A Tribute To Bill Gunther
The Happy Tennessee Travelers chapter is sad to announce the passing of William “Bill” Gunther. The native New Yorker became an active FMCA member in the mid-1980s and founded the Happy Tennessee Travelers in April 2002. He served as club president for years, was a stalwart FMCA member, and was the chapter’s FMCA representative. He encouraged his club members to become volunteers at rallies and, in recent years, always had a team under his direction.
Bill and his wife, Jayne, shared many family vacations at FMCA international conventions, including those at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana; in Blacksburg, Virginia; and many others.
As the years went on, it was time to upgrade from their 35-foot GMC 4104 bus, nicknamed BonnieBlue, to a larger coach to accommodate their growing brood of five children and two German shepherds. Always one to tinker and fix things, in 2001 Bill embarked on an ambitious journey of converting a 1990 Eagle bus into his pride and joy, BonnieBlue2.
The process took Bill several years to finish, as he completely stripped the interior and added two large slideouts, home-sized appliances, and every amenity imaginable to make the conversion exceptionally comfortable, deluxe, and like brand new.
BonnieBlue2 was the envy of many bus conversion owners, always recognizable at rallies by its unique blue color, large flags flying, and distinctive bright blue undercarriage lights.
Bill will be sadly missed. He leaves a legacy of volunteerism and kindness. He was always available to give advice and the first to help club members. His love of music and his “jamming friends” created a spirit of fun, great music, and camaraderie.
We wish Jayne, their children, and grandchildren the best as we remember the loss of a valued and much-loved FMCA member.
— Sue Herrick, F324955
Monteagle, Tennessee
Base Camping
I just finished my November 2020 issue of Family RVing, and the “Rear View” pictures on the last page reminded me of my last “great adventure,” where half of my one-night stays were at beautiful military base RV camps. While not all FMCA members would be able to use these bases, I’m certain a large number are retired or active-duty military personnel and could take advantage of the availability of these camps. I stayed at Navy and Air Force base camps, and I highly recommend both. I also have looked into Army camps, and likely will use them soon.
These military camps are much less expensive than traditional parks, and generally offer full hookups. Some pads are paved, some concrete or gravel, but all are enjoyable. The Navy has one central booking site for all of its camps, while reservations for other services’ camps are done on a base-by-base basis.
Editor’s note: To search for Navy campgrounds, visit https://www.navymwr.org/programs/navy-getaways. Information about other military facilities is available at https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/milcamps.
— Julius Graw, F509946
CDR, USN, Ret.
Dallas, Texas
Incredible RV Service
In December 2018, my wife was accepted to attend the Air Force Air Command and Staff College to receive her master’s degree in military art and science. This is a very prestigious acceptance, as only seven civilian women out of thousands who applied got accepted. We debated on how we were going to get all her stuff there, including her precious babies (two cats, Simon and Francis).
She came up with a brilliant idea. Since her precious cargo would have to travel to Montgomery, Alabama, they needed to travel in luxury. Enter her genius plan: Buy a motorhome.
So, in March of 2019, the seemingly endless search began. Finally, we found what we wanted. The only drawback: It was located in Arizona, and I live in Utah. I wasn’t about to let a few hundred miles get in the way of my wife’s happiness, so after making a deal with the owner, I flew to Arizona to make the purchase. The coach came with meticulous service records and all the manuals, as well as new tires, a fresh wash and wax, and a clean bill of health. It performed flawlessly from southern Arizona to northern Utah.
Once home, with it being my first coach, I reached out to our local RV service center, Charlie’s Auto and RV in Sunset, Utah (www.charliesservice.com; 801-416-3373). I asked whether someone there would take a few minutes to walk me through the systems. Justin, the owner, offered to help, and at the very end of an extremely hot day, he took the time after hours to show me the electrical system, plumbing, generator, solar — you name it.
Three days before departure, I went out in the evening after running the generator to keep the coach cool and found a puddle of diesel fuel underneath. In a panic, I called Justin, and he told me to bring the coach to him first thing the next morning. As I arrived, I saw a row of RVs there for service. Yet, he squeezed me in. He found that the previous service tech didn’t attach the diesel filter to the wall and tighten the bolts, which caused it to loosen and leak. Problem fixed.
Two days before we were to leave, I heard a loud bang while the generator was running. A few minutes later, it shut down and flashed a code. Again, I called Justin and took the coach in. He found a broken generator belt.
One day before departure, I double- and triple-checked all the systems. The coach was fully loaded with fuel, clothes, and food. After I filled the water tank and pressurized the system, I noticed a leak coming out of the compartment that holds the power inverter and main switch.
Again, I called Justin. It was 5:00 in the afternoon. After pressurizing the system, he found that water from a leak under the sink had landed on top of the switch and onto the inverter. By this time, it was 6:30 p.m., and everyone had gone home — except Justin.
Because of all he did, and what Charlie’s Auto and RV did, we were able to leave the next morning and get my wife and her precious cargo to Alabama on time. Justin and others at Charlie’s went above and beyond to take care of us. If you are ever traveling through northern Utah and you need service or repairs, there is no other place I would recommend.
— Jason & Gina Christensen, F498325
Clinton, Utah
Lighting The Way
When I was growing up, I realized that getting good water-resistant or actual dive flashlights was less expensive and much safer than constantly replacing cheap flashlights, which always tended to go out when you really need them. So, when I saw the Ezred NK10 Anywear Neck Light in the September 2020 “RV Products” column, I ordered one.
We have many hobbies — astronomy, boating, motorhoming, scuba diving, photography — and all require different flashlights. We also live in Texas near the Gulf Coast, and hurricanes and tropical storms often knock out the power, so we need more good flashlights as well.
I have six headlamps, ranging from ultra small to large. But the headband always causes you to sweat, and when you turn toward someone, you blind them. A nice feature of the Ezred is that it hangs around your neck, so you’re not blinding people when you look at them, plus the individual lights on each side have their own battery.
When I got mine, I tried it working on our vehicles at night, checking air and fluid levels. When our astronomy club met to show kids the night skies for STEM education outreach, we had to sweep the area afterward to make sure we collected all of our equipment and haul it back to our vehicles. It worked so well, I sent one to a friend for his birthday.
Also, we used to have four little Yorkies, and walking them in the dark was a challenge. As we’ve gotten older, we do worry about tripping in the dark. I could see the Ezred working very well for walking pets as well.
— Tony Wiese, F178480
Houston, Texas
Correction
An article in the November 2020 issue focusing on DEF being an integral component for meeting emission standards (“Diesel Exhaust Fluid,” page 30) incorrectly noted in the last paragraph that DEF filters need to be changed twice a year. DEF filters should be changed every two years, or every 200,000 miles, whichever comes first. Family RVing regrets the error, which occurred during editing. Thanks to Leonard Lewis for bringing it to our attention.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Family RVing welcomes comments about articles published in the magazine or topics of interest to RV owners. And with bad news permeating our world of late, we’d also like to hear your good news. Gestures of kindness you’ve experienced or witnessed. An opportunity you had to do something for someone else that you’d like to share, in hopes of inspiring others to do something similar. Or just observations you have made during this unusual time. We’d love to hear your stories.
Email all letters for this column to readerswrite@fmca.com or 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 or clarity