| Author |
Message |
JR Lynch (Njt5047)
Registered Member
Username: Njt5047
Post Number: 25
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 69.132.238.127
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 14, 2006 - 10:58 pm: | |
I was under the erroneous impression that the campers would be located as are the racecar patrons in the infield...wrongo! RVs are parked for miles around the speedway in Charlotte. Very nice Vendor setup...air conditioned tents and all. However, whomever wishes to partake of the festivities, may have to walk, drive, or golf cart, or ride the shuttle bus to get anywhere.
They have large number of RVs out here. Estimating 4000 counting the displayed units.
Only saw two buses...one was a 4104 across the street from the speedway, and Norms MC7 which is unfortunately on the disabled list for the week.
Anyone that is not familiar with an HMV Freeway 3 wheeled car that was built back on the early 80 is missing something...most unique thing I've seen in a while. Looks like a light aircraft that someone lopped the wings and tail feathers off. Cute little thing. Called a Freeway....Seeing that car was the high spot of the day! Norms going to get his bus repaired this Saturday...hope.
Anyone without a golf cart at FMCA might as well go home! Waaaay too much walking! Plenty to do though. Got some Detroit Engine Seminars.
Missed seeing Jim Shepard. Had his booth all set up and he was outta there. Sort of warm in the big tent. The vendors are only open during the day...close at 5 or thereabout. Makes it difficult to get back up there during the work day. Apparently the vendors plan to entertain the FMCA participants. Looks like a huge party!
Best, JR |
David Dulmage (Daved)
Registered Member
Username: Daved
Post Number: 129
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 142.46.199.30
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 9:00 am: | |
We were in Nashville early in the week and had been thinking of going to Charlotte to drop in on the FMCA rally; ended up going to Elkhart, IN instead. Seems like we made have made a better choice (the only things of note we purchased in Elkhart were two rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel for 1/2 price. It's dangerous having large luggage bays).
We also went to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg automobile museum in Auburn. It is located in the former Auburn corporate headquarters building. It was amazing. One often sees one example of a particular car in a museum , but this was amazing. There were numerous Cord L-29s, 810s, Auburn Speedsters and Duesenbergs, as well as other classics. Some of these were low mileage original condition cars, others were fully restored.
DaveD |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member
Username: Drivingmisslazy
Post Number: 1655
Registered: 1-2001
Posted From: 75.108.82.163
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 9:08 am: | |
I visited a couple of FMCA rallies a few years ago and they were so big and overwhelming and so spread out over an extremely large area that I quit attending them many years ago. Just too big unless you have some type of electric scooter or something to get around on.
Richard |
JR Lynch (Njt5047)
Registered Member
Username: Njt5047
Post Number: 26
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 69.132.238.127
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 8:57 pm: | |
Jim, if you read this, let me know where you are camped...or do you have your coach? Maybe you're "hoteled"? Perhaps I can get myself back out there one evening...too bad ya'll close up the vendors section at 5ish!
My thoughts are that there are very few bus conversions at the FMCA rally in Charlotte. Norm almost made it, Jim is there, and I saw a 4104 sitting among the Class A S&Ss. And, unless you're lucky enough to get some of the minimal power available, or you wish to run your genset 24/7, your electric mobility unit is going to be dead. There are thousands of large coaches sitting in unused speedway parking areas with no power, no water, and thousands of generators running. Even if you have a golf cart or whatever, you gotta park it somehwere outside the speedway. I don't think they'll allow golf-carts or toads into the infield unless you have a vendors pass. But I'm not sure that they won't. That would make it better.
Speaking of golf-carts, being a Yamaha motorcycle dealer gives me access to Yamaha's Rhino. A neat little compact pickup sort of vehicle. Really a large side by side ATV with roll cage and pickup look. With the correct CDI it'll run 60 MPH. Most campgrounds won't allow gasoline powered ATV-like vehicles in the park...but I've got dealer tags too....could make a "street-legal" item out of it very quickly. Couldn't take the Rhino and Jeep at the same time...but the Rhino would be great for a large get together such as Charlotte.
Another idea to ponder for a while.
Dave, my bays are too full to be "buying" anything! Good thing too. The car museum would be an interesting item...I'm a mechanical geek...enjoy looking at any internal combustion devices...hit and miss to Sterling cycle..it doesn't matter. I was at a hit amd miss show where a guy had a functioning Sterling cycle engine.
The workmanship involved in museum quality automotive restoration is remarkable. Same is true of antique aircraft restoration.
I'm going to do a "geezer" tour of the Air and Space Museum one of these days. I'm not driving around in DC anymore.
