January 2016

From 2009 to 2013, an average of 5,540 fires a year involved motorhomes and other recreational vehicles, according to estimates provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). On average, those fires killed 36 people and injured 135 annually.

A preview of the comedy and music on tap at FMCA’s 93rd Family Reunion in March.

Visitors to Savannah, Georgia, encounter Southern-style warmth and hospitality, akin to spending time with an old friend. The distinctive moss-draped trees, antebellum homes, and horse-drawn carriages help to give one the relaxed and comfortable impression that there’s no rush here.

Warmth will always make Florida a popular state for RVers in winter. But which Florida town is best for exploration? St. Augustine gets my vote for the best merger of beaches and fascinating history.

The glories of desert treasure described by famed environmentalist Edward Abbey in his 1968 book are part of the reason Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is worthy of exploration.

This list of tourism offices in the United States and Canada was accurate as of November 2015.

First, I want to thank FMCA national senior vice president Jon Walker for giving me a month off by writing the December “President’s Message.” My biggest regret is that I was not there to see him fall out of the kayak three times. I know his grandsons really enjoyed watching him get dunked!

A first-grader watches a commercial on the Food Network and calls to his mom to come watch it, too. This isn’t your typical commercial that would appeal to a soon to be 6-year-old boy. It’s not about a toy or about a reality TV show. This commercial is about childhood hunger and a call to action for donations to help feed hungry children.

Heating Vent Cover

While attending a large FMCA rally in northern Colorado in the summer of 1999, a group of RVers from the Colorado Springs and Monument areas met and decided to form a small, more intimate chapter closer to home. They called it the Pikes Peak Rollers.

The Friendship chapter can trace its beginnings to a question, one that a number of people were asking in the early 2000s: Why not hold a rally for the West Region of the Southeast Area? 

In September 2015, 30 members of the NorCal Rex RV Club gathered at Casa de Fruta RV Park in Hollister, California, to celebrate the chapter’s 15th anniversary. 

With a new year come new opportunities to explore new places and meet new people. As I write this, our motorhome sits in the driveway of our Michigan home. But I keep glancing out at it, chomping at the bit to hit the road.