We left Lake Greenwood and headed down to Hilton Head National to attend the Hoots Rally. Hilton Head National is a new park that is amazing:
They have a golf course, a huge dog park, a restaurant with a bar, and a pool with a lazy river. They also have an “adults only” area with a separate pool and clubhouse. Check it out:
The sites were huge – here is our spot:
Hoots was formed about twelve years ago when a group of people who were on IRV2 (a RV enthusiastic website) said that they should meet and get together as a smaller group. That would be a hoot! This year 75 Newmar coaches attended the rally. They had a tent set up for all of our activities:
It was a hoot!
On the drive down we found out via FaceBook that friends of ours who we hadn’t seen in a couple of years were also going to be at the Hilton Head National for a few days. We decided to get together with Blair and Shug Bury on the first night as they had only planned on being there for two nights and had plans on the second night. We met up with them at the resort’s pool bar for drinks and a quick bite:
Had a great time catching up!
The next evening Hoots was having a “progressive drinks, appetizers, and coach stroll” so Katrina signed us up. I made some pulled pork sliders and Katrina made homemade Cole slaw. They were both delish! Friends of ours (Karl and Denise Reed, whom we had met up with at Newmar the prior week were parked two sites away from us and we decided to host together with them having the drinks. They couldn’t think of what drink to make and I suggested that they make my mothers Southern Comfort Punch. They ran out to get the ingredients.
What a success our stop was!
The days were filled with the typical technical sessions and meals with the evenings meeting up with friends usually around a campfire. It was nice catching up with friends, but also meeting new ones. We spent time with Stan and Lynne Brown and others. I think that one of the best aspects of attending this rally was meeting the relatively new Newmar President, Casey Tubman. Hearing him speak on the state of Newmar, understanding his background and listening to his plans for the future was very exciting! Hoots had recently partnered with National Indoors Recreational Vehicle Centers (NIRVC) to help defray the costs, utilize their influence, and market to the Hooters (not sure if that is what we are called or not). Brett Davis, the CEO of NIRVC was also present to talk about the RV industry. I think we are in a downturn over the next year or so – guess we won’t be upgrading anytime soon!
Katrina attended the craft session where she made some pretty shell ornaments while meeting some ladies.
Here’s her handiwork:
Isn’t she talented?
The Bury’s decided to stay another day so we were able to see them again. Since we were in the South Carolina Low Country, we selected the “A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant” for dinner.
The place was decent but they closed earlier than we wanted to leave. Luckily next door was a sports bar called “The Smokehouse”. I guess that they had BBQ too, but we were there for the drinks. We found a cosy spot by the fire:
We ended up staying out at their place way too late one night drinking bourbon. Blair is a very bad influence!
We had some time the next day so we headed down to the Bluffton Farmers Market with Karl and Denise Reid. Shopped around a bit:
It was a nice market that included a beer truck, Low Country Taps!
That night we attended a local whiskey event prior to dinner, dinner, and dancing.
Everyone had a fantastic time!
Since we wanted to get back down to our home base, the Myakka River Motorcoach Resort, we decided to leave the rally earlier than the end. We needed to get back and get set up because we only had a few days before we needed to head out of town. Therefore, after breakfast on Friday we packed up and headed out after saying our goodbyes to friends, old and new.
While we were unplugging the coach the generator started up all on its own. I guess that the fix last and expense from last week didn’t work! Back to the drawing board with lighter pockets.
However, the rally was a hoot!
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