Take your love of elegance, style and comfort with you wherever you go. Your Newell gives you: e highest quality materials, engineering and craftsmanship. Easier handling than any other coach its size. Options that reflect your style, preferences and tastes. Infinite opportunities to customize your coach. More power and torque than any other motorcoach. Take the good life with you. Explore www.newellcoach.com Manufacturing, Sales & Service 1(888)3NEWELL West Coast Sales & Service (541)912-7611 Miami, Oklahoma Coburg, Oregon Heaven on Wheels B A M S a G E F Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page M B A M S a G E F Previous Page | Contents | Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page M
Transcript
Take your love of elegance, style and comfort with you wherever you go.
Your Newell gives you:
The highest quality materials, engineering and craftsmanship.
Easier handling than any other coach its size.
Options that reflect your style, preferences and tastes.
Infinite opportunities to customize your coach.
More power and torque than any other motorcoach.
Take the good life with you. Explore www.newellcoach.com
Manufacturing, Sales & Service 1(888)3NEWELL West Coast Sales & Service (541)912-7611Miami, Oklahoma Coburg, Oregon
Heaven on Wheels
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F E AT U R E S21 l Get Ready to RallyExplore Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the Land of Enchantment, as you plan your trip to The Rally 2009
24 l Winter GreensMotorhoming in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during the off-season provides an excellent opportunity to save money while indulging your passion for golf
28 l Another Day in ParadiseSunbelt park or RV resort? Splitting your time between vacation destinations might be more affordable than you think
34 l DynaQuest 360XLDynamax’s powerful but elegant touring cruiser is built to take you anywhere, and look good while doing it, too
36 l Boondocking BasicsLearning how to camp off the grid can help you spend less and enjoy RVing more
40 l Allegro Bus 36 QSPTiffin introduces its first 36-footer with four slides
42 l Back to SchoolAfter a few days of RV drivers’ training, you’ll be ready to hit the road with greater confidence
4 l On Ramp5 l Contact MotorHome6 l P.O. Box
11 l Escapes12 l Events14 l Noteworthy16 l Wheels & Gear /
News Briefs20 l Crossroads46 l Quick Tips49 l Hands-On50 l Hot Line52 l Coach & Chassis58 l Reader Service60 l Powertrain66 l Off Ramp
On The Cover: Enjoying the luxurious Rancho California RV Resort (see page 28) in Temecula, Cali-fornia, in the Dynamax DynaQuest 360XL, picturedhere in the Russet Ridge full-body paint scheme (see page 34). Photo by Rich Cox Photography.
D E PA R T M E N T S
contents january2009 VOLUME 46, NUMBER 1
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3MOTORHOME l January 2009
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an you believe that it’s already2009? Now that the holidays arebehind us and the new year hasarrived, it’s time to plan upcom-ing RV trips. I have a number ofinteresting destinations on my
consideration list for the spring and summer, but the one trip I’m really look-ing forward to is The Rally in Albuquerque,New Mexico, this April (see page 21). Youmight ask, “Why in the world would I wantto vacation with 12,000 other people?”The short answer is simple — “It’s fun!”
We plan to caravan to The Rally sitewith our traveling buddies and meet upwith a bunch of our other RVing friends andrelatives once we arrive in Albuquerque.
New Mexico is a wonderful place tovisit. The feel of the Old West and thecultural connection New Mexico has withits Native American population makesthis Southwest region of the U.S. partic-ularly interesting, especially to historybuffs. And if you like Mexican food, thisis the place to be.
What is it like to spend four days(and, for those who take advantage ofearly bird reservations, six days) at TheRally? Plan on being very busy and get-ting little sleep; there’s just too much tosee and do. I’m especially fond of Open-ing Day because MotorHome co-sponsorsPublications Day, and we get a chance tovisit with our readers. Once again wehave an exciting day planned this year.
So let’s take a look at a typical Rally day.
After a quick breakfast and good-morning rituals with our neighbors, mywife, Lynne, and I will head over to theclub building and check out the goings-on (except for the first day, when we’llspend most of the time hosting Publica-tions Day). Chances are we’ll take in oneof the more than 100 scheduled seminarsduring The Rally. Presented by real hands-on experts — many of whom “live thelifestyle” — seminar subjects include
cooking, technical programs to help withmaintenance and repairs, great traveldestinations, etc. You can literally spendyour entire time attending classes, and it’samazing how much you’ll learn in theseseminars. I’ve been doing this for morethan 35 years, and always manage to learnsomething new in The Rally seminars.
We’ll then head for the exhibitorbuildings to check out the latest gadgets,clothing, supplies and products that makemotorhoming more pleasant and exciting.We like to spread out our time perusingthe hundreds of booths during the courseof The Rally because we want to makesure we have ample opportunity to explorethe manufacturer exhibits of new coach-es (for sale) that are displayed throughoutthe facilities. We’ll take a break from shopping and relax while being enter-tained at the day stage, and we’ll even beable to watch a dog show during TheRally — RVers are truly passionate abouttheir four-legged traveling companions.
A couple of times during the day, we’llalso check out how our designated coupleis faring while “living green.” It’s all part of The Rally’s efforts to show the world how environmentally efficient RVs arewhen compared to living in a stationaryabode or traveling by plane and staying in hotels. This special event is part of a “GoGreen” contest that will reward RV ownerswho come up with the most creative ideas.
Our day culminates in the eveningwith top-notch entertainment. This year,on opening night, Neil Sedaka bringsback memories of the late ’50s and early’60s by singing the songs that take manyof us back to our teens. The entertain-ment continues each night of the eventwith new headliners.
I guarantee you’ll remember TheRally for a long time — and make newfriendships that will last forever. ◆
HEADING TO THE RALLY
EDITORIAL
PublisherBob Livingston
EditorEileen Hubbard
Managing EditorDenise Santoyo
Assistant EditorKaitlyn Voyce
Midwest Bureau ChiefSherman Goldenberg
Consulting EditorsChuck CampbellWes Caughlan Ken FreundJeff Johnston
ContributorsGary BohincRon DalbyBert GildartPreston GratiotFred PauschE. Don SmithRichard & Ellen Thane
Subscription priceUnited States and possessions: 1 year:$19.97, 2 years:$34.97, 3 years:$47.97. All other countries, including
Canada and Mexico, add $12 per year.MotorHome is a registered trademark of Affinity Group Inc. Copyright 2009 by Affinity Group Inc. All rights reserved.MotorHome (ISSN #0744-074X) is published monthly by Affinity Media from editorial and business offices at2575 Vista Del Mar, Ventura, CA 93001.
Printed in the United States. Periodical postage paid at Ventura, CA 93001 and additional mailingoffices. POSTMASTER: Send all change of address and subscriptioninquiries to: MotorHome, P.O. Box 445, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0445.Publication Sales Agreement No. 1488163; Canadian Post Sales Agreement No. 40012332.Canadian return address: Affinity Group, Inc., 4960-2 Walker Road,Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J3. AuthorizedSubscription Agent – AGA.
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Gilbert RV Insurance is underwritten by specialty RV insurance companies that have earned a rating of "A" or better from the prestigious A.M. Best directory.
Better Coverages!Lower Prices ....
Check out our new lower rates and our new website at www.GilbertRVInsurance.com
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Spending time with your family.Enjoying yourself while RVing.
Knowing you are protected and insured,Priceless!
5MOTORHOME l January 2009
CONTACT
P.O. BOX: Write to the Editorial Office addressbelow, or e-mail [email protected]; include your full name, city and state orprovince. Selected letters and e-mails will beedited for style and content and published.
HOT LINE: Hot Line is a forum for the resolu-tion of conflicts between consumers and RVdealers and manufacturers, accessories suppli-ers and service providers. After exhausting allother resources, send typed letters toMotorHome Hot Line (no phone calls, please) atthe Editorial Office and enclose copies of appro-priate bills and correspondence, plus a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Selected letterswill be edited and published unless otherwiserequested. MotorHome does not knowinglyaccept deceptive or misleading advertising —please notify Hot Line if you have a contraryexperience with respect to any merchandise orservice advertised herein.
COACH & CHASSIS, POWERTRAIN:Questions of a technical nature may be sent toeach column at our Editorial Office, or via e-mailto: [email protected] (Coach & Chassis), or [email protected] (Powertrain); includeyour city and state or province. Selected letterswill be answered in the magazine (or on our Website), but time doesn’t permit individual replies.
REPRINTS, BACK ISSUES: Copies of arti-cles are available for $3.95 each. Specify the article title and issue, and send a check ormoney order payable to Affinity Media, plus your name and address, to the Editorial Office.Back issues are available for $5.95 each; pleasefollow above procedure. Permission to reprint or quote excerpts from published articles is considered upon request, when credit is given.
FREELANCE QUERIES: Writers’ guidelinesare available upon request. Send queries to theEditorial Office. Manuscripts submitted forpublication must include your Social Security ortax I.D. number and full return postage. Although every reasonable precaution is taken,MotorHome assumes no liability for unsolicitedmanuscripts and/or photography.
PRIVACY PROMISE: We recognize that yourprivacy is important to you and we’re committed tohelping you protect it. You should know that wewill never intentionally share your name, addressand other personal information with anyone fortheir use if you have asked us not to do so. Whenyou subscribe to MotorHome, please tell us if youdon’t want your name and address shared withother reputable companies or if you don’t want toreceive our marketing offers. We’ll mark youraccount for a three-year period so that it will notbe selected for product and/or service offers thatyou’ve told us you are not interested in receiving.If you change your mind, get in touch with us andask that we include you in future offerings. Youmay ask to not be included in future offerings atany time and it’ll be taken care of promptly. Pleasecontact us at MotorHome Mail Preference Service,P.O. Box 445, Mt. Morris, IL 61054, or call us at(800) 678-1201. This policy does not apply to e-mail marketing; we will not send you commerciale-mails unless you have authorized us to do so.
EDITORIAL OFFICE: MotorHome, 2575 VistaDel Mar, Ventura, CA 93001. Fax: (805) 667-4484. Web site: www.motorhomemagazine.com. ◆
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REMEMBERING GAYLORDNot long ago, in Hayden, Idaho, we had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends withGaylord Maxwell and his lovely wife Marjorie. We are members of the North Kootenai GoodSam Club and we asked the Maxwells if they would join us for a potluck dinner. To our de-light Gaylord replied, “Sure, if it’s a bunch of RV people, and you’ve got food, I’ll be there.”
As soon as we met we knew he was something special. RVers are special people, and, ohboy, was he an RVer. But Gaylord was more than that; he had a way of telling stories that madeyou want to soak it all in. I asked Gaylord how long he’d been writing an RV column. His replywas a shocking 37 years. He chuckled that he had only missed one deadline — when he hada fire in his motorhome. We learned about how he started his Life on Wheels seminars, andmarveled at how the most important thing to him was to share his knowledge with others.
Near the end of the potluck I asked how he and Marjorie had met. Turns out he wasthe high school football player, and she was the cheerleader. My goodness, after all theseyears I think they blushed a little. Pretty cute for a guy over 80. We asked if he would liketo join our Good Sam group and Gaylord said he would be happy to join.
Gaylord noticed that I was drinking a martini, and proudly told me he made the bestmartini and they would have us over some evening for a cocktail. A few days later Gaylordcalled with the invitation. We had to pass because of family commitments. Little did weknow that that was our last chance to see him. Sadly, I never got that “perfect” martini.
If you are an RVer you know how it is when you meet a couple out there on the roadthat you just hit it off with — the kind of people it seems like you have known for years afterjust a few days. The Maxwells are that kind of people. Gaylord Maxwell was that kind of guy.
We will miss you, Gaylord, as will thousands of others who read and enjoyed your writ-ings for so many years. See you down the road my friend.
JOHN & RICKIE RITTERBACH l HAYDEN, IDAHO
GAYLORD WILL BE GREATLY MISSEDCount me among the many who are mourning the loss of MotorHome columnist GaylordMaxwell. Gaylord was a funny, friendly gentleman. His decades of experience as an RVdealer, as well as his personal enthusiasm for the lifestyle, made him an expert on all thingsRV. Instead of simply retiring to enjoy a life of leisure, he found a way to share that expert-ise. He conceived and produced the Life on Wheels conferences, where novices could getthe kind of education they needed to launch their RV adventures. It was a brilliant idea,one that seemed a logical extension of Gaylord’s desire to share the wonderful life on wheels.His passing leaves a big hole in the RV landscape.
SHERRY MCBRIDE l WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA
“HIS LIFE ON WHEELSCONFERENCE WAS A BRILLIANT IDEA, ONE THAT SEEMED ALOGICAL EXTENSION OFGAYLORD’S DESIRE TOSHARE THE WONDERFULLIFE ON WHEELS.”
ChairmanStephen Adams
President / CEOMike Schneider
Senior VP / CFOTom Wolfe
Senior VP / Human ResourcesLaurie James
Senior VP / Group PublisherBob Livingston
Senior VP / Affinity Clubs / Interactive and MultimediaJoe Daquino
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Publisher EmeritusBill Estes
EDITORIAL / BUSINESS OFFICE
2575 Vista Del MarVentura, CA 93001Tel (805) 667-4100 Fax (805) 667-4484
ADVERTISING
VENTURA, CALIFORNIAVP National SalesTerry Thompson
Regional Sales Manager (Southwest)Matt Hotchkiss
RV Dealer Sales (Northwest)Pam Petersen
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SalesAngela Pezzullo, Debbie Valdez
Business ManagerDenielle SternburgP.O. Box 8510Ventura, CA 93002Tel (805) 667-4100 Fax (805) 667-4379
Learn more at GoItasca.com or call 1-800-643-4892.
Longing for a shorter Class A diesel?– See the new Meridian 34Y at your nearest Itasca dealer today. –
Full-wall slide. King bed. Theatre Seating. Now you can have your cake and eat it too: The new Meridian 34Y packs the punch of a larger Class A diesel into a compact 34-foot coach. And it’s just one of 12 models and 36 floorplans you’ll fi nd in our 2009 line-up. From the luxurious 40-foot Horizon to the smart, nimble Navion iQ, the right coach for you is as close as your nearest Itasca dealer.
FINE TUNINGThe October 2008 article “Stay Tuned …”regarding the need for nondigital TVs to usea digital converter box has at least one bigomission and one big error. The couponscome with a three-month expiration date,which the article does not mention.
Also, I did some research looking forimportant criteria, one of which was 12-volt power. There are several that operateon 12 volt, which the article denies. Theone I bought is an Artec T3A Pro. All I hadto do was go to RadioShack to buy a ciga-rette lighter power cord and get the correctconnector tip. It works great on 12 volt.
STEVE HAMILTONGROSSE POINTE WOODS, MISSOURI
You are correct, Steve. The article mistak-enly indicated that 12-volt DC-poweredconverter boxes were not available or eligible for purchase with the governmentcoupon. In fact, Artec has at least two —the Artec T3AP and T3A Pro. Go to www.artec.com.tw for product information.
ONE MAN’S PEEVE IS ANOTHERMAN’S PLEASUREIn the P.O. Box hit list of campground petpeeves (November 2008), several actuallyattract me to the RV lifestyle: people gath-ered around an outside entertainment sys-tem; kids running, playing and riding bikes;dogs interacting with people; and campfires.Camping without a fire, without the scent ofwood and burgers, without the sounds ofkids engineering their first s’mores, is noth-ing more than moving your house from onelot to another. RVing is a different life, notjust a transposition of your ordinary one.BILL MCNEW l FAYETTEVILLE, GEORGIA
P.O. BOX
CORRECTIONThe specification information for the“Coachmen Freelander 2700RS” arti-cle (October 2008) mistakenly lists the motorhome’s horsepower as 362.The correct number is 305 HP. We apologize for any inconvenience. ◆
Question:What RVing experiences stand out for you? Write to us at [email protected].
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escapesEVENTS l NOTEWORTHY l WHEELS & GEAR l CROSSROADS
by DENISE SANTOYO
Visitors to Fantastic Caverns in Missouriwill find themselves driving through miles of scenic, rolling hills on the way to the caverns, asthese unique cave formations are located be-neath the Ozark hills just north of Springfield.
