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Brilliant blue skies, warm summer temperatures, and rugged high-desert beauty, with snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance, greeted FMCA members who followed the highways and byways to Central Oregon for FMCA’s 78th International Convention — dubbed “Rediscover Redmond.”
For some this was indeed a time of rediscovery, as FMCA made a return visit to the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, having held conventions there in 2001 and 2004. For others it was a time of discovery, as they experienced the magic and majesty of this Northwest setting for the first time, or even attended their very first FMCA convention.

Pull out these recipes when a hungry crowd gathers under your awning.
When you’re in a cooking mood, prepare one or more of these group recipes. Then serve these super-size dishes to a large gathering or freeze them in smaller batches to suit your needs.
Fried Rice For A Crowd
When you freeze the basic fried rice in smaller batches, you’ve written yourself a blank check for future feasts.

Even though it happened more than a decade ago, the memory is still fresh. With our motorhome’s fuel tanks full, food loaded, and the family aboard, I headed out of a Santa Clarita, California, fuel stop.

The heart of the Aqua-Hot and Hydro-Hot hydronic heating systems (now the Aqua-Hot 600-D and Aqua-Hot 450-D, respectively) is a diesel burner unit manufactured by Webasto. This European supplier makes and markets its units to several industries, among them the RV industry, primarily through Aqua-Hot Heating Systems Inc.

These aquatic emporiums take landlubbers underwater to view the wetter side of nature.
Seeing an aquarium on television can’t compare with viewing it in person. Here you can learn about underwater creatures firsthand.

These desert-dwellers may not sound particularly tuneful, but they’re quite content making their home in the arid environment.
Out in the desert, long before the sun peeks over the horizon, the sounds of birds enter the open vent in our motorhome, providing our wake-up call as the avian community greets the new day. We try to identify each new melody as it appears, waiting for the familiar voice, gradually leaving sleep behind.

Putting medical, financial, and estate matters in order; adopting a pet.

Death and taxes aren’t the only unavoidable matters that full-timers have to tangle with. Unlike people who live in one place, you have to deal with your “home” state, the state you’re in at the moment, and any states where you have assets.

FMCA has held five international conventions at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter (GNFA) in Perry, but a current law would make it impractical to hold a sixth confab in the Peach State.
The legislation, enacted in August 2005, prohibits out-of-state dealers from selling a new RV in Georgia unless they have a franchise dealership agreement to do so.
In late April 2007, the General Assembly passed HB 117, which would have allowed certain franchise agreement exemptions for rallies or conventions involving more than 2,500 RVs. Attendance at FMCA conventions typically exceeds 3,000 motorhomes, so HB 117 would have paved the way for out-of-state RV dealers to sell at these events.
Governor Sonny Perdue, on May 30, vetoed HB 117.

This Country Coach owners chapter caters to “snowbirds” of the southeastern United States.
FMCA has plenty of chapters made up of people who all own the same brand of motorhome. Often, the motorhome manufacturer sets up the FMCA chapter for customers, which is the case with Country Coach Inc.’s Country Coach International chapter.

James “Jim” Jennings, F94845, who served FMCA as national secretary from 1998 to 2000, passed away on July 21, 2007, after a brief battle with lung cancer.
Jim was born on October 15, 1935, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Comstock High School, where he met his future wife, Shirley, when both were in the ninth grade.

I have an Onan generator located at the rear of a 38-foot type A coach. Each year I’m required to have the armature cleaned and new brushes installed, as the generator fails to produce power.

Have you seen FMC’s newest column? “Rear View” appears each month on the last page of the magazine. Readers share their thoughts on specific topics — their favorite travel sites, restaurants, activities, etc.
We’d like to hear from you, too.

For all who participated in Family Motor Coach Association’s Governing Board meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August, I thank you for taking part in the governance of FMCA and bestowing on me the honor and opportunity to serve as national president for the next two years. I accept the responsibility with humility and vow to serve all the members with the dedication and commitment expected of the office.

When you visit southern Florida and the Naples area, be sure to include a trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It has been called the crown jewel of the Audubon sanctuary system, and one visit will confirm all the accolades.

FMCA’s Executive Board is made up of four nationally elected officers — the national president, senior vice president, secretary, and treasurer — and the 10 national area vice presidents, who are elected by their respective areas. (The immediate past national president also serves as a non-voting member.) As a result of changes in the FMCA Bylaws that instituted two-year terms, five of the 10 areas hold national vice president elections in odd-numbered years, and the other five areas hold elections in even-numbered years.
Following are abbreviated resumes for the national vice presidents recently elected.

