March 20 through 25, 2012

Tuesday 20~~~ Our friends John and Linda followed us in the long line, so we could get parking side by side. Getting into the rally and getting set up with about 3000 camping rigs attending took a few hours. The rally was held at the Phoenix Speed way Parkway where they have all the Nascar races, so it is very large. By Thursday there were 7000 people there, so today was a long busy day getting settled and registered. They had six shuttles running, but not enough for the amount of people who like us checked in 2 days early on Tuesday. By Thursday they had 14 shuttles running and it still was a wait at times to get one. They had a lot of drawings for prizes and there was a schedule of the events for every day through Sunday with various classes you can attend in the different tents. I attended a class on convection cooking, cleaning with micro fiber and a few more. Kent really learns a lot in the men's classes on things to keep your rig in good running condition and up keep. There were classes scheduled ever hour and a half in many tents that each held 100 to 300 people. The entertainment in the evenings were Bowzer's Rock and Roll Party, he had men and women come on stage and he had a hula hoop contest for 3 women and 3 men. I should have gone on stage for that one, as they only had one lady who could kind of keep her hoop going. They asked for lady volunteers to come and jitterbug with Bowzer's band members in a contest. That was really funny watching them do the old dances. A 60 year old lady won the prize and she was darn good. Martina McBride sang on Sunday night, but we left early, as the grandstands were full and catching a shuttle back to our trailers would take forever. We played cards almost every night (hand and foot) with John and Linda. There were so many prizes they gave away, a lot (150) of $100 and (25) $500 free gas cards to be used at Flying J or Pilot stations, one person got $5000 free gas credit card. Another person at the big drawing won a generator and a $500 gas card for it. Three or four people who had older RV's were called up and given great deals on a new one. The one man was given $10,000 off the invoice and he also was offered a $25000 trade in on a new motor home he had previously looked at with an offer of $8,000 trade in. He was a very happy camper!!! There were some people who's names were called and they weren't interested in trading in their camper for a new one, they said they liked it and were happy with it!!! We weren't that lucky, Kent won $50, and Sharon won a tee shirt!!!! John got nothing and Linda got a tee shirt!!! LOL We are heading home in the morning, back to Yuma!!!! The rally ended on Sunday and they had good buys on camping products in the big tent so the vendors didn't have to haul it back home. We each bought a banquet table that fold us small for $10 from a vendor who bought it new for the rally and had to get rid of it as he was flying home. We said our good byes and John and Linda headed back to Casa Grande where they stay for the winter and us to Yuma. We are going to boon dock at the Quechin Casino because I have an 8:30 dentist appointment Tuesday morning in Algodonas, Mexico and that will save us driving from our park to Mexico.