Henry & Janice Sattler
I’m the type of person who likes to get more than one thing done on an outing. For example, if I drive to the food store, I’ll stop at the post office and bakery on the way. So when we received our invitation to attend the 2011 Leisure Travel Van rally, it was the added excuse we needed to drive to Manitoba Canada to get some work done on Serena, our 24.5 ft. Serenity motorhome.
Serena's Solar Panels
Being that Serena is just under a year old, we wanted to take the opportunity to correct a few minor problems while she is still under warranty. Plus, there were some additional items we wished to add —solar panels were big on Manny’s list— and thought it prudent to have all the work done by the people who built her and know her best.
Manny & Serena at LTV Rally
We arrived late in the day on Wednesday September 7, registered and found our spot in the huge open field of the Winkler Bible camp, our campground for the next four days.
I checked the program and found that we were just in time for the first night’s potluck dinner. We hurried to get in line and found ourselves behind the Sattlers, a vivacious couple from Texas. It took about 30 seconds for us to be swept into the orbit of Janice’s magnetic personality and Henry’s quiet warmth, and we spent the next three days palling around with them.
Manny and I are very political and soon found that Janice and Henry were diametrically opposite to us in their outlook. The strength of our connection made that unimportant, even trivial, and instead of creating a gulf between us, our differences were the fuel for some good-hearted fun and a lot of laughs. Off on one of the many tours offered by the LTV rally, Janice generously offered Manny and I the use of their car. In her adorable Texas accent, she cooed, “It’s too bad I don’t have my I WAS OPPOSED TO BARACK OBAMA BEFORE IT WAS COOL bumper sticker on this car.” I smiled. “Well, then, I might not have let you lend it to us.” When the rally was over, the four of us were the last to leave and had a hard time saying goodbye. I know we will make it a point to go through Texas and visit the Sattlers in Sourlake.
It was off to the factory with two pages of things that needed to be done: some warranty issues as well as a wish list of enhancements. Of course, we weren’t the only customers who had that idea. After the rally, four motorhomes pulled up and found sites at what we affectionately named “Camp LTV”, spaces next to the service center that the factory generously supplies, complete with water and electric hookups. The company goes out of its way to help their customers avoid costly hotels. We were there for five days and at the end of each workday, our motorhome was returned to us, empty of tools and other evidence of on-going projects, and ready for us to enjoy the evening.
And enjoy the evenings we did. Sam Border was our first “motorhome guest,” spending the evening watching a movie, sipping wine and munching cheese, chatting about our past and future adventures. On another night, we all pulled out our lawn chairs on the cement patio, made ourselves at home, and shared preferred highways, favorite visits and must-have items. Thanks to Ruth and Phil Nash, we’ll be selling our 2 sets of heavy chairs and buying the GCI xpress loungers that fold down to the size of a laptop case.
Gene & Cheri Holcomb
Although we met Gene and Cheri Holcomb on the last day of the rally, it was while waiting at the service center that our friendship was really sealed. Life is full of ironies. If we hadn’t had so much work to be done, we may not have gotten to know this upbeat, fun couple. They provided us with a wealth of information and tips for better RVing, and earned the respectable title of Our RV Gurus.
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