Looks like you all had a great time, Wish I could have been there. Thanks for the pictures.

 

That was such a common problem shared by the 4.6L, 5.4L, and 6.8L engines, that was all but eliminated starting with the '03 models, that I wouldn't have guessed the gasser boys would consider that just a V10 problem.

Stewart

PS - This happened to my Lightning, but keeping them properly torqued (torqued when the engine is cold), and due diligence in checking them will keep the plugs from spitting.

 

I made it home last night safely as well I bet those guys that are still there are having a ball.

Thanks a million to Joe and Tracy for doing all they did and Thanx Beth for the pics I got goosebumps looking at all of them. Apparently Beth did an awful lot of begging because alot of the stuff in the goodie bag was from Mid NC area. Thanx to you also Beth.

It was GREAT meeting all of the great EX and SD drivers, I must say you were well represented. My little measly OBS had to do all of our representing but I believe she faired well.

Thanx also to George for the professional pic operations even though we will probably not get it till he gets home. I can't wait for that one.

I had such a great time with such great people. Anybody wanna do it again next month?????????????????? I promise to bring the wife and boy next time.

God bless to all of you and safe travels to those still traveling.

 

I Got home safely as well, thanks to Joe, Tracey, Beth & everyone else who helped make this such A great event. I had A blast & met some great people. Hope to do it again next year. I also hope to get to that 48 car before Neal does ! hehe.

 

Welcome home guys!!! Johnny hows my shirt?? hehehe

Tracey and Joe leaving today? anyone know?

 

<OFirst off...thanks for posting those awesome pictures and great reports!
</O
We're actually sitting pool side at Twin Creek as I type this (sorry guys)...there are still 4 Ex's here at the campground. Ben and Tina (Benjoman) just pulled out a few minutes ago. Weather here is hot, sunny and HUMID...good to be by the pool. We won't pull out until Friday morning.

I have to say thank you to EVERYONE because it was the PEOPLE that made this event so spectacular...without such friendly folks...it wouldn't have been what it was.

Here's my best shot at an 'official' rally report...I'll embed some photos right into this post for all to see...there were LOTS of photos taken.

Well the first annual Excursion Diversion has come and gone.

The turn out was phenomenal, especially for a first year rally!


In attendance were:


X_Hemi_Guy
Markmoore
Kc9aej
rustyfuryIII
Johnny567
Georgia_X
Willald
Seesaw_4
Benjoman
Bushwacker66
Neal 97 250
Jdecker88
Crum71
Guiri
LandYot
Sizmdrs
Rob (non-FTE)
Darren (non-FTE)


Rally goers arrived various days with the largest amount arriving on Thursday.

The group quickly (and I mean QUICKLY) jelled into a close nit group of camping friends. I have to say it was amazing to see a bunch of folks that have never formally met before besides chatting thru an internet forum come together as a very close group in such short order. The guys (and Beth – sizmdrs) obviously had the common interest of our Ford Trucks to foster the interaction…but the spouses had NEVER even chatted on a forum together but yet quickly came to become friends.


The weather for the weekend activities couldn’t have been any better either.


The weekend agenda as listed previously was pretty much left unchanged with a few small changes here and there to accommodate various things.


We started the group activities as planned on Friday evening with a wine and cheese tasting Meet and Greet. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and some cheese to share. At this event we distributed the kids and adult goodie bags. The kids got kid stuff and the adults got adult stuff. Some of the adult stuff included donated items from various manufacturers that were contacted as well as a customized bottle of Merlot (for PSD owners) and C******nay (for V10 owners) compliments of Beth and Barney (sizmdrs) so a BIG THANK YOU to them!!!. RV.Net supplied every adult rally goer with a complimentary T-Shirt! We also had a lot of donated onesee twosee things which we played truck trivia (mostly Excursion) for. We had goodies from Jayco, RV.Net, Aeroforce, local Ford dealers and the like. The trivia was a very fun time!


As an aside...Stewart is right...spitting plugs was a modular motor issue...I just geared the questions towards the Ex/V10. Beth failed to share the PSD problem related questoins...7.3L issue answer was CPS and 6.0L 'official' answer was turbo...although with the fury of answers that flew my way to the 6.0L...it was decided that all that answered got a prize and the new 'official' answer was the WHOLE motor!


