February 2002

As FMCA president, one area that I promise to apply my efforts toward is membership growth. Early in 2001, we introduced the FMCA North American Road Atlas & Travel Guide.

Julie, my wife, had always intended to learn how to drive our old gasoline-powered 32-foot motorhome. But, as things turned out, she never did.

My wife, Nita, and I recently returned from a motorhome trip to an area many of you may have visited — western New York and southern Ontario. Nature had just started to dress this beautiful countryside in its autumn colors, and the Niagara Falls were every bit as awesome and beautiful as we had heard they would be.

But I want to focus on a slightly different aspect of this trip: the unique motorhomes that brought us there, as well as their owners.

Blue Bird Wanderlodge, C4, welcomed 1,200 participants to the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, October 28 through 31, 2001, for the company’s 14th annual “Rally In The Valley.” More than 450 motorhomes attended the four-day event, which included seminars, entertainment, vendor displays, driver training, and tours of the Wanderlodge motorhome manufacturing facility.

The company also used the rally as an opportunity to introduce plans for its newest coach, the Blue Bird Wanderlodge M380. According to company literature, this 38-foot motorhome will feature a totally different design — chassis, body, interior furnishings, and components — than current Wanderlodge models.

Outwater Plastics offers Flexilight decorative rope lighting in 120-volt and low-voltage formats for as little as 66 cents per foot. Flexilight features 1/2-watt sub-miniature incandescent bulbs, rated at approximately 35,000 hours, spaced 1 inch on center in highly flexible PVC coils.

Tired of “crowning” ourselves on the awning brace of our motorhome, we came up with a remedy. We took two lengths of foam pipe insulation, approximately 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and placed them around the edges of the awning braces.

DaimlerChrysler’s Jeep division slides its newest sport utility vehicle (SUV), the 2002 Liberty, into the niche between its rugged Wrangler and the super-plush Grand Cherokee. The Liberty will take the place of the recently retired Cherokee.

This is the seventh in a series of articles written by motorhome manufacturers that address the subject of quality control. Recently, FMCA commercial members involved in the production of type A, type B, and type C motorhomes were invited to describe the quality-control strategies they have in place at their manufacturing facilities.

Enter a magnificent building crowded with fine art objects, or a modest structure specializing in a single area, such as glass, automobiles, or textiles. Did you ever wonder how that museum came to be? Museums were not created with the wave of a wand.

Cypress Gardens, in Winter Haven, Florida, is a popular place for motorhome rallies these days, and for good reason. Its serene beauty and relaxed atmosphere beckons those who just want to relax and enjoy life.

Do you ever have days when you want to use the coach oven or slow cooker to prepare a recipe that can be forgotten for many hours? In her new book The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes ($29.95, Robert Rose Inc.), Judith Finlayson supplies inspired recipes that are far too fussy for most motor coach cooks, but shortcuts can easily be figured out. For example, I used 4 cups of cooked, leftover turkey breast in the following recipe instead of raw turkey, and I bought pre-sliced Portobello mushrooms.

Editor’s note: Robert H. Faulks, F211803, who wrote “Concert Sound In Your Motorhome” (October 2001, page 62), has pointed out that an error entered his story during the editing process.

Q: I have a 1993 Pace Arrow with a RM2807 Dometic refrigerator. Two years ago, I burped it (turned it upside down) when it would not cool below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once again, the new year brings a new membership directory inside Family Motor Coaching magazine. You’re holding the latest version of the “big book” that we carry with us in our motorhomes all year.

I have learned to appreciate the Membership Directory issue of the magazine more each year.

This is the third year that I have been asked to contribute to the “Executive Notes” column. If you were in my shoes, what would you pick for a subject? I wanted to choose something that would be fresh, of interest, and beneficial to FMCA.

We came from as far away as Titusville, Florida, and as near as Prineville, Oregon, to the high desert town of Redmond, Oregon, to build a house. Following FMCA’s 38th annual summer international convention in Redmond, Oregon, this past August, volunteers from the Safari International chapter stayed a few more weeks to work with the Redmond affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International to help with what is known as a “Blitz Build.”

Safari International was the first motorhome chapter to participate in a Habitat Blitz Build in 1998 in Junction City, Oregon.

As usually happens with a Habitat build, the house was created only through the caring generosity of a large number of people, companies, and church organizations.

All organizations should spend time thinking about, working on, and putting in place a long-range plan, also known as a strategic plan. FMCA is no exception.

According to crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 2 million residential burglaries are committed each year in the United States. In 2000, a burglary occurred once every 15 seconds, with average loss in each occurrence amounting to $1,462.

National Historic Landmarks are so designated when the federal government recognizes a property’s national significance — places where significant historical events occurred or where prominent Americans worked or lived; or places that present outstanding examples of design or construction or represent ideas that shaped the United States. From personal experience, they’re terrific! This month’s column will concentrate on landmarks east of the Appalachians; next month, we’ll travel a little farther west.