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Selling your motorhome isn’t all that different from selling your house. Outside of landscaping and a garage, possibly a basement, and maybe an attic, your coach is like a small home.

Back in the dim recesses of history, when I was a boy, the future was big news. Buck Rogers’ sci-fi movies and the new series “Captain Video” were regular Saturday morning staples on television.

eBay is the world’s biggest yard sale, swap meet, and treasure hunt all rolled into one. If you have a computer, you’ve probably visited it already, simply for curiosity’s sake.

Imagine driving your motorhome to a tropical country. Envision yourself swimming over coral reefs and riding horses through a mahogany jungle.

In 1940 Huntsville, Alabama, was a city that seemed devoted to an agricultural and simple way of life. Its population was 13,000.

Opening and closing the drapes in the motorhome’s cab area each day can become a real pain. So we bought a plain extending curtain rod, sawed off the ends, and placed large suction cups on each end.

Weather Channel Stormtracker VEC191 weather alert radioThe Weather Channel Stormtracker VEC191 weather alert radio from Vector Products Inc. can keep you informed of impending severe weather conditions wherever you travel.
The VEC191 provides public broadcasts of all-hazard emergency alerts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Coach-Net, C4055, based in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, awarded Henry and Erika St. Jean, F99337, of Clearwater, Florida, $1,000 worth of free fuel from Flying J as the winners of Coach-Net’s second “Fueling the Passion” sweepstakes during FMCA’s 76th International Convention in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, this past August.
“Erika and I have owned several motorhomes over the past 20 years, traveling through this beautiful country and Canada,” said Mr.

There’s something about traveling through East Texas that makes you feel as though you’re coming home. Maybe it’s the sweet tea at McDonald’s or the crepe myrtle in the center divider of the highway.

For many RVers it’s time to head south to follow the sun, while others love the crisp cold and mild flurries of early winter camping. Here are some roadworthy recipes to warm your galley.
Apple Stuffing
Heat this stuffing in ramekins or in edible bowls, such as red or green pepper halves.

This is a terrific time of the year to visit southeast Arizona. You’re likely to have good weather, and encounter fewer tourists.

Whenever we aren’t on the road, our “window” on nature is often the sliding glass door at home. We set up our office so that we both have an easy view of the “back forty,” where we often get four-legged visitors.
Earlier this year, Lowell caught some motion out of the corner of his eye.

With Thanksgiving coming up later this month, consider this column a cornucopia of reminders, news, and views for those on the go.
One more time
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C., more than 100,000 fires each year are associated with cooking equipment, many from burners left unattended.

Bans on parking anywhere except in licensed campgrounds. Owners’ rights to park on their property weighted against neighbors’ concerns about safety and aesthetics.

Owners of Winnebago or Itasca brand motorhomes (or owners of other brands who are simply interested in the group) now can join fellow enthusiasts in a relatively new chapter in the Northwest Area of FMCA.
The Win It NW chapter gets together for social reasons and to share technical information about these particular brands of motorhomes. It was formed during the Northwest Area Rally this past June in Albany, Oregon.
Since that first meeting, chapter members have spent time enjoying each other’s company in a variety of ways.

Former Western Area vice president George Rogers, F103097, passed away on August 21, 2006, at the age of 83 after a lengthy battle with cancer and heart disease. He died peacefully at his home at the Anaheim Hills Club in Anaheim Hills, California, with his wife of 65 years, Ann, and his family by his side.
The Rogerses began motorhoming in 1978, but didn’t discover FMCA until 1988 when George picked up a copy of Family Motor Coaching magazine at his doctor’s office.

Dear RV Doctor:
I need to install a pod on my Coachmen type C motorhome. I’m very limited in storage space (like none at all).

In the August 2006 “Tech Talk” column, it was reported that Mr. Louis King of Decelomatic Corporation had passed away and his company was no longer in business.

Dear Editor:
In December 2005 we bought a 40-foot Newmar diesel pusher with four slideouts. We love the coach.

FMCA has not sent out a mailing to the entire membership for many years. With more than 120,000 member families today, it would be costly to do so.

