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FMCA’s Convention Department director Jerry Yeatts, two other staff members, and selected members of the Convention Committee just returned from our planning visit to the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, Georgia. This was our final visit before the 77th FMCA International Convention, which will be held March 19 through 22, 2007.
I am glad to report that the grounds have been greatly improved since FMCA held its last convention there in 2005.

It’s a rare person who doesn’t find the sea and sand tempting, especially during the cold months up north. While Alabama’s shoreline may not be the first place that pops to mind when planning a winter getaway, don’t overlook it.
But what about the devastating consequences of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf coast? You might assume that Alabama’s coast was adversely affected, too.

You can learn so much more about a town just by driving around its downtown area. In the snowbird town of Mesa, Arizona, all you need to do is observe the street signs, and you begin to learn its history.

After nine years of traveling the country in our motorhome, I was beginning to feel like a migrant couch potato. Once I discovered Nordic walking, a flexible exercise routine that I can easily fit in while traveling, I turned the corner on losing weight and started feeling more energized.
I was walking for exercise before, but now I am walking smarter, not harder.

Global positioning system (GPS) technology can be called rocket science, and, in fact, it really is. Currently 24 GPS satellites are orbiting the earth at an altitude of approximately 12,000 miles.

To help keep the sewer hose connection in place, I created this stabilizer using 1½-inch PVC pieces. The unit is simple to use, easy to make, and inexpensive.

Bark’n Boots Grip Trex dog bootsMotorhomers who appreciate the companionship of their dog during outdoor adventures can help make the pet’s experience safer and more enjoyable with Bark’n Boots Grip Trex dog boots from Ruff Wear.
The boots feature upper design and construction that are said to maintain a consistent size, shape, and fit to assure that the boots stay on the dog’s paws for continued comfort. The soles are made of high-performance Vibram material with omnidirectional treads and traction zones customized for the demanding needs of active dogs.

Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly CasinosThe second edition of Jane Kenny’s Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos ($16.95, Roundabout Publications) is now available for those who like to combine their love of RV travel with the thrill of casino gaming. The 272-page book includes hundreds of RV-friendly casinos throughout the United States that either provide a campground as part of their facility or allow free overnight parking.
Many of today’s new casino campgrounds provide RVers with upscale, modern facilities along with the restaurants, pools/spa, golf, and gaming typically found at casinos.

The name “Impulse” conveys excitement and spontaneity, a perfect way to describe a motorhome and the adventures it offers. At the same time, this breezy moniker belies the engineering, effort, and forethought that designers at Winnebago Industries have put into the company’s new Itasca Impulse product line, one that opens up the RV lifestyle to many.

Bans on parking anywhere except in licensed campgrounds. Owners’ rights to park on their property weighted against neighbors’ concerns about safety and aesthetics.

On August 14, 2006, the Governing Board of FMCA approved the following Bylaws Amendments, as noted in bold type, in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina. Per Article XX, Paragraph 3 of the FMCA Bylaws: Proposals to amend the FMCA Bylaws shall be adopted by a 65% affirmative vote of all votes cast by the Governing Board.

Article VIII, Paragraph 4 – Executive Board
This article was amended to read:
(4) Any voting FMCA member, other than a member who is employed by or holds a management interest in an RV-related association or company, is eligible for election to the Executive Board.

Pumpkin Flan
This is my adaptation of a recipe from Milagros Collazo, chef at the award-winning Ristorante Tuscany in the San Juan Marriot Resort on the Condado beach in Puerto Rico. It works beautifully with acorn squash, which goes from oven to table.

A popular limerick titled “The Pelican,” which most agree originally was penned by Dixon Lanier Merritt, begins “A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill will hold more than his belican…”
We had just begun our years of full-time travel when we spotted our first real, live pelican.

Judith Babcock Wylie, author of Best Places Destinations: Central California Coast (Sasquatch Books, $14.95), notes in her book, “We are constantly surprised by how many stores, companies, and agencies offer senior discounts if you ask!”

Remember that old song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”? It’s easy to lose your heart in and around the City by the Bay. Here are a few of our favorite ways to do so.

In the spring of 1997, less than a year after its introduction by Fleetwood, the Discovery was reportedly the best-selling type A diesel motorhome in the United States. Numerous FMCA members were among those who bought this popular coach, and soon many realized it was time to form a group of their own.

