Grand Design

National Grand Design Rally

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We took a break from our time in Michigan to attend our first National Grand Design Rally in Goshen, Indiana. This is the largest gathering of Grand Design owners in the country and is a week filled with food, music, tours, and technical repairs. We split the four hour drive to Indiana with a stay at a great Harvest Host location: Archival Brewing. Located in Belmont, MI, just north of Grand Rapids, Archival has great beer and food and allowed us to park right next to the biergarten. After a great meal we enjoyed live music before retiring to our RV for the night. Harvest Hosts are really cool!

See our RV behind Steve?
Relaxing after dinner with live music

The Grand Design National Rally takes over the Elkhart 4-H Fairgrounds. With over 600 Grand Design rigs on the property., more than 1500 owners, vendors, and Grand Design staff gather to explore all things RV and Grand Design.

Breakfast
Debut of Grand Design’s newest model: Lineage
Steve and Bob waiting for evening music

By attending we got work done on our rig and bought a few new accessories which make life on the road a little easier.  New wallpaper in the bathroom and an improved entry door handle were worth the trip. Every day’s agenda was filled with activities and opportunities. One of my favorites was the silent auction, where I walked away with four baskets of goodies!

They pack us in!
Busy schedule every day
My winnings at the silent auction

One day I joined an organized tour to explore the nearby Amish country. Our guide-led exploration took us to a leather goods workshop, a carriage maker, and an Amish bakery.

Stingray belt
Carriage wheels
Finished product

This is truly some of the most beautiful rural areas we’ve seen in a long time. Along the way we ate really yummy food with an Amish family and gained insights into their simple life. 

Typical sights on the road in Amish Country
Kids playing ball at recess
Amish bakery

Steve and I also had the opportunity to take a tour of the factory. This is where our Grand Design Solitude fifth wheel was made. We walked through the manufacturing process, from chassis to side walls, from roof to interiors.

Chassis with tanks and wiring
Sidewalls
Roofs

It was fascinating to see how our little house on wheels came together just over a year ago. The tour reassured us that Grand Design is producing high quality RVs that they stand behind. If you are in the market for an RV, we highly recommend Grand Design!

A few finished products outside the factory
HQ

A BIG RV update

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It’s been awhile since we’ve posted an update. After SXSW we spent about six weeks at home and didn’t sit still much. We took care of business, made some improvements at the townhouse and went to the Grand Canyon and Sedona with our dear Colombian friends, Lucia and Marta.

At Lucia’s favorite, El Gato Azul
Relaxing in the “old” trailer
Marta and I enjoying the fireplace on a cold day at the Grand Canyon
Lucia, Steve, and Marta on the Rim
Marta’s first up close encounter with snow!
Sedona

We also visited with many our Prescott friends and family, went to Mexico to finish up work on the condo, and Steve did a 30 mile bike race.

Well-deserved break at Banditos
Crossing the finish of the Whiskey 30 MTB race

And oh yeah, we bought a new truck and trailer to continue our RV adventures! It’s been a whirlwind but we are happy with the outcomes and are now searching for new adventures with our new home on the road. Here are some details about our new home on wheels.

We traded the Ford F250 and Grand Design Reflection 295RL for a 2023 Ford F350 long bed and a 2023 Grand Design Solitude 310GK. Our new rig is basically the same configuration as the old one but a bit bigger with more bells and whistles.

The new truck can tow a heavier trailer and has a longer bed to give us more clearance and more storage space. It also has a ton of new technology that we continue to learn how to use.

Our 2023 Ford F350. We call it “Maverick.”

The new trailer has a washer and dryer, full-sized refrigerator, and an on-demand hot water heater. The king-sized bed is also an upgrade from our last trailer.

Grand Design Solitude 310 GK
Full-sized refrigerator and pantry
My favorite new feature: W/D!!!!
Yes, I have a lot of stuff but the closet accomodates!
And the rain shower in the bathroom is pretty cool too!

So, Steve’s in love with “his” new truck, and I love our new home on wheels. Changing rigs is not without challenges but we’re working through them as we go.

We’ve already towed the trailer over 1400 miles with a quick visit with Sam in Castle Rock, Colorado. Dinner and some Flor de Caña made for a fun, rainy evening.

We’ll have plenty to report in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we’re open to questions and comments as always. We love hearing from you!!

The Space Coast

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Jetty Park Campground is THE place to stay when visiting Florida’s Space Coast. The park is run by Port Canaveral and is set right on the tip of the cape, with direct access to sweeping white sand beaches, views of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and its launch pads, and the now quiet cruise ship terminal. We could have stayed for weeks but it’s tough to get in here. We’ve already booked for next year and could only get five days at that.

Jetty Park is a perfect jumping off point for exploring the Space Coast, named for the presence of NASA’s activities throughout the area. Our primary goal was to fully explore KSC and we are confident that we did it!

Over three days we strolled the theme park-like complex watching movies, viewing exhibits, and riding simulators. We learned about the history of the US space program, saw the Atlantis Space Shuttle, reviewed our progress on Mars exploration, and tried out various space capsules.

Due to the pandemic, the bus tours of the launch areas and vehicle assembly building were not available. We are already planning a return trip in late 2021 with hopes of experiencing these highlights at that time. 

While visiting the Space Coast we also explored the Canaveral National Seashore. The land was preserved shortly after NASA began launching rockets in the area. It provides a buffer for the Space Center activities, but creates a quiet, natural environment for birds, alligators, and nudists. Yes, two of the beach areas are designated as clothing-free, and no, we didn’t participate and no, there are no photos.

During our picnic stop Bob met his first armadillo. He was ready to take the little armored guy on, but the armadillo didn’t have any interest in taking on a toy poodle.  

Within the boundaries of the National Seashore there are also a few short hikes that feature the history of the area. In particular, we did the short Castle Windy Trail which led us across the peninsula to the Mosquito Lagoon where we found a couple fly fishing amidst curious dolphins. No good photos of this but it was cool.

Another trail led us to the top of ancient Indian midden, which is a huge pile of shells, seven stories tall, created by some of the original inhabitants of the area. We followed the boardwalk up, up, up which ended with sweeping views of the lagoon to the west and Atlantic ocean to the east. 

One thing we try to do as often as possible is give blood. It’s our way of giving to the community, and we also get helpful health information in the process. We visited the bloodmobile in Cape Canaveral and as a result learned we are both negative for the COVID-19 antibodies.

We are extra careful with masks and hand sanitizer, avoiding large crowds as much as possible. It’s reassuring, but sometimes surprising to know we’ve avoided infection with all of our travels. While we stayed very busy on the Space Coast, we barely scratched the surface and look forward to returning.