1st TRIP - 4th stop - Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa

Ed filled the water tank and emptied the holding tanks and we checked out of Lazydays Campground today after getting our last free breakfast and lunch. 

We arrived at the fairgrounds and parked in the holding area for the Thor Diesel Club (TDC) and waited for the other TDC members/rigs to arrive.  We ended up being in the first group to be escorted to the section where we'll all be together.  This place is packed; mostly motorhomes lined up side by side with enough space in between to open awnings.  The RV Show starts on Wednesday and we can come and go as we please while we're here. 

The members of the TDC all met for Happy Hour and we reacquainted ourselves with those we have met at past rallies and met new ones. 

During one of the Happy Hours, the topic of the python hunt came up and the people who live here in Florida say it's a big problem.  These huge snakes have been eating alligators, deer, bear!! and they're starting to move northward looking for more food.  What's scary was that someone said that by 2014 they should be up to NC which I find hard to believe. 

Thursday it was cold (61 is COLD here), rainy and windy.  In the morning, they offer donuts and coffee to people who are staying on the fairgrounds so we walked the dogs over.  We found another building (this RV show covers a LOT of ground) full of vendors and it wasn't too crowded, thanks to the weather, and the dogs were allowed in the building so we decided to kill two birds with one stone by walking the dogs and browsing at the same time.  We came back to sit down and look at the many brochures that we picked up and then decided to walk back over so Ed could pick up something he had seen. 

Due to the weather/rain, one of the members of the TDC who lives nearby in Seffner invited the group to her house for a pot luck. 

Friday we walked around the show again checking out some more things.  TDC sponsored a catered dinner; it was cool sitting outside but it was good food and good company.  Ed and I then walked over to the free entertainment, a comedian.

Saturday the sun and warm weather returned.  A couple of the rigs from our TDC group left today but we'll have our last happy hour with the group this afternoon.  We had been to the RV Supershow every day but decided not to walk around today since the nice weekend and the weather will probably draw crowds.  Our happy hour consisted of leftovers and then we headed over for the free entertainment, a couple that sings RV (funny!) songs. 

Sunday morning we start packing everything up and we'll have to see how the workers here are going to get the hundreds of rigs out in an orderly fashion.  It should be interesting!