We gathered in Roanoke Rapids, NC at the RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads, for our second rally of 2023. Kathy and I got in a day early to begin our duties as rally hosts. For this rally we opted to bring our, new to us, a 28 foot class B+ coach, that we named Junior. After setting up in the campground we checked out the facilities. Nice pool and jacuzzi, rally room, small camp store, large open air covered game area. The campground was clean and well maintained. The sites were long enough for our coach and tow vehicle, and plenty wide enough for the slides and awning. We were very lucky to be assigned a full hookup pull thru site next to a large covered gazebo. Since we knew another club member couple would be coming in to the site on the other side of the gazebo we staked it out and made it our extended home for the weekend. We were given the key to the rally room for our exclusive use all weekend, it was large and had a full kitchen, and since there were only going to be ten to twelve of us we opted not to use it - the gazebo would work just fine for our needs.
On Thursday we gathered information about things to do and see from some very friendly staff at the chamber of commerce - the tourist information office was closed for remodeling. Most of the group arrived while Kathy and I were still checking out the nearby areas. We got back and setup for the welcome meet and greet in our gazebo. Some of us brought our chairs and with the gazebos picnic table and a folding table we had everything we needed. It was nice to see familiar faces and meet new ones. We talked and swapped stories for a few hours and then split up for the night.
On Friday some of us did day trips while the rest of us met up in the campground to visit. Friday night we opted for dinner out at a local Mexican food restaurant that the campground owner and the chamber recommended. The food and the service was good, with a large menu to select from.
On Saturday we again did day trips around the area, while some of us stayed at the campground. Kathy and I had an electrical issue with our coach so we dealt with that issue for part of the day. We could not get power into the coach using our 50amp cord and connection so we ended up stringing a series of extension cords to power up what we needed for the rest of the weekend. We all met up at another recommended local restaurant, this time a steakhouse. The food and service were great. After dinner we all met up back at the campground, at the gazebo, for our meeting and more visiting.
On Sunday morning at 6 am Kathy and I woke up to a coach filled with smoke. Turns out that a foil covered heater duct was not properly anchored down and had shifted - touching a 12v bridge bar in the back of the converters distribution panel causing it to short. Our plans to stay an extra night suddenly ended. We did a temporary fix of that issue and immediately packed up to leave. Two electrical issues in one weekend was enough for us. There were a few others up that early so we said our goodbyes. Most everyone was scheduled to leave later in the morning. On the way home I called the campground office, once it opened. I advised them of our problems, assuring them that the issues were with our coach - not their power pedestal. They cheerfully refunded us for the unused portion of our stay.
PS: Junior is fixed. The GFCI outlet did not seem to be faulty but it was indeed creating most of our problems. A simple replacement with a better quality unit fixed the AC problems. Rerouting and anchoring the heater duct fixed the DC problem.
Here are a few pictures of our Friday night out at the local Mexican restaurant in Roanoke Rapids:
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