November 2004

Here is quite a collection of tips for the traveler, gathered from a variety of sources. We hope they come in handy.

Before Raleigh was designated as the state capital of North Carolina, and before Chapel Hill became home to the nation’s first public university, a little town not far from these two places was already thriving.

What do you get when you take a 100-foot-by-200-foot sheep barn and fill it with 110 kids, ages 2 to 18, with tremendous imagination? You get a very successful youth program for FMCA’s 72nd International Convention in Redmond, Oregon.
The Youth Activities Committee set up separate areas for each age group — TOTS (ages 2 to 5); TWEENS (ages 6 to 9) and PRE-TEENS (ages 10 to 12); and TATS, or Teen-Age Travelers (ages 13 to 18) — for the Redmond youth program. We placed a portable basketball net in the back of the building and used animal barriers to section off an area for each age group.

During a visit to the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center on Thursday, August 19, Gale Norton, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, urged “Cascade Mountain Magic” convention attendees to be proactive in preserving America’s public lands.
The secretary’s appearance capped off a busy day that began in Coburg, Oregon, where she toured the manufacturing facilities of Monaco Coach Corporation, C2111.

My drive across southeastern Georgia was delightful. Rolling countryside, blanketed in every direction by deep green forests and fields, was punctuated by red clay that peeked out from beneath rows of peanut plants and pecan trees.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … “
— From a poem by Emma Lazarus inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty
On January 2, 1892, 15-year-old Annie Moore from County Cork, Ireland — using one hand to hold her suitcase and the other to hold a hat on her head — was the first passenger to come down the gangplank and step onto Ellis Island.

On August 16, 17, 18, and 19, Redmond, Oregon, played an accommodating host to thousands of FMCA members who gathered in their motorhomes to participate in the “Cascade Mountain Magic” convention, the association’s 72nd International Convention. The city of approximately 17,450 nearly doubled in size as FMCAers enjoyed four days of seminars, exhibits, entertainment, and that special brand of RV fellowship on the grounds of the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center.
For some FMCA members, it was a return trip.

We had owned our 1995 coach for several years, and its age began to show in the engine compartment. I had always polished the exterior, including the wheels, on a fairly regular basis but tended to neglect the parts not readily visible.

While hooking up my tow bar on a rainy night, I caught myself putting the hitch pin through the receiver even though the tow bar was not inserted far enough for the pin to engage it. To prevent a recurrence, after things dried out I locked the bar into the receiver and then put a band of masking tape around the tow bar to mark the point where it met the receiver.

Xtreme Malletball is a croquet-like game that can be played on almost any surface — from golf-course-type lawns to tall grass and woods — and in a large or small area, even around a house. Soccer balls, heavy mallets, and giant PVC wickets are used to play the game, which requires some skill but can be adapted so all members of the family have fun together.
The preferred rules are adapted from golf croquet and are said to be easily learned and adaptable to parties and large groups.

Coachmen RV, based in Middlebury, Indiana, recently introduced its newest diesel-powered luxury motorhome, the 2005 Sportscoach Encore. The Encore is built to meet the growing demand by RVers for upscale amenities and the power that a diesel engine can deliver.
Travelers can relax on leather seating found throughout the motorhome, snooze in the bedroom suite, and enjoy the open space created by the model’s double-slideout floor plan.

The sign ahead said “Slow.” There was a curve coming up. We were nearing the top of the pass.

Recently I have been involved in helping several widowed FMCA members who faced the difficult task of selling a motorhome. Two of these people lost a longtime partner suddenly.

FMCA’s “Cascade Mountain Magic” convention, held August 16, 17, 18, and 19 in Redmond, Oregon, was a very successful convention overall but not without many challenges, difficulties, and heartaches.

RVers who own a motorhome with a booth-type dinette can fabricate a table leaf to provide additional room when four people are seated for a meal, or to accommodate six people at the table by using two folding chairs. I made this improvement to both my current motorhome and my previous coach, each time using the kitchen sink cutout from a piece of laminated countertop for the leaf.

The word “turkey” is often used to describe a stupid, foolish, or inept person. Ben Franklin, however, admired North America’s native turkeys greatly.

How can you turn almost anything into a main course? Stir it into a cream sauce and serve it over noodles, pasta, or some other food. When you’re rushed for time or short on ingredients, go for the gravy with the following recipes.

Many thanks to those who completed the full-timers’ survey that appeared in the April 2004 edition of this column. Since most of the 300 respondents were couples, the survey represents opinions, gripes, desires, and expert advice of almost 600 full-timers.

National Vice President, International Area; Chairman, Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee
FMCA’s Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee (formerly known as the Legislative Advisory Committee) was created years ago to help fellow FMCA members who were experiencing problems with laws governing parking their motor coaches on their property, as well as other issues. Because of certain federal laws, as well as our own bylaws, FMCA tries to make changes on a legislative level with the help of volunteers, not paid lobbyists.

From the “cha-ching” of a casino’s slot machine to the chirping of a campground’s sparrow, Casino Cruisers’ rallies provide plenty of variety.
Chapter President Rob Spaulding, F297532, formed the chapter a year ago this month after concluding that motorhoming and casinos seemed like a natural combination. Apparently he was right: more than 40 families already make up this enthusiastic group, which is the only FMCA gaming chapter east of the Mississippi.

Members of the Northeast Motorhome Association gathered at the Champlain Valley Exposition Center in Essex Junction, Vermont, for the Northeast Area Rally, July 14 through 17, 2004. Northeast Area vice president Bill Conway, F99081, and his wife, Pat, served as rally hosts.

Q: I was a little surprised that in your response to the letter from Dennis & Kristie Karsen, F260959 (April 2004, page 24), which asked whether their 270-horsepower V-10 engine could be upgraded to produce 305 horsepower, you spoke only of options available from Ford. You, being in the RV industry and familiar with aftermarket upgrades, did not refer to the Banks Power upgrade system.

In my “President’s Message” in the September 2004 issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, I wrote an article about the growth of faith-based chapters within FMCA. I received responses both in favor of and in opposition to this column.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August.
It is my pleasure to provide an update regarding noteworthy activities within the Family Motor Coach Association since we last met.
As of July 31, 2004, FMCA’s active membership count was 128,812 families, and the last membership number assigned was F350514.

Winnebago’s 2005 Itasca CambriaWith its streamlined profile and a fairly narrow beam, Winnebago Industries’ new 2005 Itasca Cambria can slip along the two-lane byways as you search for little-known antiques shops or bookstores dealing in rare and used books, and it can handle freeways and toll roads with equal aplomb.