and it continued to rain, all the way to Asheville and while we got set up in Bear Creek RV Park in Asheville.  Then, miraculously the rain stopped.  We rejoined Anna Lee and Jerry Braunstein, whom we last saw in Austin, for dinner at Nine Mile in Asheville.  They are not Tiffin owners, but they found their way into Bear Creek as an ideal place to tour Asheville and surroundings.  That was Sunday night, our rally was set to start on Monday although there certainly were plenty Tiffin coaches already in the park.

The rally consisted of daily happy hour(s) with food variants from pizza, to pot luck to catered Italian as well as “on your own” a couple of nights.  On Tuesday we participated in the White Trolley Tour, something we often avoid, and learned how much of Asheville we had been missing.  Wednesday the group went to the Biltmore Estate, a wonderful thing to do, which we have done several times, including last year, so we skipped.  We learned that Jerry and Anna Lee’s coach had developed a malady requiring parts and service which would not happen until later in the day so we picked them up and went to the River Art District.  In the first building we stopped in we met and spoke with a wood turner, some potters

 and a woman painting with encaustic.  We got excited as our friend and neighbor in Rochester, Jack Wolsky, is the only artist we know who works in that old medium.  Lets just say that there is encasutic and there is Wolsky.  We delivered the Braunsteins back to their coach in time for the service man to arrive and install the new inverter.  After lunch on board, we returned to the River Art District and continued to visit with craftspeople for most of the afternoon.  By 5 we were in the Rally Room with the survivors of Biltmore and the wine tasting.

We got to renew acquaintance with Tiffin Travelers we met in Bath NY last summer and we made friends with members who were not there.  It is a wonder to me how a group of people drawn together merely by the ownership of a brand of motorhome can have so much else in common. It approaches being a granfalloon (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granfalloon). We are blessed with many retired teachers and nurses not to mention retired lawmen and military.

On the left Bill Murton, group photographer and incoming president, on the right Lee and Richard Beers

Along the way we had a mishap with a wonderful recovery.  On Monday Carol lost her rig keys, this includes a remote for the door.  This is uncharacteristic, somehow she failed to stash them in the glove compartment of the Jeep and they must have fallen out of her purse.  We were appalled at the likely cost of replacing the remote, not to mention the aggravation.  At the suggestion of one of the rally participants I emailed the Tiffin customer service department with a plea to direct the email to the appropriate person to sell me a new remote.  The next morning, Tuesday, as we rode the Trolley, I determined to follow up with a phone call when we got back.  Mid morning, my phone rings and it is Ray Tiffin (!) on the phone confirming my email and telling me they would send a replacement out overnight delivery.  I was stunned.  Later in the day Anthony, from parts called to get the VIN number of the coach so he could send out the right part and the complete shipping address.  He said he was sending us a couple of remotes.  I objected saying I only needed one.  End of story, at noon on Wednesday a box was delivered to us, free of charge, with two brand new remotes and coding instructions.  Thank you Tiffin.

This morning, Saturday, we set out to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway yet again.  We made it as far as Boon, about 65 miles.  We had an extended stop at the Folk Art Center where we saw a sheep being sheared and we avoided spending any money because we have no space and no desire to recreate the collection of wonderful things we have chosen to part with.  We will probably stay here two nights and wander the territory in the Jeep.

Next post will most likely be from Covesville unless I decide to write sooner.