aztec7fan

Mine is a 32' 1989 Southwind (class A).

I have a small amount of info that might help. On the last leg of your journey in Colorado, route 13 and some of route 40 will be just rolling hills, up to route 9. May I suggest you continue on route 40, rather than taking 9, unless you had a strong desire to visit silver thorn. Route 40 takes you through some beautiful country and towns such a Granby and Winter Park. The main pass you will cross is Berthoud Pass. It is high, but they have widened and improved it over the years, so it's an enjoyable drive. Plus, you will avoid the steep drive up to the Eisenhower tunnel. One other suggestion. When visiting Mount Rushmore, try to stay in a campground in the Custer State Park. They are beautiful, tree covered sites. There is great site seeing in the area in addition to the main national park, but plan on taking your towd on most of the side roads. Chris G. Westminster, CO F3508s

We left about noon that day.

Here is our 1989 Southwind a couple of years ago when we took an easter trip with the kids. Woke up to 4" of snow. Almost had to put the chains on to get out, but the coach pulled us out just fine. Love our old motorhome! Chris G. F3508s

Couple of questions: 1) how do you define "resort"? Does the RV park need a pool, tennis courts, miniature golf, or just a nice clean place to park while you explore the area? 2) where are you looking? If you check the reviews on RV Park Reviews website, you will find several parks in the area that get consistently good reviews (and some that don't). http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/colorado/colorado-springs We have stayed at Mountaindale Cabins and RV Resort before, and can confirm, this is a very nice place to stay. Chris G. F3508s Westminster, CO

Remember, as an FMCA member, you can post a short ad in the FMC magazine for free. Take a look in the back of the mag for details. The ad won't be published for 3 months, so in the meantime, I'd try craigslist and maybe eBay as well. Chris G. F3508s

Even if you don't have power there, install a small solar panel/trickle charger.

Thanks everyone for your responses! They were helpful and educational. Looks like the definitive answer is, deploy the levelers before extending any slides. The reason I asked was twofold. 1) I had no idea about this issue, and 2) there are times we might pull into a parking lot (like Walmart) late at night, and I wanted to know if I would have to use the levelers if I just wanted to access the bedroom area. I know some floor plans allow plenty of access with the slides in, and some limit the access somewhat. I will have to find coaches that have good access to the bedroom to simplify the quick "park and go to bed" situations. Thanks again, Chris G. F3508s

Ok, so I've owned two motorhomes in the last 20 years, but both were old enough that they didn't have slideouts. In the next year or so, we may purchase a newer coach, and more then likely, it will have at least one slide. Just wondering, assuming you are already parked on a level surface, do the leveling jacks need to be deployed before extending the slide(s) for stability purposes? Can you extend the slides without your leveling jacks, or can this cause damage, frame/chassis flexing, the slides binding, etc.? Thanks, Chris G. F3508s

Also try this link: Rv Service Reviews RVservicereviews.com Gives a really good list of repair facilities in your area, with a few reviews and types of repairs each one does. Good luck, Chris G. F3508s

Wild Bill, and others, if you ever come accross anyone else looking for a no slide out coach, you might suggest they look into Lazy Daze Class C motorhomes. http://www.lazydaze.com These are brand new coaches with no slides. Never owned one, so can't vouch for them, but they look good. Chris G. F3508s

The number itself doesn't make much difference, but seeing the "goose egg" can be a conversation starter, and serve other purposes. On more than one occasion, have been taking our evening stroll through the RV park, seen the FMCA plate, and struck up a conversation with the folks sitting outside about the upcoming convention, or other FMCA issues. Chris G. F3508s

Just curious, how would the seperate corporation work? Would there be a seperate organization with a different name (like Family RV Association)? Seperate magazine, seperate rally's and conventions, or would there be some overlap? Thanks, Chris G. F3508s

FYI, I started this thread 4 years ago. My son is 20 now, and has not driven the motorhome yet. If we get in a long straight stretch sometime, I might let him take the wheel, but no good opportunities yet. Chris G. F3508s

I've had my windshield replaced twice in the last 5 years. Just had to pay $250.00 deductible. Allstate insurance. Chris G. F3505s

I don't know if anyone is interested, but this happened Tuesday evening: http://www.9news.com/amp/news/crime/3-rvs-worth-nearly-2m-stolen-from-stores-lot/329431908&ved=0ahUKEwiE98Gc8cfPAhVEez4KHXScC7oQFggrMAQ&usg=AFQjCNGNwcFhJWcilIdCgGraNDoRe-xj8A&sig2=HwlY4FTrRY1PiAemwXiPcg All three of the RVs are new and priced at $450,000 to $778,000. They are a Newmar Dutchstar, a Newmar Essex and a Newmar Mountain Aire. Chris G. F3508s

Folks, in some ways, I am a camping veteran, been doing it since the late 60's, but in some cases, I am still a rookie. Can someone post a picture of a "doughnut" and maybe a threaded connection? We camp mostly in the Rockies, and have never come accross an RV park that required anything special in this department, usually just a request that the connection be "secure" and/or monitored. We usually stay a couple of days and dump the tanks every few days and don't leave the dump hose hooked up, so this might make a difference too. Thanks, Chris. F3608s P.s. I know I could Google images of what you describe, but it might be useful for other people here too.

The latest review on RV park reviews was in March 2016, and was not very favorable: http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/florida/north-fort-myers/upriver-rv-resort If they are doing lots of upgrades, the conditions may have changed.

There look to be mostly positive reviews on this site: http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/south-carolina/charleston/oak-plantation-campground Scroll through the reviews, and you will see there are just a few isolated negative issues.

I have one idea that I think is a good one, but will never happen. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the manufactures would let an FMCA member use a new coach for a few days, then the member would do a write up of that coach. Now, I know the magazine has write ups of new coaches now, but these are gloryfied advertising, with no negatives. If the write ups were allowed to have negative, as well as positive feedback, maybe this might make a small step to higher quality. Probably never happen. Chris g. F3508s

Bill, actually Dakota Ridge is off west Colfax on the way to the old Heritage Square. The Jeffco Fairgrounds campground is totally separate.

Yep, I agree! I wouldn't say that site is universal, but a heck of a lot of people use the information there to make informed decisions on where to stay.

Here in Colorado, I can offer a couple of suggestions: If you are heading into the mountains from the Denver area along highway 285 south (going to Conifer, Buena Vista, or other parts south), avoid the urge to get a running start to go up the hill just after C-470. The speed limit is 45 here, and this area is part of a small town called Morrison which gets a large amount of its revenue from speeders on the highway. Same thing going downhill coming back into Denver, but at this point, you will probably be in low gear. Also watch out for a speed trap in Empire as well, another small town with a notorious speed trap.

Try RVParkreviews.com, looks like they have several campgrounds listed in the Clayton area (which is near 1000 Islands). Several have good reviews and are big-rig friendly: http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/new-york/clayton

Also, check your FMC magazine January issue. In the back, there is a list of "Stoppin' Spots", which lists members who offer various services. There is a family in Cheyenne, WY that is designated as "Come Visit" which means they would welcome an overnight stay from fellow members.