By Charlie Adcock, F311374
FMCA National President
August 2014
My Fellow FMCA Family:
The title of this month’s column could be “Tightwad Charlie.” I think you will understand why when I finish my story. I am almost too embarrassed to admit to this latest bonehead move, but I will, and maybe you will get a chuckle out of it.
After the Executive Board meetings at FMCA’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, in late May, Gloria and I headed to Decatur, Indiana; specifically, to the Allied Recreation Group (ARG) motorhome facility to trade our motorhome in for a new 2015 model. We had decided to take VIP delivery, since our next stop was in Goshen, Indiana.
In Cincinnati, I did all my fuel calculations and decided we should have just enough diesel to make it. I told national senior vice president Jon Walker, who I was going to follow part of the way, that I wanted to stop for about 10 gallons of fuel. But Jon and I did not stop, and when we got to the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and U.S. Route 33 in Ohio, Jon turned north on U.S. 127 and I continued west on U.S. 33.
I might add that this particular intersection had a huge truck stop, and you would have thought that I would have enough sense to stop. Wrong! I did not stop, thinking I could squeeze out the last few miles. (Now, just tell me that you have never done anything like this yourself. Sure!)
When I got to Willshire, Ohio, Route 33 did a zig and then a zag. I made the zig okay, and noticed we had only 11 miles to the destination. So I drove about four blocks and started to make the zag, and you guessed it. The coach died.
I never knew that highway had so much 18-wheeler traffic until then. There I sat right in the middle of an intersection. Gloria got behind the steering wheel of the motorhome, and I jumped out and got in the four-wheel-drive pickup we tow and, while still hooked up, pushed the motorhome across the street out of harm’s way. (By the way, before I get hundreds of messages telling me how unsafe this is, I really do know better!)
I unhooked the truck from the motorhome, got my 5-gallon container, and drove back four blocks to a convenience store, only to find out that they did not sell diesel. The closest place was 8 miles in either direction. As I was asking about the diesel, a farmer about my age pulled up to the store and offered to sell me 5 gallons of off-road fuel (red). At this point I didn’t care what color it was, so I followed him about a half mile to his son’s farm and we filled my container.
He told me that he and his coffee buddies were sitting in a cafe at the intersection when I ran out of fuel. Half of his friends were Ford fans and the other half had Chevys (he was driving a Chevy). As I jumped in my Ford to push the motorhome, they were taking bets on whether my Ford would be able to push the 45,000-pound rig. The Ford guys won.
Upon returning with the 5 gallons of fuel, I put it into the tank. Being used to a Cummins diesel engine, which has a lift pump, I thought a Detroit Diesel engine would be similar. Wrong. I contacted Detroit Diesel and was told I would need at least 20 gallons of fuel, and the fuel system would have to be purged of all air to restart.
I decided it was time to call my road service. A lady called me to say that she was sending a service truck to me. I asked whether the driver knew how to purge the air from a Detroit Diesel, and she assured me he could do anything. I cautioned her that he should bring 20 gallons of diesel. She told me it would cost me $6 per gallon.
The service truck showed up and the driver did have 20 gallons of fuel; first, we filled the fuel filter, and then put the rest into the tank. Then he told me he had never seen a Detroit Diesel in his life. Of course, we could not start it. So, I called the road service people back. Six hours later, they offered to send me a tow truck. I declined and decided to spend the night where I was. And I never heard from the road service company again!
Just as Gloria and I were about to settle in, a young man (about 30) traveling with his wife and child pulled up and offered to help. Of course, I said yes. He walked to the right rear of the coach, slid underneath for a minute, and then he came out and told me to start it up. Sure enough, that rascal fired right up. That is when he told me he worked on diesel trucks for a living. I was so grateful I gave him money to take his wife and child out to dinner.
So, we drove to Decatur, Indiana, and got parked at ARG before dark.
Now, here is the breakdown of what it cost me to save the price of a couple gallons of fuel:
Farmer’s 5 gallons of red fuel: $20
Road service’s 20 gallons of fuel: $120
Money given to our “white knight”: $40
Total: $180. The story: priceless. (How many years of FMCA dues could I have paid with all that money?)
As they say, though, all’s well that ends well. We ultimately met up with Jon Walker again and attended the Great Lakes Area Rally – GLAMARAMA 2014 – in Goshen, Indiana, in mid-June. More than 550 coaches gathered for this fun-filled event. Jane Roush, national vice president, Great Lakes Area, and her husband, Roger, along with a fantastic group of volunteers, made sure we and all the other rally attendees had a great time.
Now I would like to switch gears and talk about what being an FMCA family member is all about. Those of you who have been to an FMCA Family Reunion in the past 13 years may remember seeing a severely challenged man in a wheelchair sitting down front at evening entertainment, or visiting the vendor areas with his parents. This man’s name was Drew Gregg, and his parents are Jerry and Sharon Gregg. Even though Drew could not speak, his pleasant personality, winning smile, and infectious laugh made friends everywhere. He especially enjoyed holding hands with the ladies. Drew became seriously ill on the last day of the Perry Family Reunion this past March, and on May 7, the Lord called Drew back home.
Drew was born 42 years ago with a very rare condition called chromosome translocation. This genetic abnormality caused many serious developmental, heart, lung, and kidney problems. The doctors told Sharon and Jerry that Drew would never reach his first birthday. What the doctors did not know was that God had a different plan for Drew. Throughout his life, miracle after miracle fixed crisis after crisis. In his 42 years on this earth, Drew touched many lives in many different ways. Likewise, Sharon and Jerry touched many lives in the quiet way in which they went about caring for Drew.
The Greggs are active members of the Magnolia Travelers chapter in Alabama. This group has always surrounded the Gregg family with support and love through the good times as well as the bad. Whenever Drew was in the hospital, the chapter always came together for support. And the ladies doted on him; he loved the attention!
We will truly miss Drew at FMCA gatherings. We know that he left a big, empty space in Sharon’s and Jerry’s lives. We will lift them up in our prayers. This is what FMCA family is all about.
It is time to close this out. By the time you read this, we will be only a few weeks away from the Redmond, Oregon, Family Reunion. I hope to see you there!
Remember, “It’s all about having fun!”