Archives

The second year of the “What Will You Discover? Go RVing” ad campaign, which combines TV, print, and Internet advertising with several new media outlets, began with a bang on February 14 with its debut on “American Idol,” TV’s highest-rated program.
The Go RVing spots are scheduled to continue on the hit FOX program, which airs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, March 7 and 20.

The Leprechaun, a sprightly type C motorhome manufactured by Coachmen RV for three decades, continues to chase the pot o' gold. This venerable model has been given a fresh look and a new floor plan by its builders in Middlebury, Indiana.

Each December, members of the Carolina Ramblers chapter meet for a Christmas party and to share our good fortune with others. This year 43 chapter members attended our outing, which was held December 2, 2006, at the Yancey Village Restaurant in Yanceyville, North Carolina.

The Overland Park City Council, on November 20, 2006, rejected an ordinance that would have banned RVs 8 feet or taller from residential areas.
Existing RV owners would have had to register vehicles with the city and surrender them if they moved to a different house.
The ordinance also would have mandated that RVs be parked only beside or behind a home but inside required setbacks for the yard. Screening the vehicles with vegetation or solid fencing also would have been required.
Supporters claimed the ordinance was essential for protecting against unsightly, unsafe vehicles parked inappropriately.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone buying a new motorhome would not also order a patio awning for it. An awning nearly doubles the usable living area with a minimal cost in money, space, and weight.

During a warm spring rain, you can sit beneath it and sip coffee while communing with nature and staying dry at the same time.

For years, the U.S. Government Printing Office has been a good source of helpful publications on every topic from saving money on groceries to maps of major Civil War battles.

If you’ve traveled across the United States, you’ve probably seen the “Sagebrush Sea.” Sagebrush grows in eastern Washington and Oregon, most of Nevada, across southern Idaho and Wyoming, and in isolated areas in Utah and Colorado. With it covering so much territory, it was interesting to discover that nearly all varieties of sagebrush are endemic, meaning they grow nowhere else in the world.
Sagebrush thrives where the winters are long, the summers are hot and dry, and the wind blows no matter the season.
Of course, a broad range of altitudes and varied amounts of rainfall are found in an area as large as the Sagebrush Sea.

Today when you hear the word “train,” your first thought may be Amtrak. This modern railroad serves an average of 69,000 travelers each day on 300 trains.

The Converted Coach chapter was born when a small group of FMCA members who owned converted buses held their first organizational meeting in Harlingen, Texas, on March 4, 1976. They elected temporary officers who developed the chapter’s first bylaws.

The “Desert Coyote Fiesta,” the Rocky Mountain Area’s 23rd Annual Ramble, was held in Casa Grande, Arizona, October 11 through 14, 2006. Nearly 500 family coaches, 82 display and demo coaches, and 60 vendor booths filled the Pinal County Fairgrounds for four days of fun, food, and great fellowship.

Dear RV Doctor:
The head of the nylon drain plug on my water heater broke off while removing it to drain my Atwood water heater. Is there a trick to removing the remainder of the plug without damaging the threads? Hopefully, I’m not the first person to ever experience this.

Q: I have a question about a 1986 Fleetwood 22-foot motorhome that was given to our family two years ago. After using it on a couple of short trips and one longer trip out east, I would like to know if it is possible to change out the four-barrel carb to a two-barrel.

A printer’s error resulted in the insertion of an incorrect page in the January 2007 issue of Family Motor Coaching. Page 1000 of the issue, a portion of the “Directory of Sanitary Disposals,” was omitted, and page 1100 was put in its place.
As a convenience to readers, we have included the missing page in the February 2007 print edition (pages 192A and B).

You’ve told us regularly in member surveys that the most important FMCA member benefit to you is Family Motor Coaching magazine. Many members consider MEDEX PLUS to be the second most important and valuable benefit, and I’m often asked about it.
MEDEX PLUS is FMCA’s Emergency Medical Assistance Program, and it helps traveling members to effectively manage the complexities and expenses of out-of-area medical and travel emergencies.

Each November the Executive Board and committee members get together at the FMCA national office to plan the next year’s activities, take care of financial business, and discuss the issues at hand. We completed two full weeks of meetings last November 17.
FMCA, a member-owned organization, has the benefit of a solid foundation consisting of approximately 120,000 member families.

My dog doesn’t earn a living. She doesn’t have an agent, never appeared in a movie, doesn’t do rescue work, and, as a guide dog, you’d spend a lot of time standing around fire hydrants.

