Entegra Homecoming Rally 2018

From Middlebury we moved to Elkhart, IN to attend the Entegra Homecoming Rally. It was wonderful to see Tommy & Bonnie and Marie & Jerry again. It was a very interesting few days attending information sessions during the day, enjoying delicious meals and catching up with good friends.

John and John at a Ted Talk

We enjoyed some fun partying at night with friends Bonnie & Alan, Vicky & Gary and Ivy & John. Entegra's Event Planner, Stephana and her team did an amazing job, it was another incredible rally.

After the rally, before everyone headed out in different directions, we had the pleasure of dining with Bonnie & Alan, Vicky & Gary and Ivy & John at the Blue Gate Restaurant   in Shipshewana, IN. I love the Amish cooking at Blue Gate! It was a fun way to end a terrific week.

Entegra Coach Factory

We just spent a week at Middlebury, IN to have our coach worked on at the Entegra Coach Factory. We stop here once a year to ensure everything is in tip-top working order before a big trip. As always Entegra was amazing. Our service advisor Stacey was a pleasure to work with, Steve our maintenance technician exceeded our expectations and Chris did a great job on all of our air conditioners and he took a little extra time to help us understand how to care for our AquaHot system.

Blue Beacon Truck Wash

From Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH we drove to Middlebury, IN.  In route we stopped at a Blue Beacon Truck Wash to have our coach washed before we turn it over tomorrow for maintenance at the factory. It usually takes John and I at least three hours to give the coach a good bath, this was less than twenty minutes and we did none of the work. I love this place! 

Aviation Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH

We enjoyed a few days in the Knox area and then moved on to Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH.  They have the best Aviation Museum we have ever been to.  We spent a couple of days wandering through it. 

RV Front Tire Blow-Out

We drove from Chuckey, TN to Ft Knox, KY today.  

In route, our front right tire blew out in a “falling rock” zone.  That was a scary experience, we heard and felt the loud boom and John had us safely pulled to the side of the road in 3 seconds.  

We were on an interstate, between two rock walls with thunder storms rolling through on Sunday just after 5pm.  

Our roadside service (Coach Net) sent a tire service company to help us. Those two tire service guys (I think of them as tire angels) were great, they had us back on the road in no time.

Cinco de Mayo with Family

I started the day off attending Carolyn's art class at The Lazy Llama RV Park, it was a lot of fun. I learned how to do kumihimo. Carolyn explained that 'kumi' means a gathering and 'himo' means threads, so kumihimo is a gathering of threads. We braided eight strands of yarn into a round cord, I made mine into a bracelet. It is always fun to learn new stuff.

John, Arlene, and Eddie talking with Jerry (owner of the RV park)

When I returned from art class John's brother and his wife, Eddie and Arlene joined us at

the coach. We wanted to show them what a cool place the RV park is. Then we headed out for some good Mexican food. We enjoyed a wonderful Cinco de Mayo with them! We hit more then one restaurant and celebrated at each one! Good food, good family, good fun!

International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn

In 1973 in historic Jonesborough, the first National Storytelling Festival was held and the culture of this traditional art form grew a little more each year.

We went to the International Storytelling Center for an hour of Bil Lepp's story time. We arrived 20 minutes early and we got the last two tickets. The auditorium was packed for this 2pm show. We all listened and laughed as Bil spun a tale about growing up in a simpler time. The show was only an hour long so we had lots of time to see Jonesborough. We ate lunch at a small, cute restaurant and John followed-up with a delicious banana split. 

Lazy Llama RV Park in Chuckey, TN

This week we are staying at the Lazy Llama RV Park in Chuckey, TN. This is one of the most unique parks we have visited, there is a llama farm right next to the RV park!  The owners of both the farm and the RV park are Jerry (a retired high school principle) and Carolyn (a local artist and a high school art teacher).  When we arrived on Sunday they were welcoming and made sure we got settled in. Carolyn invited me to join her Saturday morning art class, which I am looking forward to attending. 

Today Jerry introduced us to all the llamas! It was wonderful! Llamas everywhere. We were in the corral and when Jerry opened the barn door the llamas came out to join us. They were all around us, it was amazing! We had so much fun with all the animals. We also got to see the emus, miniature donkeys, and a miniature horse. 

This RV park was a wonderful find. The WiFi is very strong.  We are loving our stay in one the extra long pull-through sites, it overlooks the field of llamas. The camp has 31 level sites with 6 extra long pull-through sites. The lots are gravel and provide sewer, 50 amp and water. The surrounding area is beautiful with lots of things to do and see. Tomorrow we will go to a story telling presentation in the oldest town in Tennessee, Jonesborough which is known as The Story Telling Capital of the World.

If you are RVing in the Chuckey, TN area checkout The Lazy Llama. This is a great place with wonderful people. There is a store in the front office were they sell local art and handmade items. I picked up a couple of pairs of gloves made from the wool of llamas. These gloves should help me stay warm when I'm in Alaska walking on the glaciers this summer.

Brotherly Love in Tenn

We had a fabulous day with John's brother Eddie and his wife Arlene. They are a wonderful couple, two of the nicest people we know. 

17th President of the United States

We visited Greeneville, Tennessee home to the 17th President of the United States. Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) served as President from 1865 to 1869. Johnson became president because he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. 

We toured two of his homes.