Cheers, JR
(Message edited by njt5047 on August 15, 2006) |
Jerry Campbell (Jerrync)
Registered Member
Username: Jerrync
Post Number: 9
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 68.67.105.79
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 9:27 pm: | |
I have my 102a3 there in U lot and may back hurts from the walks this is my firsy and may be the last. this is to much for my back |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member
Username: Drivingmisslazy
Post Number: 1657
Registered: 1-2001
Posted From: 75.108.82.163
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 9:53 pm: | |
Hey JR, I recently sold my 8 cycle AirMotor circa 1908. Ever hear of that one?
Richard |
Jim Shepherd (Rv_safetyman)
Registered Member
Username: Rv_safetyman
Post Number: 238
Registered: 1-2004
Posted From: 66.82.9.29
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:08 am: | |
Hi all.
JR, we are in Lot S (second street) in our Eagle. We went to a CVC (Converted Coach) pre rally and then caravaned in as a group. There are several bus conversions spread out in various areas. We are not at our coach very much since we are pretty busy at the show and then have to run errands and get ready for the next day (tonight, we need to get copies of my slides for handouts at my seminar tomorrow – Thursday).
I got your card at my booth. Somehow they let you into the vendor area on Monday. It was not open to the public until Tuesday. Sorry I missed you.
Believe me, we are glad to see 5:00 closing time come, since we are wiped out by then!
If you come back, you can call on my cell phone three O three 478-3501. Perhaps we can find a time to at least say hi.
As for the FMCA show. They are very organized, even though they may not seem like it. The motorhomes are spread out over several parking lots. The parking lots are carefully organized prior to the event to sort out caravans, generator operation preference, day of arrival, electrical hook-up (extra cost), etc. Folks who show up without their parking assignment are placed in a holding area so that they can register or pick up their credentials. They are then assigned to the proper lot.
This show reportedly has over 3,000 units in attendance with perhaps 500-1,000 on display. This is lower attendance than the typical FMCA event, which seems to be a trend at all shows.
They usually have great tram service from all of the lots, so you don’t have to do huge amounts of walking. I have heard that the tram service is not quite as good at this show.
Before we became vendors, we would attend an FMCA show every couple of years. We went primarily to visit the vendors, since you will find products there that you don’t easily find other places
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
’85 Eagle 10/Series 60/Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission
Bus Project details: http://www.rvsafetysystems.com/busproject.htm (updated 2/9/06) |
JR Lynch (Njt5047)
Registered Member
Username: Njt5047
Post Number: 29
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 69.132.238.127
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 9:09 pm: | |
Hi Jim and Jerry,
How do ya'll like our weather? I live about 30 miles South of the speedway and we have not had any significant rain. You got it all. we camped up there two weeks ago and had 4" of rain on Friday night and couple more on Sat. Bummer.
I've got music gigs to do the rest of the week, and NCBob's coming down tomorrow mid-day.
When does the event officially end?
Regarding my gaining access to the vendor area on Monday, I drove Norm out there and had his access. I'll have to check on him. They set his repairs back to Saturday. Guys plan to complete the job on one day. This could be done, as long as all the little ducks are correctly lined up.
One never knows exactly what has happened until it's disassembled.
We have had a S&##t week at work. I can usually just go whenever I want, but the gas prices have pushed riders back onto motorcycles, some of which should be buried! Hope to see ya'll before the end of the show, but if not, Jerry, you would enjoy Timmonsville gathering (first weekend in October) very informal gathering of 20-25 coaches (may be more)...you won't need a golf cart to access anything...and I hope to get down to Arcadia. I'm going to pay for reservations.
Jim, I have your phone number and will call if I can get away for a few hours. You got some seminars to do and I'll see what your schedule looks like.
Best, JR |
Jim Shepherd (Rv_safetyman)
Registered Member
Username: Rv_safetyman
Post Number: 239
Registered: 1-2004
Posted From: 66.82.9.81
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 5:26 am: | |
The FMCA rally ends today (Thursday).
The rain really reeked havoc on some of the areas of the show. Reportedly, some motorhomes took on water and the fire rescue came to help some of the folks get out of their vehicles. We had a bit of water in the vendor “tent”, but it was not bad. It did not seem to dampen the spirits of most of the folks we talked to.
FMCA has had weather “issues” in the past. Several years ago a huge hailstorm hit the rally in Minot and most of the coaches had some pretty significant damage. I would suspect that the insurance companies at the show had significant heart palpitations.
FMCA gets some bad comments on the various boards. Any large organization/event will have a few problems. My take on it is that virtually all of the folks who stop by the booth are having a great time. There are lots of craft type classes that the women can attend (Pat is doing two of them) and the seminars seem very well attended. The vendor area is generally very busy and there are lots of fun things to look at and buy. The entertainment is generally very good. Ronnie Milsap put on a great show last night. The entertainment is a part of the attendance package which I think is a pretty good value.
I really hope that those who have not been to one of these events think about attending and see what it is all about!
Jim |
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