Not even the Georgia Department of Transportation knows exactly how many vehicles travel up and down Interstate 75 each year between the Georgia-Florida border and metropolitan Atlanta. But it’s an endless stream that includes snowbirds migrating south and north, and families throughout the year making their way to and from the famous amusement parks in the Sunshine State.

“South of the North, yet north of the South, lies the City of a Hundred Hills, peering out from the shadows of the past into the promise of the future.” W.E.B. DuBois wrote these words almost a century ago about Atlanta, and they still ring true today.
Atlanta is perhaps confused about its identity.

Their names may be acronyms, true names, or nicknames, but whatever the title, some of the newer motorhome chassis are giving FMCA members more choices in motorhome configurations than ever before.

Splatter Protection

I thought I would let folks know about a simple solution I’ve installed on my last two coaches to help keep the cooking area clean. Carefully measure the area behind the stove — from the top of the trim around the stove to the bottom of the cabinets, and from side to side — and have a glasscutter cut a piece of 1/8-inch Plexiglas to fit the area to be covered.

iWay 600c Navigation systemAccording to product literature, the iWAY 600c from Lowrance Electronics Inc. is the first portable GPS navigation device to offer dual routing capability, allowing users to navigate both highways and waterways.
The iWay 600c, which includes a 30-gigabyte internal hard drive, comes preloaded with NAVTEQ digital map data of the United States and Canada, plus electronic charts with depth contours for U.S.

Newell Coach Corporation, C47, of Miami, Oklahoma, recently collaborated with the Huntington Beach, California, design studios of Porsche Engineering to update the exterior design of Newell’s luxury motor coaches. Porsche Engineering is a division of the renowned German sports car company.
Newell engineers worked closely with Porsche designers to refine and finalize the design, which is distinctly European.

Few companies have built type C motorhomes longer than Born Free Motorcoach, a subsidiary of Dodgen Industries. The business was founded more than 37 years ago by John Dodgen and still is based in Humboldt, Iowa, where it began.

With last month’s column we began a series on hometown recipes. Here is another batch of regional specialties to try as you travel.

What to do about the mail is always a concern for the traveling family. Motorhomers who enjoy extended summer trips or winters in warmer climes and full-timers who travel wherever the winds may take them are especially aware that keeping up with the mail can be a source of frustration and worry.
FMCA’s mail forwarding service* was instituted as a member benefit so that families might enjoy their travels without having to worry about when and where they would receive their mail.
FMCA members who wish to sign up for this service are asked to follow the procedures listed below to ensure uninterrupted mail service once they depart.
1.

Updated information regarding the many benefits and services available to members of the Family Motor Coach Association.
Membership in the Family Motor Coach Association brings with it a wealth of benefits that are of value to the motorhome traveler. Some of these benefits are obvious — the subscription to Family Motor Coaching magazine, for example — and some are not so obvious.

What dishes are truly local in this great land of ours? Part of the fun of travel is to search for down-home, regional recipes and the homegrown items to prepare them. Starting this month we celebrate recipes from North America’s hometowns.

---

Texas Salsa
This recipe, from Richard and Betty Miller, F333547, is a zesty, Texas-style salsa.

It would be a mistake to think only painters and sculptors are artists. Writers also are artists, using words instead of brushes.

Tax expert Julian Block phoned me with an alert for full-timers who do volunteer work. “I just returned from a northern California state park where my volunteer guide was an absolute gem — an RVer who donates her services,” he said.

Wasn’t it nice of Mother Nature to provide a cleanup crew? It certainly makes walking and hiking a lot better without the remains of critters underfoot. Many readers are likely familiar with black vultures and turkey vultures soaring above, looking for something to eat.

The California Coasters chapter was organized in Pismo Beach, California, in October 1996, when 20 members put their names on the charter. In just 10 short years it’s grown to approximately 75 member families and counting.

Dear RV Doctor:
My girls and I just purchased a 1985 Minnie Winnie. We took our first “shakedown” trip and discovered two issues.

Q: I would really appreciate any direction you can provide. I have a 2000 Dutch Star diesel pusher with door steps that won’t work.

The December 2006 issue included an article by freelance writer Denise Seith titled “Bradenton Blends Old Florida And New” (page 76). Unfortunately, Ms.

In 1986 members of FMCA’s Insurance Committee met with Dempsey & Siders Insurance Agency to discuss a specialty motorhome and towed car insurance program for members. FMCA wasn’t quite big enough back then for the concept to come to fruition, but the idea of entering into the motorhome insurance arena was on the minds of the Dempsey & Siders Insurance Agency.

