There were lots of smiles among the thousands of RVers at the 2005 Great North American RV Rally, and many reasons to remember the visit to Redmond, Oregon.

By Ron Epstein

How was your summer vacation? If you spent it in central Oregon at the Great North American RV Rally, chances are you had a good time.

The Rally is an annual event held in a different part of the United States each year, and is sponsored by the Good Sam Club, Coast to Coast Resorts, Camping World's President's Club, Woodall's Publications and Trailer Life & Motorhome magazines. The 2005 stop was at the 132-acre Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in central Oregon, and it couldn't have been better. There were 5,612 rigs parked on the grounds or in nearby satellite lots, making this the biggest - and many would say, the best - Rally in the event's six-year history. There were RVers from as far away as Hawaii, Alaska and southern Mexico. In fact, there was at least one rig from every state and province, accounting for about 12,500 people on the grounds each day - all under sunny skies. The average temperature during the four-day Rally was 80 F.

But ask people what they'll remember about their trip to Redmond and you'll get a variety of answers.

Ask the Hammock family from Macon, Ga. Good Sam Club members since 1999, Chuck, Michelle and their kids - 14-year-old Erin and 8-year-old C.J. - made the trip across the country pulling their 32-foot trailer for a vacation. While Chuck and Michelle went to seminars each day and checked out the RV exhibits, the kids took part in the Rally's youth program, which was the biggest ever with more than 300 kids on hand.

The youth program brings children ages 5-17 together for games, activities and to meet other RVing youngsters. The youth program is free for kids 6-12 years of age and $31 for ages 13-17. Part of the program this year was the Oreo cookie-stacking contest. The boy or girl who stacked the most would not only be named the cookie stacking champion, but their family would win an RV tour.

After three days of qualifying rounds, four finalists advanced to the "stack off" in front of several hundred people in Juniper Arena on July 13. From those four, two advanced to the finals: Erin and C.J. Hammock, with C.J. winning it all. So next summer, you'll find the Hammocks in Alberta on a nine-day tour at the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Rockies, enjoying their prize courtesy of Fantasy RV Tours.

Another person to talk to about the fun she had in Redmond is Louise Triggs of Oak Harbor, Wash. While you're at it, ask her about road safety and state trivia. Louise was one of thousands of people at the Rally who played King of the Rig, a game-show-style tournament hosted by Good Sam VIP that tested your knowledge of those topics. Louise knew more than her competitors and walked away with a check for $5,000.

And finally, ask just about anyone at the Rally what they thought of the World's Largest S'more, which was also built on the 13th, and you're likely to get a gasp. How else do you describe a monstrosity that used 40,000 graham crackers, 40,000 marshmallows and 14,000 chocolate bars - and was 1,600 pounds when it was completed. It took the roughly 500 volunteers about 90 minutes to build and had people shaking their heads the rest of the day.

The Rally had something going on almost every minute of the day. Starting with the morning exercise walk around the grounds and ending with the top-notch entertainment each evening, it was the place to be this summer.

The seminar program in Redmond was the most comprehensive ever, with 30 seminars each day about topics such as healthy cooking, digital photography, RVing to Alaska, RVing to Mexico, engine troubleshooting and making money on the road. Our own Joe and Vicki Kieva were among the most popular presenters.

The seminars and activities are all part of the Rally package, meaning once you reserved a site at the Rally - the least expensive site for four days of dry camping was $129 per rig - everything was included, even the entertainment.

It started with Debbie Reynolds on July 11th, who not only sang many of her famous songs but sang them to clips of her movies that were projected on an accompanying movie screen. July 12 saw Pam Tillis take the stage, followed by Triple Gold - better known as the Three Tenors of Pop - on the 13th. The final performance was by Ronnie Milsap on the 14th.

In between was more fun. The popular Rally golf tournament was a nearby Juniper Golf Club. The second annual Dog Show brought RVing dogs (and their owners) together to compete in six categories, along with Best in Show, complete with trophies for the winners. And the Ladies Red Hat Tea attracted so many participants - close to 1,000 -that it had to be moved to the biggest building on the grounds.

All in all, the Rally was indeed a memorable experience. Never have so many people and parts related to RVing been in one place at one time. There were more than 500 indoor exhibits, showcasing the latest RV products and services. You could check out a new tow bar or tires, look into a new awning, ask a professional about RV finance and even buy clothes and jewelry.

Outside the tents were 1,000 new RVs, from slide-ins to pop-up campers to travel trailers and fifth-wheels to Class A, B and C motorhomes. You could walk through them, take a test drive, compare options, colors and floor plans from manufacturers such as Alfa, Fleetwood, Holiday Rambler, Itasca, Monaco, National RV and Winnebago. Many did, in fact, as more than 350 new rigs were sold during the show.

There were chassis to see, tow and towed vehicles to try and just about anything else you could imagine. From generators to ladders, it was all here.

It was, by all accounts, a great way to spend a week in the summer.

To view pictures from the 2005 Great North American RV Rally, click here.

Click here for details or to register for The Rally 2006 in Daytona Beach, Florida