November 2006

Cooperstown, New York — population 2,000 or so — lies deep in a valley among the rolling hills of the Catskill Mountains. In October, when the sun’s rays slant through colorful leaves, strolling down tree-lined streets is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

The new 2007 Terra LX from Fleetwood Enterprises is an especially good-looking motorhome, but its appeal extends far beyond that. It’s a well-built gasoline-powered coach that is laced with substance — both the readily apparent variety and that which lies below the surface.

Safari, C3735, a division of Monaco Coach Corporation, C2111, based in Coburg, Oregon, recently unveiled the 2007 Safari Simba STS, touted as the RV industry’s first type A diesel-powered, rear-entrance toy hauler.
The 37-foot Simba STS is built on a Freightliner front-engine diesel chassis and is powered by a Cummins ISB 300-horsepower engine. The front-engine design allows for 80 square feet of rear cargo area that is not available on conventional rear-engine diesel-pusher motorhomes.

90-degree-bend tire pressure gaugeThe 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge from Wheel Masters Inc. is said to help folks access hard-to-reach tire valves to properly check air pressure.
According to product literature, the gauge is constructed of durable stainless steel, has an easy-to-read indicator, and measures in 2-pound increments from 10 to 160 psi.
The 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $23.90.
For more information, contact:
Wheel Masters Inc.
12307 N.E.

Trucker’s AtlasMost RV trips begin with careful planning. Even so, some of us with motorhomes whose height exceeds 13 feet take detours on country and state highways without thinking about low clearances.

For four days in mid-August, RVers assembled their motorhomes on the storied grounds of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, to participate in FMCA’s “Fast Track To Fun” convention. This conclave, the association’s 76th International Convention, attracted a total of 4,158 motorhomes: 3,105 family coaches and 1,053 exhibitor coaches.

There are 56 different varieties of chicken soup at the grocery store; Alpo boasts 43 different flavors of dog food (none with the word “cat” in it); and my TV remote has a grand total of 70 tiny, illegible buttons on it. The last bastion of simplicity seemed to be the lowly radio — our one solace in a world that has given us more choices but has grown infinitely more complicated because of it.

When Union Electric Company finished constructing Bagnell Dam in 1931 to create the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, few people would have envisioned it as the popular Midwestern family getaway it has become. Tourism didn’t exist as an industry in this region, and during the Depression few people had the time or opportunity to travel for leisure.

Utah boasts numerous jewels of parks that string together nicely on an RV tour across the southern half of the state. Gem tones range from amber to amethyst with abundant fiery ruby throughout.

FMCA’s Executive Board is made up of four nationally elected officers — the national president, senior vice president, secretary, and treasurer — and the 10 national area vice presidents, who are elected by their respective areas. (The immediate past national president also serves as a non-voting member.) As a result of changes in the FMCA Bylaws that instituted two-year terms, only five areas held a national vice president election this year.

FMCA’s 76th International Convention, held August 14 through 18 in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was attended by 81 youth who participated in activities at the FMCA Youth Center, on the grounds of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, our convention site. The age breakdown of the youngsters was as follows: five TOTS (ages 3 to 5), 18 TWEENS (ages 6 to 9), 24 PRE-TEENS (ages 10 to 12), and 34 TATS (ages 13 to 18).
Youth events started off on Monday, August 14, from 5:00 p.m.

Pumpkin Flan
This is my adaptation of a recipe from Milagros Collazo, chef at the award-winning Ristorante Tuscany in the San Juan Marriot Resort on the Condado beach in Puerto Rico. It works beautifully with acorn squash, which goes from oven to table.

Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was the location for FMCA’s 76th International Convention this past August. And as we usually do at summer conventions, we conducted FMCA business during meetings that took place before and during the event.
We held the annual Governing Board meeting on Monday, August 14, at West Cabarrus Church, located near Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the convention site.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, this past August.
I am pleased to share with you an update on the Family Motor Coach Association and activities that have been occurring related to its operation since we last met.
Industry/FMCA Update
While recreation vehicle manufacturers’ shipment of all units to retailers in 2005 increased 3.9 percent over 2004, shipments of motorhomes in 2005 declined 14.5 percent compared to 2004.

Page 126 of the August 2006 issue incorrectly contained an advertisement for the 2005 Rocky Mountain Ramble. The 2006 Ramble takes place this month, October 11 through 14, at the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Q: I recently began to notice stickers on the diesel fuel pumps warning that 2007 and later models cannot use the fuel without damaging their engines. So what do you do if you have a 2007 diesel? Do you have to get special fuel at special pumps? If all the pumps are changed to new fuel, will it work in older models? (Sounds like the old leaded-unleaded conversion.)
Roy C.

Dear RV Doctor:
In one of your articles on holding tank probes you offered the idea of using “well nuts” by drilling a 3/8-inch hole. Great article, by the way.

Former Western Area vice president Bill Walker, F56746, passed away on July 21, 2006, at the age of 77 after a lengthy battle with lung disease. Bill died in Billings, Montana, while traveling with his wife, Kay.

In the spring of 1997, less than a year after its introduction by Fleetwood, the Discovery was reportedly the best-selling type A diesel motorhome in the United States. Numerous FMCA members were among those who bought this popular coach, and soon many realized it was time to form a group of their own.

Remember that old song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”? It’s easy to lose your heart in and around the City by the Bay. Here are a few of our favorite ways to do so.

Judith Babcock Wylie, author of Best Places Destinations: Central California Coast (Sasquatch Books, $14.95), notes in her book, “We are constantly surprised by how many stores, companies, and agencies offer senior discounts if you ask!”

A popular limerick titled “The Pelican,” which most agree originally was penned by Dixon Lanier Merritt, begins “A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill will hold more than his belican…”
We had just begun our years of full-time travel when we spotted our first real, live pelican.