RV Fire Safety
I’m writing in regard to the “RV Fire Safety” article in the December 2023 issue. Modern dry-chemical fire extinguishers do not settle or compact over time. This was true 40 years ago but not now. In fact, manufacturers have to prove their dry-chemical extinguishers will not settle. No major dry-chemical fire extinguisher manufacturer recommends that you, “. . . turn the extinguisher upside down and whack the base with a rubber mallet every six months to keep the powder loose enough to be able to be expelled when needed.” You will also find that no National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard or guideline specifies that you do this. Quite the contrary: Holding your extinguisher upside down and whacking it with a rubber mallet could cause it to be dropped and damaged.
— Leroy Kreider, F524642
Middleboro, Massachusetts
Expect The Unexpected
I was reading the “Readers Write” column in the November 2023 issue about Highway 12 and had to laugh — another “flatlander” not used to roads in the West. Highway 12 is a great full-width road with a couple slow sections. Yeah, not many guardrails. But why do you need them? It is a paved full-width road.
If they want a more interesting road, take U.S. Highway 191 from Flaming Gorge to Vernal, Utah. I believe it is 20 miles of switchbacks and has three runaway-truck ramps. It is not that it is a bad road — I think they paved over an old mining road. You just have to take it slow. Or, take U.S. Highway 91 in Arizona — the old U.S. Highway 666 — from Hannagen Meadow to Clifton/Morenci. Lots of interesting roads.
People should make sure to look at their cellphone coverage for the areas where they will be traveling. There are lots of areas in the West where there is no cellphone service, nor any OnStar service.
But then I thought of the more serious thing. From my experience in Arizona/Utah search and rescue, I would say most people do not plan and understand their route. They trust GPS units — most are set up wrong. Just because a road is on a GPS does not mean it is a good road.
I will give some examples we have run into in search and rescue in Arizona.
An RV couple stayed in Camp Verde. They went up to Jerome and had dinner, and it was dark coming down. Instead of making the loop in Jerome, they missed it. They went west on State Route 89A and ended up on Mingus Mountain Scenic Road. This was in winter. There is a “road” that circumvents Mingus and goes back to Camp Verde — an all-dirt road, which should have been their first clue. They passed a sign that said the road is not maintained. At that point it was a good dirt road for a couple miles. They were following the GPS. This took them into sections that had snow, ice, and water — rutted roads. They stopped when they ripped out the exhaust system on their car — on a good section of road. So, we had to go out and find them. At least they had a dry RV to go home to.
An RV couple was driving and pulled onto a dirt side road. They were able to get a flat spot to park for the night. Well, it rained, and their flat spot was the bottom of a dry lake bed. They were not able to get out.
An older couple in an RV saw what looked like a shortcut that would take many miles off. This was during monsoon season. They traveled six to eight miles down the road and got hung up on a shelf and couldn’t move. They had no cellphone service, and no one was looking for them. We found them four days later.
An RV couple decided to do some exploring on back roads with their towed vehicle. They went down to Sheeps Bridge. They heard a winter storm was coming but did not take the warning seriously – this is Arizona. So, instead of taking the safe way out, they decided to take the “shortest route.” This required going over a mountain that is one lane wide at best (definitely no guardrails). It required going up switchbacks, which were initially muddy and icy and then turned into 3 feet of snow. They did not take the hint after getting stuck once to turn back and take the safe way out. They did not make the summit and spent the night on the road. Luckily, they were high enough to get a cellphone to work. We hiked down from the top to get them and walk them out and take them to a motel. But they could have ended up a statistic.
The point I am making is that GPS are wonderful things if you know how to set them up and what their limitations are. Road quality is a gamble — particularly on nonprimary highways.
My recommendation is that even if you have an RV-specific GPS, make sure you plan your trip and look at maps. If you are expecting pavement and the road turns to dirt, it might be the wrong road. It is not unusual for road name signs to be wrong. And in the West, you should expect the unexpected.
— Rich Taylor, F537247
Dewey, Arizona
Ramblin’ Pushers Expand Membership
The Ramblin’ Pushers Inc. (RPI) chapter of FMCA has until now restricted membership to owners of diesel pushers and Super C diesel coaches. In the past, we have had individuals interested in attending the Maintenance Session (MS) who did not yet have a diesel pusher or Super C coach. Some had downsized into Class B or Class C diesel motorhomes, while others were interested in learning about owning one. In an effort to help these people learn more about diesel-powered coaches, the chapter is opening attendance to the MS to the following:
- Diesel pushers and Super C diesel coaches
- Class B and Class C diesel coaches
- Former RPI members with any type of RV or no RV
- “Diesel Finders” with any type of RV or no RV: “Diesel Finders” is a new category of membership patterned after FMCA’s new Pathfinders membership category. Diesel Finders includes anyone who doesn’t currently own a diesel motorhome but is planning to purchase one and wants to come to the MS to learn more about it. Diesel Finders will not be able to vote or hold office but will enjoy all the other benefits of RPI membership.
The 2024 Maintenance Session will be held at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds in Goshen, Indiana, May 3-8, with early parking on May 1; arrival day on May 2; and departure day on May 9. The MS will include six days of seminars on how to operate and maintain a diesel coach, craft and RV lifestyle classes, roundtables, morning hospitality, socials ,a closing dinner, coach weighing, vendors, service providers, dealers with coaches to sell, and much more. Cost is only $410 for two people and includes seven nights of camping with full hookups. Registration and other information can be found at ramblinpushers.org.
— Paul Miller, F403550
Senior Vice President
Ramblin’ Pushers Inc.
Annandale, Virginia
RV Parking
We enjoy reading articles about cities and attractions throughout the country. I would suggest that these articles include information about places where RVs can park nearby. There are times when we stop to see an attraction but do not stay overnight at that location. We recently did this on a trip from Theodore Roosevelt National Park to Valley City, North Dakota. On the way, we stopped in Bismarck to see the state capitol. I first looked at the satellite view to check out the parking lots in the area. I then called security at the capitol to see if the parking lot I had picked was available for visitor parking with an RV (towing a car). It was, and we were happy to visit the capitol.
Some cities are RV friendly. Springfield, Illinois, has a parking garage that has spaces for RVs. The visitor center at St. Joseph, Missouri, has plenty of space for RVs. Including this kind of information in an article would be extremely helpful.
On the other hand, we found Canton, Ohio, to not be RV friendly. We went to visit the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. There was a huge parking lot nearby with NO cars in it. There was a sign warning that anyone who parked there would be towed. The lot that we parked in was very tight for an RV. We would not recommend visiting there.
— Kathy Bicksler Stouffer, F403337
Tucson, Arizona
We want to hear from you! Family RVing welcomes comments about articles published in the magazine or topics of interest to RV owners. Email readerswrite@fmca.com; mail to Readers Write, FMCA, 8291 Clough Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Please include your name, city, and state/province. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.