Day 71 Thurs Mar 22 Temps at PIR - 8:15 57F (14C), 4:30 87 F (30C)

Off into the Race Grounds for Day 1 of the Rally. My first seminar was on the new tankless water heater for RV’s. It is the same principle as the household on-demand tanks, you get continuous hot water as long as you input cold water & as long as your propane lasts. It has a 30 second delay before you get hot water. There is only about 8 ounces of water in the pipes when it is not operating so you save a lot of weight not carrying 6 or more gallons and also you only use gas to heat water when you turn on the tap, rather than heating a whole tank of water 24/7. Sheila met me at 11:00, & we went to a “Don’t go without Velcro” seminar where we got some really good ideas on how Velcro can be used to make travel easier. The presenter said there are 3 things you should always carry – WD 40, Velcro & Duct Tape. At 12:15, we took the tram, (open-air trailers with seats, pulled by trucks) home for lunch, (the burgers at the site are pricey--$8.00 for a burger & fries, water is $3 a bottle!). Good Sam had a notice that the concessions are under control of the Phoenix Raceway, not Good Sam. I made it back to the Rally for the last ¾ hour of the noon entertainment--a country group, called the Prescott Boys that had a young boy who was phenomenal on the fiddle. He did a fantastic “Orange Blossom Special”. Then we did an orientation seminar for first time Ralliers. In between, events, we visited the Exhibitors tent where they have well over a hundred booths all to do with RV’s, lots of good stuff & information. We returned to the RV for supper before we headed over the evening’s entertainment – “Rock Roll Party with Bowser”. Remember Sha Na Na? He was the leader then and is still going strong on his own. This is not a tribute act but the real thing. He put on a great show. When we got back to the RV about 9 the outside temp was 66F (19C).