Another Nostalgic Note
Dear Editor:
In regard to the cover of the January 2010 issue of FMC, the first motorhome in line on the left is a Traveliner that was owned by Vic and Vi White. They were from Australia and traveled extensively throughout North America, and their travels were documented in Family Motor Coaching. Their Traveliner was destroyed by fire in Canada in the late 1970s. I still have the Traveliner I owned back then.
Vic and Vi were close friends with Bob and Winnie Wagner, Garth and Grace Herd, and other Penn Coachmen chapter members. We had many good times together at FMCA functions.
Charles L. Kocher, F1127
Berwick, Pennsylvania
Ladies Belong Behind The Wheel
Dear Editor:
I wish to comment on the article on page 56 of the December 2009 issue of Family Motor Coaching, titled “Ladies, Get Behind The Wheel!”
I think that the ladies do belong behind the wheel of motorhomes. My wife, Gertrude, and I have been motorhoming for more than 40 years, and she has always driven our motorhomes and still does. We have had five Type As, from 23 to 34 feet long, and we full-timed for more than 18 years. She always took her turn at driving. We always switched drivers every two hours when we were on the road.
She has driven in every state in the United States and in every province and territory in Canada, and on all kinds of roads, from interstates to gravel and dirt, and in small towns and big cities.
We had two pickup campers for 10 years before we got the motorhomes, and she drove them also. She has always been an excellent driver, and she still is. I did not have to teach her how to do it.
I do not know why ladies should not drive. After all, they are as much a part of our lives as we are in theirs.
Bill Miner, F87269
Salome, Arizona
New OMC Fans
Dear Editor:
We read the article about Oregon Motorcoach Center (OMC) in the February 2010 issue of Family Motor Coaching (page 56). It was a very good article. The company sounded pretty impressive.
Needing a couple of repairs, and heading in their direction for our summer job in Oregon, we decided to give them a call. We were very impressed. Operations manager Ed Read came out to the coach and talked to us about what we needed and came up with a plan. We started out with a leak on one of our slideouts (we had been fighting this leak for more than three years and going from repair shop to repair shop to no avail).
Technician Tom Holland found several leaks we didn’t know about. There was quite a bit of water in the walls and floors of all three of our slideouts. Luckily, the leaks were caught before the mold and mildew started. Three days later, we rolled out good as new. There were no bandages put on a problem; we were fixed! Like we said, we were very impressed.
We got a tour of some of the coaches that were being refurbished there. Nice work. So nice, in fact, that we got a bid from them to do some refurbishing of our coach.
If we are ever in need of any repairs again, we will make the trip to Eugene, Oregon, to the Oregon Motorcoach Center.
Paul & Kathie Carlson, F383636
Emery, South Dakota
Ways To “Recycle” FMC Magazine
Dear Editor:
I believe our Family Motor Coaching magazine is one of our best and most valuable benefits and marketing tools. I use FMC magazine as a tool for prospective members.
I watch out for non-members at various common stopping points and RV parks. I look for the FMCA “goose egg” on their motorhome, and if I don’t see one, and if I won’t be creating too much of an interruption, I approach a prospect or knock on their door, introduce myself, and ask if they are members. Of course, I am wearing my North Alabama RV’ers chapter officer badge (I am the national director) and have an old or new copy of FMC and an FMCA membership application to offer them. I show them the list of benefits, explain that they receive this wonderful magazine monthly with their membership, show them the list of rallies in the Association Calendar section, and then mention the emergency medical evacuation program as a bonus. Next, I show them the application page where I have entered our name and FMCA number as I extend a personal invitation for them to join our organization.
I would like to suggest that all FMCA members recycle their magazines in this way at every opportunity — and, as you can see, I don’t mean the trash or recycling bin. There are so many opportunities to give away your older magazines. Before you do, write your name and F number on the new-member application page in the magazine, and, if you feel comfortable doing so, add your business/FMCA contact card. Fold the magazine application page so it sticks up out of the magazine. Then when you stop at a rest area, fuel station, campground, etc., you have a great opportunity to look for someone to invite to join FMCA.
Let the prospects know that they would be getting a magazine every month that is full of great RVing information, such as technical advice; great places to travel; a list of area rallies, chapter rallies, and international conventions; new products and technology; and suggestions for safer, more enjoyable travels.
Sometimes I also carry a couple of dog biscuits as a gift for any potential members who have four-legged “kids”!
Other options for “recycling” our old copies of FMC are to leave them at the local RV dealership or repair shop; auto service center; campground recreation room; laundry facility; doctor’s office, dentist’s office, or other waiting area; barber shop or hairdresser, etc.
Becky Wallace, F322777
Hartselle, Alabama
Closed Rest Areas
Dear Editor:
It is a shame that state departments of transportation around the United States are closing rest areas, which were built with highway tax dollars. The tourism and trucking industries depend on these areas, because they offer rest rooms and safe stopping locations.
Truckers have to get off the road for eight hours of rest, according to D.O.T. regulations. We give a lot of money for fuel taxes, so these states should keep the rest areas open.
By closing some rest areas, there may be more late-night accidents, because people will not be able to find a place to pull over to rest. I would rather see a driver use a rest area than just park alongside the road and possibly get hit by a fast-moving vehicle.
Herschel E. Norris, F278676
Foley, Alabama
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