IT WAS GREAT TO BE BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL AGAIN by Joanne Hernandez
From the moment we arrived until the final cup of morning coffee on departure day the Wine Country Rally was entertaining, informative and fun, fun, fun. We created succulent mini-gardens that were then used as centerpieces and finally given away as door prizes. The bread pudding class created the dessert for that evenings dinner and the jalapenos popper class made tasty appetizers for that nights happy hour. We created Gerani-yum “Jam” and each cook took some home and also shared with the rest of the group.
Deo Trovao led her crew of hardy walkers out for early morning adventures which were followed by breakfast created by a different club team each day. Tech Session leaders gave out words of wisdom on how to keep our GMCs on the road for many more trips, we learned about the process of writing a book from our member/author, George Beckman. George and his wife Ruth also led us in Sunday worship service. Jewelry exchange, T-shirt decorating, open coach day, swap meet, Warbird Museum Tour, Wine tasting and book club discussion events filled the days and made them fly by.
Two events stand out in my mind. One being the guitar concert given by Richard Curiel. Singer, songwriter, talented musician are words that describe Richard. That evening was like being in a private club and hearing favorite songs from the past and those that are popular now. Totally relaxed and at ease with being together with his friends he shared his talent with us all. It was magic.
The second event was the Ladies Luncheon that Carol Minnie and Bobbie Schultz arranged. Beginning with Pasolivo Olive Tasting which consisted of five sampler plates with an olive oil, a companion vinegar and 2 different spices and crusty bread. Then a delicious luncheon followed. Carol and Bobbie outdid themselves this time.
A big thank you goes out to Carol and Armand Minnie and Donna and Dave de Graffenreid for hosting this rally. After so long being apart, it was good to connect with friends again. Dave has arranged for the next rally to be held in Palm Desert at Emerald Desert. All we need now is a Rally Master so check your schedule and see if you can fill that spot.
Technical Sessions at the Wine Country Rally - by Armand Minnie
We had some very informative presentations by some very experienced GMCers. Donald Guttman gave an overview of the many modifications and improvements he has made to the interior of his GMC. We learned about a lot of good ideas.
Eric Schulte told us all about the SeeLevel II 3-Tank Monitoring System. As an experienced engineer, he was very impressed with both the quality of the made-in-the-USA product and the quality of the instruction manual written in clear American English. Eric's slides are posted on the web site under "Rallys" - "Rally Reports" and there is a link to it in the text on the home page.
We experimented a little with ideas about how to address the questions and concerns of newer GMC owners and tried a "roving tech session". In this session, we visited a number of GMCs, raised the hoods and had the owners show us their improvements and inventions. It was very successful as far as everyone having fun (who can resist talking about their GMCs?) and getting outside in the beautiful weather we had.
Dean Hanson gave a talk on “Reviving Neglected Coaches. Dean has revived a number of GMCs through the years and shared some nuggets with us. He related that brakes are an important place to start and that he strongly suggests pressure bleeding the lines. He noted that the gas tanks, lines, and carburetor will likely be clogged with varnish. He uses an outboard gas tank to run the engine if it needs to be moved before cleaning the tanks. Dean uses Seafoam to dissolve gunk in the float valve and suggested squirting some down the vent. He noted you will need lots of gas filters. He smiled and said he had been known to change the fuel filter several times getting a coach home. When asked if he spins the oil pump on an engine that has been sitting, he said, “No, I crank it for a bit to get the oil moving and start it up.” Dean then answered various questions from the audience. [thanks George Beckman]
We had the usual "Ask the Experts" session where we tried to answer more GMC questions.
Armand Minnie gave a short talk about Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems and why we should spend the money on them rather than on the damage resulting from tire failures. Also, how they save the time and effort required to check tires every morning before driving.
We had a great time renewing friendships and getting back into the swing of the GMC after two years without a rally.