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It is written that James A. Garfield may have been the best prepared candidate to seek the office of president of the United States.

While preparing for a trip some years back, my wife, Saraine, was driving our sport-utility vehicle to the grocery store to load up on supplies when she thought she smelled gasoline. When she jumped out and opened the hood to check, she discovered a fire in the engine compartment.
Having been a school bus driver for years, she had received fire safety training and knew exactly what to do.

My husband and I don’t rely on hand signals to help us park the motorhome. Instead, we use a pair of personal two-way radios.

The Quad-Loader from Hitch Things is described as a “revolutionary new way to haul an ATV.” It also is said to be ideal for hauling lawn tractors, golf carts, and even go-carts. The Quad-Loader features adjustable platform tracks to fit any width ATV; a powder-coated finish; lights; aluminum diamond-plate ramps; and a stowage compartment for the ramps.

Alfa Leisure Inc., C8898, of Ontario, California, which began building the See Ya motorhome three years ago, is now offering the See Ya Gold, an enhanced model offered in the same 40-foot long, dual-slideout floor plans that are available in the Alfa See Ya. The See Ya Gold incorporates many additional luxury items as standard equipment.
The See Ya Gold is powered by an 8.9-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine that develops 1,200 pound-feet of torque and yields 400 horsepower.

At FMCA’s 69th International Convention in Pomona, California, this past March, Ron Domiano and his grandson, Jeremy, were in the outdoor motorhome display area doing a land-office business. Ron and Jeremy operate Domiano’s RV of Stanton, California, one of several West Coast dealerships that sell Travel Supreme diesel-pusher motorhomes.

As thousands of motorhomers congregate at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, New York, for FMCA’s 70th International Convention July 18, 19, and 20, they’ll find plenty to see and do. Awaiting them will be hundreds of new motorhomes to inspect and test-drive; buildings filled with exhibitors displaying RV-related products and accessories to peruse and purchase; and many hours of great entertainment to enjoy.

You have to wonder how jellyfish got their name. These spineless creatures certainly aren’t fish.

This is a wonderful time of year to visit Canada’s national parks. For the most part, it’s much cooler in Canada than it is in southern latitudes of the United States.

Invite the campground neighbors over for an evening of conviviality and to enjoy these cool, carefree recipes.

As chairman of the Membership/Member Services Committee, I want to thank the other committee members for their assistance and for attending meetings with enthusiasm. Jim deBord, F16686S; Roger Merrill, F11560; Jim Moir, F102582; and Janet Stubbs, F107765, are the faithful folk who also serve on the committee with me.
The committee reviews and updates member benefits on a regular basis.

Only a few generations ago, a visit to see Grandma and Grandpa meant taking a trip to the farm. Today it can mean packing the children off to the campsite where their full-timer grandparents are living.

The Single Parent Travel Handbook by Brenda Elwell ($17.95, GlobalBrenda Publishing) is a hip and timely guide for full-timers who are parents, godparents, aunts, uncles, or grandparents.

Several years ago, Martin and Dottie Pierce, L57064, envisioned an annual rally that would be dedicated to fun, fellowship, and good-spirited competition. They planned the rally for early spring and called it “April Showers.” Since that first rally, FMCA members living or traveling in the Southeast have gathered for this special event each April.
This year, April Showers VII was held April 3, 4, and 5 at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park, C8404, in Crystal River, Florida.

Q: Full-timers we recently met told us that a good workable solution for the black water tank is to mix one cup of household bleach with four quarts of water and four aspirin. Have you heard of this solution working as well as the expensive stuff at campground stores?
Harold Breuninger, F307094
Aiken, South Carolina
A: Let me ask you a question: Did you step into their RV to “smell the roses”? If these full-timers were using their own solution, you would have found out very quickly whether it worked or not.

In the May 2003 issue, an individual was misidentified in a photo caption that accompanied the article “A California Dream Come True.” On page 99, 103-year-young Cleo Pryor attended FMCA’s 69th International Convention March 21, 22, and 23 as one of the guests of Ben and Marguerite Boyce, F59326.

This is the last in a series of columns that I have written about the benefits that are available to members of the Family Motor Coach Association. This month I’ll conclude my discussion by focusing on insurance, financial services, and additional benefits.

The last time I contributed to this column, in the April 2002 issue, I attempted to explain how the governance of FMCA works. You may recall that I also used a chart to help in the explanation.
This month I would like to expand on that theme, and try to develop for you a model of how FMCA’s committee system works.

Forty years ago this month, a small group of families banded together, as volunteers, to help each other in their common interest of owning and traveling in motorhomes, and their quest for mobile recreation. Thus was formed the Family Motor Coach Association.

Today’s fashion is tomorrow’s memory. Estates in the Hamptons on New York’s Long Island are coveted by the wealthy today.

You’ve packed up the kids or grandkids and are ready to set out on a journey in the comfort of your motorhome. The road ahead is filled with adventure, excitement, and new sites.

Like traveling by motorhome, shopping around at an FMCA convention is a great form of recreation. It’s exciting to find a brand-new coach or a small, appropriate gift for a friend.

July 20, 1963
26 families gather at the Hinckley School in Hinckley, Maine, to view a solar eclipse.

One of the earliest motorized vehicles equipped for camping was called the Touring Landau, built by the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company beginning in 1910. This chauffeur-driven luxury auto included such deluxe camping appointments as a folding washbasin attached to the back of the front seat; a holding tank for fresh water; a toilet (chamber pot-style — a predecessor to the portable potty) under one rear seat and a box containing a luncheon kit under the other side; storage boxes in place of the usual running boards; and a rear seat that could be folded down to make a bed.
These vehicles sold for $8,250 plus all accessories, at a time when the common Model T Ford could be purchased for well under $1,000.

A group of long, narrow lakes, shaped like the fingers of a hand, give west-central New York a character like no other. Most experts agree that there are 11 Finger Lakes in all, but most people traveling through the region will notice only the larger ones.

Forty years have elapsed since the Family Motor Coach Association was founded on July 21, 1963, in Hinckley, Maine. Today FMCA is an international organization boasting more than 126,000 member families.

Nowadays, nearly everyone behind the wheel of an automobile has taken a driver’s education course at some point in their lives. Instituted in high schools across the United States in the Fabulous ’50s, “driver’s ed” usually was conducted by an out-of-season sports coach in a car donated by a local auto dealership.

If interest in supplemental braking systems can be judged by the number of calls, letters, and e-mails received at the FMCA national office, this topic is on many motorhomers’ minds. Often folks simply ask, “What is the best system?” But, like the question “How big is a fish?”, there is no simple answer.

Hose storage ideaI like using a self-coiling water hose, but after awhile, it tends to stretch and tangle. To solve the problem, I purchased a length of 4-inch ABS plastic pipe and two end caps.

The StowAway2 Cargo Carrier mounts into standard 2-inch Class III and Class IV receivers to provide easily accessible additional cargo space. The 12.5-cubic-foot molded polymer shell is said to be highly impact-resistant and offers a carrying capacity of 200 pounds.
Features of the StowAway2 include an automotive-grade weather seal, a built-in lock, and even a drain plug for easy cleanup after carrying messy loads.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees nearly 12 million acres of land and water at 460 lakes across the United States, and volunteers play an important role in protecting the natural resources and maintaining recreation areas.

Some still call them blue highways — the back roads that connect the interstates, U.S. routes, and scenic spots.

Amid small villages and farmland in western New York, the Genesee River rolls northward on its way to Lake Ontario. The journey it takes is more dramatic than most, as it spills over 24 waterfalls while passing through Letchworth State Park.
The park, approximately 54 miles east of Buffalo, will make a fine stop for FMCA members on their way to or from the association’s 70th International Convention at the Erie County Fairgrounds this July.

Parking for FMCA’s 70th International Convention will commence on Tuesday, July 15, at 7 a.m. Please display your admittance card on the front windshield, lower left-hand corner of the passenger side.

Two hundred years ago, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly acquired  Louisiana Purchase territory. To recognize the importance of the expedition, an elaborate bicentennial to commemorate the journey is under way that will follow the adventurers’ route as closely as possible.

If your full-timing companion is not related to you by blood, marriage, or a legal arrangement such as adoption, you could be cruising toward trouble. There are many advantages to having a traveling partner, but things can unravel quickly if you break up or if one of you has financial, legal, or medical problems.
Picture these real-life scenarios:
·  You don’t want to marry your boyfriend, because you’d lose your late husband’s $600-a-month pension.

Fellow birder, writer, and valued friend Jack Wilburn once said, “There is no bird more majestic than the golden eagle.” To that we say, “Amen.” These birds are enormous yet graceful, royal in appearance yet fierce when snatching a meal.

Here are some sunny, delicious recipes that are galley tested for ease, appealing looks, and great taste.
Sunrise French Toast
This recipe from Sunkist Growers turns everyday French toast into a fruity banquet. Make your favorite French toast recipe, adding a tablespoon of freshly grated grapefruit zest to the milk-egg mixture.

Among the elements of the governance of Family Motor Coach Association are the Constitution, the Bylaws, and the Policies and Procedures (P&Ps). Each document is unique, but each also has a place in the hierarchy and management of the association.

