April 2006

Once known as the Rubber Capital of the World, Akron, Ohio, no longer merits that title. Instead, this city of 217,000 has become a world-renowned center for polymer research and development.

DeWayne Creighton, president of Dynamax Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana, had just completed a 24-hour shift painting a new ISATA Touring Sedan when we met him at the company’s headquarters. We were there to pick up a prototype to review — the newer, bigger version of this coach.

Hall of Fame pitcher and avid RVer Bob Gibson recently was honored with the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) Spirit of America Award, recognizing him as an exemplary representative of the traditional American values inherent to RV travel. He accepted the award on November 29, 2005, during the association’s 43rd Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky.
The former St.

EG-400 Fire Detection System from RV Safety SystemsThe EG-400 Fire Detection System from RV Safety Systems is said to provide motorhome owners a reliable early warning system in the event of an engine or generator fire.
According to product literature, the system continuously monitors the temperatures in the engine and generator compartments and displays one or the other — selected by the user — on the cockpit monitor. Should the temperature of either exceed a preset number, the display automatically switches to the affected compartment and triggers a visual and audible alarm.
The system includes two levels of alarms for each compartment.

Wire shelves in hanging closetI have adequate hanging space in the wardrobe of my Winnebago, but I needed additional shelf space. Since the hanging closets above the nightstands are narrow, I decided to install wire shelves in them.

I had come to rely quite heavily on the 5-year-old global positioning system (GPS) in my coach. As time went on, I found that I was missing recent route changes caused by highway construction.

A large sign stands outside the complex of tan and forest-green buildings that house Duncan Systems Inc., C6151, in Elkhart, Indiana. It reads: “America’s #1 RV Specialist.”
Spend a few minutes talking with company chairman and CEO Ron Duncan, 61, and you’ll learn why the company makes this claim.

Lacing the Los Angeles, California, landscape are many fine museums. Seeing these sights can enhance your stay while in Pomona to attend FMCA’s “Celebrating Family” convention at Fairplex March 20, 21, 22, and 23.
Please note that parking a motorhome is difficult, if not impossible, at all three attractions, so you’ll want to take your towed car.

Water leaks and air noise do not have to be part of the motorhome experience. Areas that can be susceptible to water leaks and air drafts include sinks, windows, and roof components such as the antenna, air horns, and vents.

Recently confusion has arisen in the RVing community concerning temperature adjustments of Dometic refrigerators. The confusion relates to moving the temperature sensor (the thermistor) in order to increase or decrease the cabinet temperature in the absence of, or in addition to, the refrigerator’s thermostat.

Auburn, Indiana, is billed as the “Home of the Classics,” and indeed it is. The town is perhaps best known for being the site of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, held each year over Labor Day weekend.

Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes …. No matter what part of the country you live in, there seems to be some sort of disaster just waiting to happen.

Admittedly there are a number of tourist railroads these days. But none of them, that I’m aware of, take you through 40 miles of wild, remote, and beautiful mountains as does the Skunk, a Northern California tourist railroad.

Basque hotels, with their wonderful restaurants, were a second home to the sheep farmers who flocked to North America in the 1870s. Lured by the promise of “wide open spaces,” these hard-working settlers established lives in the New World, never forgetting the comfort foods of their homeland.
While traveling through Nevada last year, I discovered the goodness and huge variety of Basque dining.

As you drive on Interstate 24 across the southwest corner of Kentucky, heading east from Paducah toward Hopkinsville, you pass in quick succession the northern tip of Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River, and then a pair of inlets at the north end of Lake Barkley, on the Cumberland River. It’s a 20-mile drive past glittering acres of sapphire water poking emerald hills with a thousand fingers.

Most of you know how it feels when you want to go someplace, but your motorhome won’t start. It happened to us.

Do you remember the famous U.S. military recruitment posters from the World War I and II eras that depicted Uncle Sam pointing straight at the observer, with the words “I Want You” in big, bold type? For FMCA, the message is the same.

The toll-free number given for Winegard Company, maker of the Movin’ View MV3500T In-Motion Satellite TV antenna featured in the February 2006 “RV Products” column (page 48) was incorrect. The correct number is (800) 288-8094.
FMC regrets this error.

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“Towables” Addition
The “Towables For 2006” article (January 2006, page 66) failed to include the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, which can be towed four wheels down behind a motorhome.

Q: I am investigating the purchase of a new Silverado with the 5.3-liter V-8 engine and a four-speed automatic transmission with a rear-locking differential. Noting your 2005 towables guide, you only reference four-wheel-drive Silverados as being towable.

Dear RV Doctor:
I have a 34-foot 1990 type A motorhome. My problem is that when I have the coach hooked to shore power, my coach batteries do not stay charged.

Ray and Nancy Lambertson, F318812, full-time motorhomers, are about as different as two people can be. Nancy is effervescent and chatty, while Ray is quiet and soft-spoken.
The two are so dissimilar that even the minister who married them in 1966 said he was sure it wouldn’t last, Nancy said, laughing.

Forming a new FMCA chapter takes a little time, right? Well, yes, it usually does take awhile, but it sure didn’t for the Northern Nevada Prospectors.
From the initial idea to the actual formation meeting, the entire process took a little less than two months. Add the fact that the chapter president, one of two men who thought up the idea of the chapter, had just joined FMCA, and it’s even more impressive.
A few coincidences definitely smoothed out the process.

On a recent drive into California’s Central Valley, we saw our first sign of spring. Although readers who live in the northern parts of the United States might think we are a little premature, what we saw was our favorite vernal pool coming to life.

Every year, clever manufacturers introduce new aftermarket accessories that are a boon to full-timers, especially those who are handy enough to install the items themselves. Here are a few that you may be interested in.
Sink-Away is an outside sink system that attaches to the exterior of the motorhome to help keep messes outdoors.

After reading a terrific book on Nebraska paleontology recently, Kaye decided that some FMC readers must also be interested in really, really ancient North American history. So once we decided on our topic, we began to research archaeology and paleontology museums on the Internet, selecting the most intriguing ones to include in this column.