Well, we arrived in Mobile, Alabama last Monday and suddenly realized that it was Mardi Gras week. I had completely forgotten about Mardi Gras, and that Mobile claims to have been the site of the first American Mardi Gras celebration way back in 1703. So, it's a big deal here.
No wonder so many of the rental car agencies were sold out and the hotels downtown were so expensive. But we were able to snag a reasonably priced car, and I had a reservation at the TownePlace Suites off of Airport Road where we have a full kitchen for our 10 days here.
Unfortunately, our room had a strong, weird smell and there were no other rooms to move us to. We made it through the first night, and then another room opened up for us on Fat Tuesday. The staff here at the TownePlace Suites have been very accommodating and pleasant.
We're not big crowd, big party folks, so we stayed sequestered for the Tuesday celebrations. And, sadly, we were glued to the TV on Ash Wednesday watching reports of the school shooting in Florida. We didn't feel much like celebrating Valentine's Day.
On Friday, we drove to the Mobile Convention Center which is a lovely venue that sits on the Mobile River. The downsides are 1) parking is limited (although it was free for the show), and 2) a working railroad track runs between the main access road on Water Street and the parking garage under the convention center. So, if a train comes, you can't get in or out of the parking garage for several minutes.
It was the first time for this particular show, and the show was rather small as were the crowds.
We had another nice seminar room, but didn't come close to filling this one for most of the seminars. Those that attended our presentations seemed to be pleased with them, however.
We did get to see some folks that had attended prior rallies, and we met people that have been following us that we hadn't yet met. It's kind of funny when people start their post-seminar questions with "Now, on your website you say .....".
After our Friday seminars, we walked around the show. We didn't see any Class Cs that we hadn't seen before, but we did get our first look at the Vanleigh Beacon fifth wheel. The Beacon is a higher end unit than their Vilano model, and the one on display here was the 39FBB (front bathroom).
Though MSRP is in the 120s t0 130s, the actual price is under $100,000. I think the show price on the display model was $92,000. It seems to be a very nice unit and we were impressed with the Goodyear G114 17.5-inch commercial tires (optional) and the cargo carrying capacity of 3,400 pounds with a GVWR of 18,000 pounds. The drawers and cabinets were solid, although we didn't like the shiny sheen that many manufacturers are using on the cabinets now.
As big fifth wheels go, this is certainly a nice entry in the under $100,000 market.
Other than that, we didn't see anything else that piqued our interest, and it didn't take long to complete our walk-through of the show.
After our last seminar on Sunday, we joined Rally alums, Kevin & Judi, for an early dinner. They attended our 2017 Spring Rally, and are new full-timers in their Newmar Mountain-Aire motorhome.
They came to our last seminar, and then we met up at the Original Oyster House on U.S. 98 overlooking Mobile Bay. Now, I'm not a big oyster fan, but their Fire-Grilled Oysters were quite tasty. In fact, they were probably the highlight of the meal.
We chatted for a couple of hours and learned they are taking their time as we suggest to all new full-timers. They've implemented a policy of staying at least 10 days with each move, and that will serve them well.
We can't tell you how many new full-timers criss-cross the country driving several thousands of miles and moving every few days. Burnout is a common thing when moving that fast and that often, and it makes the lifestyle quite expensive as well.
So, we've had a pleasant, warm week in Mobile, and we'll be here another three days, and then we'll be off to Columbus, OH for the Columbus RV Show. With three rallies coming up, our hotel time has been used to get some pre-rally prep done. It's only two weeks until our Boondocking Rally.
Well, that's it for now. Maybe we'll see a few of you in Ohio.
Have you ever considered a slightly used "A" Class pusher. Tom and Marci Gimmarro (Roaming Free 2010) did just that after their boys left home. You would be able to travel together, pull the Jeep, have plenty of storage and have a solid low mileage vehicle at a decent price. Lots of people trade them in every few years, just because they can afford to.
Disadvantage is if it breaks down you might have to find a motel and the mechanics charge more to fix it.
Things to consider that you have taught in your seminars.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Posted by: Rick Rousseau | Monday, February 19, 2018 at 08:52 PM