FMCA’s Convention Department director Jerry Yeatts, two other staff members, and selected members of the Convention Committee just returned from our planning visit to the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, Georgia. This was our final visit before the 77th FMCA International Convention, which will be held March 19 through 22, 2007.
I am glad to report that the grounds have been greatly improved since FMCA held its last convention there in 2005.

On August 14, 2006, the Governing Board of FMCA approved the following Bylaws Amendments, as noted in bold type, in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina. Per Article XX, Paragraph 3 of the FMCA Bylaws: Proposals to amend the FMCA Bylaws shall be adopted by a 65% affirmative vote of all votes cast by the Governing Board.

Article VIII, Paragraph 4 – Executive Board
This article was amended to read:
(4) Any voting FMCA member, other than a member who is employed by or holds a management interest in an RV-related association or company, is eligible for election to the Executive Board.

It’s a rare person who doesn’t find the sea and sand tempting, especially during the cold months up north. While Alabama’s shoreline may not be the first place that pops to mind when planning a winter getaway, don’t overlook it.
But what about the devastating consequences of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf coast? You might assume that Alabama’s coast was adversely affected, too.

You can learn so much more about a town just by driving around its downtown area. In the snowbird town of Mesa, Arizona, all you need to do is observe the street signs, and you begin to learn its history.

After nine years of traveling the country in our motorhome, I was beginning to feel like a migrant couch potato. Once I discovered Nordic walking, a flexible exercise routine that I can easily fit in while traveling, I turned the corner on losing weight and started feeling more energized.
I was walking for exercise before, but now I am walking smarter, not harder.

Global positioning system (GPS) technology can be called rocket science, and, in fact, it really is. Currently 24 GPS satellites are orbiting the earth at an altitude of approximately 12,000 miles.

To help keep the sewer hose connection in place, I created this stabilizer using 1½-inch PVC pieces. The unit is simple to use, easy to make, and inexpensive.

Bark’n Boots Grip Trex dog bootsMotorhomers who appreciate the companionship of their dog during outdoor adventures can help make the pet’s experience safer and more enjoyable with Bark’n Boots Grip Trex dog boots from Ruff Wear.
The boots feature upper design and construction that are said to maintain a consistent size, shape, and fit to assure that the boots stay on the dog’s paws for continued comfort. The soles are made of high-performance Vibram material with omnidirectional treads and traction zones customized for the demanding needs of active dogs.

Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly CasinosThe second edition of Jane Kenny’s Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos ($16.95, Roundabout Publications) is now available for those who like to combine their love of RV travel with the thrill of casino gaming. The 272-page book includes hundreds of RV-friendly casinos throughout the United States that either provide a campground as part of their facility or allow free overnight parking.
Many of today’s new casino campgrounds provide RVers with upscale, modern facilities along with the restaurants, pools/spa, golf, and gaming typically found at casinos.

The name “Impulse” conveys excitement and spontaneity, a perfect way to describe a motorhome and the adventures it offers. At the same time, this breezy moniker belies the engineering, effort, and forethought that designers at Winnebago Industries have put into the company’s new Itasca Impulse product line, one that opens up the RV lifestyle to many.

Pumpkin Flan
This is my adaptation of a recipe from Milagros Collazo, chef at the award-winning Ristorante Tuscany in the San Juan Marriot Resort on the Condado beach in Puerto Rico. It works beautifully with acorn squash, which goes from oven to table.

A popular limerick titled “The Pelican,” which most agree originally was penned by Dixon Lanier Merritt, begins “A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill will hold more than his belican…”
We had just begun our years of full-time travel when we spotted our first real, live pelican.

Judith Babcock Wylie, author of Best Places Destinations: Central California Coast (Sasquatch Books, $14.95), notes in her book, “We are constantly surprised by how many stores, companies, and agencies offer senior discounts if you ask!”

Remember that old song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”? It’s easy to lose your heart in and around the City by the Bay. Here are a few of our favorite ways to do so.

In the spring of 1997, less than a year after its introduction by Fleetwood, the Discovery was reportedly the best-selling type A diesel motorhome in the United States. Numerous FMCA members were among those who bought this popular coach, and soon many realized it was time to form a group of their own.

