Joshua Tree National Park is a place where folks can get away from it all. It’s also a land of awesome rocks for climbing, trails for hiking and exploring, dirt roads for mountain biking, and colorful and abundant wildflowers come spring.

I am happy to report that many people who care about FMCA are working to boost the association in various ways for 2008. This past November, the national committees and the Executive Board/Board of Directors spent two very busy and productive weeks at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati.

As FMCA enters its 45th year, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the humble beginnings of this wonderful association. You may have already heard the story of how 26 motor-coach-owning families gathered to watch a solar eclipse at the Hinckley School in Hinckley, Maine, on July 20, 1963. However…

San Diego, After The Wildfires

Dear Editor:
San Diego County, which is approximately the same size as the state of Connecticut, was impacted in late October 2007 by a series of wildfires, primarily in the county’s outlying communities. While the media focused on our affected residential neighborhoods, tourism in San Diego continues to thrive.

Synthetic Oil

I have a 30-foot 2007 Winnebago Sightseer with a Ford chassis and a V-10 engine. I’m getting ready to have the motorhome serviced and have a question. This will be the second oil and filter change, and I was wondering what you recommend for oil and oil weight. 

Coachmen RV Company LLC has announced NHTSA recall 07V483000, which affects some 2006 Aurora motorhomes built between November 9, 2005, and May 2, 2006.

Trippy GFCI

Dear RV Doctor:
I have a troubling electrical issue. Last year when I plugged in my brand-new RV at the campsite, the GFCI on the pedestal tripped immediately.

Heater Vent Protectors

We adopted and are now owned by three retired racing greyhounds who hired us to chauffeur them around in our 30-foot Winnebago motorhome. Being dogs, they are very messy critters who somehow manage to drop their kibbles down the heater vents.

“Trailhead Rendezvous” was the theme for the South Central Area’s 34th Six-State Rally, September 25 through 28, 2007, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri. The theme was chosen since Sedalia touts itself as the “Home of Rails, Trails, and Ragtime.”

Medical Information Storage

The MedicKey is a customized USB device that can be used to make sure your important medical information is always with you and available, whenever and wherever you may need it.

Fleetwood RV Adds To Product Lineup

Fleetwood Enterprises’ RV Group showcased several new motorhome models, plus two restyled coaches, at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, this past November.

Every state in the continental United States hosts bald eagles at some time of year, and some have several sites where eagles congregate in large numbers.

This national symbol has soared off the Endangered Species List and is now flourishing again.

Winter weather calls for warming, delicious meals enjoyed with family and friends. Here are recipes to make using your slow cooker, oven, stovetop, or microwave-convection oven.

Family Motor Coach Association’s “Rush To The Golden State” convention, February 25 through 28, 2008, at Fairplex in Pomona, California, promises attendees plenty of opportunities to strike their own mother lode of fun.

What’s your favorite dish to bring to a potluck, and why?

Enjoy the glow of a fireplace inside and outside your motorhome; considerations when deciding on a home state.

Dear RV Doctor:
The carpet near the back of my Aqua Magic toilet is damp. I cannot see or feel any dripping from the water supply line.

A group of Clemson University football fans would be sacked for a loss if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) shortens the campground season at Twin Lakes Campground near Clemson, South Carolina.
Twin Lakes is situated five miles from Clemson and just minutes from Clemson University.

Games and plenty of music characterize this Canadian chapter’s activities.

Imagine sauntering up to a rally of FMCA members where plenty of live music is being played and exciting games are under way. That’s what Alberta Wild Rose rallies are like.

It is an unusual coincidence that musicians who play the violin, accordion, trumpet, saxophone, guitar, drums, keyboard, and more are represented in this one chapter.

We are concerned about rodent (mice) control in our type A coach and wonder whether there are any solutions that are acceptable to the human senses?
John Watts, F364006
Ellington, Connecticut
We have a 2002 32-foot Bounder type A coach. Last winter while it was in storage, a family of mice took up residence and caused considerable mess and damage.

In July 2008 the Amana Colonies RV Park will be the hosting site to celebrate the Safari International chapter’s 20th anniversary. This rally will be held in Amana, Iowa, from July 1 through July 4, prior to FMCA’s 80th International Convention in St.

If ever there were a natural proving ground for any kind of vehicle, and especially a 40-foot diesel-pusher motorhome, California State Route 74, also called the Ortega Highway, is it. It winds from sea level up to where it crests at the top of the Santa Ana Mountains and then drops dramatically down to Lake Elsinore below.

Whether you’re wintering in the Sunbelt or using your motorhome for ski trips and snowshoe hiking, winter appetites call for heartier meals. Here are recipes that are kind to the cook, filled with homemade goodness, and easy on the cleanup crew.
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Sweet Potato Puff
Eggs turn this into a creamier, more substantial side dish than sweet potatoes alone.

These appendages tell a story in the varied ways animals use them.

Outside our window the rain begins to fall a bit harder, but the local gray squirrel just uses its tail as an umbrella to keep the drops from bouncing off its head. Evidently, the acorns it is collecting are more important than the slight discomfort of a little moisture.

Job searching while full-timing; accessible travel resources; a Titanic book; and coach organization tips.
For some folks, becoming a full-timer is the ultimate retirement adventure. You live where you want, do what you like, and enjoy the fruits of all your hard work over the years.

Focus on basic solutions for removing nasty stains from fabrics.

Everyone knows the difficulty of dealing with tough stains from blood, grass, mud, etc. on clothing.

Dorothy Jane “Dottie” Pierce, L57064, who served as FMCA’s national president from 1995 to 1998, died on September 24, 2007, in Clearwater, Florida, after an eight-year battle with colon cancer. She was 79.
Dottie was born August 21, 1928, in Wilmington, Delaware, one of nine children raised by her parents, Emmer and Ida Cloud.

One of my favorite “duties” as FMCA president is attending the various area rallies held throughout the year. Since I have fewer responsibilities and commitments at an area rally than I do at an international convention, these rallies allow me more opportunities to visit with members and talk with them about FMCA.

At its August 2007 meeting in Redmond, Oregon, the FMCA Governing Board approved a proposal to eliminate the membership listings from the January directory/member benefits issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine. This decision was based on the size of these listings and the associated costs (paper, printing, postage), as well as the fact that this information now is available online at FMCA.com.
In the recent past, the January directory issue included two listings of family members, one by membership number and the other by name.

When J.C. and Inez Ware inspected the site for their new home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in 1971, they made an amazing discovery.

When it comes to great ship museums, San Diego has two of the best in the United States — the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the USS Midway Museum. Between them they provide an opportunity to tour eight treasured vessels.

Making an entry into the world of luxury motorhomes is no small task. Not only must the manufacturer be on the cusp of coach-building technology, but it also must have a dealer network.

In 1848 gold was found in a creek near Sacramento, California. Once word got back to the rest of the civilized world, a large migration west ensued.

If you have owned a gasoline-powered and a diesel-powered motorhome, you don’t need to be convinced of the advantages of the diesel engine. Most RVers know that diesel engines produce more torque at much lower rpm than the equivalent gasoline engine, offer enhanced fuel economy, and have a longer service life.

Despite the flurry of activity that surrounds the holidays, the opportunity to share a moment with family and friends, or a good laugh, remains. These FMCA members provide three distinct answers to this month’s question: Describe your favorite holiday memory involving your motorhome.
I grew up in the Boca Grande Lighthouse on Gasparilla Island, Florida.

To keep ants and other pests from crawling into your motorhome through an access hole, treat an old towel with some insecticide and stuff it around the hole.
Deanie Hendrix, F761S,
Erie, Colorado
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Border Décor
My new motorhome needed something to spruce up the walls. I went to a wallpaper store and looked through tons of wallpaper border books.

The Attach-A-Table from Crazy Creek Products Inc. is a convenient swiveling table that is said to attach and detach easily from most framed chairs and can hold food, drinks, and other small items.
The table folds up and down, swings out, and can be adjusted to different height positions.

Newmar Corporation, based in Nappanee, Indiana, hopes to cater to tailgating enthusiasts with its newest floor plan, the 4258 All Star, which includes two kitchens, two bathrooms, and numerous other tailgating amenities.

he new All Star tailgate floor plan is built exclusively on a Spartan Mountain Master ME (mid-engine) chassis.

Pull out these recipes when a hungry crowd gathers under your awning.
When you’re in a cooking mood, prepare one or more of these group recipes. Then serve these super-size dishes to a large gathering or freeze them in smaller batches to suit your needs.
Fried Rice For A Crowd
When you freeze the basic fried rice in smaller batches, you’ve written yourself a blank check for future feasts.

Even though it happened more than a decade ago, the memory is still fresh. With our motorhome’s fuel tanks full, food loaded, and the family aboard, I headed out of a Santa Clarita, California, fuel stop.

The heart of the Aqua-Hot and Hydro-Hot hydronic heating systems (now the Aqua-Hot 600-D and Aqua-Hot 450-D, respectively) is a diesel burner unit manufactured by Webasto. This European supplier makes and markets its units to several industries, among them the RV industry, primarily through Aqua-Hot Heating Systems Inc.

These aquatic emporiums take landlubbers underwater to view the wetter side of nature.
Seeing an aquarium on television can’t compare with viewing it in person. Here you can learn about underwater creatures firsthand.

These desert-dwellers may not sound particularly tuneful, but they’re quite content making their home in the arid environment.
Out in the desert, long before the sun peeks over the horizon, the sounds of birds enter the open vent in our motorhome, providing our wake-up call as the avian community greets the new day. We try to identify each new melody as it appears, waiting for the familiar voice, gradually leaving sleep behind.

Putting medical, financial, and estate matters in order; adopting a pet.

Death and taxes aren’t the only unavoidable matters that full-timers have to tangle with. Unlike people who live in one place, you have to deal with your “home” state, the state you’re in at the moment, and any states where you have assets.

FMCA has held five international conventions at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter (GNFA) in Perry, but a current law would make it impractical to hold a sixth confab in the Peach State.
The legislation, enacted in August 2005, prohibits out-of-state dealers from selling a new RV in Georgia unless they have a franchise dealership agreement to do so.
In late April 2007, the General Assembly passed HB 117, which would have allowed certain franchise agreement exemptions for rallies or conventions involving more than 2,500 RVs. Attendance at FMCA conventions typically exceeds 3,000 motorhomes, so HB 117 would have paved the way for out-of-state RV dealers to sell at these events.
Governor Sonny Perdue, on May 30, vetoed HB 117.

This Country Coach owners chapter caters to “snowbirds” of the southeastern United States.
FMCA has plenty of chapters made up of people who all own the same brand of motorhome. Often, the motorhome manufacturer sets up the FMCA chapter for customers, which is the case with Country Coach Inc.’s Country Coach International chapter.

James “Jim” Jennings, F94845, who served FMCA as national secretary from 1998 to 2000, passed away on July 21, 2007, after a brief battle with lung cancer.
Jim was born on October 15, 1935, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Comstock High School, where he met his future wife, Shirley, when both were in the ninth grade.

I have an Onan generator located at the rear of a 38-foot type A coach. Each year I’m required to have the armature cleaned and new brushes installed, as the generator fails to produce power.

Have you seen FMC’s newest column? “Rear View” appears each month on the last page of the magazine. Readers share their thoughts on specific topics — their favorite travel sites, restaurants, activities, etc.
We’d like to hear from you, too.