September 2015
Motorhome travelers who are familiar with the American heartland know that the town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, is more than auto races at the famous Road America track. It’s also a region of leafy campgrounds, hiking trails, fishing spots, and sight-seeing opportunities, as well as a cornucopia of fresh produce, craft beers, artisan cheeses, German wursts, and ice wine.
Part of the pleasure of RV travel is discovering not just wilderness and beautiful roads but cities as well. The latter may require a towed car to visit, as Spokane does, but they can yield great sights and activities. Washington’s second-largest city is filled with gardens, walkways, art, and nostalgia.
New technology such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels that convert the sun’s energy to power for RVs is returning the RV lifestyle to its original intent, giving RVers a whole new world to once again explore.
A motorhome is somewhat self-sufficient. It carries fresh water and hauls holding tanks that capture gray water from the sinks and black water from the toilet. The RV’s tank monitoring system is designed to indicate how much fresh water remains and how much room is left in the holding tanks.
Triple E Introduces Innovative Seating Plan
Triple E Recreational Vehicles, the Manitoba, Canada-based manufacturer of Leisure Travel Vans, marks its 50th year in business in 2015. The company recently unveiled a redesigned seating option for the 2016 Unity Murphy Bed (U24MB) floor plan. The patent-pending Leisure Lounge Plus is the work of Italian designer Angelo Natuzzi.
Checking the tires each morning while they’re cold is a good practice, but it doesn’t offer protection against a loss of pressure while driving. For that, a tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS, is needed.
Route 66 Shirt
U.S. Route 66 — also known as Main Street of America, Will Rogers Highway, and the Mother Road — holds a revered place in American culture. We can’t guarantee you’ll be revered when you wear a Route 66 Landmarks shirt, but we’re pretty sure you will be noticed.
Since 2012, annual fundraisers organized by the Rocky Mountain Country Coachers chapter have reaped $42,000 in donations for New Life Center, a domestic violence shelter in Goodyear, Arizona.
How do you make GLAMARAMA 2015 better than GLAMARAMA 2014? Start with a great base of volunteer leaders. Add a mix of new and returning volunteers. And then, demonstrate the importance of saying “thank you” to each rally attendee.
RVers gathered May 14-17, 2015, at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio, to celebrate those 50 years of fellowship, food, and fun.
Inverter Addition
Sometimes we dry camp, and typically the campground generator hours are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. My wife sleeps with a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea, so I installed a 375-watt inverter to supply power from the coach batteries.
Oven Won’t Shut Off
Dear RV Doctor:
We have a 2001 Holiday Rambler. The stove is the original Atwood Wedgewood, which measures approximately 20 inches wide by 18 1/2 inches deep. When the oven reaches the set temperature, it does not stop or shut off; it just continues heating.
The following companies have recalls delineated in this month's Recall Corner: Airstream Inc., Entegra Coach, Newmar Corporation.
Tire Inflation
I have a 2004 National RV Tropi-Cal Type A motorhome. A NHTSA recall of model-year 2004 and 2005 National RV motorhomes stated: “On certain motorhomes, depending on the floor plan configuration and options, the actual weight on the rear passenger-side tires could exceed the tire capacity for those tires at the current cold inflation pressure setting.”
Home, Sweet Home
Dear Editor:
Last year we became RV owners. Before we committed, we did lots of research and attended many shows. We saw those decorative signs RVers display that say “Home is where you park your RV” and thought those must be for full-timers.
I am not the most coordinated individual. As part of a warm-up exercise prior to running, our training group balances on each foot for a certain amount of time, normally under one minute, in order to help strengthen the stabilizing muscles in the foot, ankle, and hip.
Since my last column, Gloria and I got to spend three weeks up in Petoskey, Michigan, on our lot at Hearthside Grove. We both needed the downtime. I walked a lot, ate a lot, and spent a lot of time sleeping. What a relaxing three weeks!
Destinations attractive to inveterate travelers come in many forms. Perhaps it’s a majestic peak, or a beautiful alpine lake, or a seemingly endless expanse of forest. My preference is for places that help to explain how the world as we know it came to be. Lassen Volcanic National Park is such a place.
Where's the best place to view the night sky when you're camping?
Here’s a short geography quiz: What lies northwest of Knoxville, Tennessee, and often gets forgotten by tourists in favor of the Great Smoky Mountains? No fair checking the map. Give up? It’s a scenic region of Tennessee called the Upper Cumberland.