The River City Travelers chapter delivered dog food, leashes, cleaning products, and other supplies to Patriot Paws Service Dogs in November 2015. The chapter, based in the San Antonio, Texas, region, selected this organization as its 2015 Christmas project. RCT members collected supplies used in the care and training of the dogs and more than $500 in cash.
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Dan Smith, L71987, who served as FMCA national vice president, Rocky Mountain Area, from 1989-1992, was 92 when he died January 7, 2016, in Mesa, Arizona. Virginia died in 2012.The Sierra Hi Rollers chapter was organized in 1990 to promote travel, information sharing, and fun for motorhome enthusiasts. The chapter’s 25th anniversary celebration on September 23, 2015, featured a gala dinner at Thunder Canyon, a golf and country club in Washoe Valley, Nevada.FMCA currently has eight Coaches for Christ chapters. Each functions independently, yet they share the common purpose of providing faith-based fellowship, spiritual encouragement, and prayer support. This is accomplished through meetings, rallies, websites, emails, and participation in FMCA morning devotionals.
Never Lose A Hitch Pin I wanted a means of keeping my hitch pins and hardware together so that nothing gets lost. I obtained 1/8-inch stainless-steel cable, cut it…
What’s In There?
While draining my black-water tank, if I close the drain valve suddenly before the tank is empty, I hear a clanking noise from inside the tank. It sounds like something is floating loose and hitting the tank wall when the flow is stopped. This may have started during the winter.Water Tank SeepageAbout a year ago, I began noticing that when we are connected to city water, our onboard water tank slowly fills, even with all the gate valves properly positioned. Every two to three weeks I have to turn off city water and use the onboard water until the tank becomes mostly empty again.The following companies have recalls delineated in this month's Recall Corner: Forest River Inc., Gulf Stream Coach Inc., Newmar Corporation, Showhauler Trucks Inc., Winnebago Industries Inc.Regarding That “Perplexing” FurnaceDear Editor:The February 2016 issue’s “House Calls” column (page 20) covers a question titled “Perplexing Furnace Problem.” It includes a photo of a work light, and it’s suggested that one of these can keep a propane tank warm. This is a great idea, but . . .Speaking of fun times, I want to talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience that Gloria and I had while we were still out West. One evening in January Gloria said to me, “We have been invited to go with the 4-Wheelers chapter for a ride in the desert at Quartzsite, Arizona.”
For us, RVing is the ultimate freedom. As RVers, we have visited every U.S. state, and every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut. We stood at the Arctic Circle with huge, fluffy snowflakes falling on our faces; walked ghost towns in New Mexico; watched wild horses run among the Carolina dunes ….
San Antonio is considered by many to be the most favored travel destination in the great big state of Texas. The city proudly showcases its past, even as it moves forward to its future. Approximately 30 million people arrive every year to explore the Alamo, stroll along the famed River Walk, shop at the largest Mexican market north of the border, dine in this fast-growing food mecca ….
Bucolic, quaint, charming . . . Petaluma, California, 40 miles north of San Francisco, has lots of descriptions. But as motorhomers, our favorite is “unexpected.” We could have seen most of the town in a day, but the relaxed pace of wandering its lovely streets, sampling its wares, and learning some history filled our need for a great getaway.
But long before they became motorhomers, the Bruckers often found themselves in unexpected places and situations, thanks to a shared passion for caving. Lynn borrows a line from “Star Trek” when she says caving offers the chance “to go where no man has ever gone before.”
For more than 45 years, Born Free Motorcoach, of Humboldt, Iowa, carved a niche in the recreation vehicle industry with its high-quality Type C Born Free motorhomes.
Whether the entertainment feed comes from an off-air broadcast antenna, through the campground’s cable TV connection, from a satellite antenna, or from a streaming wireless Internet connection, today’s high-tech systems can be a bit bewildering for RV owners. The following will help you understand the basics.
This new tag-axle model enhances the Berkshire line of luxury diesel pushers.
Describe a craft, hobby, activity, or sport you enjoy during a motorhome trip.When I camp at Fort Wilderness at Walt Disney World, some of the planet’s best chefs prepare my dinner order. Dine-out options at Fort Wilderness include a Disney character breakfast, a dinner show, and a casual restaurant. Dozens more Disney eateries can be reached via the resort’s free transportation network.
