Day 28 Joe Wheeler State Park

Duthie Learning Booth at AGLCA Rendezvous

This was the first official day of the rendezvous. The weather was terrible with rain and wind all day, but since all events were inside it was not a problem. I spent all morning demonstrating our CD-ROM program “What to Expect Cruising America’s Great Loop” to attendees as they lined up to register and buy stuff. Sales were brisk and Eva Stob had to reorder more CDs 3 times. I shared a table with Irving Martin from Harbor Master Boats (see photo). It was great to hear comments from people that had bought it before. One man has been through all 6 hours of the program three times. Several people were buying second copies to give to relatives so they wouldn’t have to take pictures. Another couple is unable to finish the loop and wants to see the part they missed. At 1:00PM I demonstrated the program to about 100 people in a group. A speaker from Minneapolis presented his plan to build floating condominiums on 4 connected self powered barges that will cruise the river system. The project is being funded with pre-sales and is very well thought out. It will be interesting to see how it goes. A third speaker spoke on bio-diesel which seems to have great advantages especially in how it will clean out all the sludge in your fuel tanks the first time you use it. It also has no diesel smell with even as little as 5% bio-diesel (made from soy beans) mixed with petroleum diesel.

Day 27 Joe Wheeler State Park

Today was a quiet day getting prepared for the rendezvous events. We stuffed bags with brochures and give-aways. Our friends Bob and Gail came through on their way home from a Antique and Classic Boat Society event at Pickwick trailing their Chris Craft behind their new RV (see photo). Bob returned the keys we had lost at Gold Point. He also came to see the Harbor Master Coastal Cruiser his company had sold to a live aboard looper from Texas. Harbor Master is one of the sponsors of the rendezvous. An impromptu pot luck supper was organized beside the pool tonight and we had a chance to meet some new people and revisit with folks we met on the loop and at previous rendezvous.