Several niches within the RV market beg to be served. For example, some motorhome buyers prefer a vehicle that has a midcoach entry instead of a front bus-style entry.

Toolbox slide-out using drawer slidesI had a problem getting into my three-drawer toolbox, which is located in one of the exterior bins of my type C motorhome. So I designed a simple slide-out to solve the problem.
My toolbox weighs 56 pounds loaded, so I went to the neighborhood home improvement store and purchased a pair of cabinet drawer slides designed to handle 100 pounds.

Spray ‘N’ Seal Leak Repair from Permatex Inc.Spray ‘N’ Seal Leak Repair from Permatex Inc. is said to seal low-pressure leaks in minutes without the need to disassemble or remove parts.
The aerosol spray provides a durable rubber barrier to repair leaks in numerous automotive applications.

Jayco Inc., touted as the largest privately owned RV manufacturer in North America, will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2008.
The company, which began on a farm in Middlebury, Indiana, in 1968, initially produced a single-model fold-down camper with the help of 15 employees. Today Jayco operates manufacturing plants in Middlebury and Twin Falls, Idaho, building several types of RVs under 15 different brand names, and employing more than 1,700 people.

The sun had yet to crack the eastern horizon on a crisp March morning in Perry, Georgia, during FMCA’s 77th International Convention, but already the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter was alive. Emerging from the darkness, in all directions folks converged — first in trickles, then in streams — on a large, open-air building to grab a cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts during the association’s traditional wake-up gathering.
Handshakes were exchanged, backs were slapped, and laughter could be heard above the music being played by the Frustrated Maestros.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August.

I am pleased to share with you an update on the Family Motor Coach Association and activities that have been occurring related to its operation since we last met.

Keep these recipes in mind when your guest list grows unexpectedly.
It’s fun to round up an impromptu meal for new campground friends, but sometimes it takes some imagination and a lot of stretching. How can you extend a small meal or fancy up the plain-Jane dinner you had planned to serve? Here are recipes to keep up your sleeve.

Corny Quiche
This is a quickie that bakes in a pie shell, transforming a simple casserole into a party meal for six.

I’m now on my third digital camera, so I have, at the click of a mouse, thousands of photos stored on my computer and archived on CDs. Like many of you I have travel photos, wildflower photos, shots of sunsets and sunrises, and family events, such as reunions, graduations, and birthdays.

And perhaps like many of you, I often wondered what I should do with all the photos I’ve taken.

Many of our traveling friends have created Web home pages or travel blogs on which they display their photos.

This reptile with the notorious reputation would rather use its telltale tail to scare you away than fight.
Rattlesnakes are normally quiet creatures, usually staying out of sight and minding their own business. That business, in large part, is keeping the rodent population in check.

Head to the western United States, where you’ll have your altitude adjusted by these lofty peaks.
As lifelong mountain lovers, we decided to investigate the tallest mountains in the United States. If we were altitude purists, our focus would be limited to just Alaska, which boasts the 16 highest peaks in the country.

Scooters; identity theft; tips for selecting a full-timing coach.
Each day we make hundreds of decisions, most of them of little consequence. But then there are times when we’re faced with a bigger decision, one that requires considerable thought and discussion.

This close-knit group is based near a local landmark from which it takes its name.
Gateway Piasas is an unusual name for a chapter of motorhome owners. But then again, the word “Piasa” represents an unusual thing.
The Piasa Bird, pronounced “pie saw,” is a mythical creature of American Indian lore.

E komo mai (Welcome)! All the grass-skirted wahines (women) and tom-tom-tummied kanes (men) had a ball doing the hula down by the kai (seashore). They lazed under the ersatz palm trees and thatched parasols.

Dear RV Doctor:
I own a 36-foot Holiday Rambler Ambassador. The day before we left on our last trip, the temperature here dipped to about 16 degrees Fahrenheit, so I kept the heater on in the coach and placed a small space heater in the bay where all the water lines are.
The morning we left, all was fine.

I have attempted to find the answer to the question of lightning strikes to motorhomes or travel trailers. Manufacturers don’t seem to have information to offer.

Dear Editor:
As we write this, we are on a caravan through the Holiday Rambler club, touring Newfoundland and Labrador. We have 15 RVs in the group, and when we travel from one campground to another, we drive in groups of three.

Quite often as families join FMCA, they are on the verge of making that once-in-a-lifetime whirlwind tour of the United States and possibly even Canada or Mexico. These motorhome owners very quickly find out that unless they have a family member who will periodically forward their mail, they are at a loss to stay on top of their correspondence, and especially their bills.