Since its first appearance in 1964, Family Motor Coaching has been an important part of Family Motor Coach Association. The founders of the association realized that communication with the membership was vital, and the magazine was and still is a great way to stay in touch.
The first issue of the magazine was published under the leadership of Robert Richter, L1, who lived in Hanson, Massachusetts.

The person who first said “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” probably never tried to catch a bird with his or her bare hands. More than likely, that person was equipped with a faithful bird dog and on a hunting expedition.
Up until one fateful day, my husband had never attempted to catch a bird with his bare hands, nor had I, but there he was, grabbing frantically at thin air while a terrified mourning dove redecorated the dash, the furniture, and the carpet inside our lovely motorhome.

Some towns honor their local hero with a bronze plaque or historical marker, but Springfield, Illinois, celebrates the life of its most famous citizen in grand style. Who is Springfield’s favorite son? He is a man of humble means who led a nation divided by war.

Do you remember the 1956 Walt Disney movie The Great Locomotive Chase, which starred Fess Parker? Or are you a fan of classic silent films and have seen The General, a 1927 masterpiece starring Buster Keaton?
If so — or if you’re simply a history buff — you may recall that the General was a locomotive that was stolen on April 12, 1862, by a band of Union spies. Their intent was to destroy the Confederate supply line by burning bridges along the railroad between Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

All pre-registered families receive day and time of admittance credentials based on the date their registrations are received at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati. Convention parking is divided equally over a three-day period.

Parking for FMCA’s 77th International Convention will commence on Saturday,March 17, at 7:00 a.m. Please display your admittance card on the front windshield,lower left-hand corner of the passenger side.
The Holding Area will open on Friday,March 16, and is located via Elko and Starbuck roads.

Most FMCA members these days tow another vehicle behind their motorhome when they travel, and the majority tow the vehicle with four wheels on the ground. A smaller number of FMCA members opt to use a tow dolly or trailer for towing.

When Jon Gibson, F368393, retired in 2002 from his job as an over-the-road owner-operator in the trucking industry, he gladly said good-bye to the road construction tie-ups, routine traffic congestion, and fickle Midwestern weather he’d become accustomed to during his 30-year career delivering goods across the country. But he was reluctant to give up one part of his livelihood: his truck.
In the garage behind his Strasburg, Pennsylvania, home, sheltered from the elements, sat his baby, a 1987 Peterbilt.

There’s nothing like coming home, and for many motorhomers, it will feel like old times when they return to Perry, Georgia, for FMCA’s 77th International Convention. This event, to take place March 19 through 22, 2007, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, will be the association’s fifth convention to be held at this location.
FMCA’s convention — dubbed the “Georgia Jubilee” — will take place in a town named in 1824 for naval Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, whose fleet won a victory over the British in the War of 1812.

We have narrow wardrobes on either side of the island bed in our RV. We use plastic folding cup holders, attached to the lower inside of the wardrobe door, to act as our “nightstands” where we can keep a glass of water or cup of coffee close at hand while in bed.

The Digital Picture Keychain from TAO Electronics Inc. allows users to store and share up to 56 digital images on a compact display unit.
The keychain features an internal 8-megabyte flash drive and a 1.4-inch LCD display for showing the images.

Tiffin Motorhomes, C1717, based in Red Bay, Alabama, has announced numerous changes to its motorhomes for 2007. New roof caps, a super-quiet cooled-air delivery system, ceramic tile, side-view cameras, added sleeping capacity, independent front suspension, and keyless entry lead the long list of standard and optional features consumers can expect to see in Tiffin’s 2007 models.
The company also is expanding its popular front-engine diesel chassis option, introduced in 2006, to a second model line.

“Fiesta de Tejas” was the theme for the South Central Area’s 33rd Six-State Rally, September 26 through 29, 2006, at Ford Park in Beaumont, Texas. The event truly turned out to be a fun Texas party.
Perhaps the biggest question on attendees’ minds before the rally concerned the weather.

Whom should you contact for travel information when planning a motorhome trip?
To answer that question, the staff at FMC has compiled this list of tourism offices in the United States and Canada. If a toll-free number, Web site, or fax number is not listed, it is because that particular state or province did not provide one.
The following information was accurate as of November 2006.

---

UNITED STATES
Alabama Bureau Of Tourism & Travel
P.O.

Effective January 1, 2001, FMCA contracted with MEDEX Assistance Corporation to provide active family and life members with coverage under the MEDEX PLUS Program. This program helps traveling members to effectively manage the complexities and expenses of out-of-area medical and travel emergencies.