September 2004

As the moon coasted through the Oregon evergreens and the ever-present April storm clouds, the condensation from our breaths dissipated before our eyes while we huddled beneath the Girard remote-controlled power awning. The campfire warmed our hearts, but raindrops hissed as they dried and died on the fire ring’s hot rocks.

Buddy Gregg Motor Homes, C3326, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted a special luncheon and open house this past June to showcase its new paint and body shop facilities.

The four-wheel Rydeon RV Buggy is reported to combine performance and convenience with ease of disassembly and storage. Designed for those who want increased mobility along with speed, comfort, and safety, the scooter has a maximum speed of 10 mph, a range of 25 miles, and is said to be able to climb a 38-degree grade.

While traveling, we try to keep our laundry to a minimum. I like to clean my face each day with a clean washcloth, but this makes extra laundry.

While some RVers think of fans as being the antiquated predecessor of air-conditioning, and useful only on mild days, fans actually are very practical for year-round use. Air-conditioning has certainly changed our lifestyle during the hottest months, but properly used ventilating fans can make that lifestyle even better when combined with air-conditioning and heating systems.

As the 10th largest state in the country, Oregon is expansive enough to offer a variety of scenery: seashore, desert, fertile valley, forest, meadow, mountain, plateau, and lava land. It also boasts an amazing collection of scenic byways from which to explore these many realms.

This is the final installment in FMC’s three-part series highlighting the major diesel engine manufacturers — Caterpillar, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel — that supply power plants for the ever-growing type A diesel-pusher motorhome market.
No other place embodies Americans’ fascination with and love of the automobile more than Detroit, Michigan. It’s where the auto industry grew up.

FMCA’s 72nd International Convention — dubbed “Cascade Mountain Magic” in honor of the host area — will take place at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon, August 16, 17, 18, and 19. We visited Redmond in 2001 for a convention and have chosen to return to this location for many reasons.

Just about every association uses some sort of incentive to recruit new members. But no matter what that incentive is, the bottom line is that the person joining the group must believe it’s worth the price of membership, or he or she wouldn’t align with an association and an ongoing annual expenditure.
With some professional associations, potential members take the organization’s test and thereby apply for and receive certification, as well as continuing education credits to maintain that certification.

The telephone number for Xplorer Motor Homes listed at the end of the article about the Xplorer Xtreme in the July 2004 issue (page 116) was missing a digit. The company can be contacted at (800) 343-2771.
FMC regrets this error.

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Chevrolet S-10 Towing
The “Towables For 2004” article (January 2004, page 66) indicated that the Chevrolet S-10 4×4 pickup truck with an automatic transmission is towable four wheels down without modification.

Recently we’ve received several questions regarding the auto-park brake system used on some Workhorse P Series gasoline-powered motorhome chassis. To help owners understand how the system works, what could cause it to fail, and the results of such a failure, we contacted the company for an explanation.

During the Carolina Cruisers’ April 2004 rally at the Walterboro Rice Festival in Walterboro, South Carolina, attendees spent a day away from the festivities to help make life for others a little better, while at the same time remember a good friend.

This month, one of FMCA’s newest chapters is celebrating its first anniversary. The Western Slope Rovers formed in August 2003 and is the first FMCA chapter to encompass the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) hosts a weeklong series of committee meetings each June in order to review the business of the industry and to plan for the future. I am fortunate to be a member of the Public Relations Committee.

It’s hot outside our home here in the Sierra foothills, but certainly not as hot as it is in the Southwestern deserts. So, let’s see how the wildlife of that arid environment manage to stay alive.
It’s obvious that searing summer temperatures are hazardous to animals, and that only species adapted to extreme heat and lack of water can survive.

The first, and most important, thing to note about this journey along the Ohio River is that the cruising is done on land, in a motorhome. Otherwise, the female half of this partnership would be nauseated just writing about it.
The Ohio River stretches nearly 1,000 miles from its beginning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following the borders of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi River.

Remember when you could throw a party for 20 in your dorm room? Hosting a crowd in a motorhome is a snap by comparison. Most of us gather at group cookouts and potlucks held in a campground clubhouse or pavilion.

In some parts of North America, clam steams and clambakes are a ritual as common as spaghetti suppers or pancake breakfasts. On a recent trip to Cedar Key, Florida, from which 100 million succulent, farm-raised clams are shipped each year, I rediscovered clams, a food that was served on special occasions while I was growing up.