A group of Christian FMCA members is incorporating their love of travel with their spiritual journeys through life by participating in the Coaches For Christ chapter. Daily morning devotions seem to be the basis for the chapter’s nondenominational rallies, for they’re filled with lively music, inspiring testimonials, and of course, much prayer.
According to Ginger Painter, F23514, chapter president and former International Area vice president, the chapter’s morning devotions are the perfect setting for “getting the relief to people who are frustrated and upset, and [so they can] get to just sit for 45 minutes and forget the turmoil in their lives.” But it’s also about just having a place where people can worship God in a Christian atmosphere, she said.

The 2003 Rocky Mountain Ramble, dubbed the “Cactus Caper,” was held February 18 through 21 at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona. Although the area has hosted an annual rally for 20 years, this is only the second Ramble hosted by the recently formed Rocky Mountain Motor Coach Association (RMMA) and was, by all accounts, a huge success.
The Cactus Caper was not only fun for all who attended, but it was executed without a hitch thanks to the efforts of the 19 captains and 425 volunteers from RMMA’s 30 chapters.

Q: Thanks for publishing the ice maker article by Bill Hendrix in the March 2003 issue (page 68). I would like to know how one can make, or get, clear ice cubes from the ice maker.

The telephone number for Remco Manufacturing given in the April 2003 “Technical Inquiries” column (“Towing A PT Cruiser,” page 30) was incorrect. The correct phone number is (800) 228-2481.

Last month I discussed the benefits of FMCA’s information exchange and travel services. This month I’ll complete the travel services category and discuss two more favorite types of FMCA member benefits — discounts and events.

In March 2000 at the FMCA convention in Pomona, California, I promised the members of the Nominating Committee that if I was elected FMCA’s national secretary, I would serve all three years allowed by the FMCA Bylaws. To King deBord, F16686, who was chairman of the committee then, and to the other members of that committee, I can say I have kept my promise.

When a motorhome owner joins FMCA, one of the things he or she agrees to do is to abide by the FMCA Member Code of Ethics and other rules and standards of the organization, which, as noted in the lead-in to the code, “represent all our endeavors to be good neighbors, careful and responsible coach owners and operators, and good citizens of our communities.” When revising the FMCA Bylaws, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee chose to fashion a more concise Code of Ethics for inclusion therein. The new Code of Ethics appeared in last month’s issue of the magazine as part of the revised Bylaws, but since the document is relatively short, I thought I would repeat most of the verbiage here for the sake of this month’s discussion about courtesy, consideration, and good manners.
The Code of Ethics notes that:
“Consistent adherence to the FMCA Member Code of Ethics is desired and required of every member, in order that the actions of all members may reflect favorably upon each other and upon FMCA; and thereby earn the confidence and respect of the public and its acceptance of FMCA and all its members.
FMCA Member Personal Responsibilities:

• Respect the rights and privacy of other members and coach owners on and off the highways.
• Comply with all Federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the ownership and use of family motor coaches.
• Obtain permission to remain overnight, in a shopping center parking lot or on other private property, from the owner or responsible party of the property.
• Comply with all rules of National, state, municipal, and private facilities in which a member stays.
• Last but not least, members should not lose sight of the fact that there is a universal guideline known as the Golden Rule that directs all proper endeavors.

Therefore, recognizing that the public will judge all family motor coach owners by their individual actions, all members of FMCA, as well as its employed personnel, are enjoined to honor and comply with the FMCA Member Code of Ethics.”
For the most part, FMCA members are among the most courteous and well-mannered folks to be found.

This project serves a dual purpose — enhancing the monument that commemorates FMCA’s founding in 1963 in Hinckley, Maine, and helping children in need.
Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls in Hinckley, Maine, is now launching the second phase of the FMCA commemorative walkway project. The fund-raising effort, first announced in August 2000, offers individual FMCA members and chapters the opportunity to improve children’s lives while creating a lasting tribute to FMCA.
Each day, as thousands drive by Good Will-Hinckley and as the 150 youth who call Good Will-Hinckley home walk to lunch, they are greeted by a beautiful monument erected and supported by FMCA members.

Rexhall Industries Inc. entered the motorhome manufacturing scene in 1986 and very quickly established a niche in the RV industry.

The village of LeRoy, New York, boasts tree-lined streets, classic Victorian homes, and the distinction of being the birthplace of America’s most famous dessert.
It’s easy to find your way around — and to — this small town, which is 60 minutes east of the Buffalo/Niagara region. Simply travel along Interstate 90, the New York State Thruway; take exit 47; and travel south a few miles.
Our first stop was a coffee shop on Main Street where excellent pastries are served.

As we prepare to celebrate FMCA’s 40th anniversary, we can’t help but think back to the association’s early years and how it has evolved. During our 12 years of involvement in FMCA, we have had numerous occasions to talk with many longtime members.

Everyone will be assigned a day and time of admittance based on the date their registration is received at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati. All registrations will be divided equally over a three-day period.