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The “suckling elephant” emerged from the portable Cajun microwave as crispy-brown and juicy as though it had spent the day roasting in the kitchen of a five-star gourmet restaurant. Instead it was cooked in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, parking lot.

Back in July 1980, Family Motor Coach Association put down stakes at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul for its 17th Annual Summer Convention, the “Twin Cities Jamboree.” Twenty-eight years and 57 conventions later, FMCA returned to the same venue …

This area west of Indianapolis, Indiana, celebrates its many covered bridges during an annual festival each October, but visitors can enjoy these historic structures year-round.

Have you already double-checked your team’s game schedule for the upcoming season? Already found yourself planning which foods to grill, and contemplating where you’ll set up at the parking lot? If so, you’re probably a motorhomer who uses your coach for the fine purpose of tailgating.

FMCA’s Youth Program once again was a huge success with all of the children and their parents who attended the “Navigate To The North Star State” convention.

The Web is a marketplace of commerce and personal gain, but free stuff is still available. Unfortunately, some of the free material offered online is a scam, so you need to be informed …

This month’s magazine contains a report about FMCA’s 80th International Convention, which took place July 14 through 17 in St. Paul, Minnesota (“Minnesota Memories”). Based on reports I received from the FMCA members I talked with at the convention, the event was an overwhelming success.

Vacuum Lack

My vehicle is a 1981 Tioga powered by a Chevy 350 5.7-liter engine with a carburetor. The vacuum storage for the air vent controls seems to bleed out of the accumulator canister when on long grades, and especially at high altitudes.

Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. has announced NHTSA recall 08V292000, which affects certain 2008 and 2009 model year American Allegiance, American Eagle, American Heritage, American Tradition, Bounder, Bounder Diesel, Discovery …

In Or Out?

Dear RV Doctor:
As I drive about I keep noticing RVs stored in driveways and yards with the slideouts open. Is this the preferred or correct way to store an RV for extended periods?

Trash Protection

After emptying the wastebaskets in the galley and bathroom, I put a magazine or folded up newspaper in the bottoms of the new bags going into these cans. This prevents trash from …

“The 50’s Are Great” was the theme of this year’s Great Lakes Area Spring Spree, also known as the G.L.A.S.S. Rally, held May 22 through 25 at the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Soda shops, jukeboxes, poodle skirts, strawberry malts, tin roof sundaes, and rock ‘n roll …

Storage Organizers

StowMate has added a new stylish “linen” look to its line of StiknStow soft storage organizers specifically designed for RV and household use.

Go RVing Goes Interactive

Recognizing the changing communications climate, Go RVing has launched itself into the social media universe, engaging the consumer interactively with a new blog and games on GoRVing.com, plus content on popular Web sites including Facebook and Yahoo’s instant messaging.

I would like to introduce to you the members who have served this past year with me on the Long-Range & Development Committee. They are Charles Powell, F191230, from the Great Lakes Area …

Trails usually bring to mind hiking boots and a walking stick, but paved driving trails require a vehicle. The ones described here are a delightful variety. Some are long while others are quite short, but they all go to spectacular places, both natural and historical.

One one of our favorite walks, the slightest breeze brings the sounds of a flowing mountain spring. But thirsty as we may be, we don’t bother looking for moving water. It’s actually the sound of quaking aspen leaves fluttering in the breeze.

Travel is at its best in fall, when side roads take on shades of gold and crimson and farmers hang out shingles proclaiming “Fresh Produce” or “Apples by the Bushel.” In most cases a pleasant human encounter goes with the purchase of fruits and vegetables freshly picked …

Several years ago, when we road-tested the brand-new Dynamax Grand Sport motorhome, we often noted admiring looks directed its way. One gentleman standing on a street corner stared at the coach, then at us, then gave us a grinning “thumbs up.”

Converter Box Coupon Program Update

Dear Editor:
My wife and I are full-time RVers. With the coming switch to digital TV, I applied for the coupons for the converters. The original request was denied, so I followed the appeal process and explained that …

Does your motorhome have a nickname, and how did it come about?

RVers just beginning their adventures and longtime coach owners will equally be intrigued by this gas-powered Type A that boasts an entry-level price point.

Get ready for the changeover to digital broadcasting by mounting a new television set in your motorhome.

A portion of an FMCA member couple’s journey in China was spent dreaming of — and driving toward — the perfect city featured in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Michigan’s Whitefish Point is the only museum of its kind. But it doesn’t just focus on tragedy — it tells great history lessons and contains a wealth of relics …

The digital transition is right around the corner, so make sure your motorhome’s TVs are ready for the change.

Motorhome owners might assume that if they use an RV dealer to sell their coach on consignment, it's still insured under their current policy. Or, they might think the consigning dealer has umbrella coverage that applies to all vehicles on the sales lot.

FMCA partnered with Passport America in 2002 to offer members a lower rate to join this discount camping club. Passport America invented the 50 percent discount camping club in 1992 and has continued to improve on that great concept.

Trailer Towing

I am looking to purchase a small motorhome that I can use to pull a horse trailer to shows in the Northeast within a radius of 300 to 500 miles from central New Jersey. I have my eye on a 26-foot Type C right now.

Short, But Sweet!

Dear RV Doctor:
What is the maximum amount of AC voltage that you should see coming out of the DC side of a converter?

Being full-timers and constantly traveling in unfamiliar areas can be a problem when tornado warnings and other severe weather alerts are issued. Usually we know the names of nearby towns, but not always the names of neighboring counties. So we came up with an idea …

Kenneth Wagner, F89069, who served as FMCA’s South Central Area vice president for three terms, from 1993 to 1996, passed away on May 22. He was 78.

Vent Screen

According to product literature from Fan-Tastic Vent Corporation, the new Pop ‘N Lock screen makes cleaning the vent screen or accessing the fan mechanism a snap.

First “National Get Outdoors Day” Attracts Thousands 

June 14, 2008, marked the inaugural National Get Outdoors Day (NGOD). More than 50 official National Get Outdoors Day sites across the United States welcomed thousands of new faces to the joy and benefits of the great outdoors …

The Marketing Strategy Committee was formed by FMCA president Connie Pool soon after she assumed office in 2007. Its stated mission is to work on the development and implementation of FMCA’s marketing strategy.

When you have generous relatives with lemon trees, as we do, it helps to have some uses for this wonderful fruit. Lemonade comes to mind, but there’s a limit to how much you can drink. Fortunately, lemons are versatile.

Several times a year we rearrange our sleeping schedules to watch one of nature’s annual fireworks displays. Just like clockwork, during the second week of August, the early morning sky lights up with the castoff particles left by the passage of a comet.