Telephone Number Correction
The telephone number listed for Sooner Coaches chapter secretary Rita Millspaugh in the November 2005 “Chapter Spotlight” column (page 44) was incorrect.
The correct number to call for more information about the Sooner Coaches chapter is (405) 820-7177.
Here And There
Dear Editor:
The article “Old And New In Fairfax County, Virginia” (November 2005, page 100) has a map on page 103. The cartographer has placed Mount Vernon on Chesapeake Bay, over 100 miles from Washington, D.C.
Indeed, Mount Vernon is only 10 miles south of D.C. and faces south over the Potomac River. Otherwise, this is a nice magazine article.
Pete Wakefield, F265633
Cincinnati, Ohio
Visiting Good Will-Hinckley
Dear Editor:
In October we had the opportunity to visit Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls in Hinckley, Maine, and take advantage of their offer to park our RV there for two nights. We like to visit state capitols whenever we get the opportunity, and parking at Good Will-Hinckley allowed us easy access to Maine’s capitol in Augusta. We enjoyed visiting the capitol, but the highlight of our visit was the time we spent at Good Will-Hinckley and the tour of their museum there.
Thank you for alerting us to this free RV parking and the opportunity to learn about a very special place.
Don & Arlene Bates, F318675
Everett, Washington
Editor’s note: FMCA was founded in 1963 on the grounds of the Good Will-Hinckley School, and it is a treasured part of FMCA’s past and present.
Greater Galley Space
Dear Editor:
Kudos to Gary and Carol Bradley of Boring, Oregon, for their letter (“A Cook Needs A Kitchen,” November 2005, page 170).
I am also a motorhomer who cooks and cannot find a motorhome with a decent-sized kitchen. My husband is always looking at new motorhomes. When he calls me to look at them, my first words are, “Show me the kitchen.” We will be upgrading in the very near future, and the motorhome we purchase will depend on the size of the kitchen. I consider myself a semi-gourmet cook, and our son is a baker. We need room to work!
Most people who vacation and/or live in their motorhome cannot afford to eat out at every meal, as so many of the manufacturers seem to think. We have to save money, and one way is to cook our own meals. Not to mention the fact that many people love to cook.
We need to let the manufacturers know that the galleys they provide are not adequate for our needs.
Ken & Maryal Maddux, F138152
Rocklin, California
Dear Editor:
Hooray for Carol Bradley and her comments on kitchens. I can’t find a new coach with a kitchen big enough or with adequate appointments to match what I have, let alone better. I love to cook, too, and the new coaches have eliminated the ovens. Try to cook a turkey in a microwave-convection oven. Traditionalists who still like ovens are out of luck.
I want more counter space, not less. One luxury coach we looked at had one drawer in the kitchen that was so small and shallow I doubt that the silverware would have fit in it.
Now let me complain about the lack of storage in the bedrooms. I can’t give up my current coach because I would be downsizing the storage, in some cases by half. We want to go to full-time, and I hardly think I am going to do it with less room.
I have to praise the designers of our coach, a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer. They put together one heck of a floor plan and I can’t match it at any price. The only thing missing is the washer-dryer; if we had it, we wouldn’t be upgrading at all.
George & Sue Tholken, F270559
Sarasota, Florida
Holiday Weekend Help
Dear Editor:
Recently while traveling south on Interstate 85 near Atlanta, Georgia, our 1995 Bounder experienced a problem with a loss of battery power. Luckily, we were able to pull out of traffic and into a mall parking area. We made many calls trying to find someone to assist us. It was mid-afternoon on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. Everyone we contacted could not help us, or it would be Saturday before they could get to us.
Finally, Mr. Ed Caisse of E&M Enterprises (Equipment & Machinery Services and Repair, 770-682-0840; 678-858-7391) returned my earlier call. I explained that I thought we had an alternator problem since I had just installed a new battery. He found an alternator for our vehicle and drove his well-equipped repair vehicle to our location. After crawling underneath our Bounder, he found the problem: a shredded serpentine belt. He made a call and, within an hour, returned with the belt; less than an hour after that, we were back on the road.
This gentleman could have installed the alternator as well as the serpentine belt and I would have been none the wiser. His rates were most reasonable. He has 30 years of professional service and can fix anything! If you are traveling around the Atlanta, Georgia, area and experience problems, he is on call 24 hours.
