July 2006

The scenic beauty of Devil’s Gate in south-central Wyoming belies the 1856 tragedy that struck members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints headed west over the Mormon Pioneer Trail. The primitive road, carved into the wilderness by cartwheels and trudging footsteps, ran adjacent to the Oregon Trail, which carried nearly 400,000 emigrants westward during the mid-1800s.
Today travelers find the stone landmark 60 miles southwest of Casper on State Route 220.

Each year Home & Park Motorhomes wages an all-out effort to garner a larger share of the market — several markets, actually. One is the leisure travel sector, which boasts many active motorhomers.

A 1950 General Motors Futurliner Parade of Progress Tour Bus, one of 12 built, sold for an auction-record $4,320,000 to a private collector at the 35th Barrett-Jackson “World’s Greatest Car Collector Event” held in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 14 through 22, 2006.
The Futurliner, a self-contained display and transport vehicle, was created by renowned automotive engineer and designer Harley Earl as part of the “Parade of Progress” touring exhibit, which was developed by GM research leader Charles Kettering to complement the company’s “Motoramas” from 1940 through 1956. The red-and-white Futurliner that sold, one of only three in the world that have been restored to their original configuration, is powered by a 400-cubic-inch six-cylinder GM engine mated to a four-speed transmission.

TracVision R6 in-motion satellite TV systemThe TracVision R6 in-motion satellite TV system from KVH Industries Inc. is said to provide reliable TV reception in an RV.
The system includes a compact, 12-inch-high antenna; automatic GPS-assisted Digital Video Broadcast satellite acquisition and switching; DewShield electronic dew elimination technology for improved reception in dew and rain; onscreen messaging and diagnostics; and an integrated 12-volt-DC DIRECTV receiver designed specifically for RV applications.

Drywall hammer drive anchorMy folding stovetop cover came with six rubber stoppers on the edges to reduce the vibration and noise caused by the cover when traveling. However, through the years the stoppers have fallen out and gone stray.

Ask RVers what is the single biggest daily expense of owning a motorhome and most of them will cite the cost of fuel. As this article was going to press, the nationwide (U.S.) average price of regular gasoline was approaching $3 a gallon, and a gallon of diesel was priced similarly.

North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte, definitely has two personalities. The northern part of the metro area, specifically the community called Concord, is home to the famed Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

When artist Norman Rockwell was commissioned to paint scenes from Mark Twain’s books for the covers of Life magazine, he was surprised to find that none of the previous Twain book illustrators had actually visited Hannibal, Missouri. That’s where Samuel L.

Hoover Dam has long topped our “must-see” list. Unfortunately, a dozen trips in and around Las Vegas through the years had failed to take us within viewing distance of the 4,360,000 cubic yards of concrete that make up this man-made wonder.

The beauty and the backwoods of Ontario, Canada, inspired the creation of the first camper van that eventually would be called a Roadtrek.
In 1974 Jac Hanemaayer successfully built a small fully self-contained motorhome that his family could use as they enjoyed the backwoods, the skiing, the boating, and other outdoor recreation opportunities in Ontario, Canada. Today this multimillion-dollar corporation based in Kitchener, a city west of Toronto, is guided by his son, Jeff.
Jeff was 10 years old in 1974.

Almost 300 years ago, Swiss Baron Christopher de Graffenried led a ragged band of settlers across the Atlantic. They landed in today’s North Carolina in 1710 and established a village at the confluence of two broad rivers, the Neuse and the Trent.

Parking for FMCA’s 76th International Convention will commence on Saturday, August 12, at 7:00 a.m. Please display your admittance card on the front windshield, lower left hand corner of the driver side, without obstructing the driver’s view.

Family Parking Procedures
Families will be assigned a day and time of admittance based on the date their registration is received at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati. All registrations will be divided equally over a three-day period.

Mary Ellen Johnson, F354444, wrote: “When we travel in our motorhome we almost exclusively cook outside over the campfire, portable gas grill, or Coleman stove. It would be great to see some campfire/outdoor recipes.” I’m happy to comply.

While waiting for the Branson Follies to begin at the Follies Theatre, in Branson, Missouri, this past fall, I noticed a woman in the audience wearing a sweatshirt blazoned with the words: “It’s All In The Attitude.” She couldn’t have chosen more appropriate attire for this particular performance.
That’s because all 16 members of the energetic cast who performed the “Over 60 Never Looked So Good!” segment of the show had reached their 60th birthday, although many were 10 and even 20-plus years beyond that. What other than an amazing attitude — and, of course, a lot of hard work — could keep these women and men, at their ages, so nimble on their feet?
Among the 10 women in the cast, whose ages ranged from 60 to 85, was strawberry-blonde Lois “Layne” Mazgaj (pronounced “Mazgay”), F340541.

In my opinion, the best way for FMCA members to enjoy their membership in this association is to join a chapter. If you don’t belong to a chapter, you are missing out on one of the greatest benefits of FMCA.
FMCA has chapters all across the United States and Canada.

Recently I was asked by an RV trade magazine to contribute my thoughts regarding FMCA’s involvement in RV rallies and their benefit or detriment to the RV industry. Obviously, since FMCA itself promotes motorhome conventions and rallies, my comments were labeled as being “pro,” or in favor of such events.

Dear Editor:
It has been a hard spring for me because of my husband Bill’s death, but I am doing better. I appreciate all the letters, e-mails, phone calls, and visits from so many FMCA friends.

Q: I recently purchased a Saturn Vue to use as a towed vehicle. Prior to the purchase, I checked your magazine (the January 2006 article on towing), and also with the dealership sales manager and the salesman who sold me the vehicle.

Dear RV Doctor:
I have a 1990 Fleetwood Southwind with two air-conditioning units. They are on a front/rear switch so you can use only one unit at a time.

For the past nine years, the first full day at the Western Area Rally in Indio, California, has been filled with excitement, rain or shine. Thursday is Parade Day! Yes, since 1998 the opening day has been highlighted with a parade.

The Texas Outlaws chapter was chartered on January 24, 1976, and was formed to have approximately half of its membership from Texas and half from Louisiana. Our rallies are most often held at locations within those two states.
The fun typically begins on Thursday as we have either a potluck or we go out to dinner.

Hard as it may be to believe, there are more than 30 species of sparrows listed in our favorite North American field guide. That number may grow, as it’s been rumored that several of them are about to be split into separate species.

Looking to save a little money this year? Here are some tips that can help you keep more of what you have in your pocket.
Emergency cash
Not yet the age of 59-1/2, but you need your IRA money right now? According to a column in the April 2006 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you can tap into the funds without penalty for outlays such as disability, medical bills, buying your first home, converting to a Roth IRA, or paying for higher education. But there are so many rules, limits, and exceptions, it’s best to work with an IRA expert at your bank or brokerage to make sure you’re not hit with unexpected taxes or penalties.

Travel savings
Our first stop at a new destination is always the visitors center, chamber of commerce, or tourist information center.

This time of year a traveler’s thoughts turn to cooler places, in a literal sense. We already had felt the relaxation of watery surroundings as we planned and wrote this column.