entertainment inside as opposed to the outside ampitheater as originally scheduled for last night's entertainment.
Terry and I were cetainly impressed with the optional side trip we took to Trinity Site. The guide was informative and to have that section of history come alive for us us was more than worthwhile. Trinity is the site where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945. The guide brought in all the details of the times and the information was interesting and will inspire us both to do further reading from his extensive list of books to read. The box lunch was served on the bus due to cold winds outside but we had friendly folks on the bus and it was a wonderful day.
We are off today to seminars on Picassa, to see new rigs, to shop vendors and eat some more. Temp this morning at 7:45 am is 34 degrees. I love FMCA Rallies. BJ Thomas is the featured entertainment tonight.
Betty
Terry and I were cetainly impressed with the optional side trip we took to Trinity Site. The guide was informative and to have that section of history come alive for us us was more than worthwhile. Trinity is the site where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945. The guide brought in all the details of the times and the information was interesting and will inspire us both to do further reading from his extensive list of books to read. The box lunch was served on the bus due to cold winds outside but we had friendly folks on the bus and it was a wonderful day.
We are off today to seminars on Picassa, to see new rigs, to shop vendors and eat some more. Temp this morning at 7:45 am is 34 degrees. I love FMCA Rallies. BJ Thomas is the featured entertainment tonight.
Betty
BernieD
Well-known member
Just a reminder that the Trinity site is open to the public, with free tours, 2 days a year; first Saturdays of April and October. We are planning on going again on April 3rd. If anyone cares to join us, let us know.
Betty Brewer
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I experienced a weird thing today at the FMCA Rally and it was confirmed at tonight's entertainment. This one day in Albuquerque held elements of all 4 seasons. We could not believe it when we left our seminar at 11 AM with big white wet but fluffy snowfall.
Terry and I visited vendors, had lunch and visited a small but mighty group of RV Displays. We admired the new designs in motorhomes and vans. It was a marked difference from International Rallies of the past. The closures of the many RV manufacturers sure showed up at this rally. RV displays were fewer in number and lacked the big drama of their debut.....Salesmen were friendly, attentive and certainly wanted to sell us a new rig.
The new rigs I viewed that had my interest (if we won them in a lottery and money was no object ) in order were
1)Newell
2) Monaco
3) Tiffin
4) Winebago
BJ Thomas was a hit tonight as the entertainer of the evening. I knew all the words to all the songs but as in so many Rallies some of the old folks left early.
Tomorrow I will take a cooking class at El Pinto Restaurant. I just love RV Rallies.
Betty
Terry and I visited vendors, had lunch and visited a small but mighty group of RV Displays. We admired the new designs in motorhomes and vans. It was a marked difference from International Rallies of the past. The closures of the many RV manufacturers sure showed up at this rally. RV displays were fewer in number and lacked the big drama of their debut.....Salesmen were friendly, attentive and certainly wanted to sell us a new rig.
The new rigs I viewed that had my interest (if we won them in a lottery and money was no object ) in order were
1)Newell
2) Monaco
3) Tiffin
4) Winebago
BJ Thomas was a hit tonight as the entertainer of the evening. I knew all the words to all the songs but as in so many Rallies some of the old folks left early.
Tomorrow I will take a cooking class at El Pinto Restaurant. I just love RV Rallies.
Betty
Betty Brewer
Moderator Emeritus
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Wendy said:
Wendy,
I agree 100%. I find it rude to leave any entertainment mid stream. The Casino at Sandia is a beautiful venue. Good acoustics, perfect temperature, lost of bathrooms. This evenings' performance was moved from the Amphitheatre to this inside room due to weather. It had to cost FMCA a bundle but they did not charge me a cent extra.
I am also perturbed when folks think it is ok to talk and visit with one another during a performance. I gave dirty looks to those sitting behind us who talked and finally in the second song of BJ Thomas they left. Bottom line be courteous!!!!!
This rally has been wonderful
BB
BernieD
Well-known member
Actually, Sandia volunteered the change in venue without extra cost to FMCA. It worked out well for all.
I have mixed emotions on early departures. When there is no admission fee, everyone shows up. Many people are clueless as to the type of entertainment to be presented and realize that they made a mistake in attending. The music can be too loud, the beat too fast, the material inappropriate or whatever, but they feel uncomfortable. It is interesting to compare the crowd movement at different types of performances. We have seen a very large exodus at some, barely a couple of departures at others and a lot in between . Depends on the performers and the performances.
I have mixed emotions on early departures. When there is no admission fee, everyone shows up. Many people are clueless as to the type of entertainment to be presented and realize that they made a mistake in attending. The music can be too loud, the beat too fast, the material inappropriate or whatever, but they feel uncomfortable. It is interesting to compare the crowd movement at different types of performances. We have seen a very large exodus at some, barely a couple of departures at others and a lot in between . Depends on the performers and the performances.
If you don't know what the entertainment is going to be like and think you might need/want to leave, then sit in the back. And that's only the small group that leaves after the second song. The ones I find incredibly rude is that huge group that always leaves after an hour, like they have to get home and have their coffee before they go to bed at 9. I just hope that FMCA tells the entertainment that there will probably be a mass exodus after an hour and not to take it personally.