Discovered in 1862, the caves are largeenough for Jeep-drawn trams to explore theirdepths, and 50-minute tram tours are offeredregularly. The trams are propelled by clean-burning propane and cover one mile of the caves’interior. Wheelchairs are easily accommodated,
making the tour accessible to everyone.Visitors will learn about cave formations, in-
cluding soda straws, flowstones, stalactites and stalagmites. They also learn about the history ofthe cave, which was once a natural theater for a weekly live country-music show.
The caverns are open year-round, with theinside temperature of the cave always at a com-fortable 60˚F. For more information, call (417)833-2010, or visit www.fantasticcaverns.com.— Donna Ikenberry
FANTASTIC TOURAMERICA’S ONLY RIDE-THROUGH CAVE
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JANUARY 10-24 l See classicCamaros at the Tupelo Automo-bile Museum Presents Camaros.Held in Tupelo, Mississippi, theexhibit will also feature morethan 100 cars from the 1880sto 1990s; (662) 842-4242,www.tupeloauto.com.
JANUARY 16-18 l Enjoy thecrisp winter weather by attend-ing Bonfire on the Snow Toursin Bend, Oregon. These tourswill take you, by snowshoe, to a bonfire in an amphitheatercarved into the snow. Dessertsand hot drinks are provided asguides share fun facts; (541)389-8359, www.wanderlusttours.com.
JANUARY 24 l Join the staff of Lake Charles State Park inPowhatan, Arkansas, for theirBluebird House Workshop.Park staff will help you build
escapes EVENTS by KAITLYN VOYCE
a nesting habitat for Easternbluebirds to take home. Camping is available at thepark; (870) 878-6595,www.arkansasstateparks.com.
JANUARY 24 l Come for goodwine and music at Winter, Wine and All That Jazz inCarson City, Nevada. Listen anddance to jazz music as yousample appetizers and wine offered by multiple wineries.This event is a fundraiser forCarson Advocates for CancerCare, a group that provides
JANUARY 1 l Never get lostagain with the Celestial Navi-gation Class in Fort Payne, Alabama. This class offersbasic instruction on how to navigate using the stars, with-out a compass or GPS, as people have done for more than6,000 years; (256) 997-9577,www.trueadventuresports.com.
JANUARY 10 l Take a trip backto the past with Staking a Claim:Exploration and Discovery inthe New World. Held at CharlesTowne Landing State HistoricSite in Charleston, South Car-olina, this event will give youhands-on lessons on the past of the area; (843) 852-4200,www.southcarolinaparks.com.
JANUARY 10-17 l Get outdoorsat Wilderness Week in PigeonForge, Tennessee. Nearly 100experts on nature will lead hikes,walks, seminars and lectures in the Great Smoky Mountains.The activities offered will rangefrom easy strolls to multimile
assistance to cancer patients;(775) 883-7477, www.visitcarsoncity.com.
JANUARY 24-25 l From Beet-hoven to Estonian composerArvo Pärt, Something Old,Something New will feature a wide range of performancesby the Taos Chamber MusicGroup. This musical mélangeaccompanies the various collections at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, NewMexico; (575) 758-9826,www.harwoodmuseum.org.
JANUARY 2-4 Head down to Salem City, Virginia, for the Salem StampedeChampionship Rodeo. Held at the Salem Civic Center, theIPRA-sanctioned rodeo will feature bull riding, barrel racing,calf roping, steer wrestling and more; (540) 375-3004,www.salemciviccenter.com.
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RV BUSINESSNAMES TOP 50 DEALERS In September 2008, MotorHome’s industry-oriented sisterpublication, RV Business, presented its first-ever “RV Business Top 50Dealer Awards.” The Top 50 Dealers, not ranked in order, set an exampleamong their peers as they exhibit the “best practices’’ in the RV industry.
“The program is unique in that it doesn’t focus solely on sales,’’explained Sherman Goldenberg, publisher of RV Business. “We understand what makes a dealership truly great is not just what itdoes, but how it gets the job done. These dealers were selected foroutstanding personal customer service, along with sound businesspractices and forward-thinking philosophies.’’
The Top 50 was announced at a celebration dinner held during the annual Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA)convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, where awards were presented to the Top 50, including the top five Blue Ribbon honorees: Alpin Haus,Amsterdam, New York; Guaranty RV, Junction City, Oregon; LazydaysRV Center, Seffner, Florida; Mike Thompson RV Center, Santa FeSprings, California and Tom Johnson Camping Center, Marion, North Carolina. Tom Johnson Camping Center also received the DaveAltman Award, established in memory of the respected southern Cali-fornia dealer and industry activist who passed away in January 2008.
“Among all the applications we received, these five stood out as being something really special,” Goldenberg said. “All of our winners were chosen because they deserve it, but our Blue Ribbondealers just knocked our socks off.”
The Top 50 program was launched last spring when RV manu-facturers nominated their most worthy dealers for consideration. Dealers then completed extensive applications seeking answers toquantitative and qualitative questions regarding their dealerships.Those applications were submitted to a five-person panel of industryrepresentatives for judging.
In addition, several members of the RV industry lent their support in the form of the newly created Leadership Alliance. Members of the 2008 Leadership Alliance, which sponsored the awards along with RV Business, were Coach-Net, ADP Lightspeed, Assurant Solutions, Blue Ox, Cummins Onan, Freightliner, Key Bank, Protective Insurance and RV Trader.
THE TOP 50 DEALERS ARE: ABERDEEN RV CENTER, Aberdeen, Miss.ALOHA RV, Albuquerque, N.M.ALPIN HAUS, Amsterdam, N.Y.ALTMANS WINNEBAGO, Carson, Calif.APACHE VILLAGE RV CENTER, Hazelwood, Mo.BOAT-N-RV SUPERSTORES, Hamburg, Pa.CAMPERS INN, Kingston, N.H.CECIL CAUDILL TRAILER SALES,
Franklin Furnace, OhioCOACHLIGHT RV SALES, Carthage, Mo.COLONIAL AIRSTREAM & ITASCA, Lakewood, N.J.CURTIS TRAILERS, Portland, Ore.DIXIE RV SUPERSTORE, Newport News, Va.ENDLESS SUMMER RVS, Frederick, Md.EXPLOREUSA, Plano, TexasGAUTHIERS’ RV CENTER, Scott, La.GEORGE M. SUTTON RV, Eugene, Ore.GIANT RV, Montclair, Calif.GUARANTY RV SUPER CENTERS, Junction City, Ore.JAMATT RV SALES, Poteau, Okla.KETELSEN CAMPERS OF COLORADO,
Wheat Ridge, Colo.KINGS CAMPERS, Wausau, Wis.LA MESA RV CENTER, San Diego, Calif.LAZYDAYS, Seffner, Fla.LEO’S VACATION CENTER, Gambrills, Md.LITTLE DEALER LITTLE PRICES RV, Mesa, Ariz.MB THOMAS RV SALES, St. Louis, Mo.MIKE THOMPSON’S RV SUPER STORES,
Santa Fe Springs, Calif.MODERN RV CENTER, Grand Rapids, Mich.MODERN TRAILER SALES, Anderson, Ind.MOUNT COMFORT RV, Greenfield, Ind.PLEASURELAND RV CENTER, St. Cloud, Minn.PONTIAC RV, Pontiac, Ill.POULSBO RV, Kent, Wash.PRINCESS CRAFT CAMPERS, Pflugerville, TexasREINES RV CENTER, Manassas, Va.RICHARDSON’S RV CENTERS, Riverside, Calif.RICK’S RV CENTER, Joliet, Ill.ROY ROBINSON RV CENTER, Marysville, Wash.RV AMERICA INC., Johnstown, Colo.SEVEN O’S, Kirkville, N.Y.STEVENS RV CENTER, Lafayette, La.STEWART’S RV CENTER, St. Clairsville, OhioSTIER’S RV/FREEDOMROADS, Bakersfield, Calif.TACOMA RV CENTER, Tacoma, Wash.TENNESSEE RV SALES & SERVICE, Knoxville, Tenn.TERRYTOWN TRAVEL CENTER, Grand Rapids, Mich.THOMPSON RV INC., Pendleton, Ore.TOM JOHNSON CAMPING CENTER, Marion, N.C.TRAFFORD’S RV, Center Conway, N.H.TURNING WHEEL RV CENTER, Ocala, Fla.
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The original. The most trusted with more miles of braking experience than all others combined. Inertia-Full braking technology without built in time delays like others.
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9-out-of-10Tire Failures AreCaused By LowTire Pressure
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Brake Buddy, Circle 132 on Reader Service Card
nVision, Circle 131 on Reader Service Card
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FOUR WINDS STEPS UPITS SPRINTER LINEFour Winds International has expanded its currentlineup on the Sprinter chassis with two new floorplans — the24SB and 24SC. The ’09 models are available under the com-pany’s Chateau Citation, Dutchmen Dorado and Four WindsSiesta brands. All of the rigs ride on the fuel-efficient Sprinterchassis powered by a 154-HP V-6 diesel, which boasts 16–19MPG. Exterior and interior styling is Euro-inspired with contouredcabover side windows and curved cabinetry with hidden hinges.
Notable features of the 24SB floorplan include a sofa/booth dinette slideout, rear bathroom, cabover queen-size bedand 19-inch LCD TV. The 24SC sports bunk beads in the rear,a sofa bed slideout, 26-inch LCD TV and a Euro chair with ottoman. Both models have a base MSRP of $97,300.Four Winds International, (574) 266-1111, www.fourwinds-rv.com.
As a follow up to our July 2008 feature, “Castaways:Full-Time RVers in Tennessee Fight for their Right toVote,” an agreement was reached between the Ten-nessee chapter of the ACLU and Bradley County Elec-tion Commission in time to allow full-time RV residentsto vote in last November’s election. More than 250 full-time RVers had been purged from the Tennessee votingrolls in 2006 based on a change in Tennessee law thatprohibited people from using a commercial address toregister to vote. After discussions with ACLU-TN, theBradley County Election Commission agreed that theNational Voter Registration Act allows full-timers to usethe address of the parking lot of their mail-forwardingservices when registering to vote.
Last October, MotorHome’s parent company, AffinityMedia, announced a new partnership with the Associ-ation of Hole in the Wall Camps (www.holeinthewallcamps.org). The global charity organization is the dreamof late actor Paul Newman, and includes a network ofcamps that provide a traditional camp experience forchildren with serious illnesses and life-threatening con-
ditions. “Affinity’s publications and employees inspireyouth and families to participate in outdoor recreationalactivities and to understand, appreciate and enjoy itsbenefits,” said Mike Schneider, president and CEO ofAffinity. “Our relationship with Hole in the Wall Campswill allow children the opportunity to experience whatwe already know and love about the outdoors, and wecouldn’t be more proud of the partnership.”
Giant RV Center recently opened its sixth location inSouthern California with a new sales and service centerin Westminster. The site, located off Interstate 405, fea-tures separate 35,000-square-foot facilities for sales andservice and a three-story service center with 25 bays. Aretail parts department is also planned for the facility.
Disneyland Resort is offering free admission to any oneof its theme parks on your birthday in 2009. Preregis-tration is required, as is as a valid date-of-birth identi-fication. For more details, go to www.disneyparks.com.
News Briefs
TRAVEL PLANNINGMADEEASIERIf you travel frequentlyin your motorhome, youprobably bring a laptop for
convenience. Now you can take along a comprehensive mappingsystem that plugs into your computer and gives you GPS guidance,locations of restaurants, national parks, ATMs and more.
Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 — Standard (MSRP $39.95) andwith GPS Locator (MSRP $74.95) — combines the company’s traveland mapping software with a GPS receiver that plugs into a comput-er’s USB port. Streets & Trips is designed to help you find your loca-tion, calculate efficient routes of travel and search for nearby pointsof interest within a 50-mile radius. It also provides road constructioninformation and creates alternate routes to bypass delays.
New to the Standard edition are updated maps for Canada andthe U.S., and the ability to send location information to a mobiledevice; with the GPS Locator edition, you also get spoken streetnames and turn-by-turn directional information.Microsoft, www.microsoft.com/streets.
January 2009 l MOTORHOME16
The Painted Turtle Camp
escapes WHEELS & GEAR l NEWS BRIEFS
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FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 888.277.0789www.motorcoachcountryclub.com
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 866.897.9300www.lasvegasmotorcoachresort.com
Luxury awaits you at the new spectacular Yacht Club – now open! Enjoy family gatherings, cookouts, evening cocktails, wonderful sunset cruises along the miles of waterways and much more. It’s all ready for you in beautiful Indio, where fi ve mountain ranges, two miles of waterways and the most luxurious motorcoach country club facilities in California are all yours.
With the excitement of Las Vegas and the relaxation of your own private resort, you can have the best of both worlds. Enjoy golf, tennis, fi ve pools and health spas at your own resort paradise. While still close enough to the strip to enjoy world-class dining, shopping and entertainment. The perfect place to play a round and to play around.
MOTORCOACH COUNTRY CLUB INDIO80-501 Avenue 48, Indio, CA 92201
LAS VEGAS MOTORCOACH RESORT8175 Arville Street, Las Vegas, NV 89139
YOUR ULTIMATE LUXURY WINTER VACATION AWAITS YOU.
Signature Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort,
Circle 107 on Reader Service Card
Signature Motorcoach Country Club Indio,
Circle 106 on Reader Service Card
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13300 Tamiami Trail East • Naples, FL 34113866.622.5142 • www.signaturervresorts.com
Announcing the all new Naples Motorcoach Resort. Private preview tours of this luxurious motorcoach resort are available by reservation. Amenities include 184 Class A motorcoach sites, clubhouse with owner’s lounge, two satellite
facilities with bathhouse, pool and spa, private theatre, game room and fi tness center all with direct navigable access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Signature Naples Motorcoach Resort, Circle 108 on Reader Service Card
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RIDE THE RAILSIf you love trains, you’re sure to enjoy thelatest offering from the Oregon Coast Scenic Rail-road (OCSR), in Garibaldi, Oregon — its officialsouvenir DVD. Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad: Enjoya Steam Train Ride Along the Spectacular OregonCoast (MSRP $18) has a 42-minute running time,covering the trip from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beachand back. A 1910-vintage Heisler steam locomotivehauls the train on its scenic route.
Viewers will enjoy the classic scenes of Tillamook Bay, the Pacific Ocean, calm lakes and lush northwest greenery while the train gentlyrocks along en route from station to station.
The DVD also includes a behind-the-sceneslook at the OCSR shops where steam-era railroadequipment is restored, repaired and maintained for use on the tourist railroad.For more information, go online to www.trainvideosandparts.com orwww.ocsr.net.
escapes CROSSROADS
Just 25 miles south of SanFrancisco, California, Point MontaraLighthouse is unique in that not onlyis it a functioning lighthouse but it’s a hostel as well — one that welcomesall ages. The property has a secludedbeach, landscaped native plant gar-den, free parking and an espresso bar.
Point Montara was established in1875 as a fog-signal station, and is still an operating aid to navigationmaintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.The current lighthouse was built in1881 and erected at Wellfleet Harbor,Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was decommissioned in 1925, moved to Montara and rebuilt in 1928 — the only U.S. lighthouse currently in existence to have stood watch over two oceans.
The lighthouse was remodeledinto a hostel in 1980, and is nowopen year-round. Visitors are welcomebut should check in at the hostel office before visiting the grounds.For more information, contactHostelling International at (650) 728-7177, or go to www.norcalhostels.org/montara.
Creating the bowl-shaped cavity found in Northern Arizonausing picks and shovels would’vetaken awhile, but a meteorite madeof iron and nickel blasting in fromouter space accomplished the taskin just seconds, forming the sitethat is now known as Meteor Crater.The meteorite, about 150 feetacross, was traveling some 26,000MPH when it struck the Arizonadesert 50 millennia ago. The resultwas a crater, 4,000 feet across and700 feet deep.
Today — after an $800,000facelift — Meteor Crater’s interpre-tive center, located on the crater’srim, includes an interactive learningcenter, an 80-seat theater, an Astronaut Wall of Fame and four observation areas with telescopes.
