Quartzsite Story Correction
The article about Quartzsite, Arizona, in the December 2019 issue (page 48) included a mention of driving from Quartzsite down Interstate 95 to the Palm Canyon section of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The reference should have been to U.S. Route 95, not Interstate 95. I-95 actually runs north-south in the eastern United States.
FRV regrets this error, which was introduced inadvertently during the editing process.
A Cover Of Happy Memories
Thank you for the payment for the cover photo I submitted. I was so pleased when I saw it used for the November 2019 issue. I was going through some photos and thought it would be a good one to submit.
I love that you titled the cover “Southern Tranquility.” The photo is especially meaningful, since it was taken while my husband and I were attending what would be our last campout with the Deep South chapter. After he passed way in March 2019, I sold our Allegro Bus. I now have a Tiffin Wayfarer and plan to keep active and travel as much as possible. I will use the cover photo payment for something special.
Nancy Eubank, F269734
Montgomery, Alabama
Editor’s note: We’re seeking photos for the cover of Family RVing and will pay you $250 if your photo is chosen. For submission guidelines, refer to page 6 in the January 2020 issue, or email editor@fmca.com.
A Big-Hearted Dealer
I enjoyed over 100,000 trouble-free miles in my 38-foot Alpine Coach, which I purchased in 2004. Then on April 27, 2019, while towing a small car in an enclosed Featherlite trailer (well under the 10,000-pound capacity of the receiver), the receiver released from the coach frame. I had slowed for a traffic stop on Prescott Valley, Arizona’s busy State Route 69. No vehicles or humans were injured, but one can imagine the destruction if we had been traveling at a high speed when this occurred.
All of the bolts were still in place, but the welded flanges had failed. Owners who tow should regularly inspect these for possible structural failures.
The police detoured miles of vehicles until a highway patrolman who had the correct hitch towed the trailer to the frontage road.
An RV dealer and repair center called Little Dealer Little Prices was recommended. They were extremely busy but said they’d help. The service manager said the receiver manufacturer was no longer in business, and after a long computer search, no replacement receiver was found. We needed a metal fabricator and a safe storage area for the trailer.
To add to this, my insurance carrier could not find me in their records. Hearing my frustration, Danny Sampson at Little Dealer Little Prices introduced himself and offered assistance. Soon, motorhomes and trailers at the shop were being relocated to make room for our trailer and our coach. We were given water and electrical hookups until repairs could be completed.
Danny’s metal fabricator, Lance, and I discussed a solution. The flanges were brittle and over the 15 years had experienced metal fatigue; so, they ripped next to the bolts that had secured them to the frame rails. Four days later, after the fabrication and wiring and braces were fixed, I was back on the road heading for home.
Many thanks to all those who helped. I have renamed the dealership “Little Dealer, Little Prices, Big Heart.” Their Prescott Valley service number is (928) 350-2474; www.littledealer.com.
Dan Ariaz, F466756
Reno, Nevada
Rescued By FMCAssist
My husband, Ed, and I were attending an Alfa Owners Club national rally in Fredericksburg, Texas, and Ed suffered a seizure while we were there. At a local hospital, he was given an MRI, which showed a mass on his brain.
He needed to have the mass removed as quickly as possible and would need to be helicoptered to a larger hospital in Austin. At that point, we contacted Seven Corners, which administers the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program. They arranged to transport him to St. David’s Medical Center, where he was operated on the next day.
Seven Corners staff were in communication with us during this time, ready to meet our transportation needs. Once we knew when he would be released, the wheels were set in motion to get us back to California. Upon his release, we were picked up at the hospital and taken to the airport.
The driver made sure that a wheelchair was provided and that we had our boarding passes before he left. We were flown first-class back to Los Angeles, where we were met by another driver, who got us home. Our motorhome and towed vehicle arrived a few days later (timing that we had requested). It was truly amazing service!
We can’t believe that we got all that for the price of an FMCA membership. If you have any RVing friends who are not FMCA members, we urge you to encourage them to join. It’s the best bargain you will ever encounter in the insurance field.
As an FMCA member, you have this service available any time you are 100 or more miles from your home.
We don’t know how we would have made it through this crisis without the amazing support of Alfa Owners Club members and the outstanding service of FMCAssist. We will continue to be FMCA members for the remainder of our lives.
Ed & Helen Burrows, F192818
Agoura Hills, California
FMCA Campground Appreciated
Since joining FMCA, we have been able to stay at your lovely campground three times. This year we had a “perfect storm” of events. My wife is a graduate of University of Kentucky. I am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. On Labor Day weekend, UK played in Lexington on Saturday, and ND played in Louisville the following Monday evening. That Labor Day weekend occurred at the end of August and beginning of September, so we were able to stay at the FMCA facility two days in August and two days in September at no charge.
Normally, we head to South Bend, Indiana, for autumn. While driving westward from Pennsylvania, we received notice that my aging father had fallen. Things were touch and go at that moment. Trying to sort out the best way to handle the situation, I discussed the events with Anne Baumgartner at the FMCA campground when we checked in that night. She told us that if we needed to leave our coach at the campground and head to New Jersey in our towed car, we could move the RV to another part of the parking lot and pick it back up within a reasonable time at no charge. As it turned out, we didn’t need to leave the coach. Dad did subsequently pass away. But FMCA’s hospitality and willingness to help in a time of need is a bonus that isn’t mentioned in the FMCA “Member Benefits Guide.”
Thanks again for everything you do for the RV community.
William & Robin Dwyer, F449680
Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania