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The Houston area could be affected Thursday / Friday this week (June 24 & 25, 2017) by a tropical storm that is developing in the Gulf of Mexico. I've been through several tropical storms in Lake Charles and Katy starting with Hurricane Rita through Hurricane Ike and know how to "batten down the hatches" for my home in preparation for a tropical storm. I did not own an RV during those storms (have owned my motorhome for only two years). My motorhome is stored at a new storage facility that has covered, but not enclosed, parking spots --> http://grandparkwayboatandrvstorage.com/index.html Given this may be my first experience with a tropical storm while owing a motorhome, are there any storm preparations for a motorhome anyone has done beyond making sure all windows, vents, doors, etc. are fully closed? Thanks for your thoughts / guidance!

Good discussion above and why I asked the "best navigation App question". I looked at the cost of CoPilot for cars ($9.99 per year) and the cost of CoPilot for RVs ($59.99 per year). For someone like me who is mostly a 3-4 day "weekend warrior", I struggle to see the value of the expensive CoPilot RV app. The CoPilot Cars app is an OK cost if RV dimension can be added as I don't want to be one of the "You Tube shows" where a motorhome encounters a low clearance bridge !! I can't find any Apps beyond Google Maps, WAZE and CoPilot that get good reviews in the iPhone Apps Store. Available truck navigation Apps get poor reviews. Any other suggestions except those three?

I haven't seen nor could I find a discussion about Navigation apps to use during travels near and far. Google Maps is always a "go to" for directions. I find that the WAZE app provides better real time info and alternative routes than Google Maps. What does the forum say about which navigation apps are best? Info about the WAZE app --> https://www.waze.com/

If you're ever in south Louisiana, the Cajun Palms RV Resort near Henderson, La with its waterpark, beach volleyball and arcades is a great place for kids / grandkids. Close by activities includes Atchafalaya Swamp boat tours (air boats are great fun with kids!), Acadian Village and Zoo of Acadiana in Lafayette. In Baton Rouge is the Blue Bayou Water Park / Dixie Landin' Amusement Park Complex. For older kids (middle school +), historic plantation tours may be of interest. These are but a few of many kids activities that are within a 30 minute drive from the Cajun Palms RV Resort. And of course great Cajun dining is available most anywhere. Here are some web links for more info: Cajun Palms RV Resort --> http://www.cajunpalms.com/ Kids Activities in Baton Rouge & Lafayette --> https://www.familydaysout.com/kids-things-to-do-usa/baton-rouge/la Laissez les bons temps rouler !!

For my Jeep Wrangler I have the Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain tow bar and the Roadmaster Invisibrake supplemental brake system. My "refinery operations manager" experience didn't like the idea of tapping into my motorhome's air system for the M&G and AF-1 systems and have more connections where an air leak could occur. During the two years I've had the Invisibrake system it has worked flawlessly. Here's a link to info about the Invisibrake system --> http://roadmasterinc.com/products/braking/invisibrake/index.html Nice to converse with a fellow Damon Astoria owner!!

Carl, Bill, Herman -- What is your guidance for tow vehicle curb weight? Should the vehicle curb weight be less than a motohome's tow rating? And if so, by how much? The teaching I received a few years ago when I owned a travel trailer was to assure the weight of the fully loaded travel trailer was no more than 90% of my Silverado's tow rating. Mike

Herman -- T1heman's Holiday Rambler Vacationer has a max tow rating of 5,000 lbs. --> http://www.holidayrambler.com/resources/media/user/1487166921_brc_pdf.pdf While your Tahoe/Yukon suggestions are great for accommodating 7+ passengers, the curb weight of Tahoes/Yukons per this year FMCA Towing Guide is 5,600+ lbs. which exceeds the Vacationer's tow rating. I wouldn't think you'd recommend exceeding the tow rating of the Vacationer. The Chevrolet Traverse / GMC Acadia / Buick Enclave all have curb weights of 4,700 - 4,900 lbs. which is near the max towing weight of the Vacationer and can be flat towed. T1herman -- The FMCA Towing Guide is a very useful reference to help select a tow vehicle that is not too heavy for your Vacationer -> https://www.fmca.com/images/stories/pdf/towing_2017.pdf There are very few 7+ passenger vehicles that with a curb weight < 5,000 lbs. My oldest son has a GMC Acadia for his family which includes three children all under the age of 5, the youngest being two weeks old !! For everyday family use, his Acadia with three row seating is not practical. It's tough to get a child into a car seat in the third row and there is limited cargo space with the third row in the "sitting" position. My son is now considering a Tahoe/Yukon to provide the extra everyday space his family needs. To meet your flat-towing / 7 passenger capacity needs, the Chevy Tahoe / GMC Acadia / Buick Enclave may be the only choice to be within (barely) the max tow rating of your Vacationer. If you'd consider using a tow dolly, the vehicle selection options expand to include a Nissan Pathfinder (very nice), Mazda CX-9, Honda Pilot, and Hyundai Santa Fe. These front-drive vehicles have a curb weight of 4200-4200 lbs. which when combined with a 500 lbs. tow dolly would be within your Vacationer's max tow rating.

