September 2003

The musical advice to “Climb Every Mountain” is an appropriate suggestion for those visiting the part of south-central Idaho known as the “American Alps.” Travelers who explore this region and the surrounding countryside will have lasting memories of beautiful, varied scenery; interesting sights; and fun activities.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll begin the journey right off of Interstate 84 in the town of Twin Falls, in south-central Idaho, and then head north from there. Twin Falls is located in the “Magic Valley,” a land of high desert that is irrigated by the Snake River.

It’s pleasing to the eye, elegantly appointed, and its cavernous interior reflects the maximum amount of livability that can be coaxed from a triple-slideout motorhome. It’s the 2004 Navigator.
Holiday Rambler, a division of Monaco Coach Corporation, is celebrating 50 years in the RV industry by offering the quintessential luxury motorhome.

With winter approaching, many FMCA members are planning to follow the sun to warmer zones. Quartzsite, Arizona, is high on the list of snowbird roosts, attracting thousands of RVers each year.

Barker Manufacturing has added two models to its line of Tote-Along portable gray- and black-water holding tanks. The 16-gallon 4-Wheeler Tote-Along measures 11.5 inches high, 17 inches wide, and 37 inches long and weighs 25 pounds empty.

An easy way to minimize wrinkles in the bottom bed sheet in the motorhome is to use worker-type stretchy suspenders, which are available at most home supply or hardware stores. The suspenders generally are at least 2 inches wide and come with heavy-duty, 1/2-inch metal clips.
To begin, place the suspenders on top of the mattress and equally adjust each side of the suspenders to approximately two-thirds of the width of the bed.

In 1933 when the Broadway musical Forty-Second Street and the song “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” made their debut, few could have imagined the transportation that FMCA convention attendees recently used to “Shuffle Off To Buffalo.” In mid-July 2003, more than 3,800 families climbed aboard their high-tech homes on wheels and made tracks to the Buffalo Niagara region for FMCA’s 70th International Convention, dubbed “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” in honor of the host area. A total of 4,791 motorhomes gathered for the event in western New York.

According to John Anderson, who founded the Recreation Vehicle Safety Education Foundation (RVSEF) and served as its executive director until he retired this past July, tires probably are the most vulnerable component on an RV relative to weight and overload issues. They also tend to be the most overlooked.

In a dell surrounded by the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky’s Renfro Valley Entertainment Center offers a touch of Americana that time may have forgotten but old-time country music fans love to remember.
Sixty-four years ago, a radio program called the Renfro Valley Barn Dance first originated from this gentle glen. Men, some wearing overalls and plaid shirts, and women, clad in calico dresses and cotton stockings, performed on a stage inside a barn.

Hello. First of all I would like to thank all of the youth for allowing me to serve a third year as president of the TATS.

It was 1953. Songs topping “Your Hit Parade” included “Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes” by Perry Como and “I’ve Got The World On A String” by Frank Sinatra.

Here are some tips and tidbits to help full-timers earn, save, or spend money more wisely.

Enabling the disabled
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits but want to earn supplemental income that still allows you to keep receiving full disability, call Maximus Inc. (866-968-7842).

Your motorhome sits in the driveway, ready to go. Everything’s packed, including Rover’s favorite dog biscuits, or Fluffy’s cat toys.

Writing this column is the last of my duties as FMCA president. At the 70th International Convention in Buffalo, New York, on July 17, the Governing Board elected new FMCA officers for the 2003-2004 term: R.G.

The telephone number listed for Wiper Buddy in the July 2003 “Technical Inquiries” column (page 28) was incorrect. The correct phone number is (972) 272-8528.

FMC regrets this error.

Q: I am puzzled! When not traveling, we keep our Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser in our garage. I came home the other day and found the LP-gas detector beeping.

On November 7, 1994, the Midweek Wanderers received their charter to become a chapter of Family Motor Coach Association. Currently the chapter has 37 member families, who live within the chapter’s geographical scope of Ventura County, California.

Every now and then, on warm Nevada mornings, Rosalie Hart, F108669, would read a newsletter out loud over coffee as her husband, Douglas, listened and relaxed after a tiring 24-hour shift at the fire station. If you could peer through a window into their kitchen and look over Rosalie’s shoulder, you’d see “Vegas Vagabonds” printed in large letters across the top of the page.

As we sat in the garage searching through a box labeled “Shenandoah Valley Memories,” thoughts of that beautiful valley made us long to return. We enjoyed our first visit there, and after rereading those stored materials, we’re pining to return to this part of northwestern Virginia.

People feel uncomfortable when they’re being followed, but cows don’t seem to mind. If one of them turns around and sees a chicken-size bird following in its tracks, it gives a bovine shrug and continues eating.

These recipes cut corners in clever ways. Try them on your next motorhome trip and you’ll save time, cooking fuel, and dish washing.