As I mentioned before, once we get rolling this year, we'll be doing a lot of playing, so we've been trying to get as much business planning done as possible.
We're getting organized and prepared for the Boondocking Rally which starts this Sunday. We've been sending out emails to the attendees; we've been securing information and services; we went shopping in Blythe, CA at something called the "Smart & Final" to get some bulk items; and we've been working on a parking plan.
In addition, we're working on the Spring RV-Dreams Rally in New Mexico next month. We pretty much have that one covered.
We're trying to find a facility for a Fall RV-Dreams Rally in the southeast, but due to commitments to attend other rallies to do RV weighing, our dates are pretty limited. It looks like the second week of October is about our only window.
The limited timing coupled with our need for very specific facilities (and our pickiness) is making it tough. We've got places that have the RV sites, but their conference centers/clubhouses are booked and places that have meeting facilities open, but they don't have enough RV sites. We also have venues that promise to get back with us and haven't, and venues where a specific person is going to get back with us next week.
It is possible that we may not have a Fall Rally or that we will have to keep it very small. We'll just have to see how it plays out.
Due to issues we are running into with scheduling for the Fall, we went ahead and tentatively scheduled our Spring 2014 Rally. But after reviewing holidays and other events that could possibly conflict, we've already changed the dates once. :) So, it will be awhile before we can make any official announcement on that one.
We're also fielding requests from other rallies that are interested in having RV weighing services this year. So, we're figuring out which ones we can cover with a weighing team. That's complicated by the fact that our second weighing team isn't fully trained yet, and our third weighing team hasn't been selected yet. But we'll get it all figured out, and next year RVSEF should be prepared to weigh a lot more rigs across the country.
Tomorrow, we head out into the desert for the next two weeks with about 70 or 80 friends. :)
After that we'll be hitting a couple of highlights in southern Arizona before moving into New Mexico to some of the state parks we haven't visited, and then on to our Spring Rally.
Next, we'll move back into nothern Arizona for some exploring. Then we'll hit some National Parks in Utah before making our way into Colorado to attend the RVSEF Conference. After that, we'll work our way into Wyoming where we will do a Spring tour of Grand Teton and Yellowstone before making our way to Gillette for FMCA's huge international rally.
After Gillette, we'll explore Montana and then start heading east through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's upper peninsula. Then we will drop down through Michigan into Indiana and make a stop in Kentucky to visit my parents and do our preventative care doctors' appointments.
Then we'll move into Tennessee to work a couple of rallies before our Fall Rally (hopefully) which will be somewhere within a day's drive to the Atlanta Motor Speedway where the second Good Sam Rally of the year will be held Oct. 17 - 20. After that, we'll visit Georgia and South Carolina parks before moving into Florida for the rest of the year.
At least that's the loose plan as of today. It includes over a dozen National Parks and a few National Monuments. It's pretty ambitious, but that's why we've been concentrating so much on getting things done these last several days.
Very soon, we'll be back to relating travel experiences with lots of pictures. Come on along and enjoy the ride. :)
Thanks for sharing your itinerary. Its exciting to know your plans as I follow along. Thanks to you and Linda for allowing us all to live in your world!
Posted by: Kristin & John | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Sounds like you will be busy!
Posted by: Nan and John | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 02:15 PM
Hope you identify an option for an East Coast Rally (i.e., ideal location for us) ... we were looking forward to meeting you and Linda, learning a lot and meeting other Dreamers
Posted by: Lyn | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 03:47 PM
Your plans sound exciting and I look forward to "traveling" along with you. Have fun, be safe and have more fun!
Posted by: Jan | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 06:41 PM
Whew, makes me tired just to think about all your planning/scheduling!
Posted by: Sherry | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 08:34 PM
Yaay, glad you are coming back to Florida! Can't wait...missed you this year, esp. during the Super Show! Fond memories of meeting you here last winter. Safe travels til then!
Posted by: Camille Pronovost | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 09:53 PM
See you in Gillette!
-- jc&bev
Posted by: J.C. Webber III | Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 09:58 PM
Let us know when you get into Indiana, maybe we can meet somewhere. We are going to be back at Hardin Ridge for the summer, except the month of June we will be at another state park. We have been very busy getting the house done then we will be fulltimers by April 1st...I can't believe it.
Posted by: Tammy | Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 02:59 AM
I will be in Gillette as well. I hope to see you guys there.
Posted by: Alan Howeth | Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 08:40 AM
Howard, you and Linda are living the "good lilfe," that's for sure. It's like a good book you don't want to put down. Can't wait for each exciting chapter throughout the rest of this year. (P.S. I hope you make it back to the Low Key Hideaway by the end of the year).
Posted by: Ronald Cosens | Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 07:35 PM
Even if you end up not doing a rally in the fall, I hope you'll still be at the big rally in Atlanta. Glad you gave us the headsup, I've been wanting to go to this one for a while so maybe we'll see you there.
Posted by: Christina | Monday, February 11, 2013 at 03:58 PM