T1herman -- It would be helpful if you would develop your forum "signature block" and share the type of motorhome you have. With this info I've found the forum can respond much more effectively to questions asked. I presume from your note above that your motorhome has a tow rating of 5,000 lbs. To protect the transmission, the towing "rule of thumb" I learned from others is not to exceed 90% of the tow rating. Thus for a 5,000 lbs. tow rating, the tow vehicle rate should be <4,500 pounds. I have the same 5,000 lbs. tow rating for my motorhome thus I purchased a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the Sahara trim package. The four door Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has a curb weight of ~4,100 lbs. (which includes a full tank of gasoline). The Wrangler comfortably holds four adults and has a surprising amount of space for "stuff". The Wrangler is very versatile and fun to drive for city and especially off-road adventures. Towing the Wrangler has been trouble free. I have to check the rear view camera to see if the Jeep is still behind me as I can't "feel it" when I drive the motorhome. You may have difficulty finding a seven passenger SUV that has a curb weight <4,500 lbs. I know Carl, Bill and other motorhome owners with much, much more experience than I have can provide guidance on the size (weight) of tow vehicle versus motorhome tow rating and if exceeding the tow rating is acceptable. I like to play on the safe side and thus I followed the <90% of tow rating "rule of thumb" when I looked for a tow vehicle. Hope this helps!

Nice looking Astoria! There are not a lot of Damon motorhome owners that I've found on the FMCA forums. What is the year and model of your Astoria? My Astoria (2007 model 3774 shown below) has been great as a family toy for LSU football weekends and my wife's and my occasional weekend escape from our busy careers and crazy Houston. Perhaps we should start our own two person Damon Astoria page on the forum ! When you get a chance it would be good to develop your personal information "signature block" to appear at the bottom of your posts. When the forum knows your type of motorhome, engine, chassis, tow vehicle, etc. the many knowledgeable members of the forum can provide quick, superb help. Forum members have helped me on more than one occasion to solve a issue I had or simply help me climb the motorhome ownership learning curve.

Three years ago a work colleague on expat assignment to the U.S. purchased a 2012 Tiffin Phaeton for he and his wife to enjoy. His expat assignment has completed and he is ready to return to his home country. He offered his Tiffin to me as a "low cost" upgrade to my 2007 Damon. An immediate downside for my wife and me is the Phaeton does not have an oven thus we passed on the model upgrade opportunity. Many 2017 models we say at the Houston RV show this year no only do not have oven but have ranges that now only have two burners versus three. My wife detests trying to "bake" anything in convection microwave ovens. The quality of the baked item rarely comes out "correct" compared to a conventional oven. Perhaps we have not mastered the use of a microwave convection oven (??) Why have motorhome manufactures is recent years gone away from three burner propane stoves and ovens in favor of smaller two burner electric stoves and no ovens? Many current model motorhomes still have propane hot water heaters and furnaces thus safety concerns using propane is not the reason for not having propane stoves and ovens. Do motorhome owners no longer like the conventional stove/oven means of cooking? The forums thoughts please as the wife won't let me upgrade if she doesn't have a three burner stove and oven!

When it's not LSU football season, every 6 weeks (+/-) my wife and I like to take the motorhome on a long-weekend adventure i.e.Thursday through Sunday (my career demands rarely allow a lengthy time away). My wife learned from a neighbor that "First Monday Trade Days" in Canton, TX is an enjoyable experience. Some "Goggling" revealed what looks to be a nice RV resort named Mills Creek Ranch Resort that is near Canton --> https://millcreekranchresort.com/ The earliest "First Monday" weekend with spaces available is in August. Has anyone on the forum been to the "First Monday Trade Days" and/or the Mill Creek Ranch RV Resort at Canton, TX? Did you have an enjoyable time? Any advise for exploring the big Trade Days venue?

Oops. Hit the "submit reply" button too soon as another thought crossed my mind. At an LSU football tailgating weekend there are upwards of 450 motorhomes with 50 fifth-wheel and some travel trailer "RV-ers" gathering for a three day fun filled event (especially if LSU wins the game!). All of these RV'ers are crammed into "boon docking" spots barely wide-enough for everyone to put their slides out. Generators run 24/7 during the weekend and no one cares. The "men" usually vacation on Friday's so they can arrive in Baton Rouge by noon and set-up their motorhomes. They often meet their wives and kids during the early evening at their favorite Baton Rouge Restaurants or have supper ready when mom and kids arrive. On Saturday, bacon is frying during the mornings, BBQs are a smokin' all day long and no one cares about the smoke while enjoying the aromas. Kids throw footballs, ride their bikes, chase each other and are loud as any kid is playing with friends. The Dad's and Grandpa's (like me) talk football, talk about their motorhomes and set-ups, sample each other's cuisine, drink each other's beer especially our own home brews. The Mom's and Grandma's talk kids and grandkids (and probably husbands), drink each other's frozen beverages and sample each other's cuisine. Everyone enjoys ladder golf, bean bag corn-hole game, and yard darts. Sunday morning is spent talking about the game while packing the motorhome, most attend church for an hour, then start their journeys home around noon. This is the type of weekend "rally" that that I don't see offered by FMCA or its Chapters for younger motorhome owners and their families. A key data point about LSU football weekends is the vast majority of the 450 motorhomes are owned by folks under the age of 60. Maybe 10% of the motorhomes have FMCA member "ovals" on their rear ladders (I'm one of the 10%). When I ask the 90% why they are not a member of FMCA the response is "FMCA is for retirees and snow birds and not for me" and "FMCA doesn't give me the same benefits as Good Sam Club".

Keeping with my concern about poor age diversity in FMCA, the Six States Rally is scheduled to start Wednesday, October 25 (noon arrival?) and conclude on Saturday, October 28 (noon depart?) is a good example of lack of focus on members of all ages. The rally dates do not include travel time to / from the rally. This type of schedule totally alienates current and potential FMCA members like me that have careers and/or children at home. A large number of activities at the rally have little interest for the younger members. The golf scramble, motorhome show and motorhome seminars would be attractive to younger members but is not enough entice younger members for a four day outing. Quilting, crafts, ice cream social, pet obstacle course, etc. won't interest the under-60 crowd. And I'd guess the planned entertainment isn't 1980's music. FMCA membership will not dramatically grow if there isn't an effort to make FMCA enticing to the many pre-retirement motorhome owners like me.

I very much agree with this suggestion. My busy career and family life allows very little social media time. Linked-In is the only social media venue I use and would like to see FMCA info be meaningful !!

I agree with Issac1 about the focus and services of FMCA. I'm a few years older than Issac1 in my mid-50's. My primary value of FMCA is the forum to seek advice and share ideas. The FMCA magazine content, rallies / convention schedules, etc. seem to be directed towards older members of FMCA. Sorry, but a rally with key activities of visiting a museum, card games and pot luck dinners just don't interest me and my wife at this point in our lives. A rally that offers off-road adventures for my Jeep, tours of wineries or craft breweries, golf tournament, outing to fine dining establishments, etc. OR better yet a rally (tailgating event) at an NFL game or big time college football game with tickets to the game would be fantastic!. FMCA in my opinion doesn't cater to the sub-60 year old motorhome owners who are still very career focused and like Issac1 may still have children at home. The rallies / conventions need to recognize that week long events don't fit the schedules of younger members with careers and with children at home. I don't see rallies offered for a Friday night start / Sunday noon finish to accommodate work and school schedules. If FMCA expanded its efforts to be more inclusive of younger motorhome owners I think FMCA membership would significantly increase. Poor age diversity among FMCA members is a problem that is not being addressed. Adding "towables" to the membership will not solve that problem.

