Central Iowa & the 'Rally'

Sep 16 Sun ... We hit the road at 830am this morning for our 310 mile journey to Omaha, NE. As I post this we are about 50 miles out of Des Moines where we will stop at the Flying J for fuel and a lunch stop.
Sep 15 Sat ... We woke up to a cold 31 degrees this morning with lots of frost on the pumpkin. After another FMCA breakfast we went to our one and only class this morning entitled Fire and Life Safety in your RV. Needless to say, we had our eyes opened to several things we should be doing to make our travel in our motorhome safer. For instance, we carry one fire extinguisher where the presenter recommends five which includes one in the toad. After that class, we drove about 80 miles to West Branch to visit the very interesting and informative Herbert Hoover Library and Museum. The evening entertainment tonight consisted of the very funny comedian, Paul Lennon and one of the top five sing/jazz clarinetist in America, Larry Linkin.
Sep 14 Fri ... The weather is cold and windy today but after another fine breakfast provided by the FMCA staff, it’s off to another day of seminars. Our first one was on RV’ing to Mexico presented by a representative of Adventure Caravans. It was very informative. About the only Mexico trip we’re considering in our RV is one down the Baja Peninsula, better known as the Mexican Riviera. In the afternoon we attend Health and Wellness where we learned about the benefits of ‘Flaxseed’. The next class was Frustration Free RV’ing. The entertainment this evening was The McFarris Family – a mother, father and 4 sons (19-24 yrs old) that played outstanding Bluegrass music. We aren’t real bluegrass fans but they were great. The father used to be Reba McIntire’s fiddle player. Talk about talent!
Sep 13 Thurs ... Today is seminar day so after the rally provided breakfast, we went to class. In the morning, Mike attended classes on Allison transmission and Dixie went one on Travel to Alaska. In the afternoon, Mike went to a Caterpillar maintenance class while Dixie went to a “Looking good and feeling great” class. Later, we both attended a seminar on RV tour travel North and South of the Border. There’s about 30 new RV’s on site to view and of course, we took advantage of it ogling over large motorhomes that we can’t afford. Tonight’s entertainment was 2 comedy acts. Between the two of them they pretty much covered all types of comedy from acrobat to juggling and magic. It was very entertaining!
Sep 12 Wed ... There is nothing happening with the rally today until the entertainment at 7:00 p.m. tonight so after we picked up our “goodie bag” from the registration office, we drove into town. We went to grocery store and, of course, Walmart. Later we got to watch a farmer harvest a field of corn, using a large modern combine, across from where we were parked. He completed the small field in less than an hour’s time. Corn is everywhere in this state, especially since Ethanol fuel is growing in popularity. Surprisingly, ethanol gas is .10 cents a gallon cheaper than regular gas, and it comes with a higher octane rating. The entertainment this evening was a Dixieland band.
Sep 11 Tue ... Today we packed up and drove to Manchester, IA, a drive of only about 40 miles. Our first stop, however, was at an RV supply store to fill our LP tank. We’re going to the rally where it will be “dry” camping and the weather forecast is for colder temps. When we got to the fairgrounds in Manchester we were parked in a “holding” area since the rally doesn’t begin until Wednesday. After we got the mh set up, we decided to drive the car to the town of Dyersville, IA where the Academy Award nominee “Best Picture of the Year” movie Field of Dreams was filmed in 1989. From there we drove back into Dyersville and visited the magnificent St. Francis Xavier Basilica. All you Catholic folks out there will know that this is one of only 52 Basilicas in the Unites States and the only one in a rural area!
Sep 10 Mon ... It rained all morning so Dixie worked on her scrapbook project and did laundry. Mike took apart the bathroom vent fan and cleaned it.