Monday 4-2

T here was nothing compelling for us to do early on this day, so it was a good opportunity to take it easy getting around. The information center opened at 9 o’clock and the motorhome show would open at 3:30. We found our way to the information center by 10 o’clock where we headed for the class signup counters. Kay and Tina signed up for a couple of craft classes. Then Kevin and Kay signed up for an art class. All of the classes and seminars I was interested in did not require me to sign up ahead of time.

Signing up for a craft class

Kevin and I looked for a place to connect to the internet. We found a place provided at one end of the information center. Kevin and I also wanted to find the vendor service booths so we could find our way there quickly the next morning. We found the vendor area and made our plans for the next day.

Next to the entrance to the vendor area was a carved redwood tree trunk. It was displayed in a horizontal position with three dimensional diorama carved into the heart of the tree. The tree trunk was supported by a stand at each end of the trunk resulting in it being about five feet above the floor. The subject of the carving was a wagon train made up of several covered wagons running the full length of the tree trunk.

Redwood log with a wagon train carved into the center

We wandered through the fairground as we slowly made our way back to our campsite. An opportunity to jump on a tram took a load off our feet. The tram was a more conventional type that I’ve come to expect at FMCA conventions. The tram was made up of a pair of tandem trailers pulled by a farm tractor. The trailers were filled with bench type seats.

One of many trams used in the fairgrounds

There is a landmark on the fairgrounds that was very useful in helping us find our way around the area. The structure is called the Space Tower. It is a tall spire with a round seating area encircling the spire. The seating area slowly ascends to the top of the tower. After a brief stop at the top, the seating area slowly descends. The tower can be seen from just about anyplace on the fairgrounds. We learned quickly to find our way around by figuring out where a location was relative to the tower.

The Space Tower is visible from almost everywhere in the fairgrounds

We got off the tram near the base of the Space Tower and walked the remainder of the way to our motorhomes. When we arrived at our motorhome I saw something that struck me as unusual. The front of our motorhome was covered with the remains of splattered bugs. This attracted so many flies that when I saw the motorhome it looked very much like a dead animal with flies feeding on the carcass. The one good thing about this was that the flies were too busy to bother us or to get into the motorhome.

Once in our rig, it felt good to get off my feet for a while. We had an early lunch so we could go to a seminar that began at noon.

When we were off to the seminar it was decided that the seminar building was close enough for us to walk. The seminar we would attend was about microwave cooking. Kevin and I tagged along with the women as this was the only thing happening at the time. We arrived a bit late, so we had to find a place to sit toward the back of the seating area. Our seating position made it difficult to see the demonstrations.

A typical semnar at the FMCA convention

The seminar was held in a large building with very poor acoustic characteristics. The large space inside the building produced an echo that made it difficult to hear the instructor. Even so, what I could hear was interesting. Some of the gadgets used in the demonstrations were clever devices. We finally gave up on the seminar and left before it concluded.

It was still too early for the motorhome preview to be open, so we wandered around for a while. We finally found our way to the motorhome display area about 30 minutes before it was to open. Even so, we decided to begin touring motorhomes early. Of course we started our tour at the area of Kevin’s favorite motorhome brand made by National RV. We visited only a few models before Tina and Kay had to leave to attend a craft seminar.

Kevin and I continued to look at motorhomes. He signed up to test drive the model of motorhome he had the most interest. Then we found our way to the Monaco Motorcoach display area so I could look at a couple of models that Kay and I wanted to learn more about. We looked at a few rigs and in the process we attracted the attention of a couple of sales people.

One of the sales people was a young man who I found easy to talk with by the name of Tucker. He talked me into signing up to take a test drive the next day. After walking through most of the motorhomes in the Monaco area, Kevin and I headed back to the camping area. We reached our rigs before the women had returned from their craft class.

Mickey waits for Tina to return from a craft class

With the warm weather we were experiencing, we were going to eat outdoors. So, Kevin and I set up chairs, tables and barbecues. A warm evening was one of the few advantages of the weather we were experiencing during our stay in Oklahoma. When ever we were in our motorhome during the day, we had to run the generator so we had power to run the air conditioner. Tina and Kevin ran their generator and air conditioner all day so as to make it comfortable for Tina’s dog, Mickey. During our stay, the relative humidity was very high, usually 80 percent or more.

Shortly after getting our outdoor dining area set up, Kay and Tina arrived with their craft class items. They both had nice looking, small dream catchers. Just right for hanging in our motorhomes. Their return was just in time for dinner. Fortunately the air had cooled down to where it was quite comfortable. We had a nice dinner outside in the evening air.

Two crafters with their dream catchers

After dinner we were off again to find our way to the arena. On this night a big band was entertaining with music from the 1930s and 1940s or so we thought. When we arrived at the arena we found that we had a nice choice of seats. The arena floor was filled with dancing couples, many wearing period dress from a bygone era. As it turned out, there was music for us all.

We all remembered the big band sound of the 1940s, but this band was also playing music from the fifties as well. The music finally got to Tina and Kevin; they stood up and moved to an isle where they were able to dance and boy did they dance. It was as if we had been transported back in time to when the music being played was popular.

The music was finally over and the arena emptied in a very orderly manner. We were lucky to have arrived at a tram stop just as one of the big buses arrived. For us it was a ride back to camp in a very comfortable chair with the coolness of an air conditioned atmosphere. Upon reaching our campsites, we all turned in for the night. It had been another busy day.