By the time you read this article in the September issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, I will have completed my two-year term as president of FMCA. As of this writing, no one knows who the new president will be, because the election will be held in mid-August just prior to the start of the Redmond, Oregon, convention.
Writing the President’s Message has been challenging for me.

Chugging through the Appalachian Mountains of eastern West Virginia, belching smoke and emitting an occasional loud whistle, the Cass Railroad has become a popular excursion train. While the railroad is the highlight at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, visitors also discover the public buildings and homes of a company town that existed from 1900 to 1960.

Investing a few minutes each month could double your RV battery’s life. However, batteries seem to be one of those things RVers commonly overlook until a problem arises.

Creative and important developments are continually added to today’s motorhomes, and among those leading the charge is a coach builder that has made type Bs since 1974. Roadtrek Motorhomes (formerly Home & Park), of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, introduced the type B SS-Agile in October 2006, and it’s one of two models the company builds on the Sprinter 2500 van chassis.

Bigfoot Industries is a family-owned company based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada, that has been manufacturing recreation vehicles for 30 years. The company has a reputation as a maker of slide-in truck campers and travel trailers, and these still compose a major portion of its business.

Imagine driving down a steep, winding, two-lane road. The early-morning sunshine highlights the beautiful scenery bordering the route.

Document storage on the roadYou never know when you might need a copy of an important document (driver’s license, credit cards, insurance policies, prescriptions, etc.) while traveling. A convenient solution is to scan such documents into your laptop computer and copy them onto a CD before leaving home.

ClearCam Camera Mirror SystemThe ClearCam Camera Mirror System from Velvac Inc. combines the functionality of a side-body camera with a VMax or VMaxIII mirror head to provide drivers with a more complete view of the side of the motorhome.
The camera mounts in the Lower Electronic Module housing under the mirror, is wired through the mirror arm into the motorhome, and can be calibrated to the individual vehicle for an optimized field of view.

Four Winds International announced the addition of Mega Storage — enhanced exterior storage — on select 2008 type C motorhomes and some type A Windsport and Hurricane models.
Mega Storage is said to offer more exterior storage capacity than most type C motorhomes, as well as additional features. The extra-large rear storage compartment has conveniently located exterior doors on all sides for easy access.

The deserted 1983 Tiffin Allegro motorhome sat in a field near a home in La Vergne, Tennessee, so long that a small tree had grown through one of its entry steps. Its carpet was rotted; its brown paneling and dash were woefully out of style; its tires were toast — and those were only a few of its problems.

In the summer of 2004 Sperry Randolph drove past the 30-foot motorhome, and, as he was already in the habit of seeing things as they could be, he figured the old RV had potential.

Every year, hundreds of people in the United States die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and thousands of others end up in hospital emergency rooms from breathing this noxious gas. The statistics are regrettable, as most of these incidents could be avoided.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no color, odor, or taste.

Recipes full of freshness.
Farmer’s markets. Roadside stands spilling over with fresh produce.

See the moon in a different light during a total lunar eclipse this month.
Wolf moon, storm moon, harvest moon, hunter’s moon. The Earth’s lunar neighbor goes by many names as it crosses the sky in shades of whitish-gray.

Find radio frequency, food safety, and data storage info via the Web; forum members provide communication, coach selection, and security advice.
When it comes to finding information quickly, a full-timer’s best friend is a computer with Internet access. Check out these Web sites the next time you’re online.
Tuning In. To find the best local radio stations no matter where you roam, go to www.radio-locator.com and enter the zip code for your current location.

Visit some of these less-publicized attractions in the nation’s capital.
Washington, D.C., is one of the few cities we go out of our way to visit. The only problem is trying to find someplace to park a large motorhome.

Is your diesel-powered motorhome registered as an LLC, or limited liability company? If so, you might be required to possess an International Fuel Tax Agreement license or a fuel trip permit when traveling out-of-state.

The Snake River is a very long body of water that flows west from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to join the Columbia River on its quest to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way it cuts through a good portion of southern Idaho, and winds northward to form part of the boundary between Idaho and Oregon.

The 16th Great Eastern Area Rally (GEAR) took place May 3 through 6, 2007, at Agricenter International in Memphis, Tennessee, with approximately 550 member and commercial coaches filling the grounds for the extended weekend. The “Chasin’ The Blues” rally was co-hosted by Eastern Area vice president Judy Czarsty and her husband, Steve, and Eddie and Elizabeth Baker.
Activities began on Wednesday night when members of the Frustrated Maestros Eastern Sharps and Flats performed a few songs, followed by an informal welcome by Judy Czarsty.