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Coachmen RV, based in Middlebury, Indiana, recently introduced its newest diesel-powered luxury motorhome, the 2005 Sportscoach Encore. The Encore is built to meet the growing demand by RVers for upscale amenities and the power that a diesel engine can deliver.
Travelers can relax on leather seating found throughout the motorhome, snooze in the bedroom suite, and enjoy the open space created by the model’s double-slideout floor plan.

Winnebago’s 2005 Itasca CambriaWith its streamlined profile and a fairly narrow beam, Winnebago Industries’ new 2005 Itasca Cambria can slip along the two-lane byways as you search for little-known antiques shops or bookstores dealing in rare and used books, and it can handle freeways and toll roads with equal aplomb.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August.
It is my pleasure to provide an update regarding noteworthy activities within the Family Motor Coach Association since we last met.
As of July 31, 2004, FMCA’s active membership count was 128,812 families, and the last membership number assigned was F350514.

It’s the time of year when most of us hit the highways just for the sheer joy of leaf peeping. Here are ways to make your table sing with color, too.
Stained-Glass Quiche
If you prefer, fry a 12-ounce package of bacon and crumble it for this dish.

Once in a great while, an innovation comes along that has a dramatic effect on consumers and the related industry. In the RV world, slideout rooms and high-tech convertor-chargers are examples of the more dramatic changes in recent years.

Since 1985 the Virginia Main Street program has helped many of the state’s communities revitalize their downtown districts. It has a two-pronged goal — stimulate the long-term economic growth, and increase local pride in the past.

This column is not about red robins, but bobcats — the smallest and most abundant wild cat still roaming North America. We spotted our first bobcat during our first year of full-timing.

The concept of using a symbol on highway signs to help RV travelers find easily accessible businesses and tourist attractions that cater to their needs works, and is gaining momentum in Oregon and, more recently, in Louisiana.
Many of us have experienced the frustration of not knowing whether a tourist stop, restaurant, or gas station advertised along the interstate offers enough room for RV access and parking. It was out of this frustration that a suggestion was made to the Oregon Travel Information Council about signage identifying “RV Friendly” locations in late 2002.

Shortly after FMCA’s first convention, which was held in Ticonderoga, New York, in 1964, several motor coachers gathered to start a regional chapter for the New England area. Of the many conversations held over campfires that weekend, one in particular is still rippling through the waters of history.

It’s reasonable to expect that after 26 years of Great Lakes Area Spring Sprees, the excitement for the event may have dulled for some longtime attendees. But that was not the case during the 27th annual G.L.A.S.S.

Q: I recently made several calls to Lexus inquiring as to whether a Lexus SUV (LX, GX, RX) could be flat towed behind my motorhome. I was informed that Lexus did not recommend flat towing the vehicle and that it could possibly cause transmission damage.

Dear Editor:
We received the July 2004 issue of FMC magazine today and I began reading your article about my favorite place on earth — Crater Lake National Park (“The Bluest Blue At Crater Lake,” page 80). Being born and raised in southern Oregon, I have been to Crater Lake many times and have seen it in all of its moods, from sunshine and chipmunks to snow piled to unbelievable heights.
The article names William Gladstone Steel as the second superintendent of the park.

Nearly four years ago, President George W. Bush began emphasizing a need for the citizens of the United States to become more compassionate and helpful to their fellowman.

There is nothing more American than the automobile, and no better place to relive automotive history than the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. Here, more than 200 classic automobiles are displayed in renovated historic barns.
The museum features the private collection of Donald Gilmore, as well as the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Museum, the Pierce-Arrow Foundation Museum, and the Tucker Historical Collection and Library.

Wilson Castle, a 19th-century architectural gem near Rutland, Vermont, in the Green Mountains, is as unexpected as it is grand. Descriptions fail to adequately describe it.

Last fall, while driving through Mississippi, my wife and I saw smoke a few miles away. After we had driven a few more minutes, traffic came to a halt.

You know how it is: You’ve been behind the wheel since the early morning with the sun in your eyes, the wind rocking the RV, and asphalt that you swear continually goes uphill. You’ll reach your destination eventually, but right now you need a change of scenery.