Former Western Area vice president Bill Walker, F56746, passed away on July 21, 2006, at the age of 77 after a lengthy battle with lung disease. Bill died in Billings, Montana, while traveling with his wife, Kay.

Dear RV Doctor:
In one of your articles on holding tank probes you offered the idea of using “well nuts” by drilling a 3/8-inch hole. Great article, by the way.

Q: I recently began to notice stickers on the diesel fuel pumps warning that 2007 and later models cannot use the fuel without damaging their engines. So what do you do if you have a 2007 diesel? Do you have to get special fuel at special pumps? If all the pumps are changed to new fuel, will it work in older models? (Sounds like the old leaded-unleaded conversion.)
Roy C.

Page 126 of the August 2006 issue incorrectly contained an advertisement for the 2005 Rocky Mountain Ramble. The 2006 Ramble takes place this month, October 11 through 14, at the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, this past August.
I am pleased to share with you an update on the Family Motor Coach Association and activities that have been occurring related to its operation since we last met.
Industry/FMCA Update
While recreation vehicle manufacturers’ shipment of all units to retailers in 2005 increased 3.9 percent over 2004, shipments of motorhomes in 2005 declined 14.5 percent compared to 2004.

Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was the location for FMCA’s 76th International Convention this past August. And as we usually do at summer conventions, we conducted FMCA business during meetings that took place before and during the event.
We held the annual Governing Board meeting on Monday, August 14, at West Cabarrus Church, located near Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the convention site.

Cooperstown, New York — population 2,000 or so — lies deep in a valley among the rolling hills of the Catskill Mountains. In October, when the sun’s rays slant through colorful leaves, strolling down tree-lined streets is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

FMCA’s 76th International Convention, held August 14 through 18 in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was attended by 81 youth who participated in activities at the FMCA Youth Center, on the grounds of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, our convention site. The age breakdown of the youngsters was as follows: five TOTS (ages 3 to 5), 18 TWEENS (ages 6 to 9), 24 PRE-TEENS (ages 10 to 12), and 34 TATS (ages 13 to 18).
Youth events started off on Monday, August 14, from 5:00 p.m.

FMCA’s Executive Board is made up of four nationally elected officers — the national president, senior vice president, secretary, and treasurer — and the 10 national area vice presidents, who are elected by their respective areas. (The immediate past national president also serves as a non-voting member.) As a result of changes in the FMCA Bylaws that instituted two-year terms, only five areas held a national vice president election this year.

Utah boasts numerous jewels of parks that string together nicely on an RV tour across the southern half of the state. Gem tones range from amber to amethyst with abundant fiery ruby throughout.

When Union Electric Company finished constructing Bagnell Dam in 1931 to create the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, few people would have envisioned it as the popular Midwestern family getaway it has become. Tourism didn’t exist as an industry in this region, and during the Depression few people had the time or opportunity to travel for leisure.

There are 56 different varieties of chicken soup at the grocery store; Alpo boasts 43 different flavors of dog food (none with the word “cat” in it); and my TV remote has a grand total of 70 tiny, illegible buttons on it. The last bastion of simplicity seemed to be the lowly radio — our one solace in a world that has given us more choices but has grown infinitely more complicated because of it.

For four days in mid-August, RVers assembled their motorhomes on the storied grounds of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, to participate in FMCA’s “Fast Track To Fun” convention. This conclave, the association’s 76th International Convention, attracted a total of 4,158 motorhomes: 3,105 family coaches and 1,053 exhibitor coaches.

Trucker’s AtlasMost RV trips begin with careful planning. Even so, some of us with motorhomes whose height exceeds 13 feet take detours on country and state highways without thinking about low clearances.

90-degree-bend tire pressure gaugeThe 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge from Wheel Masters Inc. is said to help folks access hard-to-reach tire valves to properly check air pressure.
According to product literature, the gauge is constructed of durable stainless steel, has an easy-to-read indicator, and measures in 2-pound increments from 10 to 160 psi.
The 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $23.90.
For more information, contact:
Wheel Masters Inc.
12307 N.E.