Many attendees bring a flat-towed vehicle to FMCA international conventions and rallies,
and you’re likely to see many Jeeps, Fords, and Hondas. But how many Smart cars have you spotted?
By Darlene Jones, F430300
July 2023
It is such an honor to have our photo selected for the cover of this month’s magazine!
As the cover photo shows, in July 2021, we attended FMCA’s 103rd International Convention in Gillette, Wyoming. We were first-time visitors to the state and caravanned there with Badger, our FMCA chapter. We’d attended an international convention in Perry, Georgia, in 2018, so we expected to have a good time.
Robert and Darlene Jones stayed at this peaceful site at Fort McCoy’s Pine View Campground in Wisconsin.
One night while we were in Georgia, a portable generator supplying electricity lost power. We and our fellow camp neighbors lit candles, drank wine, conversed, and watched the generator get replaced. We made friends that night, and we saw each other again in Gillette. We loved being with our club; exploring Gillette; and, of course, attending the rally itself. We have also attended smaller rallies. In addition, I became a volunteer mentor for FMCA’s “Golden Getaway” convention in Lincoln, Nebraska, last summer.
During our travels with the FMCA Roadtrek chapter years ago, we attended a parade of Smart cars in the Wisconsin Dells. We fell in love with the distinctive-looking cars. Through research,we discovered that the 2008 model could be flat towed. That sealed the deal! We have been towing it trouble-free for 10 years now. The gas mileage is beyond compare, and it is quite the conversation starter. The two of us are the sole RV travelers in the family, so the Smart car is perfect for us.
We love to explore new cities and the different lifestyles of their inhabitants. Our favorite place to camp is Pine View Campground in Fort McCoy, a U.S. Army installation between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin. We love the spacious and secluded wooded sites and the other amenities.
FMCA has been a great provider of information, benefits, and fun. We display our oval with pride and refer other RVers to this great organization.