February 2002

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Joshua trees really aren’t trees at all. But how were Mormon pioneers supposed to know this when they named them? The upturned, uplifted branches reminded them of the Biblical Joshua praying.

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.