Every year is a learning experience. But for us, the past 12 months were like a graduate course. Looking back at the year, here are five of the most important things we learned from our travels.Jayco Unveils 2016 MelbourneJayco Inc. has introduced its 2016 Melbourne, a Type C motorhome built on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 chassis. It’s powered by a V-6 turbo diesel engine with 188 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.Collapsible BottleWe all know the importance of staying hydrated, but carrying a water bottle can be darn inconvenient. Inventor Niki Singlaub’s solution is a collapsible bottle called the Hydaway.Motorhomes have been a part of my family’s life for 45 years. And over that span of time, we often mixed business with pleasure.Motorhome owners who are not members of FMCA sometimes ask me why they should join. Maybe that can be answered by describing a recent rally of the Carolina Ramblers chapter. The location was special, but the rally itself was typical of those we have attended over the years.A new FMCA chapter can get its start in any number of ways. This is the story of a chapter that owes its existence to fun and games. Well, one game in particular.Shoe Storage
Something had to be done with all the shoes lying around the motorhome.Baffling Battery DrainDear RV Doctor:The chassis battery drains on my mom’s 2014 Winnebago Vista. We were told the battery should be replaced because it no longer held a charge, but a new battery yielded the same result.Complex Electrical TaskWe own a 2002 Beaver Monterey Type A motorhome with 50-amp service. It has two chassis batteries and four coach batteries. It also has a Xantrex PROsine 2.0 2,000-watt inverter/charger and a Progressive Dynamics 5200 series automatic transfer relay switch. We frequently stay at campgrounds that have only 30-amp service but also have a separate 20-amp outlet.Towing Guide Update
The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Limited was inadvertently left out of Family Motor Coaching’s “Towables for 2016” towing guide (January 2016, page 44). The front-wheel-drive vehicle is equipped with a 2.5-liter engine and an automatic transmission. To prevent the battery from draining while the vehicle is being towed…It may seem a little odd that I would offer a new year greeting to you at this time; however, the oldest Roman calendar listed March as the first month of the year. Just as in modern times, in ancient Rome the arrival of the new year was cause for celebration with wine, food, and music.Hello, My Fellow FMCA Family. Is it just me or is 2016 already slipping away from us too fast? In my February column, I mentioned that Gloria and I were on our way to Indio, California, to attend the Western Area Rally. We have just completed that event. Western Area members should be very proud of themselves.One of the benefits of RVing is the opportunity to sample many local cuisines as you travel. Regional food offerings vary widely from coast to coast, but perhaps the most American of all is barbecue. It is a major fascination for many “foodies” — to the point that a ton of books have been written and many TV shows and even TV series have been created with barbecue as the star.Can two people with decidedly different backgrounds find bliss and harmony in a 36-foot motorhome? Miri and Ryan Rossitto, F434901, are proof positive.Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains area has been a popular vacation destination for decades, hosting millions of visitors every year. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the most-visited national park and third most-visited park site in the United States in 2014, behind Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Blue Ridge Parkway.In a bid to get in on what surely will be the wave of the future and will hopefully bring employment to an area sorely in need of economic relief, the state of New Mexico has poured $218.5 million into the construction of Spaceport America, the first commercial spaceport in the world. It opened in 2011.Online forums, discussion boards, owners-club websites, and how-to videos often focus on one of the most perplexing of all motorhome problems: water leaking into the RV. It’s perhaps the number-one cause of damage to today’s motorhomes.Motorhomes are complex. If you own one but don’t understand how to properly operate and maintain it, you may incur some expensive lessons.
The following companies have recalls delineated in this month's Recall Corner: Entegra Coach, Forest River Inc., Foretravel Inc., Jayco Inc., Newmar Corporation, REV Recreation Group, Tiffin Motorhomes, Winnebago Industries Inc.Describe a craft, hobby, activity, or sport you enjoy during a motorhome trip.My friends Carole and Jon settled down after four years of full-timing while working at fabulous jobs in North America’s most scenic wilderness areas. When they told me they’d worked steadily but had never used traditional RV employment services, I took a fresh look at the job market.As I write this from my Michigan home, we're in the throes of winter. Our RV travel time is a few weeks away yet, but that’s okay. To enjoy it, I need only glance at my office wall. Today, I’m looking at a photograph of a half-dozen horses. Just seeing that photo takes me back.
Towing Solution For Jeep CherokeeFiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC (FCA) has announced plans for resolving a problem that sometimes occurs when 2014-16 Jeep Cherokees are towed four wheels down behind a motorhome.Unisex Hooded JacketWhen threatening clouds roll in or there’s a chill in the campground air, you could take refuge inside your motorhome. Instead, brave the elements while showing off your stylish Driftwood Hooded Jacket from the FMCA Store.The Coaches for Christ – South Central chapter had a banner year in 2015. Our 10th anniversary rally was October 10-14, 2015, in Conroe, Texas.In 1995, Bob and Cheryl Preul purchased a Rexhall motorhome and looked for a related club. They found none, so they contacted FMCA. The Rexhall International RV Club took off from there. To celebrate the chapter’s 20th anniversary, members gathered September 23-27, 2015, for a rally at Comstock Country RV Resort in Carson City, Nevada.Swinging Golfers International, an FMCA chapter, was formed in 1985 by members devoted to playing golf at outstanding courses, traveling the country in their motorhomes, and socializing with people who share similar interests. The chapter’s 30th anniversary rally in September 2015 was held at the RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.Draft CatcherWe purchased black foam water-pipe insulation tubes from a hardware store, cut them to the length of the valances of the day/night shades in our motorhome’s living area, and placed the tubes on the window ledges. This makes a big difference in how much cold or hot air comes in.Perplexing Furnace ProblemDear RV Doctor:I was intrigued to read the letter from Mike Tobias in the August 2015 “House Calls” column (page 20) about lack of heat in his 2014 Tiffin Phaeton equipped with two furnaces. We have the same problem in our 2015 Itasca. Our two furnaces fail to work when the temperature is in the mid-30s or below.The following companies have recalls delineated in this month's Recall Corner: Forest River, Newmar Corporation, REV Recreation Group (formerly Allied Recreation Group), Thor Motor Coach, Winnebago Industries.
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