Former Western Area vice president Bill Walker, F56746, passed away on July 21, 2006, at the age of 77 after a lengthy battle with lung disease. Bill died in Billings, Montana, while traveling with his wife, Kay.

Dear RV Doctor:
In one of your articles on holding tank probes you offered the idea of using “well nuts” by drilling a 3/8-inch hole. Great article, by the way.

Q: I recently began to notice stickers on the diesel fuel pumps warning that 2007 and later models cannot use the fuel without damaging their engines. So what do you do if you have a 2007 diesel? Do you have to get special fuel at special pumps? If all the pumps are changed to new fuel, will it work in older models? (Sounds like the old leaded-unleaded conversion.)
Roy C.

Page 126 of the August 2006 issue incorrectly contained an advertisement for the 2005 Rocky Mountain Ramble. The 2006 Ramble takes place this month, October 11 through 14, at the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was the location for FMCA’s 76th International Convention this past August. And as we usually do at summer conventions, we conducted FMCA business during meetings that took place before and during the event.
We held the annual Governing Board meeting on Monday, August 14, at West Cabarrus Church, located near Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the convention site.

Cooperstown, New York — population 2,000 or so — lies deep in a valley among the rolling hills of the Catskill Mountains. In October, when the sun’s rays slant through colorful leaves, strolling down tree-lined streets is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

FMCA’s 76th International Convention, held August 14 through 18 in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, was attended by 81 youth who participated in activities at the FMCA Youth Center, on the grounds of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, our convention site. The age breakdown of the youngsters was as follows: five TOTS (ages 3 to 5), 18 TWEENS (ages 6 to 9), 24 PRE-TEENS (ages 10 to 12), and 34 TATS (ages 13 to 18).
Youth events started off on Monday, August 14, from 5:00 p.m.

Utah boasts numerous jewels of parks that string together nicely on an RV tour across the southern half of the state. Gem tones range from amber to amethyst with abundant fiery ruby throughout.

When Union Electric Company finished constructing Bagnell Dam in 1931 to create the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, few people would have envisioned it as the popular Midwestern family getaway it has become. Tourism didn’t exist as an industry in this region, and during the Depression few people had the time or opportunity to travel for leisure.

There are 56 different varieties of chicken soup at the grocery store; Alpo boasts 43 different flavors of dog food (none with the word “cat” in it); and my TV remote has a grand total of 70 tiny, illegible buttons on it. The last bastion of simplicity seemed to be the lowly radio — our one solace in a world that has given us more choices but has grown infinitely more complicated because of it.

For four days in mid-August, RVers assembled their motorhomes on the storied grounds of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, to participate in FMCA’s “Fast Track To Fun” convention. This conclave, the association’s 76th International Convention, attracted a total of 4,158 motorhomes: 3,105 family coaches and 1,053 exhibitor coaches.

Trucker’s AtlasMost RV trips begin with careful planning. Even so, some of us with motorhomes whose height exceeds 13 feet take detours on country and state highways without thinking about low clearances.

90-degree-bend tire pressure gaugeThe 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge from Wheel Masters Inc. is said to help folks access hard-to-reach tire valves to properly check air pressure.
According to product literature, the gauge is constructed of durable stainless steel, has an easy-to-read indicator, and measures in 2-pound increments from 10 to 160 psi.
The 90-degree-bend tire pressure gauge has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $23.90.
For more information, contact:
Wheel Masters Inc.
12307 N.E.

Safari, C3735, a division of Monaco Coach Corporation, C2111, based in Coburg, Oregon, recently unveiled the 2007 Safari Simba STS, touted as the RV industry’s first type A diesel-powered, rear-entrance toy hauler.
The 37-foot Simba STS is built on a Freightliner front-engine diesel chassis and is powered by a Cummins ISB 300-horsepower engine. The front-engine design allows for 80 square feet of rear cargo area that is not available on conventional rear-engine diesel-pusher motorhomes.

The new 2007 Terra LX from Fleetwood Enterprises is an especially good-looking motorhome, but its appeal extends far beyond that. It’s a well-built gasoline-powered coach that is laced with substance — both the readily apparent variety and that which lies below the surface.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, 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.
Industry/FMCA Update
While recreation vehicle manufacturers’ shipment of all units to retailers in 2005 increased 3.9 percent over 2004, shipments of motorhomes in 2005 declined 14.5 percent compared to 2004.