One of the loveliest and most serene routes in the southeastern United States is the Natchez Trace Parkway. Whether or not you travel it all the way from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee, this road will quickly become one of your favorites.

It’s safe to say that the slideouts-in-motorhomes combination is here to stay. Newmar Corporation introduced slideouts to the motorhome industry in the fall of 1989, revolutionizing motor coach design and, ultimately, the accompanying lifestyle.

To spruce up the inside of our coach, I came up with this decorative idea that can be used in two ways. First, I purchased a fold-up drink holder designed to be installed in a convenient place to hold drinks in a passenger vehicle.

McNaughton Inc. has added three new Sole Mates products to its foot care line.

Marathon Coach Inc., C2654, a bus conversion company based in Coburg, Oregon, recently reached a milestone by completing its 900th coach. The company, touted as the world’s largest Prevost bus converter, began converting new bus shells into recreation vehicles and corporate coaches in 1983.
Coach number 900, built on a Prevost Le Mirage XLII 45-foot shell with double slideouts, includes a host of luxuries and conveniences that appeal to the high-end consumer.

An amphibious motorhome? You bet. Debuted on “Good Morning, America” in July 2003, the Terra Wind serves a dual purpose for those enthused about motorhoming and boating.

John Dodgen, the venerable head of Dodgen Industries in Humboldt, Iowa, maker of Born Free type C motorhomes, was preparing to celebrate his 78th birthday soon after we picked up a new model for a recent test drive. Although he has been designing and building motorhomes for more than 30 years, Mr.

Seeing the world as a full-timer can be very rewarding, but don’t be misled into believing that it’s all one big vacation. This still is life, and those on the road have the same challenges and opportunities — perhaps more — as those living in stationary homes.

As I travel and hear from FMCA members, I find that many of them are concerned that RVers parking in retail establishment parking lots are abusing the concept of “parking,” and that their behavior is jeopardizing the opportunity for the rest of us to park at these facilities when we want to rest and relax before continuing on our motorhome journeys.
“Camping” is a totally different concept and should never be done in retail establishment parking lots. In December 2001 I wrote the following “Executive Director’s Commentary,” and it is still a good message today.
Quite frequently we’re asked what FMCA’s policy is regarding members spending the night in the parking lots of retail establishments.

In some parts of North America, clam steams and clambakes are a ritual as common as spaghetti suppers or pancake breakfasts. On a recent trip to Cedar Key, Florida, from which 100 million succulent, farm-raised clams are shipped each year, I rediscovered clams, a food that was served on special occasions while I was growing up.

Remember when you could throw a party for 20 in your dorm room? Hosting a crowd in a motorhome is a snap by comparison. Most of us gather at group cookouts and potlucks held in a campground clubhouse or pavilion.

The first, and most important, thing to note about this journey along the Ohio River is that the cruising is done on land, in a motorhome. Otherwise, the female half of this partnership would be nauseated just writing about it.
The Ohio River stretches nearly 1,000 miles from its beginning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following the borders of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi River.

It’s hot outside our home here in the Sierra foothills, but certainly not as hot as it is in the Southwestern deserts. So, let’s see how the wildlife of that arid environment manage to stay alive.
It’s obvious that searing summer temperatures are hazardous to animals, and that only species adapted to extreme heat and lack of water can survive.

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) hosts a weeklong series of committee meetings each June in order to review the business of the industry and to plan for the future. I am fortunate to be a member of the Public Relations Committee.

During the Carolina Cruisers’ April 2004 rally at the Walterboro Rice Festival in Walterboro, South Carolina, attendees spent a day away from the festivities to help make life for others a little better, while at the same time remember a good friend.

Recently we’ve received several questions regarding the auto-park brake system used on some Workhorse P Series gasoline-powered motorhome chassis. To help owners understand how the system works, what could cause it to fail, and the results of such a failure, we contacted the company for an explanation.

