Rally Impressions

This is the second full day of rally activities plus the two early bird days.  I guess that is long enough to be able to make a few comments on our initial impressions.  This is our first rally, so keep in mind that I have nothing to compare this experience to.

When we arrived on Wednesday, I was very impressed with the park process.  There were probably over a thousand rigs here already by the time we arrived that had been parked that morning.  We got in our line and moved right along.  From the time we entered the gate until we were parked was probably no more than 30 minutes.  We had been sent in the mail color-coded passes to place in our windshield which indicated the lot we were assigned to.  There was no time lost at the gate.  The attendant looked at our windshield then pointed to the appropriate line for us.  There was plenty of parking to the side for owners of motor homes to pull over to unhitch their towed vehicles.  We thought the process went very smoothly.

There was some confusion trying to find where the bus stop was located for our ride over to the Expo center to get registered.  We eventually found our way.  The registration process was somewhat slower, but still seemed to be well managed.  Rally attendants were to register by last name.  Of course, some lines were longer than others.  Ours, the B-E line, was one of the longest.  We did not know, and no one said, that we could get in any line that was empty.  So we could have gone down to the Z line and been finished in a matter of minutes.  Still, we only waited about 45 minutes.  We took advantage of the wait time to put our pin in the map and sign up for fresh water and the honey wagon.

Friday was the first official day of the rally.  That was the day it snowed and the weather was so miserable.  The weather also caused traffic problems which caused the buses to run behind schedule.  Apparently, many people had expressed their dissatisfaction with the long bus lines because during the announcement session last night, we were encouraged to take our own cars to the Expo.  Also, the entertainment program scheduled to begin at 7:30 was delayed until 8 in order to accommodate those 400 or so souls who were still waiting for the bus to get back to the Balloon Park.  There are approximately 2700 rigs registered making a minimum of 5000 people to be shuttled back and forth and only 8 buses to do it with.  That’s inadequate.  Today, 6 more buses have been hired plus many are driving themselves so waiting lines are minimal.

I was discouraged yesterday with the crowds in the Exhibit Hall. Those crowds were probably due to the weather.  No one wanted to be at the outdoor exhibits in that weather.  It was also around lunch time and the Exhibit Hall is where the food vendors are located.  Gene reported that the crowd thinned out considerably later in the day.

Ours was the white one in this section

On this row

There is a full schedule of seminars, however, most are infomercials.  Good information can be gleaned from that type presentation, but we prefer to hear an unbiased speaker rather than one trying to sell their product.  Many of the popular topics seem to be in rooms too small to accommodate the crowds and it is not uncommon for there to be standing room only.

There is entertainment each evening and it is in the large tent at the Balloon Park.  At least no late night shuttle from the Expo.  We did not go the first night, but we heard that it was very good.  A local group performed music that appealed to those of us of a certain age.  Neil Sedaka was on stage last night.  The tent was full and the performance was fantastic.  Rita Coolidge is on tonight which should be super.  Afterwards, Rainbow Ryders are going to do a balloon glow for our enjoyment.  That should be fun.

That is what we think so far.  I’ll have more comments, I’m sure, by the end of the rally on Monday afternoon.