The sponsors really came thru with stuff for the trivia...it really turned into a fun time for all I believe...my knowledge of SD's is lacking...so I felt bad that my questions were geared towards the Ex body style...but I still think everyone had fun!







We also were able to gather 14 trucks for a group photo which you see below. It was so freakin’ cool to see all these trucks lined up for this photo. At one point while trying to find the spot to take the photo…we pulled into a parking lot…a long caravan of Ex’s and SD’s…we parked to sight out a spot…and there was a surburban parked and one of our group heard him say…”there must be 6 Excursions here!”…and the fellow in our group said “NO…there’s 12!!!). We found an open field with a beautiful mountain backdrop for the picture…lined up the beasts and you have what you see below!










Saturday was Go-Kart racing day. WHAT A BLAST this was. A fairly large group of PSD’s attempted to outnumber us mighty V10’s (9 PSD’s to 4 V10’s!)…but in the end it ended PSD with 1 victory, V10 1 victory so all that build up for a dead heat!!! Neal 97 250 won the first heat as he clearly had the fastest car...and I with my 9 year old daughter as my co-pilot took the second heat…an honorable mention to Barney for MOST spins must be mentioned here…I can’t tell you how many times I came tooling thru a curve to see Barney FACING me stopped on the track! Crum71 tried to wreck my obviously superior driving skills…(okay I got lucky and drew a fast cart in the second heat as Neal did in the first!) and as I skidded sideways from the bump…an unsuspecting boy in another cart crashed into me to right my path…and I continued on to victory lane! In Neal’s winning heat…he clearly had the car to beat…and no one could…try as we might…This was an absolute blast for everyone…and provided much chatter for that nights campfire!


Following go-karts we had our group pot luck. What a spread…if someone went home hungry…it was their own fault!


Following the pot luck we had the ice cream social…just about every imaginable topping for a sundae was on the table…

























Both Friday and Saturday nights broke up around 1am…the group just meshed so nicely…no one wanted to let it end…which was great!


Sunday had a few of the group go to the water park and others did cliff jumping at the national park. There as an ~30’ TALL rock outcropping with 16’ deep water below…cold water based on those that did it (I did NOT).


The group then had an impromptu dinner gathering that night. It is such a great feeling to have folks become such close friends in such short order that we all enjoy breaking bread together…that is the neat part about this weekend…the friendships that have been formed…that is really an added benefit to this rally.


Monday the group booked to see the Dixie Stampede. 18 folks attended in this group in all. What a fun time for the folks...everyone ate way too much and had an amazing time watching the skilled horse acts perform!


Monday evening had some rain storms move thru the area...but it didn't stop the group...we gathered in our trailer to celebrate Mark's wife Tammy's birthday for some birthday cake and good stories and jokes...it was after midnight before the group decided to break up...being the kids were NOT in attendance at this event...I was finally able to unleash the 'adult' jokes I had been wanting to share around the campfire!...everyone had an 'adult' story or joke to share and we made Tammy laugh all the way thru her birthday party!


The Gatlinburg area provided a perfect setting for the rally. Group activities were only a small part of the event. Everyone was free to join whatever group activity they wanted but the area also offers so much to do additionally. It really is an endless list of things.


Twin Creek RV park must be mentioned here as simply an AMAZING campground. The camp ground owners Mary and Duffy and their son Bill bent over backwards for our group. They gave us an extra site to use as our rally spot at NO CHARGE. They donated the eggs for the egg boil. They were going to donate the ice cream for the social…which was an amazing gesture that I had to refuse…it simply would have been too generous to accept…but it was ever so greatly appreciated. These folks are simply top shelf!...if you are ever planning a trip to Gatlinburg…give Twin Creek a call and tell them you heard about them from the Ford Truck/Excursion rally…tell Mary that Joe says HELLO!!!


So…this rally took much planning to pull together and the group of folks that came together is what made it the success it was. Many friendships were formed and personal email and home addresses were exchanged…that is more than we could have hoped for when we began planning this event and it is so neat to be a part of it!

I’d like to thank FTE for allowing us to have a sticky thread to coordinate the rally thru. Without their support…we wouldn’t have been able to gather all these folks to one place…so THANK YOU for giving us the forum time and exposure.


We will begin planning the Second Annual rally…and as I indicated…the folks in attendance have first choice as to where it will be. When we decide…I will ask FTE for a spot to post that information up on to allow others to see where we will be rallying in 2009!


I’d like to extend a great big THANK YOU to my wife who is an internet forum widow many evenings as I surf FTE and RV.Net…without her help and support this rally wouldn’t have been what it was. She put in countless hours organizing things for the rally…that without…the rally would not have been what it was. Also a big thank you to Jon for his hard work on the rally T-Shirts and Beth and Barney for the two CASES of wine with customized labels and all the goodies they brought. For Beth's hard work is the reason she got the PSD flag...she sure deserved it!…also a thank you to our sponsors that donated rally goodies…and a final thank you to all those that attended the rally. Without the people…the good people…this rally would not have been what it was…a total success!!! God brought a great group of people together and gave us a great rally to allow us to form these life long friendships. This one will be hard to top…for sure!


Thanks again for everyone’s support.

I'll let you know when I'm home...enjoy reading. Hope I didn't forget anything in the report.

Joe

 

Thanks for posting Joey!

Wish I was still there with you guys!!! I really enjoyed everyone and can't wait til next year!!!
It is so funny how we all just acted like we've known each other forever!!
Great looking under everyone's hood and chatting about this that and other things! Neal's compressor set up was the coolest thing I've seen in a while!!!
I need that for my beach truck! May have to make a run to Tenn so he can rig one up for me!!!!

Have fun and let us know when you get home! Have a great time and safe trip home.......

 

Wow guys it sonds like you all had a great time! I must say my Hat is off the Joe and Beth for putting this whole thing together and next year I hope I can come!

 

Dude I just got goose bumps...again. It was a blast. I even enjoyed sitting beside Beth and comparimg BURPS !!

 

Sorry I didn't make it back up on Sunday, I didn't get up until 2 PM . I had a blast though on Saturday. And as I expected,the Diesel clad took Victory of he first race. Wooooooooooo

 

Ok, I think that falls under the "Be there or wonder" rules!! LOL

Funny cause every time Neal and I started talking about the power and fun of owning a diesel we both would say, and almost at the same time " I just got goosebumps!)

Yes, when I drink beer I burp and loudly!! and I'm proud of it!! LOL

 

We got back around 10pm Monday nite. No problems at all.

WOW!!!! What a great time!!!

My hat is off to Joe, Tracy, Mark and those whose names I can't think of at the moment for getting this whole event coordinated, planned and happening. When your 13yr old tells you this is the most fun she's had camping in a while you know something had to have been done right!

I was truely amazed at how well everyone got along, made friends and just clicked in general. It was like one big family w/o the bickering. We loved it.

Joe, Mark, and John, thank you for the tour of you TTs. While I've enjoyed our Pop Up, it will be sold in about a year or so and we'll be in the market for a TT of our own. I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge for my future consideration on purchase of a TT.

Thanks to everyone who took pictures and posted them. Our family now has many great memories of some good times with great people!

Thanks a bunch to the sponsers who provided T shirts, mugs, pens, tire gauges, etc for the trivia event.

Our family is looking forward to doing this again.

Fair winds and following seas to those still heading home.

Enjoy,
RustyFuryIII

 

I have to start out by saying what a great group of people. Brenda and I had such a great time meeting everyone and the fellowship was good for the soul and made this event one to remember for a long time. Joe and Tracey, thank you for all you guys did to organize this thing. I'm sure it took alot of time and dedication to the mission to get it done and you guys pulled it of in classy fashion. And a great big thank you to Beth and Barney for the wine even though Barney nailed me into the wall at the race track but if I remember correctly that one back fired big time. And I'm like Neal lets do it again next month. God Bless you guys.

 

Hey Johnny that 20 car was pretty fast too. That was so much fun at the race track and your truck is awesome. Love the 19.5s.

 

Hey everyone!!

Welcome home Cecil!!

I agree with Cecil Johnny, You can send me the wheels or the shirt whatever works better for ya!!

That was one of the cool things about the meet. Talking about all the mods, seeing all the things folks have done to their trucks! I wish you guys could have seen how cool it was to look in the rear view mirror and see all those f250's and X's .. Gosh what a cool thing!! I think we turned some heads for sure!!