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Four dozen exhibitors, 38 seminars, and 22 craft sessions, as well as entertainment, activities, and socializing, highlighted the 44th South Central Area Rally, held October 25-28, 2017, at Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana, Arkansas. The event drew more than 600 people and 318 motorhomes.

The GMC Motorhomes International chapter held its 35th anniversary convention from September 15 to 21, 2017, at Elkhart Campground in Elkhart, Indiana. Some of the attendees could recall the chapter’s first convention, held in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1982. Others were attending their first GMCMI convention. Regardless, everyone shared a common goal: to celebrate GMC motorhomes and their owners. Jon Walker, FMCA national president, was an honored guest.

Jean Pryor had two families, and she loved them both. She was connected to one family by blood, and to the other — Family Motor Coach Association — by a bond that spanned more than 40 years. Her children readily acknowledge that aside from her kin, FMCA was the most important thing in Jean’s life.

Read the latest questions and answers in this month's House Calls!

The FMCA staff certainly has been busy over the past couple of months. As you probably have read or heard by now, FMCA has announced three new or revised member benefits since November 1, 2017.

It is my great pleasure to officially welcome anyone who owns a self-contained towable RV to FMCA! As a result of the recent vote of the FMCA membership, you and others can now join us as full members of our not-for-profit, member-owned association.

Some of you might be asking, why is this happening now? Haven’t we always been a motorhome owner’s association? I’m fortunate to have been an active member for a long time, and I have witnessed the history of the discussion regarding whether to maintain the status quo and keep membership restricted to motorhomes or to extend membership to owners of other self-contained RVs.

A full-time RVer decides to take his hobby on the road and let it lead the way to adventure.

FMCA members Rich and Sherry Hashagen created an inclusive camp that serves thousands.

RVers have been stuck with 1960s technology long enough. Pondering how far technology has come in the evolution of RVs can boggle the mind. Here are just a few examples:

In mid-March, FMCA returns to a convention venue highly regarded by previous attendees: the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. Located in Perry, just off Interstate 75 in the heart of the Peach State, it’s a convenient destination for snowbirds and other travelers. Add a dose of Southern hospitality, a facility nicely attuned to RV events, and a slew of planned activities — including touring RV exhibits — and you’ll want to put March 15 through 18 on your calendar.

Stop to see attractions as you drive along Interstate 75 in Georgia, and also be sure to taste the local flavor.

More and more people are deciding that they want to start RVing. After all, the lifestyle has much to offer. But selecting the type of recreation vehicle that’s best for an individual or family can be a bit bewildering. Choices include motorhomes, towables, and truck campers, and each has pros and cons. FMCA members, many of whom are longtime RV owners, are encouraged to share this article with RVer wannabes so they’ll be better equipped to make an educated decision.

The FMCA family is about to get bigger! The FMCA membership voted to welcome owners of other wheeled, self-contained RVs into the association, branching out from a 54-year history of requiring motorhome ownership for membership. No matter how you voted, rest assured that the FMCA you know and love will still be here for you. We’re just sharing all of the good things FMCA has to offer with even more RV enthusiasts.

I had lived 30-some years in the Pacific Northwest, and had become used to being saturated to the bone. One winter day, an opportunity arose to do a work assignment in San Diego, California. With thoughts of losing my webbed feet, I packed up the motorhome and headed south, not knowing what I was getting into.

Check out the latest RV News and Notes for January 2018!

Check out the latest RV Products for January 2018!

Colorado Columbines members gathered July 6-9, 2017, at Mountaindale Cabins & RV Resort for a special event: the chapter’s 25th anniversary celebration. The location was significant. Founding member Dick Greener explained that the idea to form the chapter was hatched in 1992 at Mountaindale, which is just south of Colorado Springs.

The Lone Star chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary with a rally September 7-9, 2017, at the Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA in Durant, Oklahoma. Lone Star received its charter in June 1967 and is the ninth-oldest chapter in FMCA.

If we know of a farm that offers tours near a Mohawk Roamers rally, we likely will visit it. We enjoy fun activities, and it just so happens that our area has plenty of farms!