Carl has excellent suggestions, as usual, about the air dessicant drier/filter for your air brakes system. On my motorhome, the drier/filter had never been changed. The housing was "frozen" with corrosion to the dessicant/filter cartridge and could not be separated. A new housing plus filter had to be installed. I now have the air drier/filter on the list of annual filter replacements (Carl is annual air drier/filter replacement too frequent?). Also have the serpentine belt checked and replaced if there is not record of this being done. The serpentine belt on my motorhome was hard and cracked from eight years of weather degradation. The form has several examples of bad experiences from a broken serpentine belt. I agree with Carl about tires. RV tires will rarely be replaced because of mileage. They just get old and need replacing to avoid a bad consequence of having old tires. I installed new Goodyear HSA tires on my motorhome when I purchased it because the original tires were original and eight years old. I just didn't want to take a chance. This video shows why good tires are essential -->

Maserati -- Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhome owners! Nearly two years ago I purchased my first motorhome (diesel pusher) as an upgrade to my 32 foot travel trailer. I purchased the motorhome from a consignment dealer in the Houston area. The motorhome was owned by an elderly couple (both near 90) who used the motorhome very little (only had 6,000 miles) and kept no maintenance records. Being eight years old with little use, I had all fluids and filters changed by the consignment dealer's service center for the engine, generator and transmission. I also had the coolant changed and radiator flushed. Since then I've had a mobile RV lube service business in the Houston area do the annual engine oil and filters changes and the every 150 hours oil and filter service for the generator (the name of the company is RV Mobile Lube). The mobile service provider is ~$100 more expensive than taking the motorhome to a service center but the convenience is worth the extra cost as the mobile service will come to the RV storage facility I use on a Saturday when I'm home from work. RV Mobile Lube website --> http://www.rvmobilelube.com/RV_home.php A truck service center west about 15 miles west of Houston by the name of B-Line Lube charges ~$250 for full engine service. Such a service center may be available in your area. B-Line Lube website --> http://www.blinelube.com/services.html I have only talked to the Houston Freightliner service center about motorhome work. Because they only have one motorhome mechanic, their service/repair work back log is 3-4 months. The service/repair work back log at the Houston Camping World is even longer. Hence why I pay for the convenience of the mobile lube service. Hope this gives you some ideas. When you get a chance, prepare your "profile" (motorhome type, location in the U.S., tow vehicle type, etc.). The forum members are very helpful with ideas and experiences. The best help comes when the forum members know your type of motorhome and tow vehicle. Good luck with your new to you motorhome. You and your family will love the many adventures that await you!

It may be a bit too far for the Red River Rovers, but the Cajun Palms RV Resort near Henderson, Louisiana (between Lafayette and Baton Rouge) is a large park that with enough notice may accommodate a rally. This past February my wife and I enjoyed a long four day weekend immediately ahead of Mardi Gras (we had to leave on the Monday before Mardi Gras as I had to be back at work on Fat Tuesday of all days!!). Cajun Palms RV Resort has amenities for all ages including a nice water park with swim-up bar, sand volleyball, miniature golf, large meeting rooms, arcade area, nice exercise room, etc. that would be great mid-May through October. Swamp boat trips, Cajun food and shopping in Breaux Bridge, Avery Island (Tabasco) tour, Acadian Village tour in Lafayette (especially at Christmas time!!) are all examples of outings that rally attendees would enjoy (if your group doesn't just meet for card games and pot luck meals!). Mardis Gras weekend parades and activities in Lafayette were very enjoyable as was the Saturday evening Mardi Gras party at the Cajun Palms RV resort. Cajun Country is great place to visit and have fun especially for those who have never visited south Louisiana. Here is the link to the Cajun Palms RV Resort website --> http://www.cajunpalms.com/index.php?id=1 Hope this helps!

Erniee -- I agree that the Bluebonnet Café is a great place to eat. Huge, tasty meals (enough for two meals). Sunset Point RV Resort provided two "free pie" coupons for my wife and I to use at the Bluebonnet Café. The Double Horn Brewing Company has very good craft beers they brew along with good bar food (burgers, sandwiches, et al). The River City Grille is also quite good. Our favorite place was Flat Creek Winery Enoteca restaurant -- great wine tasting coupled with great thin crust pizza! Our least favorite restaurant was On the Rocks overlooking the LBJ Lake Dam. The view was fantastic. Food and service was average at best. The restaurant is dated and in bad need of a face lift.