The monument is open dailyand one-mile guided tours of the rim are available. Visiting is easy for RVers as Meteor Crater RV Park— with 71 landscaped pull-throughsites — is nearby.For more information, call (800)289-5898, or visit www.meteorcrater.com. — Pamela Selbert ◆
METEOR CRATER
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he Rally, the largest RV event in the country, is atime to renew old ties, live new experiences and gain richerknowledge of the RV lifestyle. Hosted annually by MotorHome’sparent company, Affinity Media, The Rally is celebrating its10th anniversary this year by touching down in Albuquerque,New Mexico — a beautiful, scenic location that is rich in cul-ture and history.
New Mexico is often called the Land of Enchantment, and Albuquerque is arguably the heart of the state. Of course,the best way to explore the heart is to start at the beginning:Albuquerque’s Old Town. No trip to Albuquerque would becomplete without paying a visit to Old Town, settled in 1706near the banks of the Rio Grande. The San Felipe de Neri
GET READY TO RALLYTHIS YEAR’S GATHERING
WILL FIND ENCHANTMENT INALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
by MARY ZALMANEK getaway
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21MOTORHOME l January 2009
TAbove: Las Imágenes Visitors Center at Petroglyph NationalMonument houses interpretive exhibits and the park book-store. Right: The world-renowned Cellicion Traditional ZuniDancers perform the Eagle Dance at the Indian PuebloCultural Center.
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Catholic church, built in 1793, is the oldestsurviving building in Albuquerque. Distinc-tive, territorial-style architecture is evident inmany of the authentic adobes around theplaza — some almost 300 years old. Morethan 150 boutiques, art galleries and sou-venir stores entice serious shoppers and ca-sual browsers alike. If you’re looking for moreauthentic, one-of-a-kind merchandise, checkout the multicultural artists who have con-tinued a long-standing tradition of sellingtheir own crafts at the east end of the plaza.
Cultural immersion is easy at the Indi-an Pueblo Cultural Center, the official in-terpretive center for the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico. Each weekend NativeAmerican dancers perform in the plaza. Theupscale gift shop features authentic hand-crafted jewelry, pottery, baskets and flutes.Whether you are a long-time admirer ofhandmade Indian pottery or wonder what thefuss is about, you’ll have a better apprecia-tion after watching the Center’s short movieabout Maria Martinez. The film shows thefamous potter of San Ildefonso Pueblo col-lecting desert sand, making clay, shaping anddecorating pots, and firing them. The seem-
ingly crude firing method — using scrapmetal, cedar kindling and dried cow chips —actually allows for better control than today’smodern kilns. This woman’s talent impressedeveryone, particularly the four U.S. presi-dents who invited her to the White House.
When you are ready to switch gears,cruise by the National Atomic Museum. The museum is getting a new name — theNational Museum of Nuclear Science andHistory — and a new home, as it moves to anew, 30,000-square-foot facility this April,just in time to fascinate science and historybuffs attending The Rally. A stroll through thefacility educates visitors about the atom’s rolein medicine, energy, war and peace. A Trident I fleet ballistic missile on displaylooms large at 34 feet long. When you thinkabout it being launched from a 540-footOhio-class submarine, it’s mind-boggling. Additional exhibits explore the contributionsof Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and other pioneers of science. Little Al’s Lab offers in-teractive activities for enquiring young minds.
If you have the grandkids along, thenyou must visit the New Mexico Museum ofNatural History and Science, which traces
the state’s roots back 12 billion years to thePaleozoic period — before dinosaurs roamedthe planet. The youngsters are sure to thrillat this chance to indulge their dinosaur-mania. Two life-sized New Mexico dinosaurscast in bronze, “Spike” the Pentaceratopsand “Alberta” the Albertosaurus, greet visitors outside the museum’s entrance.
Fast forward from when dinosaurs lefttracks on Earth to when the Rover left trackson Mars for those of you who prefer to ex-plore the final frontier. Dr. Larry Crumpler,research curator at the museum, was select-ed as one of 23 scientists to work on theMars Exploration Rover Mission. The finelydetailed Rover replica is displayed in themuseum’s planetarium, and is sure to in-spire many a dreamer to reach for the stars.
Speaking of reaching to the heavens,Albuquerque is rather well known for inspir-ing flights of fancy — balloon fancy, that is.The city is often referred to as the “Hot-AirBallooning Capital of the World” because ofits unique weather patterns.
The influence of ballooning on the cityis ever present, but never more so than inOctober when visitors from all over the
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ALBUQUERQUE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU(800) 284-2282,www.itsatrip.org.ALBUQUERQUE KOA(800) 562-7781, www.albuquerquekoa.com.ISLETA CASINO AND RESORT RV PARK(505) 244-8102,www.isletaeagle.com/stay/rv_park.cfm.NEW MEXICO TOURISM(800) 733-6396,www.newmexico.org.Circle 210 on Reader Service Card.THE RALLY(877) 749-7122,www.therally.com.
ALBUQUERQUE
Top Left: The San Felipe de Neri Catholic church in Old Town, built in 1793, is the oldest surviving building in Albuquerque. Top Right: The Anderson-AbruzzoAlbuquerque International Balloon Museum attests to New Mexico’s favorite pastime.Below: Sandia Casino offers Las Vegas-style luxury, entertainment and fun.
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GET YOUR KICKS AT THE RALLY 2009Good times and family fun await you on historic
Route 66 — and lead you straight to the 10th annual Rally, held this year in Albu-querque, New Mexico. Hosted by MotorHome and Trailer Life magazines, Woodall’s,the Good Sam Club, Camping World President’s Club, Coast to Coast Resorts andCamp Club USA, the annual event takes place April 17-20, with early bird days April15 and 16. Last year’s Rally was held in Perry, Georgia.
This year, the biggest annual event for RV enthusiasts is slated to be even bet-ter, as we’ve chosen the ideal location in the multicultural Land of Enchantment that
is New Mexico. Highlights of this year’s Rally schedule in-clude more than 100 seminars, taught by industry expertsand covering topics such as RV troubleshooting techniques,boondocking, green RVing, full-timing and much more; ex-hibits showcasing the latest products, services and develop-ments for the RV community; new rigs from RV dealers aroundthe country; entertainment featuring legendary singer/song-writer Neil Sedaka; a first-ever “Go Green” Ideas Contest and
“Reality RV” event; an attempt to set a new Guinness WorldRecord for Most People Wearing Balloon Hats and the ever-popular Rally Dog Show.
This year, Rally attendees have the opportunity to participate in the Rio GrandeCommunity Farm Volunteer Day. The Rio Grande Community Farm donates crops andproduce to local schools and organizations while offering educational agricultural pro-grams at the same time. The Rally’s Web site has more information and a sign-up form.
In addition, several optional tours are available during The Rally and range from a white-water rafting excursion on the Rio Grande to a visit to Trinity Site — the location of the first atomic bomb test.
Registration for two adults dry camping is $169; two adults with 30-amp elec-trical hookup is $349; four-day Rally Passport (full access, no camping) is $75 perperson; early bird days are $15 per night dry camping for two adults, and $35 a nightelectrical hookups for two adults. — Denise Santoyo
23MOTORHOME l January 2009
world come to the Albuquerque Interna-tional Balloon Fiesta, the world’s largesthot-air ballooning event.
For those who are interested in the art,culture, science and history of ballooning,the Anderson-Abruzzo International Bal-loon Museum features more than 50 gondolas, some with balloons. Many of thegondolas set records, such as the DoubleEagle V, the first to cross the Pacific in1981. Others have historic significance,like the World War I observation balloon.
All of this might just inspire you totake a balloon ride of your own, and whynot? Several companies offer year-roundballoon rides. Many of them will pick youup for no extra charge, so you can leave themotorhome safely back at the RV park.
If you do decide, however, to take the dinghy out and about, plan to stop at the 26th Gathering of Nations Powwow.
All are welcome, and more than 3,000 Native Americans from 500 tribes in theU.S. and Canada meet for the gatheringeach year. The powwow features nativefoods, ceremonial dances, dance and drumcompetitions, the Miss Indian World pag-eant, and the works of more than 800artists on display and for sale at the Indi-an Traders Market. This year, the powwowmeets from April 23 to 25, and will be heldat the University of New Mexico Arena.
Ever since Indian gaming was approvedin 1988, New Mexico’s casinos have flour-ished. Five of the state’s 25 casinos are inthe Albuquerque area. Two of the best arethe Sandia and Isleta casinos. Both are com-plete resorts with large Las Vegas-style casi-nos, golf courses, spas and entertainment.If you’re feeling a little bit lucky, then be sureto squeeze in a short afternoon detour. Ifyou’d like to visit longer, the Isleta Casino
GET READY TO RALLY
also has an RV park with 50 full-hookupsites, and if gambling isn’t your thing, casta line into one of the on-site, seasonallystocked lakes, where you can try your handat catching rainbow trout or channel catfish.
For those of you who love the great out-doors, the La Luz Trail will offer a challenge.Take the 2.7-mile Sandia Peak Tramway —the world’s longest aerial tramway — to theobservation deck atop 10,378-foot SandiaPeak, where you’ll see the city of Albu-querque laid out in the Rio Grande Valley.Then, if you’re energetic and have sturdyknees, hike back down the trail, but bewarned: This popular trail drops 3,775 feetover 8 miles. Be sure to check out the weath-er and trail conditions before you set out.
If a less strenuous hike is more yourstyle, the Rio Grande Nature Center has aselection of blissfully flat trails, and thereare several other hikes of varying lengths innearby Petroglyph National Monument. Thepark’s estimated 20,000 carved imageswill ensure a unique hiking experience.
You’ll want to be sure to bring alongyour bicycles when you pack up the mo-torhome, as Albuquerque was named2006’s “third-best place to bike in theU.S.” by Bicycling magazine. And a bicy-cle offers an excellent means of alternativetransportation, especially when camping.Luckily you’ll never run out of scenery toenjoy while you pedal. The 15-mile Paseodel Bosque trail offers an easy ride thoughthe forested area along the Rio Grande.
Golf courses and wineries seem to go together naturally, and New Mexico is no exception. In fact, the oldest wine-producingregion in the U.S. isn’t Napa or Sonoma val-leys, it’s New Mexico. In the early 1500s, thefirst Spanish settlers planted their Europeangrapes in the fertile Rio Grande Valley. Todaythere are around 20 wineries in the state, including those in or near Albuquerque.
Last but not least, live theater is thriv-ing in Albuquerque, with the AlbuquerqueLittle Theatre, which maintains a full sche-dule throughout the year. Take a break fromThe Rally to catch a show; if you have thekids with you, treat them to a showing of“The Three Señorita Pigletitas Y el Diablothe Wolf.” This enchanting retelling of aclassic fairy tale runs April 17 to May 3.
With all there is to see and do, you maywant to plan an extra-long stay this yearwhen The Rally comes to Albuquerque. ◆
Neil Sedaka
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Visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,off-season for unfettered
access to some of the finest links in the country
by RON DALBY
few years ago my doctorsaid I needed to walk more,and suggested I consider golf.I scoffed at this and threw outa remark about golf being an
utter waste of 150 acres of perfectlygood pasture.
A couple of weeks later mydaughter, obviously in cahoots with thedoctor, presented me with a set of golfclubs, and my wife, Jennifer, said Icould play as much golf as I wanted,so long as I walked the course.
Well, Jennifer and I became full-timers, and my golf clubs became permanent fixtures in our motorhome.Our first winter on the road, we madeour way to the RVers’ Mecca for golf —Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Most people visit Myrtle Beach inthe summer for the swimming, thebeach and the spectacular golf. Allthose things are available in the win-ter, too. However, unless you’re a realglutton for punishment, the swimmingis pretty much out — but the beach isdeserted and suitable for long walksand virtually all of the golf courses areopen … with no crowds.
You can literally choose frommore than 100 first-class golf coursesstarting near the North Carolina bordera few miles north of town and runningsouth for quite a few miles. Pick one,walk into the pro shop unannounced,pay a very reasonable green fee thatusually includes a cart, and tee off afew minutes later.
I calculated that we could play a
different golf course every day for morethan two months, all within a half-hour’s drive of where we were camped.The fellow in the rig next to us wasdoing exactly that; he was from On-tario, Canada, and came to MyrtleBeach every winter just to play golf.
Besides the golf courses, thereare more than 7,000 camping sites inthe area and the RV parks and camp-grounds are open year-round. Combinethat with the fact that Myrtle Beach isnot overwhelmed with snowbirds likeplaces farther south, and finding spaceis not the problem it can be in thesummer months.
Winter weather ranges from alight frost on some clear mornings todaytime highs around 65˚F in Januaryand February. Thus, it was one fineFebruary day that found us riding overthe Intracoastal Waterway in a cablecar to Waterway Hills, the course closest to where we were camped atBriarcliffe RV Resort. This is a 27-holebeauty (with no road access) acrossthe water from the Strand.
For those who have never been toMyrtle Beach, the Strand is a sandbarmany miles long with the AtlanticOcean on the east side and the Intra-coastal Waterway on the west side.Most of the action in Myrtle Beach andNorth Myrtle Beach is on the Strandalong U.S. Highway 17 — take 17Business, not the bypass.
I probably should have first spentsome time on the driving range for a bit of a tune-up but, in the bright,
The Myrtle Beach area isrenowned for its more than50 miniature golf courses.
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60-degree sun-shine the golfbug could notbe ignored. De-spite some mis-behaving golfballs, I had anenjoyable timeon the course,and none of myclubs wound up in a waterhazard.
PUTTINGPRACTICE“Drive for show,putt for dough,”
is an age-old golf adage, and driving alongHighway 17 Business, we found the per-fect place to practice putting — dozens ofthem, in fact. There are more than 50miniature golf courses, some of them quiteelaborate, in the Myrtle Beach area, dot-ting the length of the Strand. About half ofthe courses are open in the winter months,though some are only open on weekends.You can putt through a pirate’s cove, aHawaiian volcano, a medieval castle andeven a jungle full of crashed airplanes, allwith sound effects, waterfalls, and moun-tains belching smoke and fire.
We started at Dragon’s Lair FantasyGolf. Thanks to my superior play, includingthree deftly played holes-in-one, I was ableto come in at one under par for the 18-holecourse, while Jennifer had to be satisfiedshooting two over par with but a single ace.
Having gotten this one under our beltswith fairly good scores, we decided we wereready for the big time and headed over toHawaiian Rumble Golf, home of the Mas-ters National Championship as sponsoredevery October by the U.S. ProMiniGolf Association. Pro mini-golfers from all overthe world flock to Myrtle Beach every fallto participate in this tournament, thoughanyone can enter. All you have to do is ponyup an entrance fee of $115 along with anextra $15 for the banquet at the end of thetournament. Your entrance fee gets you abaker’s dozen games of miniature golf onthe Hawaiian Rumble course, including a couple of practice rounds. If you get thereearly, you can buy extra practice rounds,and practice you should.
26 January 2009 l MOTORHOME
FOR MORE INFORMATION
BRIARCLIFFE RV RESORT(843) 272-2730,www.briarcliffervresort.com.MYRTLE BEACH CVB(800) 356-3016,www.myrtlebeachinfo.com.NORTH MYRTLE BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE(877) 332-2662,www.northmyrtlebeachchamber.com.RIVER HILLS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB(800) 264-3810,www.riverhillsgolf.com.SOUTH CAROLINA TOURISM(866) 224-9339,www.discoversouthcarolina.com.Circle 211 on Reader Service Card.WATERWAY HILLS GOLF CLUB(843) 449-6488,www.mbn.com/courses/waterway-hills.
MYRTLE BEACH
Campgrounds and RV parks are openyear-round, making Myrtle Beach a perfect RVers’ destination.
CHEAP GOLFOnce we had improved our putting, it wastime to tackle a real golf course again. Thistime we set out to play the least expensivecourse we could find, in this case the RiverHills Golf and Country Club near North Myr-tle Beach. There are lots of water hazardson this course, but the staff assured us thatthe alligators and snakes were still in hiber-nation and there was nothing to fear fromthe local wildlife. This 18-hole, beautiful-ly manicured course illustrates how afford-able winter golf can be in Myrtle Beach,and as a bonus, we had the whole place toourselves. Of the 100 or so courses we con-sidered, we found this one to be the mostreasonably priced, though even the moreexpensive courses were affordable due tooff-season pricing. Prices will be somewhathigher in the busy season and tee times arealmost always required in advance duringthe summer.
However, there are all kinds of ways tomake golf more affordable any time of theyear. Coupon books abound, usually offer-ing from $1 to $5 off per person per round.Another way to cut costs is to join the GrandStrand Golf Association (www.grandstrandgolfassociation.com) for $49 a year. Be-sides discounts on green fees, membershipalso provides local restaurant discounts.The local veterans’ organization also sells agolf coupon book offering discounts fromone end of the Strand to the other. Justabout any visitor brochure you pick up willhave some kind of coupon or offer to helpmake golf a little more affordable. The dis-count coupon books also have coupons formany of the miniature golf courses.
For face-to-face help in choosing areal golf course, visit one of the two or threemajor golf-equipment distributors along theStrand. These are huge stores easily spot-ted from the road. Inside the front doorsare kiosks staffed by people whose job it isto get you on one of the golf courses at thebest possible price.
As a final note, if you want a witnessfor a hole-in-one on a real golf course, you’llprobably have to bring him or her alongwith you. There are so few people on thesegolf courses at this time of the year that an ace may not be noticed by anyone except the golfer who hit it. And we allknow it doesn’t count unless you can pro-duce a witness. ◆
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Enjoying the drive is as important as reaching the destination. Dynamax’s signature curved design handlescleanly, cutting cross winds for a smoother, more stable and aerodynamic ride. We start with a commercialgrade chassis designed to exceed the comfort and safety demands of professional drivers. Engine accessis just under the hood, outside the coach – so service is a breeze. Dynamax offers up to 5 feet of metal infront, providing a crush zone for added protection.
The result...total engineering synergy from one end to the other, mile after mile, year after year.
At the end of the day when the driving’s done, its time to unwind in first-class style. Dynamax’s elegant coach surrounds you in the lap of luxury with standout amenities that are second to none.
Grand Sport GTFrom 34’ to 45’
DynaQuest XLFrom 32’ to 38’
DynaQuest STFrom 27’ to 30’
Grand Sport UltraFrom 40’ to 45’
Isata E-SeriesFrom 24’ to 28’
Isata F-SeriesFrom 27’ to 31’
Call Dynamax today at 888.295.7859, to experience thedrive for yourself, or visit us at: www.dynamaxcorp.com.
Dynamax Corporation, Circle 117 on Reader Service Card
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ine years ago, Larry Johns bought a used 43-footBlue Bird motorhome and took what he thought would be a six-month hiatus from his job running an aircraft insuranceagency while he toured the United States with his wife, Madge.
“For five years, we never went back,” Johns told MotorHome. “We kept traveling.”
Johns kept his job as chairman of Waterford, Michigan-based LLJohns & Associates, but he and his wife still spend most of their time traveling and visiting friends and family in their latest RV, a 45-footLiberty Coach converted Prevost.
They recently purchased a campsite at the Hearthside Grove, a newmotor coach resort in Petoskey, Michigan, where they spent last sum-mer. They also own a park model at the Petoskey KOA, which Johns uses as a satellite office, plus another RV site at Pelican Lake MotorCoach Resort in Naples, Florida, where they usually spend the winter.
But while the Johns’ lifestyle may sound luxurious, given the loca-tions where they own RV sites, the concept of splitting the year betweenRV resorts in vacation destinations is actually an affordable option for retirees and semiretirees alike. This is particularly true when one con-
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29MOTORHOME l January 2009
MORE AND MORE RVERS ARE SPLITTING THEIR TIME BETWEEN SUN BELTPARKS AND RV RESORTS IN THE NORTHERN STATESby JEFF CRIDER
Signature Resort in Bay Harbor, Michigan
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siders the property tax and insurance costs associated withowning a site-built home or condo, says Eduard Mayer, CEOof Salt Springs, Florida-based Elite Resorts of America,which has five own-your-site RV resorts in various stages of development in Florida.
“Here in Florida,” Mayer explains, “condos have skyrocketing property taxes and insurance costs and main-tenance fees. It’s not uncommon for condo owners in someareas to pay close to $1,000 a month in association fees.We charge $100 a month in association fees.”
The cost of insuring an RV also pales in comparison tothe cost of insuring a site-built home or condo, particularlyin hurricane-prone areas. And many RVers are finding that it’s quite possible to spend their summers traveling orstaying in RV resorts close to family and friends while theyspend their winters basking in RV resorts in the Sun Belt.
RV sites typically range from a starting price of$30,000 at Wilderness RV Park Estates in Silver Springs,Florida, to a range of $200,000 to $500,000 or more inthe most upscale resorts, such as Pelican Lake Motor CoachResort, Desert Shores Motor Coach Resort, and some of thenewer resorts developed by Bermuda Dunes, California-based Outdoor Resorts of America Inc.
While most upscale resorts, including those operatedby Outdoor Resorts of America, limit their membership toowners of the larger Class A motorhomes, RV resorts thatsell their sites are increasingly making them available toowners of every type of RV — including motorhomes, trav-el trailers, fifth wheels and park models.
Marion Steinbrenner, a retired teacher, sold her houseon Cape Cod and used some of the proceeds to purchase
a park model at Peters Pond RV Resort in Sandwich, whichis close to where she owned her home. She also bought anRV site in North Fort Myers, Florida, where she keeps an RV for use during the winter months.
Splitting her time between RV resorts enables Stein-brenner to enjoy the company of family and friends in someof the most popular vacation destinations in the country.This approach also makes sense for her financially, shesays, because it allows her to retain some of her equity forother uses during her retirement years while still enablingher to keep her living expenses to a minimum.
Steinbrenner says lease fees for RV and park modelsites at Peters Pond range from $3,000 to $6,000 per year,and include all utilities except for phone service and LP-gas. Peters Pond is owned and operated by Queensbury,New York-based Morgan RV Resorts, which has more than37 private resorts east of the Rocky Mountains.
Of course, the relative affordability of RV resorts makesthem enticing winter destinations for RVers who still ownhomes in the colder areas of North America.
Gail and Bob Griffiths spend the summer months attheir home in Wisconsin and winters at Sun-N-Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Florida, where they spend $4,000 to $5,000 per season for a full-service RV site for their 40-foot Winnebago Adventurer. The $4,000 to $5,000 figure includes water, sewer and cable TV hookups, pluselectrical charges, which amount to about $70 per month.The only other cost they have is for food and insurance.
“It’s just the neatest place to be,” Griffiths says of theresort, adding that Sun-N-Fun has numerous activities andclasses — including classes on computers, digital photog-
Petoskey KOA RV & Cabin Resort, Michigan
Desert Shores Motor Coach Resort, Indio, California Outdoor Resorts of America Rancho California RV Resort PH
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raphy, painting, bridge, woodworking and other crafts.“We went to Florida thinking we would look for a condo
or gated community,” Griffiths explains. “But friends toldus that condos don’t have the activities that RV resorts do.”
Activities are a key focus of many RV resorts that caterto retirees, including parks owned and operated by Chicago-based Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS). “Nobodycan humanly do all of the activities that we offer in a day,”comments Linda Loner, a regional vice president for ELS,which has a controlling interest in more than 300 resortsin 28 states, including the resorts used by the ThousandTrails membership camping club.
ELS owns and operates several of the largest and best-known Sun Belt resorts, including Voyager RV Resort in Tuc-son, Arizona, and Sunshine Key RV Resort in the Florida Keys, one of nearly 30 ELS parks in the Sunshine State. ELSalso owns and operates eight parks in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley alone. “There’s something for everybody,” Loner says.“Computer clubs, dance areas, swimming, silversmithing, birdwatching. Bird watching is huge in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Loner adds, “If our customers owned a condo, they’dmost likely pay more and they wouldn’t have all the activitiesoffered at our resorts.” ELS parks, she continues, not onlyoffer RVers sites for their rigs, but additional dwellings, suchas park models (resort cottages) and manufactured homes.
Other independent resorts also offer a wide range
Cane Creek Motor Coach Resort, Cross Hill, South Carolina
Hearthside Grove RV Resort, Petoskey, Michigan
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of options for RV enthusiasts who are seek-ing either temporary or permanent accom-modations. The Great Outdoors RV Resortin Titusville, Florida, for example, offerseverything from RV sites to park modelsand various types of permanent homes, in-cluding homes with built-in RV ports andgarages. The RV sites start at $62,000,while the park models typically range from$120,000 to $130,000, including thesites, said Judy Willeke, director of salesfor TGO Realty Inc., which markets sites atthe resort. Vacation home sites start in thehigh $90,000s, with the homes them-selves selling in the $200,000 and$300,000 range and higher, according tolistings on The Great Outdoors Web site.
But while there are many resorts thatoffer a broad range of RV, park model andvacation home options, developers also con-tinue to build high-end resorts that cater ex-clusively to high-end motorcoach owners.
Bella Terra, a new luxury RV resort inGulf Shores, Alabama, opened in late 2008as the first of a series of three to five up-scale RV resorts that will be built in the next
36 to 48 months, said Tripp Keber, execu-tive vice president of Denver, Colorado-based Sagebrush Realty Development LLC,which is developing the Bella Terra chain.
The 40-acre Gulf Shores resort, locat-ed roughly 25 miles west of Pensacola, Flori-da, includes 176 deeded oversize lots withconcrete pads and built-in patios, whichrange from $85,000 to $150,000. All sitesfeature electric, water, sewer, cable TV andInternet access as well as several amenityupgrade options, including customized out-door kitchens and barbecues, a storagehouse with restroom and laundry options
ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE
and built-in outdoor entertainment centers.Two upscale RV resorts developed by
Monaco Coach Corporation’s Signature Re-sorts subsidiary also opened in late 2008:the 125-site Motorcoach Resort at BayHarbor, Michigan, and the 184-site NaplesMotorcoach Resort in Florida. RV sites atthe Bay Harbor resort were being market-ed at prices ranging from $129,000 to$219,000, while sites at the Naples parkwere listed at $200,000 to $350,000.
Randall Henderson, Signature Resorts’president, said the company is continuingto build upscale resorts because today’s
Equity LifeStyle Properties’ Sunshine Key RV Resort in the Florida Keys
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RVers continue to demand higher qualityparks. “The new owners are far more dis-cerning, more demanding,” he said. “Theywant better accommodations, better ameni-ties, better service, all of which we realizewe’d better be prepared to provide.”
Monaco Coach Corporation formedNashville, Tennessee-based Signature Re-sorts in early 2008 to oversee developmentof upscale RV resorts across the countrythat both sell and rent RV sites. Signature’sother properties include the Las Vegas Mo-torcoach Resort and the Motorcoach Coun-try Club in Indio, California.
Meanwhile, Cane Creek MotorcoachResort, a new 84-space RV resort in CrossHill, South Carolina, is selling RV sites from$79,000 to $119,000, says Dan Greis, afull-time RV enthusiast and real estate agentfor Cane Creek who splits his time betweenSouth Carolina and Frostproof, Florida, wherehe owns another RV site. Cane Creek chargesa monthly maintenance fee of $135.
“We’re seeing more people do this,splitting their time between resorts,” Greisremarks. “It’s a nice way to live.” ◆
33MOTORHOME l January 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION
BELLA TERRA RESORT(866) 417-2416,www.bellaterrarvresort.com.Circle 212 on Reader Service Card.CANE CREEK MOTORCOACH RESORT(864) 992-3911,www.canecreekresort.com.Circle 213 on Reader Service Card.DESERT SHORES MOTOR COACH RESORT(760) 775-9808,www.desertshoresresort.com.Circle 214 on Reader Service Card.ELITE RESORTS OF AMERICA(800) 356-2460,www.eliteresorts.com.EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES(800) 274-7314,www.mhchomes.com.Circle 215 on Reader Service Card.HEARTHSIDE GROVE RV RESORT(888) GROVE-88,www.hearthsidegrove.com.Circle 216 on Reader Service Card.MORGAN RV RESORTS(518) 615-0552,www.morganrvresorts.com.OUTDOOR RESORTS OF AMERICA(800) 541-2582,www.outdoor-resorts.com.Circle 217 on Reader Service Card.PELICAN LAKE MOTOR COACH RESORT(800) 835-4389,www.pelicanlake.com.Circle 218 on Reader Service Card.PETOSKEY KOA RV & CABIN RESORT(231) 347-0005,www.petoskeykoa.com.Circle 219 on Reader Service Card.SIGNATURE RESORTS(866) 897-9300, (888) 277-0789,www.signaturervresorts.com.Circle 220 on Reader Service Card.SUN-N-FUN RV RESORT(800) 843-2421,www.sunnfunfl.com.THE GREAT OUTDOORS(800) 621-2267,www.tgoresort.com.Circle 221 on Reader Service Card.VOYAGER RV RESORT(800) 424-9191,www.voyagerrv.com.Circle 222 on Reader Service Card.
open and easy access to the diesel engine, which will be appreciated by your mechanic. Outstanding vision to the road is enhanced by the standard rear- and optional side-mounted cameras. These features in combination with themultiband AM/FM/CD/Weather Band and optional CB radioand navigation systems should make it a big hit among driv-ers looking forward to very comfortable driving stints in theswiveling, fully adjustable captain’s chairs that provide addi-tional cabin seating.
To further enhance your surroundings, Dynamax ignoresconvention by offering no less than five décor groupings —three woods and five exterior paint schemes — to choosefrom, allowing mix-and-match decorating from the offeringsthat will surely satisfy even the most demanding enthusiast.AV features include the use of the Bose surround-sound system for both sat-ready 19-inch and 26-inch LCD TVs andtheater lighting ambience — courtesy of the Intellitec multi-plex lighting system — that can be controlled from five convenient interior locations and also allows users to shut offall 12-volt DC use with one-button convenience.
Dynamax places the dual-burner cooktop and above-range convection/microwave in the large streetside hydraulicslide, shared by the leather sofa bed, allowing multiple chefsto take advantage of the extended width of the coach to servethe curbside booth-style dinette. Next to the dinette, a 12-cubic-foot stainless-steel refrigerator and roll-out pantry com-plete the galley layout. Spills are no problem on the Coriancountertops and beautiful ceramic tile floors (optional)throughout the food service and bath areas, and sculpturedcarpeting creates an invisible transition into the living andbedroom areas. Numerous large and small interior storage
walk-through by FRED PAUSCH
hinking of downsizing from a tag axle motorhomeor upgrading to your dream coach? Dynamax’s DynaQuest XLline offers five floorplans ranging from 32 to 39 feet in length,with the DQ360XL falling squarely in the middle of the pack.
Built on the Freightliner M2 chassis, the 360XL offersall the comforts of home and the ability to bring along any toy,dinghy or rolling garage, thanks to a 15,000-pound towingcapacity and the optional 20,000-pound hitch receiver. Grind-ing up long stretches of mountain passes will likely becomea distant memory courtesy of the 1,000 LB-FT of torque sup-plied by the 330-HP clean burner Cummins that mates withthe venerable Allison TRV six-speed push-button transmis-sion for precise and predictable control.
A well-appointed and intimate cockpit is comfortably ac-cessed by a no-duck roof cutout protected by a hidden steelarch, making even the tallest driver appreciate the thought-ful touches that include tilt and telescoping steering and combined service monitors. Safety is also enhanced with conventional cab side doors and steps, providing three meth-ods of access. The familiar front-tilt, sloped nose provides
DYNAQUEST 360XL
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cabinets have been designed into the DynaQuest’s floorplans,resulting in excellent fit and finish and very little wasted spaceto be found anywhere in this coach.
This year, Dynamax has rotated the pedestal bed 90 de-grees and placed it into the rear slide, with sidelights creatingadditional and convenient access to large double wardrobes,drawers and TV viewing. A third wardrobe in the bath area isplumbed for a washer/dryer combo. Attention to detail andcraftsmanship are immediately evident throughout this coachwith tight-seamed wood trim and robust cabinetry, eliminatingthe need for vinyl gimp piping or other seam-hiding materials.
Breaking camp is as easy as retracting the semi-auto four-point hydraulic levelers and the powered hose and cord reelswhile loading remaining campgear through the many newly redesigned exterior aluminum-skinned doors. Thanks to the for-ward engine placement, a spaciousfull-width lighted rear “trunk” ac-commodates odd-size items.
