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Each year we review the participation of the FMCA membership in the various events that FMCA sponsors. FMCA’s leaders are always looking for ways to increase the number of members who participate in association activities.
Membership in FMCA now exceeds 129,000 families.

FMCA’s Executive Board and standing committees recently completed two weeks of May meetings in Cincinnati. It is amazing to see how well the elected officers and committee members from across North America gather and work with the Cincinnati staff to get our business completed.
We all arrive excited to see each other and eager to get to work on FMCA business.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, is more than the namesake of Winnie the bear, who was made famous in books by A.A. Milne and now is a popular Disney character.

Oregon has a major problem when it comes to offering scenic views: it has too many. A visitor can quickly go into panorama overload.
Where do you go? What do you see? Crater Lake? Mount Hood? Silver Falls? The Columbia River Gorge? (You can insert dozens more locales here.) What about the coastline? Even that can be a formidable exercise, for it’s not just “the coast.” It’s the North Coast, the Central Coast, and the South Coast.
The coast arguably may be the best choice.

This is the second installment in FMC’s three-part series highlighting the major diesel engine manufacturers — Caterpillar, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel — that supply power plants for the ever-growing type A diesel-pusher motorhome market.

Take the grandkids to New York City on their summer vacation? Some of our RVing friends questioned our sanity.
We’ll admit, the campground we stayed at wasn’t exactly in New York. Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Park is in Jersey City, New Jersey, but directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan.

A small child might use a simple word to describe southern Oregon’s Crater Lake: “blue.” Artists might portray the color as cobalt, sapphire, or indigo. Scientists might concentrate on the facts behind the brilliant shade.

Whether installed as original or aftermarket equipment, many motorhome accessories add to the quality of life on the road. One of the best examples is an RV patio awning.

A convenient way to keep the rubber gloves you use to empty the holding tanks handy and dry is to clip them together with a spring binder clamp. The clamped glove then can be hung from a screw placed into a wall or door of an outside storage or utilities compartment.

Mary Moppins Cleaning System offers Advantage, a waterless wash and protectant that does not contain petroleum distillates. According to product literature, Advantage works on a variety of surfaces, leaving them clean and protected.

Creative Mobile Interiors, C9705, a coach conversion company based in Grove City, Ohio, has successfully entered the type B coach conversion market with the Sprinter PLV (personal luxury vehicle).

The 21.6-foot motorhome is built on DaimlerChrysler’s Sprinter chassis, which is supplied through Freightliner Custom Chassis, C1905. It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz 2.7-liter turbocharged five-cylinder diesel engine that is said to deliver up to 27 mpg.
Like many other high-quality coach conversions, the Sprinter PLV can be equipped with a wide range of amenities depending on the owner’s preferences.

The Xtreme is the latest type B coach from Xplorer Motor Homes. Xplorer, founded in 1967 and located in Brown City, Michigan (a town that lays claim to being the birthplace of the modern motorhome), specializes in custom-built coaches.

For 2004, Tiffin Motorhomes has added an attractive new floor plan to its popular Allegro Bus line: the new 40 QDP. Built on a Freightliner XC-Series chassis, this very comfortable 40-foot diesel pusher boasts striking graphics, four roomy slideouts, and plenty of power.

Summer is closing in, making it less likely you’ll want to spend your time cooking in a steamy galley. Here are recipes to help you beat the heat by cooking quicker, cooking earlier in the day, cooking outdoors, or not cooking at all.
Beef And Mushroom Salad
To make this cold, beefy, main-dish salad, grill extra steak the day before or purchase deli roast beef.

The evolution of the computer age and the exploding scope of the Internet have changed the face of business and personal communications. A high percentage of RV travelers have computers, cell phones, and e-mail capability.

Want to step aboard a historic ship? Many can be toured as parts of museums or historic displays. These 13 sites are most interesting and accessible.

Lucky the full-timer who can say, “My way is the highway!” Still, life on the road presents its own unique challenges. Here is a harvest of news and tips for the happily houseless.
Death and taxes
Of all the reasons full-timers choose one “home” state over another, inheritance taxes are usually the least important.

With Father’s Day coming up on June 20, we decided to find out whether other animal species have fathers that deserve to be honored. Granted, we didn’t discover any other fathers reading bedtime stories or playing catch with their young.

Friendship, good company, and good times are just a few of the benefits that the Midwest Coachmen chapter offers. And with 112 member families and 39 years under its belt, its members must be doing something right.
This group is one of the first three chapters of FMCA, which all received their official charter on April 10, 1965.

Kaye Holbrook, L10271, passed away on April 5, 2004. An FMCA member since 1973, she served as the association’s national secretary from 1977 to 1981 and as national senior vice president from 1981 to 1982.

Q: I have heard that not operating your air-conditioning unit can cause its seals to dry out and leak. I am planning on storing my coach for the better part of a year or more.

Dear Editor:
As an FMCA member and an attorney, I have been asked by several of my fellow RVers about whether Florida residents need a Class D license to drive a motorhome. Some of my friends were concerned when they received mixed advice on driver’s license requirements for RVers.

The membership database for the Family Motor Coach Association is a complex collection of information. But it’s quite organized, and the file management was developed based upon members’ lifestyles.

Finding a site for FMCA’s international conventions is a very difficult task. It is challenging enough to find a facility that can accommodate our needs physically.

A fantastic array of entertainment awaits those who roll into Redmond, Oregon, for FMCA’s 72nd International Convention, August 16 through 19, 2004, at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. Members attending the “Cascade Mountain Magic” get-together will be treated to a musical voyage back to the 1960s where they’ll visit with a teen idol; party with legendary Las Vegas showroom stars; and gather for a relaxing sing-along with folk music pioneers.

Thousands of FMCA members will point their motorhomes in the direction of central Oregon this summer. They’ll be headed for fun at the association’s 72nd International Convention, to be held August 16, 17, 18, and 19 at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond.

The summer rally season is upon us! If you have not attended one of FMCA’s area rallies or international conventions during the warm-weather months or at any other time of year, you are missing out on some of the best experiences offered by the association.
If you have attended a rally or convention in the past, you likely have seen members of the Frustrated Maestros in our familiar “red and whites” performing music at various times during the event, but mainly during the breakfast hours. We hope you enjoy our music and, we promise, it is fun for us, too.
The original Frustrated Maestros chapter was founded by Bob Gobrecht, L14273, who attended his first FMCA international convention in Tampa, Florida, in 1978.

Beginning this month and continuing in the July and August issues, FMC will highlight each of the three major diesel engine manufacturers — Caterpillar, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel — that supply power plants for the ever-growing type A diesel-pusher motorhome market.

The 2004 election of FMCA National Officers will be held August 16, 2004, at FMCA’s 72nd International Convention in Redmond, Oregon.
This year’s Nominating Committee was elected by the Governing Board in accordance with FMCA Bylaws. Its members are Chairman Verne Roland, F73154; Billie Blythe, F70340; Leonard Davis, F158928; Bill Hohmann, F221258; Bruce Holcomb, F54442.
FMCA’s Nominating Committee has submitted its slate of candidates recommended for national office for the 2004-2005 term.
Although balloting is restricted to National Directors and National Officers, we invite all FMCA members to review the candidates’ resumes and to communicate their preferences to their respective National Director.

Central Oregon boasts snow-etched volcanoes, towering ponderosa pines, sterling lakes, wild and scenic rivers, picturesque waterfalls, pristine meadows, wilderness, lava flows, cinder cones, and high desert. And two central Oregon towns, Sisters and Bend, serve as bases of exploration for marvelous journeys into the Deschutes National Forest.
Each town is within an easy drive from Redmond, the site of FMCA’s “Cascade Mountain Magic” convention August 16, 17, 18, and 19.

When the blackout window shades in our motorhome do not keep out the light from lampposts we inevitably park next to at RV parks, I have an inexpensive, simple-to-use, and easy-to-store solution that is extremely effective.

The Abzorb Oil Mat from PCI Products Company is said to keep oil and fluids that leak from a vehicle from staining the garage floor or driveway. The gray-colored mats are available in three sizes: 3 feet square, 3 feet by 5 feet, and 3 feet by 8 feet.

Four Winds International, C7457, a division of Thor Industries, has announced that Ricky Carmichael, the 2003 champion of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Motocross Series and Supercross Series, has agreed to endorse the Mandalay type A diesel motorhome and the Fun Mover type C sport recreational vehicle.
Mr. Carmichael is the AMA’s all-time winningest driver in supercross and motocross racing.

Western RV has expanded its lineup of diesel-powered motor coaches for 2005 with an intriguing new addition: the 40FDQS, an Alpine Coach Limited Series floor plan with four slideouts. This motorhome measures 40 feet long and 102 inches wide for travel; when the slideouts are extended, the interior living area becomes almost 13 feet wide between the street-side and curbside walls.

