April 2003

VISIT FLORIDA, the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida, has published the newly revised Worth the Drive guidebook, containing 17 self-guided driving tours of the state.
The tours are designed to take travelers off the beaten path and help them discover some of Florida’s best-kept secrets. They meander through undiscovered Florida, from American Indian sites and pristine natural areas to historic restaurants and cultural attractions.
The tours are categorized as Theme Tours; Road Tours; and City Tours with day trips to surrounding areas.

The Coleman Shade Lodge can provide a shady retreat for any outdoor activity. Measuring 12 feet by 14 feet when set up, the hexagon-shaped Shade Lodge offers 6 feet of headroom around the perimeter and 7-1/2 feet at the center.

Here’s an idea for a built-in flagpole to display your flag on your motorhome while parked. Sew a sleeve on your flag and slip it over your motorhome’s CB whip antenna.

With inflation slowly creeping upward each year, you would think the group of entry-level type A coaches costing less than six figures would be shrinking right along with the dollar. Not so.

It is bucolic, pastoral, and rustic. Cattle, horses, and vineyards dot the rolling hills of the lovely, lively community of Paso Robles, California.

FMCA members interested in exploring what’s new in the realm of motorhomes and RV products will want to take stock of the exciting array of exhibits that will be set forth at FMCA’s 69th International Convention. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 21, 22, and 23, more than 100 coach manufacturers and in excess of 400 companies that market RV accessories, components, and services will present their wares in Pomona, California, site of FMCA’s “California Dreamin'” convention.

Three remote and highly scenic west Texas mountain locations can take you back in time, away from busy freeways, crowded campgrounds, and large metropolitan areas.
Big Bend National Park, Davis Mountains State Park, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park are situated between the huge bend in the Rio Grande at the Mexican border and the New Mexico state line, southwest of Carlsbad. Each of the three areas has its own personality, and all host motorhomers year-round.

Freightliner Custom Chassis, C1905, rolled out its new top-of-the-line Powerliner II diesel-pusher tag-axle chassis with a ZF-designed independent front suspension (IFS) system for the media to inspect and test during RVIA’s National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, December 3 through 5, 2002.
This is the first time Freightliner has used components from the German-based ZF Friedrichshafen AG in its chassis. ZF provides transmission, suspension, and steering products to manufacturers in the automobile, construction equipment, heavy truck, transit, marine, and aviation industries.
According to representatives of Freightliner Custom Chassis, the RL75EM double-wishbone IFS system offers a significant reduction in vehicle roll and steering effort, which, when combined with a reduction in unsprung mass, results in a superior ride, increased comfort, and improved handling characteristics.

They say you can’t take it with you, and for a while it seemed they were right. I have been an avid model railroader for more than 50 years.

Backup: Happens when you forget to empty the holding tank
Byte: What could happen if loose animals at the campground are surprised
CD: What you used to pay for your new motorhome
Chip: Munchies to eat at the campfire

Compress: Something you do to garbage
Computer: Keeps the savvy RVer in touch
Crash: What could happen when the copilot gives inaccurate directions
Dot matrix: Danny Matrix’s wife
Enter: Northern slang for the Southern “C’mon in, y’all”
Floppy disk: A loose hubcap

Hard drive: Any day trip longer than 250 miles
Keyboard: Place with hooks where you hang your assortment of keys
Laptop: Where the grandchildren like to cuddle up
Log on: Tossing another log on the campfire
Mainframe: The steel frame your motorhome body is bolted to

Megahertz: When one of the basement doors drops on your head
Memory: Something you lose with age

Microchip: What’s left in the munchie bag

Modem: What the grounds crew at the campground did with the blades of grass
Monitor: Rear camera necessary for backing up that big coach
Mouse: A critter that finds holes the factory promised didn’t exist
Net: Something a woman puts on her head to preserve her hairdo

Port: Red wine

Prompt: What the wait at a one-dump station is not
RAM: Cousin of a goat
Screen: Should come with the windows

Software: Tissues, toilet paper, and paper plates

Virus: The flu

Web: A spider’s home and a motorhome wife’s nemesis

Windows: Something you want plenty of even though you hate to clean them.

Some might picture San Juan Capistrano, California, as a wistful town anchored in the past. And why not? Nestled among the tawny hills, strawberry farms, and eucalyptus trees, it is the home of the famed 1776 Mission San Juan Capistrano — the “Jewel of the Missions.” But that is only part of the story.

Whether you are a weekend traveler or a full-timer, your health — and the possibility that you may need health care — follows you wherever you go. No matter whether you’re in your hometown or on the road, it’s your responsibility to provide accurate information about your medical history when you need urgent health care.
While traveling through Colorado in our motorhome during the summer of 2001, I became acutely ill.

Since I became president of FMCA, I have emphasized three primary areas that I believe deserve our attention and resources: new member recruitment; the quality of new motorhomes and of motorhome service; and member services. This article will focus on new member recruitment efforts.
Some have asked, “Why do we need new members? We are big enough now.” We need membership growth for several reasons, and I will expound upon two.
First, we lose approximately 15,000 members per year.

As I approach the 10th anniversary of my retirement from the United States Marine Corps, I have had several opportunities to witness firsthand the rebirth of patriotism in this wonderful country of ours. I also have had three opportunities to participate in ceremonies recognizing the contributions of former service members.
The first occasion arose this past year when Genny Lucky, L26, a fellow member of the Woman Marine Association, asked me to unpack my Marine Corps dress blue uniform and assist her in the Memorial Day ceremony she conducts at the G.L.A.S.S.

Quite often I hear comments from members and non-members that they perceive FMCA to be an organization for well-to-do type A motorhome owners. I can understand how people might get that impression.

The “Towables For 2003” article (January 2003, page 66) contained inaccurate information about the Dodge Dakota 4×4. The listing should have indicated that both the manual and automatic transmission versions of this four-wheel-drive vehicle can be flat towed without modification.
In addition, since the article was published, FMC has learned that Mercedes-Benz USA is now advising that none of its automobiles should be flat towed.

Q: My wife and I just purchased a 29-foot 1997 Flair motorhome, and now we’re looking for a vehicle with an automatic transmission to tow “four wheels down” behind the motorhome. We want a used vehicle that is towable without the odometer rolling up miles, and one that doesn’t require frequent stops to care for its drivetrain.

The Coughenour (Cohen-hour) brothers of North Carolina have been traveling together in their motorhomes for nearly a quarter of a century. All three — Aubrey, F6479; Charlie, F105311; and Clarence, F64660 — enjoy the lifestyle.

The Legislative Advisory Committee has accomplished a good deal over the past few years. For one, we now have a cadre of fellow member volunteers who stand ready, on an as-needed basis, to assist other FMCA members who may be experiencing parking rights problems.

You’ll know you’ve reached the little town of Leavenworth, Washington, even before you see the signs. First you’ll spot the rows of gingerbread-style buildings standing shoulder to shoulder, and hear the distant sounds of oompah bands.

We’ve had a fascinating couple of months finding out about some of the weird insects that live in North America. Last month we wrote about cicadas, surely the loudest insect singers.

Here’s a look at several items that may be of special interest to full-timers.

A new way to rent movies
There are several new DVD rental programs available that are especially attractive to motorhomers who don’t want to be tied to  short rental periods or have to worry about returning a movie rented three states back. Already in place is Netflix www.netflix.com) and a similar program from Wal-Mart www.walmart.com), each touting more than 12,000 movie titles from which to choose.
How do these programs work? For approximately $20 per month (plus tax), you receive three DVDs that you can keep as long as you want, trading them in as often as you like for new titles.

At least three companies have marketed a stand-alone, built-in ice maker for the RV industry. The first serious effort was a product that carried the Instamatic label and was equipped with a 120-volt-AC Freon compressor unit made by U-Line.

Ready-mix convenience foods are always a plus for cooks who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But making your own mixes might be more economical, and you can prepare them in quantities that are right for your needs, and know that they are fresh.