27 May 2023 - Arrived at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds Campground

 

Today was a great day and involved the shortest travel day of our entire trip!  We departed the Elkhart Campground where we have been camping with many other Alliance RV owners at the "pre-rally" at 1115 hrs and traveled just 18 miles to the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds Campground to attend the Alliance 2023 Rally.  What made this travel day interesting and quite a sight to see was the "elephant walk" of Alliance coaches!  

Having served so many years in the United States Air Force it seems only appropriate to refer to this travel as an "elephant walk"!  The term “elephant walk” is a uniquely Air Force term that grew out of World War II and became institutional memory in the new Air Force.  It refers to a close formation of aircraft taxiing en masse before takeoff.  That is the first thing that came to mind when I saw!

Our reflection in a nearby building as we were stopped for a red light.

Many of us in the Owner's Group, the set-up crew and the parking crew needed to get to the fairgrounds and get set-up prior to the hundreds of coaches that start arriving tomorrow.  So we pulled chocks this morning and headed to Goshen!  

  

An aerial picture at the Elkhart Campground taken by a great friend 

and Air Guard comrade Rich Lawrence.  Our coach is the second one up in the middle.

We arrived and the parking crew was ready for us as we were assigned sites and got set up.  We are camping in the northwest section.  

The big ol' brown truck in the middle there!

Utilities in the rear.

A beautiful Alliance Paradigm 390MP with full decoration!

Later the setup commenced.  We set up tables and chairs for the Alliance crews that will be servicing our coaches.  We also set up the registration and check-in area and the Owner's Group where we will be welcoming the Rally attendees and serving them a pulled pork slider, a beverage and some other things.  They will also get their welcome bags there. 

Unloading some of the welcome beverages!

Ralph Lowther working hard!!

This evening we were treated to a lasagna dinner prepared in Dutch ovens along with salad, apple crisp, fresh bread and all the fixin's.

Tomorrow we will take some time off and travel north to meet up with daughter Jennifer Buehner and her family for lunch.  It will be great to see Jennifer, James, Lucas and Lindsey!