Camping at Grey's Point June 22-24

The Old Dominion Cardinals monthly camp out for June was at Grey's Point in Topping, VA, arriving Friday and leaving Sunday. This weekend was unusual in several ways: two couples brought grandchildren, four couples brought motorcycles, and we did not hold a chapter meeting. The weather was perfect! We had a good turn out with reservations for11 rigs and 9 attending.

The Trip Captains (Simmonds, Mathenys, Soden, and Wilson) did a great job organizing and preparing Saturday's breakfast and evening meal. The grandchildren fit in nicely and the bikers had a great ride on Saturday. Larry Halstead introduced his "Hillbilly Golf" set and competition was intense. "Left-Right & Center" has become a Saturday night regular event.

Facilities are first class at Grey's Point. The pools and activities are designed for children and families. RV sites are pull-thrus that offer easy full-hook ups and level ground. What more could we want?

July's camp out is scheduled for Small Country Campground in Louisa, VA. We expect a different cast for that time together and another good time.

Scheduled Maintenance

Today was the day to take the coach to Marshall, VA for maintenance service. We usually try to get this done in April or May soon after returning from Florida. This year we were delayed by our sudden trip to Georgia that occupied most of the month of May.

Premier RV - Truck - Auto is the place we have been going since the first motor home in 2003. Mike is the mechanic and owner of the business. He is competent, fair, and personable. We give him a list of items to be fixed or checked and he either does what is on the list or tells us why he cannot. The key service Mike offers is when an appointment is made he is waiting to drive the coach into the bay when you arrive, and he begins work immediately. After some horrific experiences trying to get service at a RV dealer, this alone makes Mike unique and well worth the 90 minute drive to Marshall.

The coach is in good shape. Today we had a full lube, oil change, filter change and check of the engine, chassis, and generator. We asked about the thermostat because the AC seems to run well after the inside temperature has been reached and passed. Mike suggested we call the manufacturer while we are camping and hooked up and ask the tech rep to talk us through the re-set procedure. All went well at Marshall. We arrived early, Mike was waiting for us, we were out of there around 1:00 pm and home by 2:45 pm.

The coach is ready for our trip to Grey's Point on Friday with the ODC. Our grandchildren, Tyler and Amanda, will be camping with us this weekend. It should be a great time. The Halsteads are bring their granddaughter and her friend. We hope to do some fishing with Tyler. At last count we have 11 coaches scheduled to be there; others may show up. Wayne and Barbara Simmons have been the key folks to pull this weekend together. We are looking forward to a good time.

Dogwood Chapter Interest Gains

Larry Halstead called to say that he and Mem were interested in going to the Dogwood camp out in July, but he had discarded the newsletter with the details; we sent him another copy via email. The poor man has been without his wife for too long. Mem returned home from Indianapolis Thursday and called to say that she and Larry would go with us to the Dogwood camp out in July. She called Carol Warthan, one of the hosts, to get the latest information. Carol told her that she had heard from us and the Tolsons.

We also spoke to Sandy Freed and they will also be going. It is shaping up as a great weekend. In a separate phone conversation with Carol, she expressed her excitement that eight prospective new members would be at the July camp out and welcomed us enthusiastically.

Expanding Horizons

We attended our first FMCA Convention in March at Perry, GA. It was a fun experience especially because we pre-camped with Larry & Mem Halstead, Jim & Linda Matheny, and Mason & Floretta Young. Because we entered the campground together, we parked together. That is the way to go to any rally or convention.

Prior to leaving for Perry, Janice spoke with a friend at Crystal Lake who is a long time FMCA member and whose husband is an officer in the organization. The friend asked to which chapter we belonged. Janice explained that we have unsuccessfully tried to inquire about membership in the Dogwood Chapter in central Virginia, but we never we able to get a response after several tries. Within 48-hours, Janice received an email from Wilt Greenwood, National Director, of the Dogwood Chapter. He invited us to a reception that he and his wife Barbara would host at the Perry convention.

At Perry we tried unsuccessfully to find the Greenwood coach. We became frustrated and returned to our camp site to call Wilt and offer regrets. He not only encouraged us to come, but said he would come and get us. We explained that we had four couples that were interested; he said, "the more the merrier". We had a good time and told Greenwood that we would like to follow up when we returned to Virginia. He suggested we camp with the chapter at least one time before joining. He put us on the Newsletter email list and gave us a copy of the current issue so that we could see the yearly schedule.

Back in Virginia we have had campouts in April and May with the Old Dominion Cardinals. On both occasions we have talked to others about joining the Dogwood Chapter to meet new people and see new campgrounds. There was more interest and enthusiasm than expected. This week we acted.

Chuck and Donna Tolson got things rolling with an email to us about the July Dogwood Rally at Rockahock Campground in Lanexa, VA on both the Chickahominy Lake and the Chickahominy River. We replied immediately "lets do it". I sent an email to the Halsteads, Mathenys, Freeds, and Bill Ferebee all of whom had expressed interest. Today the Tolsons and the Parsons made reservations at the campground and sent our rally fees to the rally hosts. Hopefully, others from ODC will join us.

We look forward to meeting new RVers and seeing new places. We will make a decision on whether to join the Dogwood Chapter after the campout, but it looks promising.






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