The South East Mini Rally has come and gone.  April 02, 03, 04 2010.  Two nice coaches in attendance, number 0094 with Spencer Lewis aboard, and 0890 with Lou, Roy and Denny. 

We had two of the new FMC Owners Club signs up. Half dozen people stopped by asking about the coaches.  We had some lengthy discussions (guy speak) and they and their wives looked through the coaches. They paid us some nice compliments; none of them had seen or even heard of the FMC Motor Coach before.

Spencer’s coach, 0094, is in excellent condition and has an interesting history.  It has a rebuilt 440 and a rebuilt 727, also has Alcoas. There are many very nice interior upgrades. I should not have let Lou look inside but it did give me some ideas. Spencer’s mechanic, Gene, really likes working on the coach. He is amazed documentation and parts are readiable available and is anxious to work on others

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We talked coach histories, past, present and future of the FMC Owners Club, key players, MCR/RVS support and parts issues, Mega/Minden Rally plans, our histories etc. Spencer will not be able to attend the Minden extravaganza because of his wife’s health issues. We also discussed the FMC East rally later in the year in the early stage of planning.

Our campsites were adjacent to a creek and near a playground. We rode bikes, threw some rocks in the creek, played in the water, had an Easter egg hunt (250 plastic eggs, 11 kids) campfires, marshmallow burning, reading…..

My family visited Babyland General Hospital http://cabbagepatchkids.com/  in Cleveland GA.  Lou and Roy enjoyed that. I haven’t been there since the 80’s; it has grown from 11,000 sf to 70,000 sf. (new building).  Xavier has done right well.

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/vogel/ The campground was nice; one of the oldest in Georgia. It is near the Appalachian Trail. A close friend recalls staying with family in cabins and dancing in the pavilions there over 50-60 years ago (thought about asking her if it was like the movie “Dirty Dancing” but didn’t ). – From their web site - One of Georgia's oldest and most popular state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. Vogel is particularly popular during the fall when the Blue Ridge Mountains transform into a rolling blanket of red, yellow and gold leaves. Hikers can choose from a variety of trails, including the popular four-mile Bear Hair Gap loop, an easy one-mile lake loop, and the challenging 13-mile Coosa Backcountry Trail. Cottages, campsites and primitive backpacking sites provide a range of overnight accommodations. The park's 22-acre lake is open to non-motorized boats. During summer, visitors can cool off at the scenic lakeside beach.