Dynamax has created a high-end, easy-to-use, feature-richcoach with a shopping list of features that’s hard to beat. ◆
BOONDOCKINGhe sight of grazing elk, the faint vanilla smell ofPonderosa pines and the whispering of their boughs in asoft afternoon breeze are among the sights, smells andsounds of my boondocking memories. They stay with melong after I have left, and serve as constant and pleasur-able reminders of why I love the RV lifestyle — and boon-docking on our nation’s public lands.
What better way to explore the country’s open landsand scenic vistas; desert backroads and the forestprimeval; and lake, river, and bay shorelines than in thecomfort of a motorhome, complete with indoor plumbing,grid-free electricity, ample cooking facilities and a com-fortable, dry bed?
LIVING OFF THE GRIDMotorhome manufacturers have included all the systems,appliances, gizmos and doodads that enable us to vaca-tion in style. But they also allow us to live off the grid andbe self-sufficient in our RVs — to boondock.
In a general sense, boondocking is simply campingwithout water, sewer and electrical hookups. It is alsosometimes called dry camping. In more specific terms,boondocking usually refers to camping in a remote area,rather than in a no-hookup campground (such as a nation-al park or forest) or in a Wal-Mart parking lot, Flying J truckstop, or rest area while traveling. Boondocking requires adependence on your motorhome’s on-board systems. Afteryou have learned how to maximize the fresh water, waste-water, and electrical systems, you will have conquered thebarriers to boondocking.
Success in mastering these systems will start a chainreaction of positive benefits. By reducing your water use,it takes longer to fill up your wastewater tanks. By turningoff lights and limiting use of electrical appliances, the elec-trical power in your batteries will last longer. Overall, it’sa win-win scenario.
Many of the following tips for achieving these goals are simply a matter of adapting or changing already-existing habits. Once you give it a try, you might be surprised at how easy boondocking really is.
DRINKING-WATER TIPS• Run the water faucet only when wetting or rinsing
while washing dishes and hands, or when showering.• Wipe food from plates and utensils with a paper
towel (post-consumer recycled towel, of course) beforewashing, reducing wash water and rinse water usage.
• Carry drinking water and a back-up water supply ingallon jugs, jerry jugs, or collapsible bladders (available
at Camping World). Dump the back-up supply into yourwater tank as supply diminishes.
WASTEWATER-TANK TIPS• Be miserly in your use of water so the waste tanks
take longer to fill before requiring dumping.• While waiting for the shower water to get hot,
save the cold water in a plastic dishpan and use for rins-ing dishes.
• If you partially fill the black and gray tanks en routeto your destination, empty them at a public dump stationbefore you reach camp. Top off the fresh water as well.
• The black tank will take longer to fill than the gray-water tank, so limiting filling of the gray-water tank takesprecedence.
• When your black tank fills up, the only option is tofind a dump station if you’re not using a portable “blue”tank. Maximize your visit by filling up your freshwater tankswhile you’re there, as long as the water is potable.
ELECTRICAL TIPS• Turn off lights, TVs and radios when not in use.
Follow the sun’s schedule for rising and sleeping to min-imize the use of lights.
• Use rechargeable battery-operated reading lightsfor reading in bed, and for flashlights and lanterns out-side. Keep a supply of extra batteries on hand.
• Read your house battery’s state-of-charge with avoltmeter from an auto supply store or RadioShack (12.6+volts = fully charged, 11.6 volts = discharged. Rechargeyour batteries at or before reaching 80 percent discharged,or 11.8 volts, for better battery life).
• Run your AC generator to operate high-amperage ap-pliances (use only those that run for brief periods, such as amicrowave and blender), and group their use when possible— i.e. microwave while showering, wash dishes while show-ering, use the coffeemaker while running the furnace on chillymornings — to minimize electricity pulled from storage bat-teries and reduce AC generator run time. Reduce AC gener-ator time by running the air-conditioner as little as possible.
• An inverter is a device that changes DC (12-volt)battery power into AC (120-volt) power so that you canplug in small 120-volt AC appliances while operating on battery power. Remember that AC appliances pull 10 times as much power as DC out of your batteries, souse AC devices conservatively.
• Install additional or upgraded (such as six-volt golfcart) house batteries to increase your storage capacity of electricity.
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• Install solar panels or a wind genera-tor to recharge your house batteries with freeelectricity. Even on cloudy days solar panelswill still charge your battery bank, thoughnot at peak power when under direct sun.Because energy needs vary, contact a solarcompany with experience in RV installations,like AM Solar (www.amsolar.com), that cananalyze your motorhome lifestyle and sug-gest a system to fit your needs.
GETTING STARTEDThe easiest transition into boondocking isto try dry-camping in a non-hookup (prim-itive) campground (such as in a nationalpark or national forest), but one with adrinking water supply and dump stationreadily available. Then, if you underesti-mate your water usage or the rate at whichyour holding tanks fill up, you won’t haveto drive far to dump and fill. And if you haveany problems or questions, you will stillhave neighbors on whom you can rely. Onceyou adjust to using your on-board systems,it’s time to take the plunge and venture outinto the world of boondocking.
FINDING BOONDOCKING SPOTSThere are far more primitive public landscampgrounds administered by federalagencies such as the National Forest Ser-vice (NFS), Bureau of Land Management(BLM), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers(COE), Bureau of Reclamation, Public Util-ities, State Forests and the National ParkService (NPS) than you could possibly visitin your lifetime. You may find that manypublic lands-developed campgrounds areperfect for your personal boondocking en-
joyment, and you need not venture fartherinto the backcountry. Most of these camp-sites are spaced farther apart than theywould be in private campgrounds, usuallyhave some trees or bushes surrounding thesites for privacy and are less crowded thanstate parks or those with hookups. Thoughnot free, as more remote, undesignatedboondocking campsites usually are, ratesare considerably lower than developedcampgrounds, and they are often quite scenic and remote. If you are age 62 orolder you are eligible to purchase a lifetime“America the Beautiful — National Parksand Federal Recreational Lands Pass —Senior Pass,” which provides a 50 percentdiscount on camping fees on public lands.
If, however, you want even more pri-vacy, solitude and a remote nature experi-
ence, the next step is to look for what theNFS and BLM refer to as “dispersed”camping. These can be designated as dispersed camping areas, or they may sim-ply be an open patch of space anywherelarge enough for a campsite, set back froma paved or unpaved forest or desert road.You are permitted by law to camp anywherein a national forest or on BLM land so longas you do not block any roads, there is an ample camping spot (don’t drive overexisting foliage), and there are no signs pro-hibiting camping.
These dispersed campsites are thehardest to find, and sometimes the mostrewarding, and can be the essence of theboondocking experience. There won’t beany signs pointing to dispersed campsitesand very few will be indicated on maps.
In some cases, finding a great site issimply a matter of looking at a map andheading to a remote spot. The DeLormeAtlas & Gazetteer state map series includeswonderfully detailed maps. Looking for thesmaller roads that lead to remote lakefrontspots, riverside locations and the like canalso clue you in to some terrific campsites.
Eventually you’ll accumulate your owncollection of boondocking sites, but youhave to begin somewhere. A good startingpoint is to visit the public lands office(NFS, BLM, etc.) in the area where youwish to camp. The office staff will be ableto provide you with locations and maps tothe district’s developed campgrounds and,if you get lucky, a couple of designated dis-persed camping areas as well. If you geteven luckier, a ranger who actually patrolsthe district will be available — this is the
Sun showers heat the water inside withdirect sunlight and can be hung from atree when showering at an isolated camp-site, which saves energy and doesn’t fillup the holding tank. Shower enclosuresare available for more privacy.
Solar panels installed on top of themotorhome can help to charge housebatteries while boondocking.
Many non-hookup campgrounds in national parks have more space around them and are in more scenic locations, such as this one in Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert.
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Chargers for the RV industryVisit your local dealer orcall 877-456-7901www.batterytender.com
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39MOTORHOME l January 2009
person you want to talk to. Rangers can answer specific questions, like “Can I getinto this dispersed camping area with mymotorhome?” and “Where can I find a pri-vate dispersed campsite without othercampers?” as well as any other questionsthat define your camping requirements.
With this information you can find a suitable developed campground or dis-persed campsite to spend the night. Thengo exploring. If you have a dinghy vehicle,drive a couple miles down the road search-ing for additional campsites. If you find oneyou like better, go back and retrieve yourmotorhome and move it to the new site.While driving back to your rig, check thatyou can return safely to the site with yourcoach: look for muffler-crunching rocks,low hanging branches and tight turns.
If you don’t have a dinghy vehicle, becareful not to get yourself into a difficultsituation. Scout unpaved roads and poten-tial campsites to determine whether youcan continue safely as well as turn around.Owning a large rig does limit the places you can fit into.
As in life, be respectful of others’ pri-vacy when boondocking by camping farenough away from others so that you don’tdisturb their camping experience (camp-ing too close when more distant, desirablespots are available is sometimes known as“clustering”). Also, limit your generator useto only when necessary and pick up all un-natural matter (trash) from your campsitebefore you leave — even if you didn’t de-posit it there. As stated in the “boondock-er’s motto,” Leave No Trace is always agood camping rule to follow. ◆
BOONDOCKING BASICS
FOR MORE INFORMATION
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTwww.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html. (Click onPrograms, then choose Recreation)DE LORME ATLAS & GAZETTEER(800) 561-5105,www.delorme.com. NATIONAL FOREST SERVICEwww.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/finder.shtml. (Click on a forest, then choose Recreational Activities)U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERShttp://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm.
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the driver enjoy the ride. Adjustable pedals allow for leg andheight variations. Visibility is terrific up front, and side-viewcameras that help with safe lane changes augment the stan-dard rear-view monitor. This coach’s little touches, like thecontrol switches angled toward the driver for better visibility,make a difference. The optional power drop-down sunshades($980) are a feature we’ve come to appreciate after time on the road with such equipment.
Natural Cherry cabinets, tan ceramic-tiled floor, and grey-shaded upholstery of the Nile color scheme made up theinterior décor for the coach we toured, shaping a visually har-monious interior that’s opulent but not extravagant. In addi-tion to the cabinets being an interesting midtone color, thecompany added distinctive wood accents made of a lightershade of the same lumber. That little detail really makes thewoodwork visually stand out. Ultraleather fabric on the frontbuckets, the optional streetside sofa bed ($1,680) and the curbside sofa bed is both practical and elegant.
The optional glazed hutch ($560) abuts the aft end ofthe big slideout. Finished in a black lacquer-like shade, thehutch also contains the main TV, and with its black-framedscreen, it blends right in with the cabinets.
We really appreciate the kitchen with its massive microwave/convention oven, gracefully curved-front solid-surface countertop with recessed stovetop and generous storage cabinets close by. The double-bowl stainless-steel sink with residential-type faucet adds to the kitchen’s practi-cal side. Notable options that boost the comfort factor include
walk-through by JEFF JOHNSTON
t’s hard to picture a 36-foot Class A diesel-pusheras being downsized, but that’s the case with the new 36 QSPAllegro Bus from Tiffin Motorhomes. The 2009 36 QSP, apartfrom being the smallest model in the Allegro Bus lineup, isalso the company’s first quad-slide coach of this size.
An experienced eye can tell this is a shorter-than-40-footcoach, and it’s impressive and has the usual Tiffin sense ofstyle. Bold graphics and glossy paint plus tasteful detailsmake this coach a real head-turner. Power awnings with sleekmetal wrappers help keep the exterior clutter-free. The swing-out access doors make it even easier to reach the capaciouspass-through storage bay areas, one of which includes an optional slide-out tray ($700) that’s a real back saver. Onecompartment includes the optional exterior 32-inch LCD high-definition TV ($1,540) for campsite entertainment.
The company’s proprietary Powerglide chassis with fullair suspension plus independent front suspension is standardfor this motorhome, as are the Cummins 425-HP ISL engine,Allison transmission and ABS-equipped front disc and reardrum brakes.
The interior space doesn’t reflect the unit’s smallest-in-its-class size. Two spacious slideouts up front bring wide-open space to the forward living room, kitchen and diningarea. To the rear, the bedroom’s pair of slideouts add walkingand dressing space, and the bath with its streetside toilet and vanity enclosure opposing the curbside shower isconveniently close to the master suite.
Clear instruments and well-planned controls should help
IIt’s a smaller packagethat offers big features
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the drawer-type dishwasher ($1,260) and residential refrig-erator package that includes a 3kW inverter and two addition-al house batteries ($1,680).
A sensibly sized dinette table that expands when needed is standard and its versatility is broadened with theoptional computer workstation ($1,050).
This is the floorplan for those who prefer a private-toilet-enclosure style of bathroom. The space includes a nice-sized vanity sink and roomy cabinet storage.
The busy curbside bedroomwall includes a small slideout withdresser below and 26-inch LCD TVand cabinet above, plus a corner sinkand cabinet with mirror on the fixedwall portion. The floor space in thearea makes this a good-lookingdressing room. An optional queen-size memory foam mattress ($280)adds comfort to an already graciousbedroom. Reading lamps and smallnightstand surfaces provide bedsideconvenience.
Tiffin has built a reputation as a manufacturer that caresabout its clients and the quality of its motorhomes. With anexcellent customer service reputation, many Tiffin customerskeep coming back when it’s time to buy, and the new 36 QSPis a great option for both first-time buyers and those tradingup to a new size and style. ◆
MOTORHOME l January 2009 41
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In the RVing and driving seminars that my wife, Sandy, and I present, we are often asked about RV driving instruction for large motorhomes. Our opinion is that some typeof driving course/seminar/instruction should be mandated aspart of the purchase of an RV. There is so much information thatneeds to be learned, it just makes sense.
Granted, we all have lots of miles of “other” driving experience,but many novice RVers get into a big motorhome and assume theyknow what to do. In reality, the only directly related experience is driv-ing a school or municipal bus. The vast majority of buyers have noprevious experience with diesel engines, exhaust brakes, backing usingonly mirrors, towing vehicles, turning a 30-40 foot vehicle, gearing onhills and the momentum created by 15-20 tons of RV mass traveling
LEARN HOW TO DRIVE YOURMOTORHOME LIKE A PRO
by RONALD JONES
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at 60 MPH. You can’t just float along likemany of us do in our automobiles.
I’ve been RVing since 1962 and in2002 we purchased our thirteenth andlargest RV — a 39-foot diesel-pusher. Atthat time we already had significant RVdriving experience but not with a diesel ora motorhome of this size, so we decided to get professional RV driver training.
I found The Dick Reed RV DrivingSchool online, signed us up and off wewent. Our joke was that we had to drive1,400 miles to learn how to drive. We leftTexas and took the instruction in Califor-nia, where the instructor was located.
DAY ONEOn the first day, our instructor, John, intro-duced himself and talked with us to deter-mine our level of experience. The first thingwe learned was how to safety check the airsystem used for braking and parking (if yourair-brake system is leaking, you really don’twant to drive). Then he explained how to set the mirrors and what visual area we should see in the flat and convex mirrors.
After that, I drove and John sat in thecopilot’s seat. We entered an industrial parkwith good, wide streets and virtually no traf-fic. Here we practiced making right, leftand U-turns. John set up traffic cones andhad us determine the amount of “over-swing” (amount the rear corner of the mo-torhome swings out during a turn) for ourcoach. We learned we need at least 30inches of side clearance — many peoplefind this out the expensive way.
We practiced backing (using outsidemirrors only) and learned to judge where tostop by aligning the rear of the motorhomewith a cone. We practiced backing intoright-angle spaces using three-point turn-ing techniques. As John noted, if no pull-through sites are available, do you give up
and drive to the next RV park or do youlearn how to park your motorhome? The an-swer was clear, but it took a little practiceto get comfortable.
He then taught us to get out of a tight space. Amazingly, we found that weonly need 6 feet of clear space in front ofour 39-foot motorhome. Day one ended at our campsite, parking (of course in aback-in space) and reviewing our accom-plishments.
