This is a BIG year for Winnebago’s Grand National Rally (GNR). — It is their 50th anniversary and guess who is going to RV venture her wheels up to Forest City, Iowa, to celebrate? Me! I’m so excited! 

(Another BIG 50th Anniversary is happening this week too – on July 20th – the first moon landing. I feel there’s a joke or a dreadful pun here, but it’s not quite coming to me.)

This will be my first GNR, though we have wanted to go ever since we bought our first Winnebago back in 2013. Are any of you going?

I worry you will think poorly of me if I say I am most looking forward to Trivia Night (…because I’m that person), so here are some of the other activities and opportunities I am really excited about:

• Stef from The Fit RV will be leading some morning fitness sessions. I have been watching their YouTube videos since we started RVing, so I definitely want to join in for this!

• On Tuesday there is a What’s New in Pet Travel seminar that I would love to go to. With two cats and one dog, their comfort and mental health is always forefront in my mind when we travel.

• Most nights there will be music entertainment. Mostly country music, which works for me!

• On Wednesday there will be a Classic Row Open House. I dig all things retro, so this should be cool. 

• There are several Van Life chats I would enjoy attending — discussions about full-timing, boon docking, etc. 

• I am also contemplating the RV Boot Camp course, which is an all-day event. On one hand, I should already know a lot of what they will be sharing, but… I have a feeling I actually don’t. 

• There are also some lectures from Truma, Onan, and Mercedes that sound interesting and would probably be very helpful.

• And, of course, the famous Forest City Factory Tour is going to be a must!  

What I am most looking forward to (other than Trivia Night, of course), is meeting my fellow vagabonds. I am an introvert, so this will have to be done one or two people at a time, but I am really looking forward to hearing their stories, gleaning new knowledge, and helping out if I can. By the time I leave on Saturday, I will probably no longer be capable of verbal communication for at least a good two or three weeks. But that’s okay! 

This will not be a quick trip. – Forest City, Iowa, is 1000 miles from my home base. But I love long drives, especially in summer. So as long as Hers is up for it, you won’t hear any complaining from me.

Winnebago suggests arriving with a full fresh tank and empty gray and black tanks. So I need to figure that out. – Meaning, I need to make sure I have full hook-ups Sunday night so that when I head to GNR on Monday, I will be all set. 

There will be electric and water at our sites, but if the gray or black tank needs emptying during GNR, I will need to ask the Honey Wagon to visit my rig. I will do everything in my power not to need that, but I am not all that famous for my conservation skills. 

If you too are heading to GNR this year, or have in the past, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Any words of wisdom you have would be thoroughly appreciated! 

Safe travels, Everyone!