Walter Flanagan, F252724
Lizella, Georgia
Thanks To Fellow Member And Repair Spot
Dear Editor:
While returning to the Lower 48 from Alaska this past August, we encountered a problem with our coach outside of Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Canada. The coach’s engine was off as we stopped at a construction zone and waited for a pilot car to follow through the zone. When we were told we could go, the engine would not restart. The waiting vehicles went around us as we began to look for the cause. Soon a coach with an FMCA goose egg displayed pulled up and the driver hopped out. He threw a cloth on the ground and promptly began to work. He got us started, then stated he’d follow us into Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, nearly two hours away, to make sure we were still okay.
At Whitehorse we pulled into a rest area, expecting our Good Samaritan to do the same. But he simply honked, waved, and went on. We never got to thank our fellow FMCA member for his help. Whoever you are, we extend our profound thanks!
In Whitehorse we stopped for repairs at Northern Metalic Truck & Equipment. Dane McCallum is the service manager. Although he was very busy, he threw on his coveralls and crawled beneath the coach. Ten minutes later he had our problem solved with a twist of a wrench. When we went into the office to settle up, Dane would accept no compensation. He only asked that we send our friends his way. Further, because we needed to do some shopping, he let us park in his lot for the day. We highly recommend Dane McCallum and Northern Metalic in Whitehorse (867-456-7154).
Two great friends in one day. There are many good people out there, and most of them are FMCA members!
Bernie & Patty Filzen, F301767
Mesa, Arizona
Another Greenville Attraction
Dear Editor:
I read your article in the December 2005 issue titled “Greenville, On The Mississippi Delta” (page 108). It was a very good article, but it left out one very interesting thing to do in the Greenville area. Greenville is home to Viking Range Corporation (www.vikingrange.com), maker of high-end kitchen appliances. We toured their corporate offices, cooking school, and factory last January. It was a great tour and I recommend it. Tours are not on a fixed schedule but can be arranged by calling (662) 455-1200. We hope to go back to take a cooking class in the future.
In the article U.S 82 is mentioned. We traveled U.S. 82 from New Mexico to Alabama. It was a great road to take if you want to keep off the interstates.
John & Leslie Morgan, F356582
Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina
Arkansas Assistance
Dear Editor:
While traveling on Interstate 40 through Arkansas in our motorhome, we had the misfortune of hitting a truck tire that had been abandoned on the road. It caught the back tire of our motorhome, swung around, and took out all of the dumping equipment from the black and gray water tanks. We were staying at Lakeside RV Resort in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and they recommended that we go to Outdoor Living Center, which was back in Van Buren, Arkansas (exit 5 off of I-40; 866-499-5664).
They looked after us immediately. Richard, Steve, and Eric were most helpful. No one likes to spend time in a repair shop, but these men seemed to make the occurrence less painful. The fact that we were from out of the country was not an issue at Outdoor Living Center.
We recommend this facility to our fellow travelers.
Richard & Linda Wright, F230067
Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Timely Repair Service
Dear Editor:
On August 9 we were in a campground near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, when softball-size hail fell overnight. The next morning I called Progressive Insurance to report the damage done to our motorhome. Jack Hogan, an adjuster from Progressive, was out the following day and assessed the damages.
The motorhome needed a new roof, and everything on the roof needed to be replaced. When I called PleasureLand RV Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to arrange for the repairs, I explained we were full-timers and needed to be on the road out of Minnesota by the first of October. Joe at PleasureLand booked us for repairs September 19, and the motorhome was ready for us on September 29.
We thank Progressive Insurance for prompt action and PleasureLand RV for making the repairs in a timely manner. The roof on the motorhome is as good as new.
We also had other repairs done at our expense, and we encountered a minor problem on the way to Fargo, North Dakota, so we called Joe, who contacted PleasureLand’s Fargo location. We stopped there and they took care of us promptly. We were on the road within three hours.
If you are ever in central Minnesota, we highly recommend PleasureLand RV Center for outstanding work.
Marv & Fran Vandehey, F290885
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Hit A Bear Lately?
Dear Editor:
We have had a summer. We already had generator problems and great experiences at Coleman’s Campers in Springfield, Illinois, and Engine Generator Specialists in Madison, Wisconsin.
Well, would you believe that we hit a bear and needed a bunch of repair work done to the front end of our motorhome? I can’t tell you how well we were treated at John’s Paint & Body Shop in Lexington, Illinois (310 S. Grove St., 309-365-2221). We would recommend driving 500 miles out of the way to go there. I mean that, even with the price of fuel. The work was done and done right with such a wonderful bunch of guys who were concerned about our welfare as well as the repair. These guys were just great and the repair is absolutely superb.
Len and Lois Gehl, F322861
Mango, Florida