October 2007

Quite often as families join FMCA, they are on the verge of making that once-in-a-lifetime whirlwind tour of the United States and possibly even Canada or Mexico. These motorhome owners very quickly find out that unless they have a family member who will periodically forward their mail, they are at a loss to stay on top of their correspondence, and especially their bills.

The deserted 1983 Tiffin Allegro motorhome sat in a field near a home in La Vergne, Tennessee, so long that a small tree had grown through one of its entry steps. Its carpet was rotted; its brown paneling and dash were woefully out of style; its tires were toast — and those were only a few of its problems.

In the summer of 2004 Sperry Randolph drove past the 30-foot motorhome, and, as he was already in the habit of seeing things as they could be, he figured the old RV had potential.

Four Winds International announced the addition of Mega Storage — enhanced exterior storage — on select 2008 type C motorhomes and some type A Windsport and Hurricane models.
Mega Storage is said to offer more exterior storage capacity than most type C motorhomes, as well as additional features. The extra-large rear storage compartment has conveniently located exterior doors on all sides for easy access.

ClearCam Camera Mirror SystemThe ClearCam Camera Mirror System from Velvac Inc. combines the functionality of a side-body camera with a VMax or VMaxIII mirror head to provide drivers with a more complete view of the side of the motorhome.
The camera mounts in the Lower Electronic Module housing under the mirror, is wired through the mirror arm into the motorhome, and can be calibrated to the individual vehicle for an optimized field of view.

Document storage on the roadYou never know when you might need a copy of an important document (driver’s license, credit cards, insurance policies, prescriptions, etc.) while traveling. A convenient solution is to scan such documents into your laptop computer and copy them onto a CD before leaving home.

Imagine driving down a steep, winding, two-lane road. The early-morning sunshine highlights the beautiful scenery bordering the route.

Bigfoot Industries is a family-owned company based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada, that has been manufacturing recreation vehicles for 30 years. The company has a reputation as a maker of slide-in truck campers and travel trailers, and these still compose a major portion of its business.

Creative and important developments are continually added to today’s motorhomes, and among those leading the charge is a coach builder that has made type Bs since 1974. Roadtrek Motorhomes (formerly Home & Park), of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, introduced the type B SS-Agile in October 2006, and it’s one of two models the company builds on the Sprinter 2500 van chassis.

Investing a few minutes each month could double your RV battery’s life. However, batteries seem to be one of those things RVers commonly overlook until a problem arises.

Chugging through the Appalachian Mountains of eastern West Virginia, belching smoke and emitting an occasional loud whistle, the Cass Railroad has become a popular excursion train. While the railroad is the highlight at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, visitors also discover the public buildings and homes of a company town that existed from 1900 to 1960.

By the time you read this article in the September issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, I will have completed my two-year term as president of FMCA. As of this writing, no one knows who the new president will be, because the election will be held in mid-August just prior to the start of the Redmond, Oregon, convention.
Writing the President’s Message has been challenging for me.

Keep these recipes in mind when your guest list grows unexpectedly.
It’s fun to round up an impromptu meal for new campground friends, but sometimes it takes some imagination and a lot of stretching. How can you extend a small meal or fancy up the plain-Jane dinner you had planned to serve? Here are recipes to keep up your sleeve.

Corny Quiche
This is a quickie that bakes in a pie shell, transforming a simple casserole into a party meal for six.

Dear Editor:
As we write this, we are on a caravan through the Holiday Rambler club, touring Newfoundland and Labrador. We have 15 RVs in the group, and when we travel from one campground to another, we drive in groups of three.

I have attempted to find the answer to the question of lightning strikes to motorhomes or travel trailers. Manufacturers don’t seem to have information to offer.

Dear RV Doctor:
I own a 36-foot Holiday Rambler Ambassador. The day before we left on our last trip, the temperature here dipped to about 16 degrees Fahrenheit, so I kept the heater on in the coach and placed a small space heater in the bay where all the water lines are.
The morning we left, all was fine.

E komo mai (Welcome)! All the grass-skirted wahines (women) and tom-tom-tummied kanes (men) had a ball doing the hula down by the kai (seashore). They lazed under the ersatz palm trees and thatched parasols.

This close-knit group is based near a local landmark from which it takes its name.
Gateway Piasas is an unusual name for a chapter of motorhome owners. But then again, the word “Piasa” represents an unusual thing.
The Piasa Bird, pronounced “pie saw,” is a mythical creature of American Indian lore.

Scooters; identity theft; tips for selecting a full-timing coach.
Each day we make hundreds of decisions, most of them of little consequence. But then there are times when we’re faced with a bigger decision, one that requires considerable thought and discussion.

Head to the western United States, where you’ll have your altitude adjusted by these lofty peaks.
As lifelong mountain lovers, we decided to investigate the tallest mountains in the United States. If we were altitude purists, our focus would be limited to just Alaska, which boasts the 16 highest peaks in the country.

This reptile with the notorious reputation would rather use its telltale tail to scare you away than fight.
Rattlesnakes are normally quiet creatures, usually staying out of sight and minding their own business. That business, in large part, is keeping the rodent population in check.

I’m now on my third digital camera, so I have, at the click of a mouse, thousands of photos stored on my computer and archived on CDs. Like many of you I have travel photos, wildflower photos, shots of sunsets and sunrises, and family events, such as reunions, graduations, and birthdays.

And perhaps like many of you, I often wondered what I should do with all the photos I’ve taken.

Many of our traveling friends have created Web home pages or travel blogs on which they display their photos.