November 2017
Dear Editor:
The August and September 2017 “Rear View” columns in FMC asked a question about how readers’ motorhomes get their nicknames.
Nicknames often arise spontaneously. The week we purchased our 2017 Thor Axis, we began to chat about a name while driving it home and listening to Leonard Cohen. A few days later, his death was reported on the news, and while having dinner with friends, my wife said, “We should name our motorhome Leonard.”
Leonard is our new family member!
Graham Duryee & Sylvia Rudich, F463504
Douglas, Michigan
Dear Editor:
Yes, we remember King DeBord, whose obituary appeared in the September 2017 issue (page 30).
He was sometimes affectionately called “Tut” by his wife Jackie’s school friend, Pat. When he spoke, he enunciated every word, making clear what he had to say. He was also a member of the B.C. Bus Nuts chapter, helping our group get off the ground in our early days.
I swear he had FMCA blood running in his veins, as he was such an avid ambassador for the association!
Walt & Ruth Enns, F45602
Vancouver, British Columbia
Dear Editor:
A photo from our chapter’s 30th anniversary celebration was published in the April 2017 issue of FMC (page 32). For 30 years, Monaco Northwest has been a chapter only for owners of Monaco motorhome brands (Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Beaver, Safari, and Royale Coach). We now are making a change.
At our full business meeting, members decided to change our membership eligibility. We now welcome all brands and all types of motorhomes, A, B, and C. We look forward to meeting new people and having others attend our rallies, either as members or guests.
Our name, Monaco Northwest, will remain the same, but we are no longer exclusive. We will continue to have our rallies in the Northwest Area: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Please come join us on our new adventures, with all brands and types of motorhomes welcome. Contact me for more information.
Cindy Haynes, F337214
Chapter Secretary/Treasurer
Milwaukie, Oregon
Dear Editor:
Traveling to FMCA’s Indianapolis convention in July, our coach leveling system stopped working. This meant our four slideouts would not extend. We managed to find level spots in the campgrounds on the way to Indianapolis.
We attended a preconvention rally with the Country Coach International chapter, where our RV friends had lots of suggestions and contacts for help. First, we were going to try to get a repair at the convention. Plan B was to contact HWH by phone for a service appointment. This would mean a 300-mile trip to Moscow, Iowa, after the convention.
At the convention, our first stop was the HWH service booth. Service tech Joe Lewell came out the following morning and diagnosed the problem: a bad control computer. An HWH employee offered to drive the replacement part to Indianapolis while on his vacation travels. All in all, HWH saved the day, and saved us freight charges and the expense of a trip to Iowa.
Our Norcold refrigerator also needed service, and while at the convention, a service tech from JC Refrigeration LLC of Shipshewana, Indiana, came out to our site and installed a new fan on the back of the unit. It cooled the fridge back down to 39 degrees.
A big thank-you to ALL FMCA service vendors. Besides the membership benefits usually listed, this one saved our trip to Wyoming and Yellowstone. What a relief it was to drive out of parking lot “C” on Sunday morning and head west. FMCA made our trip possible.
Paul & Nancy Cummings, F319545
Newport News, Virginia
Dear Editor:
On June 17, 2017, while traveling in Florida, I had the painful misfortune of breaking my ankle in three places. I received great medical treatment at the Manatee Memorial Hospital.
I required surgery and was unable to drive our motorhome back home to St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. My wife does not drive, so we had to leave the RV there and fly home.
We called Seven Corners — administrator of the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program — to explain our situation and asked for assistance with getting the RV home. When we realized we had a choice of having a driver service move the RV or arranging for a friend or relative to do it, we chose to have a friend of ours, who is also an avid RVer, come to retrieve it for us. Bill was more than willing to help us, and within two days Seven Corners had him on a flight to Florida from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The trip involved driving the RV to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then putting it on a ferry service to the island of Newfoundland where we live. At their request, I agreed to make these arrangements and include the ferry costs in our claim.
I have to say that we were extremely satisfied with the prompt and friendly service we received from FMCAssist and Seven Corners. They covered the applicable and allowable expenses related to getting our friend to the RV, including some of his travel expense on the drive home. Our claim included fuel, tolls, and the ferry cost, which were processed and paid in a timely manner.
We have a great added value with this coverage in our FMCA membership. We will be recommending FMCA membership to all RVers that we meet.
Gerry Dowden, F434103
St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador
Dear Editor:
When Hurricane Harvey was approaching the Texas coast, we evacuated our home in Nassau Bay, south of Houston, in our 32-foot Fleetwood Southwind. On our return trip along Interstate 10, we needed to dump our black and gray tanks. We phoned Schulenburg RV Park in Schulenburg, Texas (65 N. Kessler Ave.; 979-743-4388; www.schulenburgrvpark.com) to see if they could accommodate us. They were booked but had one site where the people had not arrived, and told us to come on in. Once we got there, we offered to pay for the service, but they refused our money, saying it was their contribution to the relief effort.
We intend to visit that campground on future trips to the area.
Ron & Carol Swofford, F250779
Nassau Bay, Texas