| Excerpts from Sep/Oct 2001 Newsletter |
|
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS |
|
This being the first opportunity to write this column, let me thank all for your support. I believe we have a fine group of officers to keep the momentum of the chapter going. |
| I want to thank Jim Campbell for the excellent job he did in getting the chapter moving in the right direction (after somewhat of a shaky start) and setting an example for us to follow. |
| I do not plan to change what we are doing as it is working well, perhaps just tweak a few things. After a thorough updating of the membership list, we now have just over 170 coach families in the chapter. |
| For those who did not attend the Pre-rally in Sisters, Oregon, you missed another excellent rally. The surprise for everyone was the water and electric hook ups. The electric came in handy due to the unusually hot weather. |
| We had three of the Alaskan Discovery Adventure coaches finalize their 91-day trip at Sisters and some other members traveled as a group across the Oregon Trail on the way to Sisters. |
| For someone reluctant to host a rally, Russ & Roxie Foster did a super job. They did recruit some helpers in the Palasotas, Allens, and Livingstons along with many other volunteers. |
| We did have support from Fleetwood with Tech Service personnel who came to Sisters to sign us up for repair work at the convention and provided us with a preview of a 2002 Discovery coach. |
| The caravan to the Redmond Convention went without a problem and the parking location we had was close to all the activities. Our group enjoyed great camaraderie and the informal cookouts att he Livingston's grill added to the fun. |
| At the convention several of us served as Fleetwood ambassadors with two shifts in the Fleetwood Display. |
| I have heard from several of our members who were in Oregon and trust that all have now returned safely home. |
| We have some exciting rallies coming up in the future, watch for postings in the newsletter and on our web site. |
|
Be well and safe travels, Ron |
|
www.geocities.com/difmca |
|
Our web masters, Chuck and Donna Tolson would appreciate receiving anecdotes on travel or experiences with your Discovery that can be shared with the membership, and/or pictures (either in jpeg format on the internet or regular "hard copies" that you have had developed). Chuck and Donna can be e-mailed: cdtolson@usa.net for internet communication. If you want to send pictures or stories, their snail mail addrss is: 1551 Truslow Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22406. |
|
RENFRO VALLEY |
|
Otho and I are looking forward to seeing everyone at Renfro Valley. We are expecting 18 coaches. Everything is within walking distance. The itinerary for the rally is as follows: |
|
Wednesday, October 10 - Check-in day at Registration. Gather at the Tew coach at 3:00 p.m. for a briefing and handout of information and tickets. There will be a Boarding House Dinner at 5:30 p.m. MASAL show at 7:00 p.m. |
|
Thursday, October 11 - Classic Country Show at 7:00 p.m. |
|
Friday, October 12 - Barn Dance Show at 7:00 p.m. |
|
Saturday, October 13 - Three Mini Shows at 1:00 p.m.; Gospel Jubilee Show at 3:30 p.m.; Boarding House Dinner at 4:45 p.m.; Jamboree Show at 9:00 p.m. |
|
Sunday, October 14 - The Gathering at 8:30 a.m. Departure afterwards. |
|
Directions are very simple. Kentucky I-75, Exit 62 and follow the signs. Registration is on the left and campground is o the right. |
|
NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKAGE is a Ricky Van Shelton Show on the 13th at 7:00 p.m. Anyone who wishes to go may purchase a ticket for $22.20 per person. |
|
Otho and Alice Tew |
|
GOVERNING BOARD REPORT |
|
The FMCA Governing Board met the day prior to the Redmond Convention. I attended as your National Director along with Griff Livingston, Alternate National Director. |
| There were 359 voting representatives from a potential of 435 or 83% of those eligible. Each chapter has one vote and each National Officer has a vote. |
| The year 2000 was the best financial year in FMCA history; revenue over expenses was $1.4 million. $11.2 million was spent on member services, which is roughly equal to $93 per member, a good return on our $25 per year membership fee. |
| The budget for year 2002 was approved at approximately $15 million, down slightly from 2001. A conservative approach is being taken due to the current unfavorable conditions in the industry. |
|
The new benefits were announced, Long Term Care insurance, and Mortgage Life Insurance, both at discounts from market prices. |
| A complete revision of FMCA By-laws is in the final drafting process for presentation to the Governing Board at the Hutchinson, Kansas, convention. |
| The Strategic Plan for FMCA, the culmination of two years work by the committee was approved. |
| Charlie Atkinson's president's report was printed in Family Motor Coaching magazine for your review. |
|
The new National Officers elected at
the meeting were:
President: Jeff Jeffcoat Sr. V.P. R. G. Wilson Secretary June Davis Treasurer Connie Pool |
| Just a reminder, if you do not have a Medex card in your wallet or purse, cut one from the magazine. It is a significant benefit in a medical emergency. |
|
Ron Hyslop F175527 |
|
IT IS ALREADY TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE NEXT PRE-RALLY!!!!!! |
|
Can you believe it? It is already time to begin planning for the Discovery International Pre-Rally to be held in Pine Mountain, Georgia in March 2002. Our hosts fro this event are Harry and Mary Condrey of Cataula, Georgia. They have reserved campground spaces for us with full hookups and planned some wonderful activities. The complete itinerary and the reservation form is included in this newsletter, so fill out the form and get it in the mail in order to reserve your spot as space is limited. |
|
SISTERS, OREGON PRE-RALLY A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY! |
|
What a wonderful time we all had at the Sisters Rodeo Ground. The facility turned out to be more than we expected. The meeting room was just perfect and the unexpected electricity and water were greatly appreciated. The Sisters-Bend area was ready for all of us rally/convention goers. The towns went all out to make us feel welcome and to accommodate our needs. The catered meals we had were excellent and we had enough food left over for two more meals and our potluck dinner was absolutely wonderful. |
| We want to thank Pete and Maratha Palasote for handling the coffee and for working so hard in helping us to prepare for, and working alongside us throughout, to make this rally so successful. We also thank Jim Campbell and his Alaska troop for the excellent slide show of their trip to Alaska. You should have seen the Alaska trip coaches when they arrived at the rodeo grounds - what a mess they were. We were so lucky to be parked on grass with lots of water available for washing the coaches. |
| We had a fun time with the door prizes that were donated by Fleetwood and steering wheel tables (made and donated by Russ and Roxie). Fleetwood also brought out a new Discovery for us to check out and they also signed us up for service at the convention - thank you Fleetwood. |
| We would also like to thank Janet Livingston for handling the registration and transporting the door prizes donated by Fleetwood and Griff for his excellent tail gunner job. Thank you Mary Boka and again, Janet for an outstanding job selling the 50/50 tickets and all you wonderful volunteers that helped mop up the floors and clean the meeting hall and police the rodeo grounds. Thank you Bill and Diana Allen for all of your pre-rally and "whatever you needed help and your excellent job with the newsletter. Without your newsletter none of this would have been possible. Thank all of you who attended the rally for making it such a success. We have our foot in the door for the use of the Sisters Rodeo Grounds for the 2004 convention rally, so those of you that missed out this year, mark your calendar for 2004 and don't miss a wonderful time. |
|
Russ and Roxie Foster |
|
PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MAGGIE...Neil Elkins |
|
I don't know the number of FMCA families who travel with cats or dogs, but judging by the number of our Discovery International members who do, it is a rather large number. I do know that as "staff" to our cat Maggie, who seems to own us, we derive a great deal of pleasure and companionship from her while we're on the road. And I know that the welfare of our companions is very important to all of us who travel. But have you provided for your companion's care in the event of an emergency? |
| I know that all of us make sure when we have to leave them for "tourist" and social activities that they have plenty of food and water to last until we return. And I know that we make sure that proper ventilation and cooling in the motor home is available so they will be comfortable. But what about emergencies or accidents we may suffer while out playing tourist or socializing? What would happen if you are incapacitated while your cat or dog is home alone? |
|
No one can guarantee that your companion animals will be properly cared for under these circumstances, but there are some things you can do to try to provide for their care. One thing that we have done is make a placard to keep in our toad to notify emergency personnel that Maggie is "home alone" and to ask them to somehow provide for her care. I formatted a simple EMERGENCY INFORMATION notice with different size and color fonts to make it more noticeable and hopefully attract attention and I've also laminated it with "do it yourself" laminating sheets to make it more permanent. We leave this card in our toad all the time and when we leave the RV park we clip the RV Park/Campground brochure to the card. This brochure identifies not only the location of our Discovery but it usually identifies our site number as well. I'll quote the text of our placard to give you an idea of what information we think is relevant. |
|
EMERGENCY INFORMATION Neil and Marlene Elkins 39290 W. 295th Street Paola, KS 66071-4324 (913) 294-2572 |
|
The following information is provided for use in the event that we become incapacitated while traveling. |
| We are traveling in a 1999 Fleetwood DISCOVERY motor home, colored white and plum, with Kansas license TRAVLER. |
| We are staying at the RV Park or Campground whose brochure is attached or in our vehicle. We have one cat in the motor home that will need to be fed and otherwise cared for if we are unable to return for her care. Maggie is a spayed, longhair, female Maine Coon with typical dark gray, calico-like markings. he food is located in the refrigerator and the cupboard over the street side sofa. |
| Please make sure that she is humanely taken care of as needed. We or our estate will repay any ordinary and necessary expenses, which may be incurred for her care while we are unable to take care of her. Our NEXT OF KIN: (deleted) |
|
EMERGENCY INFORMATION |
|
There is no guarantee, of course, that this information will have the desired effect. But judging by the law enforcement and emergency medical folks whom I know, if we are involved in an incapacitating accident there is a much better than even chance that if at all possible someone will somehow see that Maggie is taken care of until other arrangements can be made. |
|
THE VIP'S SOAPBOX....Neil Elkins |
|
Thanks to everyone for the confidence you expressed in me by electing me Vice President. While I did not seek the office, I decided that in return for the pleasure and enjoyment that I derive from the Discovery International (FMCA) members and our rally activities I should do whatever I can to help the organization. Thus I agreed to be nominated and stand for election. |
| Before we left Redmond, Ron Hyslop and I discussed how I could best help him, the other officers, and the membership of the Chapter in general. Fortunately we were both thinking along the same lines and I agreed to act as a general Rallymaster for the Chapter, supporting rally hosts as best I can, coordinating rally activities, and generally recruiting rally hosts. |
| Not everyone is able to attend the national FMCA conventions because of family, job, and business commitments. As a result, many of us do not see each other often if at all and consequently do not get to enjoy each other's company and the pleasures of Chapter membership. Since I'm convinced that the best part of belonging to FMCA (other than the obvious tangible member benefits) is the chance to get to know other Discovery owners and their families, I would like to see folks step up to the plate to host regional rallies. |
|
I can sympathize with an understand your hesitation about hosting a rally, but a rally does not have to be an elaborate affair. All it takes is a convenient place to park our D's and the rally is under way! We have been known to put together a potluck dinner in mere moments and anything more than that is pure excess! I'm sure that every member family knows and is proud of a unique feature in their hometown or county that would be of interest to other Discovery owners. Our members are, if nothing else, a vastly divergent group in terms of occupation history, locale, and background which could be the focal point of a social rally. Think about it. If you're a farmer or rancher in the mid-west or west, for example, I'm sure that there are people from an urban area in the east who would be interested in seeing how their food starts the trip from the farm to the supermarket. Perhaps you are engaged in some other profession or business that is unique, if not to you then to the rest of us. Or many of you live in areas that are rich in our nation's history, perhaps living so close to it that it has become commonplace to you. Be assured that it's not commonplace tot he rest of us. I'm sure that all of you can come up with similar ideas from an entirely different perspective. And, having attended the FMCA International Area rally in June in Edmonton, Alberta, I definitely would like some of our Canadian members to consider hosting a get-together! What a wonderful time we had while guests of Canada! So everyone look around you with a fresh perspective and consider hosting a Discovery International rally in your own backyard. Please don't hesitate to e-mail or call me with your ideas, suggestions, or questions. |
| Finally, Ron and I agreed that I would help our capable Newsletter Editors, Bill and Diana Allen, by soliciting Newsletter articles from technical sources such as Fleetwood, Cummins, and Freightliner as well as more "community" oriented articles from Chapter members. I'll cover this more in the next Newsletter but in the meantime if you have something you think will be of interest, please send it on. I'll be happy to try to answer any questions you may have about anything related to rally activities and Newsletter articles. Until next time, Good Traveling and God Bless. |
|
PRE-TRIP INSPECTION AND DAILY INSPECTION |
|
Beware of the violation of your warranty if you do not perform this duty daily before moving your Discovery. I learned this lesson the hard way when I lost the tensioner bolt from my A/C compressor. Because of discussions about loose and missing A/C compressor bolts on IDMC, I made my "pre-trip inspection" at the FMCA Convention in Redmond, OR, Aug. 14. Then 900 miles and five campgrounds later in Oceano, CA, I had no dash A/C because the tensioner bolt worked loose and fell out causing the A/C belt to fall off. Ralph Christianson, District Service Manager, for Freightliner advised that the pre-trip inspection must be performed daily before the motor home is moved. Also, from page 10 of the Owner's Warranty Information manual -- "The tightening of fasteners, fittings, hose clamps, and electrical connectors which are loosened by normal operation of the vehicle is considered to be normal maintenance." Mr. Christianson's (and Freightliner's_ position is that you must check all bolts, fasteners, fittings, hose clamps and electrical connectors EACH AND EVERY TIME before the motor home is moved, otherwise you have violated your warranty, no exceptions. I did admit that I did not make the inspection of the five moves since Redmond, therefore the warranty had been violated and my cost was $10.28 for a new belt plus $170.85 labor. |
|
-- Bill Allen -- |
|
GOOD NEIGHBOR AWARD |
|
During the Sisters, Oregon, pre-rally, we started experiencing some voltage drops while running our generator. Since we had limited electric hookups at the rally, I didn't worry about it until it finally stopped working. After a quick call to Onan, they assured me I could remove the voltage regulator and the local service shop in Bend, Oregon, could bench test it to prove this was my problem. WRONG, they could only test it on the coach and since a new one costs more then $300 and is nonrefundable, I was reluctant to purchase a new one before I had checked other possible fuel problems. |
| When Steve Kokinos learned about my problems, he recounted his experience of having similar problems recently with his ginny which required replacing the voltage regulator. Steve then volunteered to remove his new regulator off his coach so I could test it on my coach. I'm here to tell you D owners are the best. It is tight work, but it can be done. His voltage regulator worked, so I went and purchased the new one. Both Steve and Bob Nelson and others joined to help switch the unit and get the new one installed. |
| I'm here to nominate both Steve and Bob for the Discovery International Good Neighbor award. |
|
Thanks guys, Lois and Jim Campbell |
|
"THANK YOU, TO ALL" |
| At the Redmond annual meeting, I was presented with a very nice plaque which covered my term as charter president for our chapter. While the plaque acknowledges my service efforts, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for making our chapter so successful. Many of you have volunteered to help organize rallies, serve as an officer, write and publish the newsletter, etc. I really did appreciate your support during my term as president. |
| I would like to thank Ron & Sarah Hyslop for organizing the reception with delicious cake that was held following the chapter meeting. Please give Ron & Sarah all of your help and support as Ron takes over the presidency. |
|
Jim Campbell, Past President |
|
2001 DISCOVERY INTERNATIONAL ALASKAN ADVENTURE |
|
Stopping Edmonton, AB, to see the world's largest mall, we were joined by Bob & Kathy Nelson, Tucson AZ and Gene & Jean Baldwin, Gulf Breeze, FL. This group traveled on to Dawson Creek and there Bob & Carol Baugh, Richmond, KY and Fred and Joan Frech, Tucson, AZ joined us. Leaving Dawson Creek on June 1 we traveled 57 days together and covered 4,500 miles before we arrived in Prince George for our last group dinner. From this point part of the group traveled on to the pre-rally and convention and others departed in their own way. |
| I'm happy to report our Discovery's performed very well during the trip. One broken fan belt, one flat tire, one broken step switch and one broken jack dump valve. Not bad when you consider the combined miles we traveled as a group. I'm not counting five coaches with stone-chipped windshields as a motor home related problem (just a natural hazard). |
| Everyone should visit Alaska in their lifetime; it is truly an RVer's paradise and in a motor home is the very best way to see this beautiful country as you look out your big picture window of your D. |
|
Jim and Lois Campbell |
|
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Since one of the purposes of this newsletter is to share information, we would really like to hear from you about subjects that interest you. So, if you have information about a Discovery modification, service or maintenance technique, funny story, clean joke, or story about a recent trip, please send us "your scoop." We can be contacted by E Mail: WEADJA@aol.com or snail mail: Bill and Diana Allen, P.O. Box 2430 PMB 1037, Pensacola, FL 32513. We would love to hear from you! |