DAY TWOJohn started off the second day with an explanation about using the exhaust brake(also called a Jake/Pac/compression/enginebrake). On the diesel engine, this devicesaves wear and tear on your brakes by usingthe exhaust to help slow the engine. Welearned to use the exhaust brake for towndriving and to control our speed down hillsduring highway driving. You can’t “ride”your brake pedal in a vehicle this size.
Next, we moved to the interstate andthe topic was maintaining our lane position
— very important when driving in narrowconstruction lanes or heavy traffic. Johnkept Sandy in the far-right lane to experi-ence (and deal with) the numerous vehicles constantly moving on and off thehighway.
After the interstate practice, we head-ed for a two-lane road that John had select-ed because of its curvy, narrow and steepgrades (6-7 percent). The first yellow warn-ing sign indicated a right-angle turn at 30MPH. He warned that we were also enteringthe first uphill grade and instructed Sandyto downshift (manually) into a lower gear.He wanted her to keep the tachometerreading between 1,800-2,100 RPM, so sheneeded to select the correct gear. This RPM
range creates the best power combinationso the engine will work efficiently duringthe climb.
We climbed effortlessly but not fast.When she reached the top of the grade heasked her turn around and drive backdown. The rule of thumb for going down isthat you want to use the same gears as youdid going up. So, with the exhaust brakeengaged, she manually downshifted asneeded to keep the tach reading within the1,800-2,100 RPM range. The gearing andexhaust brake helped the motorhomemaintain a reasonable speed without riding the brake pedal.
At the bottom of the grade, sheparked, we switched and I drove the sameroute up and down the mountain. I got myinterstate practice going back to the RVpark. Once we arrived at the campsite,John went over the day’s notes with us andtold us that we had done well. We exchanged contact information and he encouraged us to call him with any ques-tions. We were officially graduates of theRV Driving School.
Was attending a driving school worthit? Absolutely! Positively! Without question.It was one of the best decisions we couldhave made. We learned much more in thetwo “school” days than we did in the 1,400miles it took to get there.
From that experience, we saw a needto share driver training information withothers at rallies and RV shows. Becauseeach motorhome handles a bit differently,we began presenting seminars on drivingexercises that anyone (with a coach) cando in a parking lot.
Instructors advise you to set your mirrorsas part of a pretrip safety check routine.
Traffic cones are used to teach driversabout backing up and rear clearance.
Learning how to maneuver out of a tightspace is essential for motorhome drivers.
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#1 COUNTRY COACHCSI Parts & Service Center’02, ’03, ’05 &’06According to Country Coach Customer Survey
HOLIDAY RAMBLER by Monaco
Motor Homes
44 January 2009 l MOTORHOME
BACK TO SCHOOL
FINDING CLASSESWhen an RVer wants driving instruction, what options are avail-able? Where do they go and what do they get? The following list in-cludes some of the companies thatoffer RV driving instruction.
THE DICK REED RV DRIVING SCHOOL l Started by Dick Reed in 1991, and presently owned and operated by Dennis and Carol Hill, the school offers instruction at several locations across the country. Attendees meet their instructor at a prearranged campground and training takes place in the students’ coach. Much of the two-day-long instruction is spent actually driving — with a tow car and without. Attendance requires advance registrationand there is a fee. Sandy and I took the full two-day course, which was six hours each day; (530) 878-0111, www.rvschool.com. Circle 225 on ReaderService Card.
FORETRAVEL l This manufacturer offers an extensive “Ladies Only”RV driver training that comprises nearly four days of instruction —classroom and actual driving; (800) 955-6226, www.foretravel.com.Circle 226 on Reader Service Card.
JOHN BLEAKLEY MOTOR HOMES l The Douglasville, Georgia, location contracts with a local instructor, Jan Brown, for RV driver training; (888) 527-8287, www.bleakleyrv.com. Circle 227 on Reader Service Card.
LAZYDAYS l This RV dealer in Seffner (Tampa), Florida, offers a “RV Driver Confidence Course” four days per week. It’s free to Lazydays and RallyPark(their large, on-site campground) customers, but others can attend for a cost of$99 per couple or $75 per individual. You must attend the classroom training(mornings) and one driving session (afternoons) to receive the course certificate.In the driving session, those who attend the morning classroom session candrive a diesel-pusher motorhome throughout the road course located in Rally-Park. I recommend you call to put your name on the list as daily enrollment is limited and the class is nearly always full. The course is excellent, with a great instructor and valuable information for any RVer; (866) 703-3076,www.lazydays.com/rvdrivecourses.html. Circle 228 on Reader Service Card.
MONACO COACH l This manufacturer offers a “Ladies Only” RV driver training as part of various owner’s rallies; (800) 634-0855, www.monacocoach.com.
NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE l Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,the college provides RV and truck driver training. You must bring your motor-home, complete the classroom portion in the morning and drive in the afternoon.At least two local dealers recommend this RV driver training as part of a motor-home purchase. Tina Frindt is the director of the program; (570) 839-2778,www.northampton.edu/prof_com/trans/rv.htm.
RV SAFETY & EDUCATION FOUNDATION (RVSEF) l This company provides RVdriver training via a six-hour block of classroom instruction offered primarily atrallies nationwide. RVSEF also offers a self-paced, nine-volume safety-trainingcourse that includes a section on “Safe Driving.” The program helps customersqualify for discounts with many major insurance companies. Walter Cannon is the company’s executive director; (321) 453-7673, www.rvsafety.com.
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THE BASICSNearly all driving instruction covers muchof the same content. The biggest differenceis whether the driver training is done on thehighway or in a parking lot.
In a parking-lot setting, you shouldlearn how to set your mirrors; turn and cor-ner left and right; judge height and width(overswing) as well as distance; and backinto a campsite. If you have the opportuni-ty to do some highway driving, you shouldlearn how to negotiate freeway on and offramps; how to go up and down hills; andhow to use the engine, gears and brakes.
WHY DO IT?Beyond the safety factor — you don’t wantto hurt yourself, your family, your RV or any-one else — there’s the economic aspect.Whether you’re driving a $50,000 or a$500,000 RV, you have a large investment.Unless you have money to burn, you prob-ably don’t want to spend it on fixing thingslike the rear corner of your coach becauseyou had no clue what overswing was need-ed, replacement tires because you didn’tknow how to plan your turn, burned-outservice brakes because you were ridingthem down the long grades, scrapes alongthe side walls of your coach from overhang-ing tree limbs or replacing your air condi-tioner because you couldn’t judge your motorhome’s height clearance.
Check into RV driving instruction, sit inon driving seminars at shows and rallies, andread — but go find that information. Afterall, you don’t know what you don’t know. ◆
Utilizing the side mirrors can help avoid apotential accident when switching lanes.
Yuma Palms RV Resort, Circle 123 on Reader Service Card
www.YumaPalmsRVResort.com
Luxury Resort Livingvisit us on the web at
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FOR THEBIRDSIt isn’t always easy to find a placeto hang our bird feeder when we’re camped. An easy solution is to attach a shepherd’s hook, purchased at a garden center, toany convenient post or tree withseveral bungee cords. It’s quick to set up and quick to remove.RICHARD & BETTY HARDYLIVINGSTON, TEXAS ◆
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quicktips from OUR READERS
FANTASTIC FUNNELWhen dry camping, or adding sanitizing solution to my fresh-water tank, I found an easy way to quickly fill my tank withoutfuss or worry about overflow. The design utilizes an oversize,flexible funnel with a tapered outlet and a cargo door clamp.
I first cut a slight angle on the bottom end of the funnel to allow water to flow freely out of the funnel. I then placed it in the water fill hole and bent it up toward the side of thecoach. Next, I opened the door latch and positioned it at apoint where the latch is about two-thirds open, hooking it over the top edge of the funnel. With downward pressure onthe funnel, I marked the location of the latch-mounting holeson the side wall of my rig, drilled holes into the wall, applied silicone sealant to the back of the cargo latch and screwed thelatch into place. I applied additional sealant around the top and sides of the latch as needed.
The spring loaded, hooked latch helps keep the funnel inplace while I fill the tank, and my hands are free to hold watercontainers. It also keeps the funnel in place while makingextra trips back to the campground water source, ready foryour return load.CARLON SNYDER l GRANDVILLE, MICHIGAN
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WE WANT TOHEAR FROM
YOU!Quick Tips, MotorHome’s monthly column of useful,handy and simple tips byfellow RVers, is looking forsubmissions. Please sendyour favorite do-it-your-self ideas to: MotorHomeQuick Tips, 2575 Vista DelMar Drive, Ventura, Calif.,93001. Be sure to includeany photos, illustrationsor drawings, if necessary.If your tip is selected forpublication, you’ll receive$35. A Social Securitynumber is no longerrequired for payment.
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WATER FILLERThe placement of batteries in some motorhomes canmake them difficult to service. I found an easy, fool-prooftool that works for any battery, regardless of location.
Purchase a one-gallon or smaller garden pumpsprayer. Remove the wand attachment, leaving the hoseand trigger assembly. Add distilled water to the sprayer’stank, pump a few times to add air pressure and squirt the water into each battery cell with no mess or overfill.DENNIS SCHAIBLE l BUMPASS, VIRGINIA
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techsavvyHANDS-ON l HOT LINE l COACH & CHASSIS l POWERTRAIN
GO WITH THE FLOWCamco’s RhinoFLEX sewer hose helps neutralize the unpleasantness of emptying holding tanks
Dumping the holding tanks on an RV is a fairlystraightforward procedure: Most owners use a 3-inch hosewith a bayonet fitting on one end and something on the otherend that fits (or sort of fits) into the sewer opening. With few exceptions — namely the various macerator systems —the “tools of the trade” haven’t changed much since the inception of holding tanks and dump valves.
In the past few years, though, suppliers have refined the sewer-hose concept by introducing better materials, fittings and couplers that are designed to make the job ofdumping holding tanks less messy and aggravating. Camco’sRhinoFLEX RV Sewer Kit solves a number of inherent prob-lems with traditional hoses and fittings, including storinghoses that have been stretched out, and struggling with difficult-to-connect fittings and bulky hose clamps. While a hose that collapses — and stays that way for storage — is not new, Camco’s iteration goes from just 45 inches to an extended length of 15 feet, and the ends are pre-attached.The fittings are threaded onto the hose using a counter-clockwise motion.
At one end is a heavy-duty bayonet fitting designed toconnect to standard dump valves. This one has four stout
prongs that really grab the molded pins on the dump tube.And without the hose clamp to slice your hand, users can get a strong grip on the bayonet fitting for easy positioning. At the other end is a two-piece, detachable four-way adapterfor making a secure connection into most sewer openings.The ramped fitting can screw into 3-, 31⁄2- or 4-inch threadedsewer openings, or slip into a non-threaded, 3-inch opening.
Everything about this hose is heavy duty. The steel-reinforced polyolefin material used to make the hose resiststears and holes, the hose can be extended in limitless increments up to the maximum length and it stays where you want it. This keeps the area tidy, and allows the holding-tank contents a straight shot into the sewer.
A 5-foot extension is optionally available; it connects easily using a threaded coupler. Camco will also offer a version of this hose kit with swivel ends this month.
The RhinoFLEX hose kit retails for around $34 (thoughthe street price is closer to $25); the extension kits can be found for around $16. These hoses are available at most RV supply stores and Camping World. For more information, go to www.camco.net. Circle 229 on Reader Service Card.
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Last January, at the RV show in Quartzsite,Arizona, we bought a new motorhomefrom La Mesa RV. We requested out-of-state delivery of the unit, as we are residents of Victorville, California. Wesubsequently took possession of the rigin Laughlin, Nevada, a short time later.
When we took delivery, there weresome things on the coach that needed tobe fixed. To have these issues addressed,we took the motorhome back to LaMesa’s Quartzsite location. We are cur-rently traveling full time in the unit, andwill be for the next three to five years.
The service manager at La Mesa RVinformed us that he had received a memofrom La Mesa’s corporate office. Inessence, the memo advised that La MesaRV would not work on our motorhomebecause we had not paid any Arizonasales (use) tax on it. They said that, be-cause of this issue, it was not legal for usto be in Arizona with the unit at any time.
We called people within the La Mesaorganization for more information, as wellas a few departments within Arizona’sstate government, including the Depart-ment of Revenue. Although we are unsureif we will get a response, we are askingHot Line to look into this matter for us.CHARLES & KAREN MAYVICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA
Although the Mays did not explain whythey took delivery of their unit in Nevada,their story brings up some of the difficul-ties that can arise with sales tax-type laws.
In the Mays’ home state of Cali-fornia, full- or part-time residents are allowed (by state law) to take possessionof a vehicle out of state, and claim an
exemption to paying sales or use taxunder certain conditions.
To do this, buyers must first takepossession of a vehicle outside of Cali-fornia, and operate it out of state formore than 90 days before they can re-enter the state. If they re-enter before90 days, they are subject to sales tax.
California’s exemption for its resi-dents, however, does not excuse themfrom applicable tax laws in other states,as in the Mays’ misunderstanding withthe State of Arizona.
When contemplating the purchaseof a motor vehicle anywhere outsideone’s home state, it is wise to first checkthe applicable laws of your home state,those of the state where you intend topurchase the unit, and finally, the statewhere you will take official delivery.
The Mays ran afoul of Arizona’s taxlaws when they did not pay the state’s“transaction privilege tax,” and took de-livery of their coach outside of Arizona.By doing this, they apparently excludedtheir motorhome from ever legally enter-ing Arizona again (unless they pay thetax in question). Once the tax is paid,the Mays may take their coach to La
Mesa RV to have the repair work done.Hot Line contacted La Mesa RV, and
the State of Arizona’s Department of Rev-enue for further clarification on the Mays’case. Both La Mesa RV and the State ofArizona responded to the Mays as follows:
La Mesa RV:
This is an issue that is better addressedby the State of Arizona. Suffice it to saythat La Mesa RV Center is in strict com-pliance with the privilege tax laws and reg-ulations of the State of Arizona. I hope youfind this information useful. At this time,no further action on our part is warranted.JAVIER CASTROCUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGERLA MESA RVSAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
State of Arizona, Department of Revenue:
The following information is provided inresponse to your question as to whetherit is permissible to take the motorhomeyou purchased as a nonresident of Ari-zona back to the Quartzsite, Arizona,dealership [La Mesa RV] for subsequentrepair work. The Quartzsite dealer hasinformed you that it is their company pol-icy not to perform work on a motorhomethat was purchased by a nonresidentwho took delivery out of state, withoutcharging the purchaser Arizona’s trans-action privilege tax that would have ap-plied to the original sale.
If your motorhome has been prop-erly registered in your home state of Cal-ifornia, and that state’s use tax has beenpaid to the taxing authority, there isnothing precluding you from returningto Arizona and to the dealership whereyou purchased your motorhome.
Arizona’s transaction privilege taxdiffers from the sales tax imposed bymost states. It is a tax on the privilegeof conducting business in Arizona, andis imposed upon the seller, who is legal-ly entitled to pass the economic burdenof the tax on to the purchaser.
Arizona’s exemption to the privilegetax is restrictive in that the purchasemust be for use “outside the state of Ari-zona.” For further information on this
Sales-TaxTurmoilDISMAYED AT BEING DENIED SERVICEBY THE DEALER THAT SOLD THEMTHEIR MOTORHOME, TWO READERSASKED HOT LINE TO HELP PROVIDECLARIFICATION TO THEIR DILEMMA.THEY WROTE: “WHEN PURCHASING A
VEHICLE OUTSIDE OFYOUR HOME STATE,FIRST CHECK THE APPLICABLE LAWS
IN YOUR HOME STATE, THOSE OF THE STATE
WHERE YOU INTEND TOBUY THE UNIT AND THESTATE WHERE YOU WILL
TAKE OFFICIAL DELIVERY.”
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subject, contact the Department of Rev-enue’s Web site at www.azdor.gov. PATRICK O’NEILTAX ANALYSTSTATE OF ARIZONA, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUEPHOENIX, ARIZONA
LEVELING EXPERIENCEBelieving that essential equipment on hismotorhome should have held up longerthan it did, a reader asked Hot Line to getinvolved. He wrote:
While preparing for a trip in my 2004 mo-torhome, I found that the HWH levelingsystem in the unit was malfunctioning.Since the unit was five months past anyknown warranty, I elected to take it to thenearest RV sales and service lot for repair.
