‘Tis the season for reflection, as the year comes to an end and many of us celebrate holidays centered around generosity and gratefulness. With those sentiments in mind, this month we hear from FMCA members who have answered the question:
What “gifts” has motorhoming given you?
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Motorhoming has given us many gifts since retirement. First, it has allowed us to connect with old friends and relatives. That never would have occurred had we not “hit the road.” It also has allowed us to connect with new relatives, which is like opening a present each time. The second gift motorhoming has given us is a chance to do some volunteering across the country. As a result, we have had many new experiences and met new people, many who have become old friends. The third gift we’ve gotten is the opportunity to see the beautiful countryside, not only on the main roads but off the beaten track. Each day of motorhoming is like being given a beautiful present to unwrap and enjoy.
Lang Secrest, F187589
FMCA Mail Forwarding
Our wonderful travels throughout this great country were a gift I’ll never forget. Bill and I visited all the states except Hawaii, and we saw so many national parks and such beautiful scenery. Several of our friends said, “You weren’t on vacation, since you had to cook and clean the coach,” but the places we saw outweighed those chores. I can hardly pick up a magazine without seeing a picture of a place we have been. The other equally important gifts are the friends we made along the way, and all our FMCA “family.” Bill passed away in January of this year, but my memories will last my lifetime. I thank God every night for these gifts.
Carol Luetjen, F213470
Sarasota, Florida
My husband was battling cancer for months and needed to be fed formula via a tube to his stomach. One day, I noticed he could really use a change in scenery. I wanted to take him somewhere overnight but knew I didn’t want to drag the IV pole through a hotel lobby. I started thinking about the motorhome, but he had done all the driving, so I had to convince myself that I could do this. I knew that Pechanga RV Resort in Temecula, California, was a straight shot from our home without winding roads or hills, so I drove us there in the motorhome and found it was a piece of cake! When we got home the next day, he kept commenting on how much fun he had. It was a gift for the both of us.
Fran Nakayama, F336858
Sun City, California
We have received many “gifts” from motorhoming. The biggest and best came from answering a classified ad in our favorite magazine “” this one. The ad was for a home on the west coast of Florida, which included a parking spot for a motorhome with hookups. Months later, we received a call from the owner, who didn’t remember why we had called him. Although we were no longer interested in the house, we chatted, and he suggested we might like to try work-camping in north Georgia, caring for llamas. We went and fell in love with the area, the people, and the llamas. We bought property there and have started the construction process on our new home. We wouldn’t have met new friends, found a wonderful area, or discovered a great place for our new home if we hadn’t experienced that special gift from our motorhoming experience!
Tim & Karen Backus, F140432
Lantana, Florida
Motorhoming has give us the gift of freedom. We can travel anywhere, and at any time. We used to try traveling by way of the motel/hotel systems, and many times I (Carlo) was unable to access the bathrooms in my wheelchair (door opening way too small), or get close enough to the bed to get in by myself. Motorhoming also has given us the gift of meeting so many wonderful new friends. In a motel/hotel setting, people don’t come outside their rooms as they do in campgrounds.
Carlo & Sally Cellucci, F326503
Winder, Georgia
In our 35 years of motorhoming, we think the gifts we cherish the most are the wonderful friends and friendships we’ve made. We have kept in contact with many of these friends; they have come to visit us; and we have gone to see them. My address book keeps getting fuller and fuller. These friends are like our second family. We have our RV friends and our friends at home, and both play an important part in our life.
Erv & Iris Ohman, F153399
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
We have been in the fashion industry for more than 35 years and use our motorhome a lot traveling for business. When we were young, we enjoyed the New York, Chicago, and Miami markets and various other areas. But the more we did this type of travel “” flying, rental cars, hotels, and the people who travel by this mode “” we realized it does not have the comradeship and family atmosphere that we experience when we use the motorhome. It’s impossible to sleep on planes, and usually impossible to sleep in hotels with doors slamming and “hall parties.” We have never been bothered much in any RV park. The gift is to be able to spend time with people in our own environment, who are not as rushed and demanding as the air traveler seems to be. At hotels, it’s usually what little they can do for you, while at RV parks, the owners or other RVers will “ask you over.” The joy, pleasure, and peacefulness of having our own motorhome near other well-behaved people is the extreme pleasure we receive. It’s a lot less hectic and better on your stress level, for sure. Thanks to our FMCA family of travelers.
Steve & Cynthia Ecton, F287228
Heber Springs, Arkansas
Motorhoming’s first gift to me was a home to live in when my father decided to leave the frozen north (Maine), packing up a wife, four kids, and a few possessions and heading to Florida. I was 12. Four years later, he, his job, and all of us moved to a house near Tampa, Florida. The motorhome became a guest house in the back. Another gift! After high school, I married a hunter-fisherman-camper. We then had several different motorhomes. These gave us and our two daughters the gift of growing closer as we traveled the outdoors. Not quite 35 years later, my husband passed away. Our little Type C was given to our daughter in North Carolina “” a gift of a mountain getaway. A year or so later, I bought a Winnebago Rialta. It has given me the gift of good times with FMCA friends, and nearby trips.
Joyce Lewis, F149820
Brandon, Florida
Having been RVers for 26 years (20 as full-timers), we have received too many “gifts” to list them all. Some of the most important are friends that we have made and kept, the chance to volunteer and give back, and the freedom to go where and when we please. We have visited all of the lower 48 states and have camped in 43 of them. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Bud & Carol Sluter, F125109
Talent, Oregon
Future questions:
1. Have you ever had an unusual “stowaway” in your motorhome (i.e., a mouse or other stray animal)?
2. If you’ve attended FMCA international conventions, which has been your favorite, and why? (Please provide convention location and year.)
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