Check out the latest Tech & Travel Tips for January 2018!

Check out the latest House Calls with the RV Doctor for January 2018!

As I sit down to write my January column, it is late November, and all I can think is, “Wow, what a wild month it’s been” — in a good way!

You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. January is traditionally a time for looking ahead to a bright new year. In planning for the future, it is really important to study the past to see where we have been.

New Orleans, Louisiana, calls itself the Festival Capital of the World, and honors Mardi Gras as a legal holiday. It celebrates its extraordinary Spanish roots with special events such as San Fermin in Nueva Orleans, also known as “The Running of the Bulls” (July 14, 2018). It honors its French side during a weekend-long party around Bastille Day (July 12-15, 2018).

RV owners seeking to upgrade their furniture often find what they are looking for at Lambright Comfort Chairs, located 4 miles south of Shipshewana, Indiana, near the heart of the RV industry.

The Conch Republic is a small island located at the southernmost reach of the continental United States. Most folks know it as Key West, Florida, the last in a string of islands marking the boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. But there's much more to the Conch Republic than geography.

As you travel in the United States, chances are you have passed through or been near a national forest. You may have heard or thought the parking aprons would be too small for your RV, or the hookups you want wouldn’t be available. At one time, that was true. But today, 26 U.S. Forest Service campgrounds with full hookups — most of them with 50-amp service — are scattered across the country.

It’s January, which means Doc and Laurie Scranton’s Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome is parked at Paradise Oaks RV Resort in Bushnell, Florida. The Scrantons, F219098, will spend much of the winter there, with Doc in a light shirt, shorts, and a pair of sandals most days.

As you’re reading this, my husband, Brandon, and I will be entering our fifth year as full-time RVers, with a few additional years under our belts as weekend campers. RVing has helped open up new worlds and new experiences to us. We’ve been able to go places we never would have visited while living in one spot, and to meet people we may never have seen. Traveling the country in our RV has highlighted three universal truths for us.

So, you’re new to RVing and have a lot to learn. Or maybe you’re a seasoned traveler, already having enjoyed oodles of adventures in your rolling home. Perhaps you’re somewhere in between. Regardless, FMCA’s upcoming international convention in Perry, Georgia, will include some seminar sessions you may conclude were designed especially for you.

The Antebellum Trail was created by Georgia Tourism to show travelers what life was like before the Civil War. Many towns along the route were untouched by the war’s destruction. The trail is roughly 100 miles long, from Macon to Athens; along the way is a mixture of lush countryside, casual travel, rich historic architecture, and Southern charm.

A guide to 2018-model-year vehicles that manufacturers have indicated can be recreationally towed behind a motorhome without significant modifications.

Read the latest News & Notes for December 2017!

Check out the latest RV Products for December 2017!

It’s common for FMCA chapter members to get out and explore the area where they’re holding a rally. The Oregon Trail Drivers members do that. But their state has so much to see: a beautiful ocean coastline; inspiring mountains; rushing rivers; quiet deserts; and a fertile valley full of farms.

 The Travlin Texans chapter received its FMCA charter on June 6, 1987. To commemorate the chapter’s 30th anniversary, members gathered October 3 through 6, 2017, for a rally at North Texas Airstream Community in Hillsboro, Texas.

The Over the Hills chapter held a rally September 20 to 24, 2017, at Sunset Lakes RV Resort in Hillsdale, Illinois, which is just east of the Quad Cities area. Members arrived in 17 motorhomes for the event.

The Northwestern chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary in the beautiful Yakima Valley of central Washington over the 2017 Labor Day weekend. A ring of forest fires in the mountains above the valley, along with eerie skies and unusual sunsets, did not hinder the festivities. Twenty-eight members and guests, along with 14 motorhomes, convened for the event, held at the Yakima Elks RV park in Selah, Washington. Kathie Balogh, FMCA national vice president, Northwest Area, presented the 50th anniversary award and certificate from FMCA.

This Canadian couple celebrated the motorhome lifestyle in grand style with their first full-length road trip.

Read the latest questions to the RV Doctor.