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, only five areas held a national vice president election this year.

Rice Patties
Make these versatile fried cakes to serve with pancake syrup for breakfast or add tiny bits of vegetables, herbs, or a little grated cheese to turn them into a savory side dish to serve with meat from the grill. If you prefer to cook your own rice, you’ll need two cups of cooked, cooled rice.

In the early 1900s, shortly after the gasoline-powered automobile became popular, the first improvised recreation vehicles began to appear. This led to the first production RVs, which became available in the 1920s and 1930s.

Some folks insist that the Black Hills are actually mountains, but having seen the real thing, we disagree. No matter the type of classification you want to give this region, it doesn’t detract from its beauty.

First question: What are badlands? Second question: What’s so bad about them?
The most common answer isn’t all that helpful. Badlands are areas where the soil has been extensively eroded by wind and water.

Some good news for Minnesota state park patrons, some busy times for committees and planning commissions in California.
Minnesota state park permits
Starting in 2007, motorhome owners won’t have to pay a secondary vehicle permit fee for their towed vehicles when visiting Minnesota state parks.
Currently, motorhome owners who tow a vehicle must purchase camping permits for the motorhome as well as their towed vehicle. An annual use permit costs $25, and a permit for a second vehicle, $18.

Are you an FMCA member living in southwest Utah who is ready to join a new kind of chapter? Then meet the Red Rock Rovers.
The chapter, which received its charter in January 2005, is a small group with a 30-coach limit that operates on five main principles: a focus on travel, fun, and companionship; only four to six rallies per year in locations outside the area; informal meetings with no rituals, scheduled early in the day; adventuresome activities; and the sharing of duties at rallies (no one has to be a rally host).
Gary Watts, F28005, chapter founder and president, is the person responsible for setting up these basic operating rules. He has been an FMCA member since 1986, and traveled in a motorhome with his family for years.

Dear RV Doctor:
Our black tank in the RV is plugged up in the toilet tank. We bought one of those back-flushing devices and back-washed the tank several times.

Q: Following is a letter we sent to DaimlerChrysler Corporation regarding using a new Dodge Dakota as a towed vehicle behind a motorhome. The company did respond, saying that it is a new design on the Dakota and that they will try to make the towing information more “visible” to both dealers and buyers.

Dear Editor:
In the November 2005 issue, page 28, a “Tech & Travel Tip” proposes an idea for tethering a dog to a motorhome by installing a special eyebolt for this purpose. I was taught as a child 60 years ago to never tether an animal to a movable vehicle.

The fourth edition of the Family Motor Coach Association North American Road Atlas & Travel Guide is now available to members. I hope you will take advantage of FMCA’s offer to send you a free copy of the revised FMCA atlas when you sign up a new FMCA member.

As you read this, summer will be just about over, and we’ll be looking forward to fall. FMCA still has two area rallies to go this year — the South Central Area Rally, September 26 through 29 in Beaumont, Texas, and the Rocky Mountain Ramble, October 11 through 14 in Casa Grande, Arizona.
A number of area rallies take place throughout the year.

A better way of life and a better way of living are constant refrains heard from Fredericksburg, Texas, locals. From its earliest days, when the original German settlers signed their own treaty with the local Indians (a treaty signed without U.S.

Over the past 15 years we’ve found all sorts of reasons to visit Little Rock, Arkansas. Attractions in the state capital are numerous: the Old State House Museum, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the Little Rock Zoo, and the state capitol come to mind.

Regular viewers of NBC’s Today show are no doubt familiar with the human-interest segments filmed by feature correspondent Mike Leonard. For 25 years he’s been canvassing cities, towns, and out-of-the-way places throughout America, looking for the quirky, heartwarming, or just-plain-funny story to share with his television audience.

One of the oldest rivers on the North American continent, the Arkansas, wanders through five states before it joins the Mississippi. Along 12 short miles west of Canon City, Colorado (Canon is pronounced “canyon”), it has performed its most impressive work.

When a new RV is introduced, the questions to be answered are usually “what?” and “how?” — “What does it come with?” and “How long is it?” But the new 40-foot gas-powered Flounder motorhome has a big "who" and "why" behind it: Who’s manufacturing it and why?

Thanks to technological innovation, a host of products now on the market make RV travel easier and more enjoyable than ever before. Even the newest motorhomes come out of the factory equipped with gizmos we never would have thought of 20 or 30 years ago.