Throughout the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to report several times in Family Motor Coaching magazine on the performance of type C motorhomes built by Chinook RV. In 1993, while road testing a Chinook Premier, I enjoyed exploring northwest Washington, which included a ferry trip across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, Washington, to Victoria, British Columbia.

Let’s combine light eating with light duty in the galley. These food ideas are attractive and tasty, as well as easy on the cook and the waistline.

Although some folks still do so, the days of lugging around two-by-fours to level a coach at a campsite are becoming a thing of the past. Over the last decade the technical advances in RV leveling systems have made the effort and process of leveling a home on wheels almost transparent.

One of the first surprises motorhomers experience during their initial day aboard a new coach usually doesn’t occur until the sun sets. Lighting, which is hardly noticed when you buy a motorhome at an outdoor lot or brightly lit showroom, may be all wrong for the routines of everyday living.
Think about all the different situations you may be in during a single day that rely on artificial light.

The World Series of Birding isn’t just a boast; it’s the name of an event. The New Jersey Audubon Society sponsors the competition, calling it “The country’s premier conservation event!” Now that’s a boast, but it’s hard to dispute.

Did you know that Wisconsin produces more than a third of the cheese made in the United States? Or that a good share of the state’s cheese comes from small, family-owned-and-operated factories? We’ve cruised through information about many such factories to find 13 that keep the welcome mat out for visitors. Of the ones covered in this column, some offer tours; all have observation windows so visitors can see those hardworking souls slave over a hot vat of cheese in the making.

The Youth Activities Committee is responsible for planning and overseeing the youth programs that take place at FMCA’s international conventions; planning the advertisements for these programs that appear in Family Motor Coaching prior to each event; and recruiting volunteers to help with the activities. During the summer convention the committee also oversees the election of TATS (Teen-Age Travelers) officers.
The committee receives its guidance from FMCA’s Policy and Procedure 2032, Youth Program.

The sunny state of Florida can lay claim to one of FMCA’s first chapters — the Roll’n Rebels, which was chartered in July 1968. Thirty-six years later, it’s still a strong group that stays active by rallying at least once a month, from September to May.
Roll’n Rebels rallies have a fairly regular structure.

The Converted Coaches of the Eastern Area chapter kicked off the 2004 new year with its annual “Bussin’” Rally in Arcadia, Florida. This event has seen continual growth, and this year’s rally was no exception, with 198 coaches in attendance.

Q: We updated our towable to a 2004 Chevy Tahoe LT with four-wheel drive. The owners manual states that the transfer case must be in “Neutral,” but says nothing about pulling a fuse.

Dear Editor:
Members of the FMCA Palm Beach Gold Coasters chapter are privileged to manage and maintain the entertainment tent for the Southeast Area Rally. Our duties require us to arrive at the rally site in Brooksville, Florida, at least three days in advance, and many of us arrive as much as two to four weeks early to assist with anything that is needed.
One of the major rally responsibilities includes unpacking and setting up the seats in the entertainment tent, maintaining seat areas for volunteers and special groups, and folding and recrating the seats, all according to fire and safety specifications.

Oval, goose-egg-shaped membership emblems have long been a part of FMCA’s history. New members of FMCA have been issued various types of coach plates over the years.
The first 10,000 members of FMCA were given cast-aluminum plates that had their membership number stamped on them in raised letters.

FMCA’s “Albuquerque Adventure” convention, which took place March 16, 17, and 18 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was all that we had hoped for and more.
It was a beautiful sight to see the Balloon Fiesta Park full of FMCA family motorhomes. Members of our Executive Board, advance crew, handicapped members, and approximately 1,000 new exhibitor coaches filled the EXPO New Mexico Fairgrounds.
God blessed us with chamber of commerce weather the entire time we were there, which permitted members to participate in and enjoy all the activities.

If you long to experience the “real” Old West, go back in time to explore dinosaurs and petroglyphs, soak in steaming thermal waters, or just enjoy beautiful scenery and old-fashioned hospitality, Thermopolis, Wyoming, is the perfect destination. We discovered this small Western town while on our way to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and immediately fell in love with it.
The winding highway into Thermopolis from the town of Shoshoni — U.S.

If you have been looking into kitchen remodeling or watching home-improvement shows such as “This Old House,” you know that the top-of-the-line kitchen countertop material is real granite. Not a composite made up of plastic and stone dust, but the real thing sliced off a block taken out of the ground.

Prostate cancer is a common problem. It is the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer.