lmsooter

We stayed at Oceanview RV Park in 2012. Nice view of the bay. We were there several days and had no problem with wind.

Looking at the FMCA membership directory, I find 39 members listed in Lancaster, PA. One is listed as “Mechanical Help”. You might contact him and if he can’t help, he may know someone.

I had the information I needed for the recent vote because I read the magazine, participate in the forum and look at the FMCA website at least daily. I believe the information for this vote was there for anyone who wanted to read it. That bring said, I disagree with the philosophy that you must join a chapter to be represented at the Board level. If only 30% of members are chapter members then the 70% non-chapter members really have no voice in the overall operation of FMCA. I am also a Life member of the National Rifle Association and all board members are elected by a vote of ALL members. i am not a member of any chapter of FMCA at this time and really don’t want to be. Part of the reason for not being involved in a chapter is many have rallies at the same places year after year. We are members of the Alfa Owners Club and the Alfa Roadrunners chapter. We do not attend the Owners Club rally for the same reason - always in the same area. But I am a member of FMCA and should have some representation at the Board level without being required to join another group (chapter). Sorry about the long post but I needed to express my opinion. You kinda get the feeling from some of the comments above that you are not a “real” member or asset if you don’t join a chapter.

You are priceless Bill!

I like Bill! There is never any doubt concerning his stand on an issue. Kinda refreshing considering all the “political correctness” wave and fear that someone might be offended about anything and everything.

I notice that the article the link takes to is from June 2010.

We put Toyos on our coach in 2012 and have not had any problems. The ride was much improved over the Goodyear originals. Price was about $1200 less that the FMCA Michelin program

Joe, if you decide to try Carlsbad Caverns, then drop further south to Fort Davis, Texas and check out the McDonald Observatory. http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/

You don’t have to own a coach to join the forum. Just need one to join FMCA.

This is the only floor plan I have seen with a rear lounge. My wife looked at the floor plan and said “wasted space - where is the large closet for hanging clothes”. But then that is why they make many different floor plans. Hope it works for you. I would have to look at it in person before totally rejecting it - hopefully you have had the opportunity to see it and spend some time in it.

I leave both tanks closed until time to dump. A couple of times we have found a nice swarm of sewer flies in an RV park sewer connection when we removed the cap. I don’t really want them in my gray tank. I just waited until the tanks were full, opened the black tank and flushed the critters back where they belonged. Then the gray tank to finish

Rob, i have never seen a Maxxair cover sealed to the roof. Mine are mounted with brackets to the vent side wall. According to the Maxxair mounting instructions, there will be a 1/2" to 1" gap between the cover and the roof. Then it goes on to say "do not caulk this gap". Did Thor use a different mounting system?

Welcome to the forum! when we decided to full time in 2011, we had a 33 foot gas coach we loved. But we did not like the amount of storage we had for full time so we started looking. We developed a list of "must have" and "nice to have" requirements. Then we spent a year looking at RV shows as well as dealer lots. We looked at all the brands you mention as well as Thor, Monaco, Forest River and Foretravel. We kept coming back to our Alfa because of the large windows and high ceilings. But that also makes it harder to cool and heat. We have never regretted our choice. just find a floor plan you really like and try get as many of your "must haves" as possible. We have many friends with the coaches you mention and they love them. Find what you like and go for it.

I was wondering how your situation with your MH turned out. Sorry to hear your rig may be totaled. We were hoping for a little rain in Hondo but got less than 1/2". It all stayed around San Antonio and farther east. Anyway, we hope you receive a quick and easy settlement with insurance and a speedy and painless search for a replacement.

I read on another forum that one individual pushed in on the door while operating the latch and got it to open. Otherwise you might try a locksmith.

Can't comment on a route but we stayed at Three Mile Creek State Park on Lake Ontario in 2015 and really enjoyed the large sites. Water and electric only but a dump station on the way out.

Call Tim at RVCAMS. (877)378-2267 http://www.rvcams.com/

Saw a motorhome in Alaska in 2012 at a pullout. They had Montana plates and a bumper sticker that said "We Actually Live In Montana".

We are members of Good Sam and Escapees for the campground discounts among other things. Yes they both have trip routing but so does FMCA and I have used it several times. FMCAssist is worth the price of my dues but so is the magazine. We don't need another Good Sam or Escapees - we already have that. We like FMCA because is motorhome specific. Many of our friends have travel trailers and 5th wheels. When we mention FMCA allowing towables, their question is "Why?". And many of them have no desire to own a motorhome. As soon as I saw the ballot on the website, I printed and voted "No". It was mailed the same day. if we really want to attract new members, is there a way to work with manufacturers to offer a free or reduced cost trial membership? May not be practical from a financial viewpoint but we need some alternative to becoming another Good Sam.

You might get a better response to your questions if you will post them under a specific topic in the forum instead of a blog. Under Motorhome Forums, you will find several broad topics. One of these is Tecjnical. Under that topic you will find Towing. This would be the place to post your question. Also, you might check the FMCA Towing Guides about the Trailblazer.

You might try a Happy Days RV Park in Apache Junction, Arizona. If they have a space available, you can pay the annual fee and leave it there all year. It is a small park (180 spaces) compared to others in the area - some have 2000 or more sites. We spent the winter of 2014 there. Nice view of Superstition Mountains. http://happydaysrvpark.com/

We originally started with the FMCA cards when we first join but I now print ours using my laser printer with Avery business card stock I buy at Staples, Office Max, etc. The software is free. They really are nice when you make new friends. Many people we have met in campgrounds on our travels have cards so it is a quick way to exchange information.

Saving money did not enter into the decision to go full time for us. We were in good health and enjoyed our coach. I had been tied to a demanding job for my entire career and had retired several years prior. We simple said "Do we want to stay here and mow this 3 acres and maintain a large home for the rest of our lives or do we want to go see the country?" That was in 2011. In 2012 we spent 3 months in Canada and Alaska. And visited many states traveling there and returning to Texas. We spent almost a year in 2015-2016 east of the Mississippi River visiting every state there. In between the long trips, we visited friends and family in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. Now we spend the summer months (or June through September) in New Mexico and Colorado enjoying sightseeing, trains, fishing and photography. The rest of the year we spend near family in Texas. As far as health care is concerned, we have a Humana Medicare Advantage plan which has served us well across the nation. We have never regretted our decision.

We have developed a checklist we use when getting the coach ready to travel - antenna down, electric, water and sewer disconnected, etc. We saw a 5th wheel try to pull out a few years ago with water & electric still connected - damage to the RV and the park owner was really unhappy.

I have to agree with Herman and Blake. I had to use a strong magnet to reset ours 1 time and I did not trust it after that. Also, I never did like to pour myself a bowl of ice cream. We switched to a Samsung RF 20 residential 2 years ago and ice cream is so hard you have to "nuke" it.