Clarification
The March 2023 issue included a story titled “Exploring The West Side Of The Rockies,” which suggested entering Rocky Mountain National Park via the less-busy west side in Grand County, Colorado, and exploring towns such as Granby, Grand Lake, and Winter Park. A reader who lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, west of the Rocky Mountains, pointed out to us that the title of the story was misleading. She noted that the park itself lies on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. It seems the story would have been more aptly named “Exploring The West Side Of Rocky Mountain National Park.”
New Generation Of Leaders
To Matthew Siegel, who wrote the letter “Need For New And Younger Members” in the March 2023 issue: Thank you for your well-written note. Being “old” members, we want and need you to lead. Your suggestions are good and hopefully will be used.
— Alice Johnson, F205934
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Phoenix TRX Tire Specs
I believe I have come across an error in the article concerning the Phoenix TRX 1781 in the February 2023 issue of our magazine. The article states, “The motorhome rides on LT205/75R16 load-range C all-season radial tires.” Based on the weight of the coach and my experience with a coach in this weight class, I believe the load range should be E; the same as any one-ton-class chassis, RV, or truck. My 1975 GMC and all my one-ton trucks require this load rating as a minimum. I know you are always writing on the importance of correct tire pressure and axle loading, as it is a real safety issue. I speak from experience. Please check with the manufacturer to see if this is correct or a typo.
— Freeman L. Vickers, F77665
Navasota, Texas
Editor’s note: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The tire size listed for the Phoenix TRX 1781 — LT205/75R16 — is incorrect. The tire is a European commercial size 205/75R16C, wherein the C stands for “commercial” and not the load range. Owners should consult the vehicle certification label on the driver’s door jamb for proper cold inflation.
FMCAssist Flies To The Rescue
Let me begin with a BIG THANK-YOU to FMCA regarding the member benefits. My wife, Lane Teaff, had a sudden illness on June 18, 2020. We were on a long-weekend RV trip to Red River, New Mexico. On our second night there at the RV park, we went to bed early because Lane was not feeling well. The next morning, I was having trouble getting her to wake up. I went for help from our friend, Sher Hiner, who was traveling with us. We decided that we needed to get her to a hospital. So, we called 911 for an ambulance. They took her to the Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, New Mexico.
Fortunately, they had a visiting surgeon! Lane was in surgery within about an hour. She had a ruptured intestine. The operation went well, but she was on full life support. This hospital did not have a kidney dialysis machine. We needed to get her to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. We called the number for the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel
Assistance Program. They arranged and paid for an ambulance to the hospital in Albuquerque by helicopter! She remained there for about three weeks.
I was living in our RV in the parking lot and unable to see Lane due to COVID-19 protocols. When I could finally talk to the doctors, they told me that since she had not regained consciousness, they had papers for me to sign to take her off life support. They were pretty certain that she would have brain damage and would be living in a nursing home. Well, I couldn’t do that by myself. I called our son, Ty, to come be with us.
Long story short, after we prayed about all that was going on, my wife woke up from the coma. We came in and she said, “I LOVE YOU!” We did not sign those papers! The ambulance personnel came in and prayed for her and discovered that she could not hear. The antibiotics that had saved her life also caused her to lose her hearing. She was transported to Lubbock, Texas, to the UMC specialty hospital for long-term health care. She stayed there about a month and was able to be removed from all life support and sent home with home health. She has healed completely now with the exception of having to get cochlear implants to be able to hear.
We want to sincerely thank FMCA and FMCAssist for all the transportation from hospital to hospital! We were not charged anything “out of pocket.”
— Bob Teaff, F356029
Lubbock, Texas
Great Service, Well Done
I’m writing to pass along our sincere appreciation for the on-road service provided by Brian Kleine, part owner of Kleine Motor Co. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Our coach became disabled while on the freeway just north of Las Cruces on a Sunday afternoon. After we made numerous attempts to secure a tow with other providers, Brian came to our rescue. He was extremely professional and helpful, and he very competently prepared our coach for the 25-mile journey. Our sincere thanks to Brian Kleine.
Our coach was dropped off at the lot of Border International in Las Cruces later that afternoon. On Monday morning, we met with a service advisor and trouble-shooting began within a half hour. After about two hours of troubleshooting, the cause of the problem was diagnosed and then corrected in another hour. Our thanks to the service team at Border International, especially Justin and TJ, our two service technicians.
We highly recommend these two service providers if our members ever need assistance in the Las Cruces area. Well done and thank you very much, Kleine Motor Co. (575-526-8697) and Border International (www.borderint.com)!
— Bruce Fontaine, F347601
Milwaukie, Oregon
We want to hear from you! Family RVing welcomes comments about articles published in the magazine or topics of interest to RV owners. Email readerswrite@fmca.com; mail to Readers Write, FMCA, 8291 Clough Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Please include your name, city, and state/province. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.