Page 1 of 13 President Holly Cook [email protected]Vice President Syd Emmons Secretary Margaret Potvin secretary@phoenixcruisertravelclub.org Webmaster John Halupka webmaster@phoenixcruisertravelclub.org Treasurer Karen Thompson treasurer@phoenixcruisertravelclub.org Newsletter Editor Howard Potvin newsletter@phoenixcruisertravelclub.org Member at Large Nicki Loth CRUISING WITH PHOENIX October-November 2019 President’s Message What a great year and what a great club! We finished with the nitty gritty legal votes at the reunion so now we can move on to pure fun. At our post-reunion executive committee meeting we set three goals to work on for the upcoming year. Increase membership: We love our club and believe everyone else will too once they join. We will be actively recruiting and ask you to tell every PC owner that you meet about our club. Retain our existing members: The executive committee will continue to brainstorm about this and implement those ideas that we think will bring value added benefits to the club. If you have suggestions, don’t hesitate to send them to me at [email protected]. Regional gatherings: This is a big country and we have members everywhere. We realize that most members cannot attend every reunion. So we have set up a group page on RVillage and are working to make it easier for our members to meet and gather with each other at other locations throughout the year. (See separate article on RVillage.) Keep your eyes open for announcements about new plans and enhancements, tell us what you want, and get out there to gather, meet, greet, and enjoy the companionship of other Phoenix Cruiser owners. 2019 Charleston Reunion Final Announcements I had one more duty to perform at the Charleston reunion but my unplanned tumble shifted that right off the schedule. But never fear, my elbow was popped back into place and I kept my notes so you don’t have to spend any sleepless nights wondering what those announcements were going to be. I’ve got them right here for you. The excellent farewell dinner barbecue from Smokey Oak was paid for by Phoenix USA RV. We are very grateful for their generosity and support of our club. I received many accolades on how awesome this reunion was. I wish to point out I was just a worker bee and that Karen Thompson and Syd Emmons did all the planning, organizing and managing needed to make this reunion the tremendous success that it was.
President’s Message What a great year and what a great club! We finished with the nitty gritty legal votes at the reunion so now we can move on to pure fun. At our post-reunion executive committee meeting we set three goals to work on for the upcoming year.
Increase membership: We love our club and believe everyone else will too once they join. We will be actively recruiting and ask you to tell every PC owner that you meet about our club.
Retain our existing members: The executive committee will continue to brainstorm about this and implement those ideas that we think will bring value added benefits to the club. If you have suggestions, don’t hesitate to send them to me at [email protected].
Regional gatherings: This is a big country and we have members everywhere. We realize that most members cannot attend every reunion. So we have set up a group page on RVillage and are working to make it easier for our members to meet and gather with each other at other locations throughout the year. (See separate article on RVillage.)
Keep your eyes open for announcements about new plans and enhancements, tell us what you want, and get out there to gather, meet, greet, and enjoy the companionship of other Phoenix Cruiser owners.
2019 Charleston Reunion Final Announcements
I had one more duty to perform at the Charleston reunion but my unplanned tumble shifted that right off the schedule. But never fear, my elbow was popped back into place and I kept my notes so you don’t have to spend any sleepless nights wondering what those announcements were going to be. I’ve got them right here for you.
The excellent farewell dinner barbecue from Smokey Oak was paid for by Phoenix USA RV. We are very grateful for their generosity and support of our club.
I received many accolades on how awesome this reunion was. I wish to point out I was just a worker bee and that Karen Thompson and Syd Emmons did all the planning, organizing and managing needed to make this reunion the tremendous success that it was.
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I want to thank Bill Graser and Trudy Helgeson for volunteering to assist John and I with researching the day trip and catering options for the 2020 reunion.
I want to recognize the 2021 reunion committee. We had an unprecedented number of volunteers and they have already started working on that reunion.
o Elaine and Steve Leker o Linda and Jack Doub o Bill Graser o Ted Baxter o Trudy Helgeson
Everyone that is considering setting up an RVillage regional gathering should remember to send their gathering information to the newsletter editor ([email protected]) for publication.
There were a few additional announcements that were time critical.
Please turn in your name wallets so we can use them again next year—hopefully this happened, but if not please bring your wallet to the next reunion.
Please fill in and turn in your survey forms—if you missed this, please send your feedback to: [email protected]. We are now officially the Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club and are kissing our previous club banner
goodbye. It was our hope that everyone would sign our banner prior to leaving the reunion. More on this at a later date.
My last announcement was to recruit volunteers to purchase bingo prizes for our next reunion. The Club will reimburse the cost of gift with receipts.
