Monday, August 11, 2014
Topeka, Indiana
Cedar Creek RV Factory
The F.R.O.G. rally was a lot of fun. Forest River did a superb job of planning
and facilitating the largest ever F.R.O.G. Rally to date. I don't have an exact
number but we were told that over 500 RV's attended the rally at the Elkhart
County 4-H Fairgrounds.
During the rally, Cedar Creek sent out a drove of factory
technicians to fix any problems owners were having with their Cedar Creek
RV. On our unit they replaced the
gaskets on one of the slide out rooms, installed the missing "L"
guards on the bottom of the slides and fixed the broken screen door latch. While inspecting the unit they found a
"possible" structural defect in the pin box that would require
further inspection and possibly repair at the factory - which brings us here on
this rainy Monday morning. As a result,
we have extended our stay in the area and, depending on the complexity of the
possible repair, could put us into a hotel for a few days and move our
departure to Friday the 15th. We are
hoping for the best and getting out of here tonight.
But, back to the rally and the week that is now behind us.
Monday was our first full day. We spent the better part of Monday looking at the different RVs
on display, walking through the vendor area and visiting with old friends while
making new ones. All 1,000+ of us were
served a nice dinner in a huge multi-purpose building.
Tuesday morning we boarded a chartered bus for the short 18
mile trip to the Cedar Creek Factory.
Once there we were give a tour of the plant. It was extremely interesting but we were not allowed to make any
pictures. We had a real nice pot-luck
dinner with our Cedar Creek RV Owners Club family and invited guest from the
Cedar Creek plant.
On Wednesday I went with two friends on a surplus hunt to
several outlets. This being the heart
of the RV industry where 80% of all towables are made also makes it the center
for surplus, blemished and discontinued RV parts and accessories. I latched onto several needed items at a
considerable savings that will either be used as replacement parts or add-ons.
Thursday Nancy and I boarded a charter bus for a tour that
included the RV Hall of Fame, a fantastic Amish style family dinner at Das Dutchman Essenhaus and then time to casually move about a show of beautiful old, restored or
modified cars at a local drive-in event.
There were well over 300 cars on display. Some brought back memories long forgotten - both pleasant and
others bitter sweet, like an old VW Beetle.
There was a (Studebaker) Avanti II there with a for sale sign on the
window. I remember a time when I would
have given most anything I owned for an Avanti. But, time and desires always change and the Avanti is no longer
at the top of the list.
Friday was a wind-it-down day for the rally as most folks
were getting ready to leave on Saturday morning and the vendors were packing up
their areas. Nancy went into
Shipshewana with one of our friends for some shopping while I did some odd jobs
on the RV and tried to get a little rest.
UPDATE: Cedar Creek found some structural damage around the pin box. This is a major repair job that could cost thousands if we were not at the factory. Because we are, there will be no direct cost to us. But, it will require us staying in Elkhart until Friday. We have a hotel room and are comfy (for the moment).
We were all parked on the inside of the horse racing track. It was a nice location for us.
We got to watch some of the horses on the track for training. These are magnificent animals to watch trotting on the track.
Members of our RV club gathered most evenings for some socializing.
This is the tour bus that took us to the RV Hall of Fame museum
The RV's in the museum are a far cry from what we are using today. Still, they were innovative for their time - ranging from the 1920's to the 1960's. Four classic RV's are pictured below.
The classic Avanti that caught my eye.
This vintage Isetta would look cute sitting on the back deck of our Volvo truck.