I should also mention that Sunset Point RV Resort (like many RV resorts/parks) does not allow "open wood fire pits" at each RV spot (they do have fire pits atop a granite out-cropping). A "camp fire" during a cool evening is nice to enjoy along with a favorite adult beverage (which we did during our stay!). To get the camp fire feeling I use the Camco Little Red Campfire with a 4 pound propane tank. The Little Red Campfire is available from Amazon, Camping World or other stores. I purchased the 4 pound propane bottle at Home Depot. Both fit nicely in a motorhome's basement. Camco Little Red Campfire --> http://www.camco.net/product/little-red-campfire-10592/ 4 pound propane bottle --> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Worthington-Pro-Grade-4-25-lb-Empty-Propane-Tank-281149/202034835 The 4 pound propane bottle then "fuels" my camp stove during LSU football tailgating weekends when making big pots of gumbo and jambalaya --> http://www.basspro.com/Browning-2Burner-Camp-Stove/product/10223482/

The weather during our visit (April 21 - 25, 2017) was typical Texas Hill Country spring weather. Highs most days were in the upper 70's / lows in the upper 60's. The Saturday night of our stay a spring cold front came through with a few thunderstorms that dropped the Sunday morning low to 42 F with an afternoon high of 69 F. Monday's high was back to upper 70's. April and May is the best time for a Hill Country visit. April is best during "bluebonnets / wildflowers" season. The Hill Country wineries will have special "bluebonnet wine trails" weekends in April. The Texas Wine Trails website has info about "wine trails" and other events throughout the year along with info about each winery --> http://texaswinetrail.com/

I have a Winegard Carryout portable antenna that I've owned for the last six years that work's very well with Direct TV. I purchased the Winegard Carryout for my pre-travel trailer / pre-motorhome tailgating days for LSU home football games and typically only use the Winegard for LSU weekends (I'm succumb to the simplicity of using cable hook-up at RV resorts and haven't wanted to spend the money for a permanent satellite antenna on top of my motorhome). I purchased the Winegard Carryout because I have Direct TV service at my home. My only complaint about the Carryout is it does not handle HD signals so the television images are standard definition. The next generation Winegard portable may now handle HD (??).

Two weeks ago the wife and I enjoyed a five day "long weekend" respite from our busy careers and craziness of Houston by visiting the Texas Hill / Wine Country. We stayed at the Sunset Point RV Resort on Lake LBJ near Marble Falls, TX. It is a small, quiet, very spacious RV resort with amenities for adults / teenage children (there are no playgrounds, swimming pool, hot tub, etc.) that was a perfect location to "de-stress" --> http://www.sunsetpointlbj.com/ The cost was $47 per night with the FMCA or Good Sam discounts. The office folks were very friendly and helpful. The Flat Creek, Spicewood and Perissos wineries are short drives from Sunset Point (Perissos was our favorite --> http://perissosvineyards.com/) Attached is a my favorite "de-stressor" photo I took at Sunset Point while drinking a glass of Perissos' Anglianico and enjoying the resort's "namesake" Also near by for folks who tow a Jeep Wrangler or other 4x4 is the Hidden Falls Adventure Park that has great, challenging trails for "stock" Wranglers like mine and for Wranglers/4x4's with lots of off-road modifications. Hidden Falls is privately owned and charges a $40 fee for driver/rider. It was money well spent for a four hour afternoon of "4-wheelin" which I hadn't done in 20 years (see attached photos). Here's the link to their website --> http://www.hiddenfallsadventurepark.com/ Hidden Falls has a small RV park that I wouldn't recommend (very dusty with all the Jeeps and ATVs bouncing around the place). The Marble Falls area also has good dining and antique stores to spend your hard earned money. Marble Falls / Lake LBJ area is a great place to visit!

I received an e-mail from FMCA President Charlie Adcock about the "remodel" of FMCA that would expand FMCA to include owners of all RV types. After my wife and I purchased our first motorhome 18 months ago, our sole reason for joining FMCA was it provided a unique, niche service to motorhome owners. If we wanted a "general" RV club/forum membership we could pursued that option. However, the FMCA was our choice given FMCA's unique focus on and services for motorhome owners. I have greatly valued the guidance and education FMCA members have provided to me the last 18 months. My concern is opening FMCA to all RV owners would greatly dilute the focus of FMCA and adversely impact the great discussion/education/guidance currently available in the FMCA forums. What does the forum think about the proposed FMCA "remodeling" proposal?

I recently purchased two large Duracell Ultra High Capacity 6 volt batteries (lead-acid type) from "Batteries+ Bulbs" to replace five year old Interstate brand coach batteries --> https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/rv/deep-cycle/6/sligc115. The pricing for the Duracell batteries was slightly less than for Interstate batteries. I chose Duracell batteries simply because of the proximity of the Batteries+Bulbs store to the RV storage facility and that Duracell is a trusted name in the battery business. I have not had good reliability with Wal-Mart Everstart batteries in a couple of my vehicles thus I didn't consider Wal-Mart for coach batteries.