Betty, you were lucky...the chatty-Kathy group behind us didn't leave until they'd been there almost an hour. And in front of us there was a couple with 2 young children who were bored out of their gourds and were whispering and giggling and playing with their cellphones and fidgeting until grandma & grandpa finally took them out.
It'll be interesting to see what people do tonight with the Flying J group. This is one I'm really looking forward to.
Wendy
still waiting for the glass guys to come do our windshield
Betty, you were lucky...the chatty-Kathy group behind us didn't leave until they'd been there almost an hour. And in front of us there was a couple with 2 young children who were bored out of their gourds and were whispering and giggling and playing with their cellphones and fidgeting until grandma & grandpa finally took them out.
It'll be interesting to see what people do tonight with the Flying J group. This is one I'm really looking forward to.
Wendy
still waiting for the glass guys to come do our windshield
rhmahoney
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Terry and Betty got me to go to see the Blue Man group in Vegas at a CC prerally a few yrs back. I enjoyed the performance...but had keep fingers in both ears most of the time. It sure was not string quartet acoustics!
For those who got up early this morning and enjoyed temps in the 20s the sky was filled with balloons. Tonight there will be a balloon glow that I will add to this.
Added shots of tonight entertainment, the Flying J Wranglers and the Balloon Glow.
Added shots of tonight entertainment, the Flying J Wranglers and the Balloon Glow.
Attachments
Very cool pics, Jeff. Did you sneak into the entertainment tonight or did someone take those for you? Nice to know what the group looked like since we were sitting in the back and they weren't on a stage so we never did see what they looked like. We did, however, thoroughly enjoy the music.
And thus ends another fantastic rally.
Wendy
And thus ends another fantastic rally.
Wendy
We had a great time at the FMCA's Roadtrek rally in the race track infield. Met lots of nice, smart and helpful folks we hope to see again. As usualy, there were one or two who had nothing good to say about anything.
We skipped the entertainment, missed a rescheduled Roadtrek chapter lunch and, because of the weather, left today. It took us 8 hours 14 minutes door to door to get back to the Denver area. 7 hrs. 40 min of driving, mostly at 65 mph in 75 mph zones. Conserved fuel. Arrived alive.
This was our first adventure in our 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous, which was built on a 2005 Freightliner/Mercedes chasis. We're happy with the rig and know what to leave at home when we do the Hop, Skip and Jump rally in May. Learned a lot and have a lot to learn.
Wish the Roadtrek rally had been with the big coaches so we could look up RVForum folks. Sorry we missed you and looking forward to meeting you at the Hop, Skip and Jump rally.
Susan and Don
We skipped the entertainment, missed a rescheduled Roadtrek chapter lunch and, because of the weather, left today. It took us 8 hours 14 minutes door to door to get back to the Denver area. 7 hrs. 40 min of driving, mostly at 65 mph in 75 mph zones. Conserved fuel. Arrived alive.
This was our first adventure in our 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous, which was built on a 2005 Freightliner/Mercedes chasis. We're happy with the rig and know what to leave at home when we do the Hop, Skip and Jump rally in May. Learned a lot and have a lot to learn.
Wish the Roadtrek rally had been with the big coaches so we could look up RVForum folks. Sorry we missed you and looking forward to meeting you at the Hop, Skip and Jump rally.
Susan and Don
Betty Brewer
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Oldedit said:
Susan and Don,
Sorry too to have not met you in person but you did keep us posted on RV Forum. We are looking forward to HSJ as well and hoping the weather warms up a bunch. I also know of some things to keep at home and we also learned it is NOT good to have your RO machine on during a dry camp situation.
Betty and Terry
Ken & Sheila
Site Team
It may have been a small rally, but Sheila and I had fun - and we helped several vendors with theirs sales! Now I have even more work to do to get the stuff installed.
Also Aqua-Hot fixed a minor problem by changing a jumper on the control panel and Norcold adjusted our refrigerator door.
The entertainment was good all three nights.
ken
Also Aqua-Hot fixed a minor problem by changing a jumper on the control panel and Norcold adjusted our refrigerator door.
The entertainment was good all three nights.
ken
Betty Brewer
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Oldedit said:RO Machine? What is that?
It's a Reverse Osmosis device. It makes 2 gallons of purified water or me from the water in our tank. That water is also filtered but sometimes local communities have lots of taste in their water. I like no taste in my water, not even lemon. But the bad side is that it takes almost 3 gallons or more) to make one gallon. It's not very efficient and should never be used when water is limited and so is holding tank capacity. I rarely use it anymore but it was cold so I made hot chocolate using the "good water." I know I know, I even had a 5 gallon bottle in the bay I could have used. I don't think we (I) will make this mistake again for a while.
I mostly use the Britta water filter we have sitting on counter . It it pretty good on filtering water.
I do love rallies. They remind me how to boondock, manage power and enjoy friends.
Betty
Betty