The technicians working on the sys-tem eventually repaired it (and performedother maintenance per my request) for atotal cost of $1,953.49 for parts andfreight, plus $1,440 for labor.
When work was concluded, I sent two letters to HWH Corporation requestingreimbursement for the cost of the parts. Ihave not received a reply.
I believe that my request for HWH toreimburse me is fair and reasonable, andam hopeful that Hot Line can help me ob-tain a response from the company. Thankyou for your efforts.RON KRON l HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA
Hot Line contacted HWH Corporation onKron’s behalf. After further evaluation ofhis case by the company, Kron received thefollowing reply:
After reviewing your information and dis-cussing it with our head engineer in chargeof such matters, we have decided to offeryou $974.04 toward the cost of your repair.
As you may be aware, you are techni-cally well outside the warranty period foryour coach. However, we agree that thecomponents that failed should not havedone so within the time frame that they did.Had this been within the warranty period,or much closer to it, we would have provid-ed the parts as a goodwill repair.DAN BODDICKERHWH CORPORATION l MOSCOW, IOWA
CIRCUIT SNAFUHaving experienced electrical problemswith his motorhome’s dash assembly fromthe time he initially bought the vehicle, areader asked for Hot Line’s interventionafter his warranty ended. He explained:
Since I first purchased a new 2004 motor-home built on a Workhorse chassis, I’vehad ongoing electrical problems associat-ed with the unit’s dashboard assembly. Theentire dashboard was eventually replacedby Workhorse under warranty. Everythingworked fine except the tachometer, whichrandomly gives incorrect readouts.
After several attempts to repair the sit-uation with no success, I was told by Work-horse that this phenomenon is normal. Theysay it’s the system’s computer resetting itself.
I don’t know anyone else who has thisproblem, but I do wonder how it will affectthe value of my unit should I ever decideto sell it. I would appreciate any help thatHot Line can offer.GARY HARTZE l HELENA, MONTANA
Workhorse Custom Chassis responded toHot Line’s inquiry as follows:
Our Workhorse warranty covers the chassisfor any defects related to materials andworkmanship for three years or 36,000miles, whichever comes first.
Generally, when a necessary repair isrequired outside of the terms of this war-ranty, the customer or the underwriter ofhis service contract are responsible for any work or parts replacement. However,Workhorse was able to assist Mr. Hartze inthis matter, and has resolved the issue.
We appreciate Hot Line contactingWorkhorse Custom Chassis, and allowing usthe opportunity to provide you with our posi-tion and information with regard to this claim.DEBRA ANDERSONWORKHORSE CUSTOM CHASSISREIMBURSEMENT COORDINATORTROY, MICHIGAN ◆
TO CONTRIBUTE TO HOT LINE, pleaserefer to Contact MotorHome, page 5.
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Flexsteel RV Furniture Dishwasher InstallationsMCD American Duo Shades
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Regarding “Windshield Wiper Problem”in your November 2008 column, I havea 2005 National Sea Breeze LX on aWorkhorse chassis and I’ve had thesame trouble with intermittent wipersand not being able to turn them off.
After having the wipers repaired ata major RV shop I still had a problem,so I tried to figure it out myself. When Ireached up and pulled on the wipermotor I found that the mounting boltsthat hold the motor in place were miss-ing. I also noticed that the mountingbolts ground the wiper motor. I think theoriginal bolts were self-tapping. I used1⁄4-inch bolts with lock nuts and haven’thad any more trouble.JESS BEMBRYBULLHEAD CITY, ARIZONA
I read about windshield wipers not shutting off after hitting a bump in therain. I have a 2006 Allegro Bay on aWorkhorse chassis, and had the sameproblem. I fixed it by disconnecting the first inline plug coming out of thewiper motor and spraying WD-40 into it(both ends). It was wet and the WD-40did the trick.
I plugged it in and didn’t have fur-ther problems for more than a year whenduring a heavy rain it happened again.I did the same thing and it worked fine.I taped the plug at both ends, to preventwater from getting in again, and aroundthe seam in the middle of the plug. Ihaven’t had an issue with it since.STEVE SMITH l LUCAS, TEXAS
I have a Dolphin with the same wiperproblem discussed in your November2008 column. While at the National RVservice center in Florida getting otheritems repaired, there were two other Dol-phins with the same wiper problem at theservice center. National said most of theDolphins have this problem of not beingable to turn the wipers off in the rain.
The cause is water getting into thewiper wiring connection plug located forward of the engine where you gain access to the engine from outside thecoach. The cure is to disconnect the plugand fill it with dielectric grease and thenput it back together. Problem solved!LARRY STURMCHIEFLAND, FLORIDA
The problem is obviously a poor groundor water in the plug connecting thewiring harness to the wiper motor, guys.I’m not wild about putting dielectricgrease in the plug, because dielectricgrease is an insulator, not a conductor.
Make sure the wiper motor mount-ing bolts are installed and grounding thewiper motor. Then, open the plug con-necting the wiper motor to the wiringharness. Let it dry out, and make sure itisn’t corroded from water intrusion.
Reconnect the plug and seal it withelectrical tape like Steve Smith. Alter-natively, purchase a waterproof trailerwiring plug pigtail, and replace the original connector.
TWO AIR CONDITIONERSI have a 1999 Daybreak motorhome.According to the instruction manual,when I run the AC generator, I should beable to run both air conditioners at thesame time. I am the second owner andI really like the coach, but I’ve been un-successful getting both units on at thesame time, no matter where I positionthe selector switches. Do you have anysuggestions? Thanks for your help.DAVE COX l ODON, INDIANA
It depends on how the air conditionersare wired, Dave. Your motorhome prob-ably has a 30-amp shorepower cord,which limits roof air conditioner use toone unit when plugged in to shorepow-er. This cord feeds your main circuit-breaker box that has the breakers for all of your other 120-volt AC circuits.
When you start your generator, thetransfer switch (if equipped) switchesfrom shorepower to generator power andfeeds the same circuit-breaker box. Italso feeds another circuit-breaker boxthat has the main and the circuit break-er for the other air conditioner. This box is often hidden away in the back ofa cupboard or under a bed.
Finding the second circuit-breakerbox and simply turning on its main break-er or its one-and-only circuit breaker mayquickly solve your problem. If you findboth of these breakers turned on, your motorhome is probably equipped with apower management device that supplies120-volt AC power to the air conditioners.
Because you did not mention anycontrols other than those on the air con-ditioners, I suspect finding the second circuit-breaker box and turning the break-ers on will solve your problem. If you havea power management device, and both ACcircuit breakers are turned on, contact thepower management device manufacturerfor operating instructions or repairs.
MODEL YEARI bought a new 2007 Southwind and found that it was built on a 2006F53 Ford chassis. The dealer did notdisclose this and says it’s common. Isthis normal?MICHAEL DEMMA l ROANOKE, TEXAS
WorkhorseWindshield Wipers
techsavvy COACH & CHASSIS by WES CAUGHLAN
“WIRING DIAGRAMS ARE INVALUABLE
TOOLS. EVERY MOTORHOME OWNERSHOULD CARRY ONE.
MOTORHOMEAND CHASSIS
MANUFACTURERS HAVEWIRING DIAGRAMS AND CAN USUALLY SUPPLY THEM FOR
A SMALL FEE.”
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There was a big brouhaha on this issue anumber of years ago, Michael. Motorhomemanufacturers typically start changingmodel years in July, and automotive-basedchassis manufacturers don’t change model-year designators in their VIN numbers untilSeptember or later. The chassis VIN num-ber becomes the motorhome VIN number.
The brouhaha was resolved by requir-ing motorhome manufacturers to state themodel year regardless of the model yeardesignator contained within the chassisVIN number. This was a 50-state rulingthat is based on the fact that the chassis isa part and not the vehicle. The chassis issold to the motorhome manufacturer as anincomplete vehicle.
Motorhome manufacturers disclose themodel year in their paperwork, but motor vehicle departments sometimes make mistakes and title the motorhome with themodel year in the chassis VIN number instead of the model year of the motorhome.Parts people at motorhome chassis servicecenters often get into the argument without
knowing that the motorhome manufactur-er is legally responsible for stating themodel year, not the chassis manufacturer.
The problem went away when allstates agreed that the motorhome manu-facturer controlled the model year. Whenthe chassis VIN has a different model yeardesignator in its VIN number, this differ-ence is usually mentioned in the motor-home manufacturer’s paperwork.
ELECTRICAL OUTAGE IIIn reading your response to “Electrical Outage” in your October 2008 column, Ithought of my own similar experience in my2002 Gulfstream Sun Voyager. Intermit-tently I lost 12-volt DC power to several circuits including the power mirrors, thedriver/passenger fans and the power step.Driving off without the power step being
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Be sure to visit:motorhomemagazine.com
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CASH FOR YOUR RV!2002 Model Year and NewerNationwide PickupCall Toll-free 866-687-2274, ask for Jim CashWWW.USEDRVPROS.COMLA MESA RV CENTER
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classified ratesCOMMERCIALClassifieds is open to firms or individualsadvertising the sale or resale of a commercially produced item or service.$48 per line, four-line minimum, 40 characters per line. For photo ad, limited to RVs and real estate, add $65 (black-and-white or color print).Limit one photo per ad.
We offer a 5% discount for 6 issues and a 10% discount for 12 issues to our commercial advertisers.
RV CLUBSFor national or local RV owners andenthusiast clubs or chapters solicitingmembers. $33 per line, four-line minimum, 40 characters per line.
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BOLDFACE TYPEPlease note first line is boldface at nocharge. Add $5 per line for additionalboldface type.
PRIVATE PARTYFor individuals selling personally-owneditem, such as an RV, truck, auto, camp-ground membership resale. $23 per line,four-line minimum, 40 characters per line.No charge for phone number. For ad withpicture, add $45 (black-and-white or colorprint acceptable, no Polaroids, negatives or slides). Limit one photo per ad.
OPTIONSFor your ad to appear in red type: Add $50 for Commercial ad. Add $25 for Private Party ad.
HOW TO PLACE AN ADUse our form or your own stationery.Please include your name, address and phone number.
Send with payment (check; money order;VISA, MC, AE, or Discover no., signatureand expiration date) to:
MotorHome ClassifiedsP.O. Box 8510Ventura, CA 93002-9912
Credit card orders: Fax to (805) 667-4379,Email: [email protected]. Any questions,call Angela Pezzullo at (805) 667-4391.
MOTORHOME CLASSIFIED ADThe April 2009 issue will close on December 29 (at subscribers on March 3);the May 2009 issue will close on January 26 (at subscribers on March 31).
Mail to: MotorHome Classifieds • P.O. Box 8510 • Ventura, CA 93002-9912Credit card orders may be faxed to (805) 667-4379 or emailed to [email protected]
Specify Category: .................................................................................................................................................Use this form (or your own stationery) to submit your ad copy. Four-line minimum, 40 characters per line counting each
letter, number, punctuation, and space. Please refer to CLASSIFIED RATES in this section for payment information.
SHOP THE RVMARKETPLACE
There are lotsof products to
accessorize yourRV and enhanceyour RV lifestyle!
Turn to page 61!
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withdrawn can have serious consequences!These circuits all were powered from
the “ignition” fuse board, which is energizedthrough a single pole starter-type relay. I improved the relay’s ground connection butthe problem persisted. I eventually replacedthe relay. That fixed the problem.JIM BASORE l EUGENE, OREGON
Like the reader featured in “Electrical Out-age,” I also have a 2002 Condor built on a Workhorse chassis with a GM engine, andI had a similar experience.
I started out on a trip without runninglights on the rear of the coach, though thebrake lights and turn signals worked fine. Ilooked for a blown fuse and found I hadpower to the fuse panel but no power to eachfuse that was in the circuit for the rear lights.
By the end of the day the motorhomewould not start. The starter motor would notrun long enough for the teeth to engage the flywheel. I had it towed to a garagewhere the mechanic found that the ignitionswitch had melted. He said there was toomuch load on the accessory side.
What the mechanic called the ignitionswitch is not what I think of when someonesays “ignition switch.” What he showed meI would call a terminal block. It is mount-ed about two-thirds of the way down on the steering column, just below the dash.That switch is a Workhorse part, but theswitch is available at any Workhorse or GM motorhome service center.
After I got home I replaced the lightswitch and that solved the rear light prob-lem. I always thought that current went fromthe battery, to a fuse, to a switch then to the light, motor, etc. It looks like R-Vision/Workhorse puts the fuse after the switch.DICK TAIT l SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
Thanks for your notes, Jim and Dick. MikeRegina in Michigan commented similarly.
A wiring diagram would have shown thatthe power to the fuse panel did not supplypower to the fuses in question. Wiring dia-grams are invaluable tools. Every motorhomeowner should carry one for his or her use orthe use of a technician. Motorhome man-ufacturers and chassis manufacturers havewiring diagrams and can supply them, usually on request for a small fee.
The ignition switch on GM/Workhorsechassis has been a long terminal strip
mounted on the lower steering column foryears. It is actuated with a rod that goesdown the steering column from the ignitionkey assembly.
A solenoid relay apparently suppliespower to the ignition switch in question, butthe ignition switch itself takes the load ofeverything that is added on and controlled by the switch. If the switch is melting down,accessories that don’t need to be keyed couldbe directly wired or changed to relay wiringto reduce the load on the ignition switch.
ROOFINGLast year I purchased my first motorhome.It’s a 2001 38-foot Newmar Dutch Star. I inspected the roof to see if it needed any repairs. It has a very smooth, shiny surfaceas if it’s painted. When I rap the material itsounds metallic (maybe aluminum). I calledNewmar’s tech support for assistance. Therepresentative said it is a rubber roof. To me, a rubber surface would have a dull appearance and feel somewhat spongy.
I’m not sure if I should wax the roof (if it’s painted), or just keep an eye out fordeterioration of the rubber (if it’s rubber).Any suggestions on how to verify what kindof material the roof is made out of wouldbe appreciated.RODNEY NELSONEUREKA, CALIFORNIA
Call Newmar back with your VIN number,Rodney. I suspect you received general andnot specific information. The roof could bealuminum, fiberglass or rubber. Rapping onthe first two will produce a metallic sound.
If it is painted aluminum or fiberglass,washing will be adequate care unless it isbadly chalked. If it is gelcoat fiberglass,there are wax-like materials that will keepit from chalking, but painting is the bestpreventative. If it is rubber, there are anumber of rubber-roof care products avail-able at most RV stores.
Newmar can tell you the material usedto roof your motorhome, and how it was finished at the factory. If you disbelieve theinformation you are getting, scratch a spotnear a roof opening that can be caulked. Rubber will cut. Fiberglass and aluminumwill scratch and reveal their base material. ◆
TO CONTRIBUTE TO COACH & CHASSIS,please refer to Contact MotorHome, page 5.
COACH & CHASSIS FROM PAGE 53
If you’re selling your own personal RV or home, you can take advantage of MotorHome’s low Private Party photo classifiedrate! For only $137 per issue (no charge for telephone number),you can create an eye-catchingclassified ad with a black-and-white photo (one photo, please) and four lines of copy, 40 characters/spaces per line ... just like the sample ad shownabove. For $25 more your ad can appear in red type.
Fill out ad coupon, enclose a black-and-white or color print (not a negative or slide) and indicate method of payment.
Please mail to:MotorHome CLASSIFIEDSP.O. Box 8510 Ventura, CA 93002-9912
It’ll Be a Kick On Route 66It’ll Be a Kick On Route 66It’ll Be a Kick On Route 66Expo New Mexico, Albuquerque — April 17-20, 2009Plan to RV west in April 2009 and get yourkicks at the tenth anniversary of the GreatestRV Rally in the World!
Take the highway that is best to Albuquerque–an enchanting land rooted in centuries ofhistory and rich in southwest style and high-desert beauty.
• Entertainment Headliner: NEIL SEDAKA!
• Exciting Attempt to Break the World Record for“Most People Wearing Balloon Hats!”
• First Annual GO Green Ideas Contest!”