The telephone number for Xplorer Motor Homes listed at the end of the article about the Xplorer Xtreme in the July 2004 issue (page 116) was missing a digit. The company can be contacted at (800) 343-2771.
FMC regrets this error.

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Chevrolet S-10 Towing
The “Towables For 2004” article (January 2004, page 66) indicated that the Chevrolet S-10 4×4 pickup truck with an automatic transmission is towable four wheels down without modification.

Just about every association uses some sort of incentive to recruit new members. But no matter what that incentive is, the bottom line is that the person joining the group must believe it’s worth the price of membership, or he or she wouldn’t align with an association and an ongoing annual expenditure.
With some professional associations, potential members take the organization’s test and thereby apply for and receive certification, as well as continuing education credits to maintain that certification.

FMCA’s 72nd International Convention — dubbed “Cascade Mountain Magic” in honor of the host area — will take place at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon, August 16, 17, 18, and 19. We visited Redmond in 2001 for a convention and have chosen to return to this location for many reasons.

This is the final installment in FMC’s three-part series highlighting the major diesel engine manufacturers — Caterpillar, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel — that supply power plants for the ever-growing type A diesel-pusher motorhome market.
No other place embodies Americans’ fascination with and love of the automobile more than Detroit, Michigan. It’s where the auto industry grew up.

As the 10th largest state in the country, Oregon is expansive enough to offer a variety of scenery: seashore, desert, fertile valley, forest, meadow, mountain, plateau, and lava land. It also boasts an amazing collection of scenic byways from which to explore these many realms.

While some RVers think of fans as being the antiquated predecessor of air-conditioning, and useful only on mild days, fans actually are very practical for year-round use. Air-conditioning has certainly changed our lifestyle during the hottest months, but properly used ventilating fans can make that lifestyle even better when combined with air-conditioning and heating systems.

While traveling, we try to keep our laundry to a minimum. I like to clean my face each day with a clean washcloth, but this makes extra laundry.

The four-wheel Rydeon RV Buggy is reported to combine performance and convenience with ease of disassembly and storage. Designed for those who want increased mobility along with speed, comfort, and safety, the scooter has a maximum speed of 10 mph, a range of 25 miles, and is said to be able to climb a 38-degree grade.

Buddy Gregg Motor Homes, C3326, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted a special luncheon and open house this past June to showcase its new paint and body shop facilities.

As the moon coasted through the Oregon evergreens and the ever-present April storm clouds, the condensation from our breaths dissipated before our eyes while we huddled beneath the Girard remote-controlled power awning. The campfire warmed our hearts, but raindrops hissed as they dried and died on the fire ring’s hot rocks.

This month, one of FMCA’s newest chapters is celebrating its first anniversary. The Western Slope Rovers formed in August 2003 and is the first FMCA chapter to encompass the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

This month, let’s get the kids cooking indoors and out, learning as they go. Here are several simple, safe recipes they can tackle for starters, along with your help.

More and more young families are living full-time in an RV these days, working as they go, and homeschooling the kids. Whether children are part of your full-timer’s life all the time or are just occasional visitors, here are ways to make the roving life happier, safer, and more educational for kids of all ages.
RadioShack offers all types of electronic fun for restless passengers, as well as electronic toys the entire family can use at the campsite.

Those who live or have traveled in the Deep South have, no doubt, seen kudzu. Some would insist that you don’t have to seek out this plant, but just look out the window while cruising down the highway.

I (Kaye) have been a committed do-it-yourself, make-it-yourself person for many years. So, when I decided to focus this month’s column on creative uses for vinegar, the filing cabinet and my computer’s hard drive were already crammed with ideas — more than 70 of them.

Motorhome owners are not typically known for carrying many extras on the road, for obvious storage reasons. But on board coaches in the GMC Cascaders chapter, you can expect to find a variety of extra essentials.

After serving for eight years as the governor of Maine, Angus King became “king of the road.”
The day after he left office in January 2003, Mr. King; his wife, Mary Herman; and their two children — Ben, 12, and Molly, 9 — hit the road in a new 40-foot Newmar Dutch Star motorhome to see America.