• Rio Grande Community Farm Volunteer Day –Annual RV Event to Give Back to the Rally’s HostCommunity
Rally Pricing*$349 (electric hookup); $169 (drycamping). Includes 2 adults.
Early Bird Nights (April 15 & 16)$35/night (electric hookup); $15/night(dry camping). Includes 2 adults.
Passport$75/person (all activities included April16-20; no onsite RV parking)
213 Cane Creek MotorCoach Resort ......................28
214 Desert Shores Motor Coach Resort ......................28
225 Dick Reed RV Driving School ........42223 Dynamax ....................................34215 Equity LifeStyle Properties............28226 Foretravel ....................................42216 Hearthside Grove RV Resort ..........28227 John Bleakley Motor Homes ..........42228 Lazydays ....................................42210 New Mexico ................................21217 Outdoor Resorts of America ..........28218 Pelican Lake
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Dometic Corporation ....................32117 Dynamax Corporation....................27113 Fleetwood RV Inc. ......................CV3120 Geico ............................................9118 Gilbert RV Insurance ......................5105 Good Sam VIP Provided
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The Good Sam Vehicle Insurance Plan from GMAC Insurance is different. Our customers look to us to provide the highest level of quality, value and service —and we deliver.
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*If your RV is totaled or stolen (and not recovered) in its first five model years, we’ll replace it with a comparable new RV, even if you’re not the original owner. After the first five model years, we’ll pay your full original purchase price — not a depreciated amount — toward the purchase of the replacement RV. Replacement Cost Coverage must be purchased during the RV’s model year or within the following four years.
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Underwritten by these member companies of the GMAC Insurance Group, Winston-Salem, NC: National General Ins. Co., National General Assur. Co., MIC General Ins. Corp. and GMAC Ins. Co. Online, Inc. Coverage not available in HI and MA. Coverage in NJ provided by High Point Property and Casualty Ins. Co. which is not affiliated with GMAC Ins. Some features may not be available.
Underwritten by National General Ins. Co. in TX and WA.
I have a 2002 Itasca on a Workhorsechassis. The coach has 23,000 miles onit and I’m on my seventh serpentine belt.After 1,000 miles or so, I get a pulleynoise that gets worse over time. Thenoise will go away after the engine warmsup. On my last visit to the dealer they re-fused to do anything, saying that’s justthe way the motorhomes are built andit’s normal. I don’t hear any other coach-es with this start-up noise. Do you haveany suggestions as to what it might be?STEVE FOSTERPLACENTIA, CALIFORNIA
A Workhorse technical employee we contacted admitted they have had complaints on drivebelt noise and addedthat some noise when cold is normal andcannot be permanently eliminated. Thesystem is a GM design that’s also usedon the 8.1-L engine in various trucks.Noise in a motorhome can be morenoticeable than in a truck, however.
If the issue is noise only, it is notlikely a belt/pulley alignment problem, although that should be checked. Analignment problem will normally damageor throw the belt. Excessive load on thebelt from the alternator, power-steeringpump and air-conditioning compressorcan be a factor. If the air conditioner ordefroster (which runs the compressor) areswitched on right when the engine isstarted, the load from the compressor andalternator trying to replenish the batteryat the same time can cause some beltsqueal. If the batteries are significantlydischarged, this will cause the alternatorto charge at a high rate, which can causeadditional belt squeal. Once the beltstarts to slip, it can become glazed, whichmakes it more prone to ping.
According to my factory source, thebelt tensioner is not normally a problemand they seldom find a bad tensioner onreturned warranty parts. However, if the
pulleys are in good alignment, you’re notstarting with deeply discharged batter-ies or the air conditioning compressoron, and the belt is squealing significant-ly, try changing out the tensioner. Youmight also try using spray-on belt dress-ing as a cheap solution.
HYPE OR HELP?I don’t currently own an RV, but I may begetting one this year. The thing that con-cerns me is the increasing cost of fuel.
I’ve seen ads for a device that sep-arates oxygen and hydrogen from waterand adds the resultant gases to the airintake of a vehicle. The ads tout that thiswill not void the vehicle warranty, will in-crease the fuel mileage and be cheapand easy to install. Two of the Web sitesin particular are: www.runyourcarwithwater.com and www.water4gas.com/2books.htm. Is this modification worth-while, or is it a waste of time and money?Will it do what the ads profess it will do?HUGH AMOS l CARSON CITY, NEVADA
With the recent spike in fuel prices,products claiming to save fuel are com-ing out of the woodwork. We have nottested these particular devices; howev-er, if it were that easy, the engine man-ufacturers would incorporate these typesof devices into vehicles from the factory.
Separating water molecules bybreaking the bonds into the elementshydrogen and water requires a lot of energy — energy that comes from yourengine’s charging system. The conver-sion of energy from fuel in the engine tomechanical force is less than one-thirdefficient, and driving the alternator togenerate electricity for electrolysis tomake hydrogen and oxygen results infurther losses. Also, the engine doesn’tburn the hydrogen efficiently because itisn’t designed to and doesn’t have theneeded metering system. So, avoid pie-in-the-sky deals and save your money.
BATTERY SAVIORIn reference to your article in the July2008 issue, “Battery Killer,” may I sug-gest, as you did, a charger/maintainer?I purchased several over the years fromSchumacher, model SE-112S, which isan on-board charger. It’s waterproof andcan stay in your motorhome at all times.I’ve used them for years on my farmtractors, trucks and motorhome. It is a1.5-amp charger that will get the jobdone without disconnecting anything.GEORGE MCELVYEDGAR SPRINGS, MISSOURI
Thanks for writing, George. I’d like to seemore motorhome owners get batterymaintenance chargers to keep their bat-teries from becoming sulfated and ruinedduring storage. The Battery Tender fromDeltran is also a good battery maintainer.
DINGHY BRAKE DIFFICULTYI had a problem after a couple of yearswith my portable dinghy brake unit. Itwould go into the “safe mode” afterabout 40 miles of towing. Since the bat-tery was three years old, it was replaced,but the unit would go into the “safemode” after 70 miles. I verified the 20-amp fuse in the lighter circuit specified
DrivebeltDistraction
techsavvy POWERTRAIN by KEN FREUND
“BEFORE I BRING A VEHICLE IN FOR A SMOGTEST, I TAKE IT OUT ON
THE OPEN HIGHWAYFOR A BRISK DRIVE,
GOING FULL THROTTLE LONG ENOUGH TO
CLEAN CARBON OFF THE SPARK PLUGS AND
GET THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER GOOD
AND HOT.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 63
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RVmarketplacejanuary2009 For information on Mail-Order Advertising rates:The RV Marketplace, P.O. Box 8510, Ventura, CA
93002, or call (800) 667-4100 ext 391, 392, or 385
Your ad in RVMarketplace aslittle as $825.Our 3" size is just$825/issue for black& white based on a12-issue schedule.If you like the 41⁄2"size, the B/W priceis $1140/issue on an annual schedule.Both sizes are available in B/W,2 color or 4 color.
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by the manufacturer and found that underload the voltage was low. Further investiga-tion determined the 16-gauge wire used inthe vehicle is probably OK for a cigarettelighter that draws about 15 amps for 10 seconds, but undersized for the steady15 amps or so the brake compressor re-quires for the length of time to keep thetank pressure up. The wire was burning and had increased resistance. I replacedthe wire with a 12-gauge wire that will carry 20 amps and it now works fine. Thiscould happen to other users of add-onbrake units.JAKE HEUGEL l PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS
That’s a good bit of detective work, Jake.Anyone who’s having a similar problemshould follow those steps. Check the differ-ence in voltage readings taken at the bat-tery terminals and a reading taken at thebrake unit when it’s operating. If it’s morethan a volt or so, run a heavier gauge wire.
BATTERY DISCONNECTS AND SMOG TESTSRegarding the use of a battery cut-off switchto keep batteries from discharging, therecould be a downside. By disconnecting thebattery, the OBDII computer forgets every-thing it ever knew and the vehicle will not pass a smog test until the engine para-meters are reset. There are specific drivingregimens required for resetting. Someowner’s manuals outline how to do this. Reg-ular driving may or may not get the param-eters reset in time to pass a smog test.
I keep all my batteries charged with the use of a toggle switch in the wire frommy 130-watt solar panel. One directionconnects the panel to the coach batteries;the other direction connects the panel to the chassis battery. I switch it every Sunday.MARV MCGOWANRIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA
Thanks for noting this point, which appliesto several states. Before I bring a vehicle infor a smog test, I take it out on the openhighway for a brisk drive, going full throt-tle when merging and driving long enoughto clean carbon off the spark plugs and get the catalytic converter good and hot.This regimen seems to give the OBDII system enough time to reset itself.
HARD STARTING AFTER STORAGEWhen the cost of fuel peaked, I parked mymotorhome. Now I want to run it again, butit is very hard to start. I need to know theinline electric fuel pump model that hasbeen recommended in the past to help themechanical pump get started.FRANK OPSAHLEUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
It is very likely that either the fuel is stale or the jets are plugged with gummed fuel,or both. Sniff the fuel, if it smells like oldvarnish, it needs to be drained and the carburetor cleaned out (I assume you havea carbureted engine). If you have fuel in-jection there is a pump in the tank already.Rather than go to the trouble and expenseof adding an auxiliary electric fuel pump, Iusually prime the engine with about anounce of gasoline, poured down the carbu-retor throat from a tiny, clean container.Never bring a large fuel can into the coach,keep all sources of ignition, such as ciga-rettes, away and do not try to start the engine until the container is removed fromthe coach and the air cleaner is replaced.
Alternatively, fill your lawn mower gascan with fresh gas and place it under the mo-torhome under the mechanical fuel pump onthe engine. Disconnect the rubber hose feed-ing the fuel pump and connect a short pieceof 3⁄8-inch fuel hose to the fuel pump inlet.Put the other end of the hose in the gas can,and block any return hose to the fuel tank.
INTERMITTENT POWER LOSSI have a 2001 Class A motorhome on aFord F53 chassis, and it seems to have twodifferent modes of power. Sometimes it willrun well, and other times it doesn’t seemto have any power at all — it won’t evenstay in cruise control on a flat surface. Theengine isn’t missing, it just doesn’t seemto have any power. Thanks for your help.LARRY PITTMAN l FENTON, MICHIGAN
You didn’t mention if the check-enginelight comes on, or if it surges or bucks orruns rougher when it loses power, so I willassume these are not occurring. Thesemodels have a history of ingesting waterinto the air filter element when it rains. Thiscan result in a loss of power. Similarly, ifthe honeycomb core (or substrate) inside
POWERTRAIN FROM PAGE 60
CONTINUED ON PAGE 65
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BRETZ PRICE: $139,995* DISCOUNT: $38,862* These units are no longer available.
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the catalytic converter has become brokenor loose, it can move around and block theexhaust intermittently, causing a powerloss. This can usually be checked by sim-ply banging the side of a fist on the coldcatalytic converter case. Likewise, a pieceof insulation or other material could be intermittently restricting the air intake.
If the problem is still not found, I’d havea shop check for stored codes in the comput-er and perhaps have you drive with a “flightrecorder” conected to the data port thatcan be triggered when the problem occurs.
FUEL-GAUGE FIASCOI have a 1996 Pace Arrow motorhome byFleetwood on a Ford F53 Super Duty chas-sis with a 7.5-L gas engine. The fuel gaugeonly registers with the ignition off, it will notregister with the ignition switch on. I don’tknow if there is a fuse, relay or loose groundsomewhere that I’m overlooking. I had thein-tank fuel pump and filter replaced sev-eral years ago, but this is the first time I’vehad this problem. I hope you can providesome insight on what it might be before Ihave to take it in and get something fixedthat I might be able to fix or replace myself.CLIFFORD BOYD l LACYGNE, KANSAS
There are no relays in the circuit. Natural-ly, all fuses should be checked first. Powerfor the gauge goes through an in-dashgauge voltage regulator (which also sup-plies the coolant-temperature gauge), thento the fuel gauge, and then to groundthrough the in-tank sending unit. If the wirefrom the gauge to the tank sending unit isopen (broken, disconnected, faulty connec-tion) the gauge should read full all the time.If the wire is shorted to ground it shouldread empty all the time when power isgoing to it. When power is shut off gaugestend to float to another position. This mayexplain why it seems to work only when you shut it off.
If the temperature gauge reads wrongI’d suspect a faulty gauge voltage regula-tor. Otherwise, it could be a crack in theprinted circuit on the back of the gaugecluster, or a wiring problem, but it needs tobe tested. Dealerships have a gauge testerthat makes it easy. ◆
TO CONTRIBUTE TO POWERTRAIN, pleaserefer to Contact MotorHome on page 5.
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65MOTORHOME l January 2009
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oston Bar, British Columbia,Canada — After buying two tickets for$16 each, I impressed the youngwoman collecting the money by men-tioning that the last time I rode this tram the cost was $2. “Wow, that musthave been a long time ago,” she said,eyes wide. Sizing her up carefully, all Icould reply was, “Yes … many years before you were born.” Thus was mystatus as a pending senior citizen witha deflated ego defined.
Yielding to many years of prodding
DESCENDING INTOHELL’S GATE
from my wife, Jennifer, we parked the motorhome the evening before atCanyon Alpine RV Park and Camp-ground just three miles north of BostonBar in south-central British Columbiaon Trans-Canada Highway 1. This is oneof the most beautiful campgrounds inNorth America; each RV site has beencut as a terrace into the side of a heavily forested mountain above theFraser River Canyon.
Our reason for staying here was toride the Hell’s Gate Airtram across the
raging Fraser River a few miles south oftown in the narrowest part of this sce-nic canyon. Ever since my solo 1972trip, I had been promising Jennifer thatshe would get to ride it, too … someday.
The Hell’s Gate tram travels morethan 1,000 feet and, except for eitherend, the cable is unsupported for its entire length. You board the car from abuilding beside the highway and you godown — you really go down — swingingback and forth in the wind.
The canyon wall on the road side ofthe river is so steep that engineers routedthe railroad that otherwise runs along theriver’s banks through a tunnel along here.Standing in the building waiting for thetram, directly above the tunnel, you canhear and feel the trains rumbling beneathyou. Only when you disembark across theriver do you realize why the trains cannotbe seen.
At the bottom, a sign noted theriver’s depth as 153 feet; in 1972, thedepth was 97 feet. The river at thispoint is only 110 feet across. The depthfluctuates wildly depending on snowmelt, rainfall and other environmentalfactors. The deeper water, though, wasnot nearly as spectacular as the shallow-er water I remembered. The thunderouspassage of water over boulders that I recalled from the past was lacking.
Not that the river was docile; it wasstill roaring down the canyon.
Interpretive signs and a sculptureshow how First Nations people passedthrough this canyon centuries ago andoffer additional facts about the canyonand why the fish ladders (usually invis-ible under the river’s surface) installedhere were built. There are also commontourist draws like a fudge shop, restau-rant, museum and gift shop at the bottom. If you don’t want to spend the money to ride the tram, it’s possibleto hike down and cross a footbridge at the bottom. The hike back up, how-ever, is steep. Rather than chance thechallenging climb back up, we electedto spend most of our time enjoying thespectacular view. ◆
offramp TALES FROM THE TRAIL by RON DALBY
PH
OTO
: R
ON
DA
LBY
66 January 2009 l MOTORHOME
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In the heart of central Florida, you’ll findmagnificent Lake Okeechobee – that’sSeminole for “big water.” The 730 squaremile lake links Florida’s Atlantic and GulfCoasts. And nestled in Lake O’s “sweetspot” is Water’s Edge Motorcoach Resort.
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Our landscaping is lush and tropical yetmeticulously maintained. We’re “in the middle of nowhere,” but five minutes fromdowntown Okeechobee...just a bit farther to either coast and fabulous restaurants,shopping and some of the world’s mostbeautiful beaches. The resort is surroundedby numerous outdoor activities.
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After all your years of hard work, it’s time to sit back and enjoy life. Bounder was made for you. It’s a high-value motor home loaded with the furnishings and features you need to travel, visit family and see friends. Highlights on the 2009 Bounder include a one-piece windshield, full-body paint, luxurious interior décors, deluxe cabinet doors, and tons of extra storage compartments. Bounder. It’s the motor home that makes your money go further.