I will put this on the reunion registration form along with other volunteer opportunities.
2020 Reunion
We are going to the Black Hills of South Dakota! We are booked into the Spearfish City Campground from September 20-25, 2020. It is a beautiful campground in a beautiful location. The normal temperatures and weather for this time frame are sunny days in the 70’s with nights a little crisp in the upper 50’s. Of course, there are NO GUARANTEES when it comes to weather so we’ll hope for perfect fall weather but pack so we’ll be prepared for anything.
The hardest part of this reunion will be narrowing down what we will see and do. There are so many options that it is hard to choose. The campground is along a stocked trout stream next to a historic fish hatchery. The paved Spearfish walking/biking trail runs through the campground. There are numerous National Parks, National Forests, state parks, historic sites, hiking, biking and mountain biking trails, scenic drives, wildlife viewing areas, and a taste of the Old West.
We have rented the onsite Snapper’s Club where we will have our meals, hold our meetings and gather for socializing. This rental also includes a large grassy area with a big stone fire ring—it’ll be a great place to hang out when the weather is good. If the weather turns cold, we’ll load up the fireplace in the Snapper’s Club and kick back in there.
We are holding 40 full-hookup campsites for this event. The cost has not yet been determined. We expect registration to open early next year. Spaces will go quickly so we recommend you register as soon as possible. We will maintain a waiting list once all spaces are filled.
Ed Brant, Burlington, North Carolina, owner of a 2004 23’ Phoenix Cruiser. He is a widower and retired. Susan and Gregory Cella, Powhatan, Virginia, owners of a 2019 Phoenix Cruiser 2552. They are new to the RV world, but have been dreaming about it for years. They went to the Hershey RV show and are now owners of a PC 2552. They’ve been married for 10 years and have 4 dogs and 5 cats (the cats do not travel). They also have fish tanks and lots of gardens. Susan is retired, but Gregory loves his work and just signed up for 8 more years. They will stay on the east coast this year until really comfortable with all the systems then hope to head west. Blair and Nancy Entenmann, Rockford, Michigan, owners of a 2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2351. Blair is a Marketing Professor (he owned a business for 24 years and doesn’t have to work another summer the rest of his life!) so they purchased a motorhome. He plans on retiring in 6 years. Nancy is a retired banker. They have two Wheaten Terrier dogs, Kodi (8) and Terra (7). Blair also is a volunteer Santa Claus. They like to boondock, hunt waterfalls, go fishing, do wine trails, and go to art fairs. They purchased their rig from George Budzinski. Gordon and Mavis Klaudt, Mesa, Arizona, owners of a 2018 Phoenix Cruiser 2552. Steve and Cindy Martin, Richmond Hill, Georgia, current owners of a vintage Airstream 25 Excella travel trailer. They are currently considering a 2552+ (extra 6”). Steve has devoured the Forum—particularly the builds most recently by Jim Godfery, MikeH, Jatrax, Barry-Sue, Ron Goodspeed, and the prolific Ron Dittmer. He has an 80 page Word document of cut-and-paste notes to help when it’s time. They are retired and have cruised the country in their Airstream, but are thinking of shifting gears to a Phoenix Cruiser. They live in the Savannah area and will likely day-trip to James Island during the PC Rally. Kellan Musseau, Victoria, British Columbia, owner of a 1984 Dodge Ram 250 Horizon. Kellan is a Canadian who just purchased a very nice 1984 Horizon. With a passion for fly fishing and adventure, he’s hoping to learn more about these vans and take it on an adventure. Johnny and Vicky Olsewski, New Berlin, Wisconsin. They are retired and used to own a Phoenix Cruiser. They were forced to sell due to health problems. They wish to talk with people to help them in looking for one to buy again. John and Michele Reynolds, Naples, Florida, owners of a 2018 Phoenix Cruiser 2552. T-na Tran, Long Beach, California, owner of a 1990 Ford Horizon 19’. Ron and Rebecca Wright, Raleigh, North Carolina, owners of a 2013 Phoenix Cruiser 3100.
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Webmaster’s Minute Over the past several months I have been asked to provide club members contact information to other club members. Unlike social networking sites, your privacy really is important to us and specifically to me. That’s why very little personal information about our members is published on our website. That’s also why I don’t provide information about a member upon request of another member. Our website is fairly static. It isn’t intended to be nor is it designed to be a social networking site where members can readily communicate with other members. It is primarily designed to provide information (newsletter archives, reunion registration forms and updates, membership form, photo gallery, etc.) to all club members. While the club has its own topic on the Phoenix Cruiser Forum (www.phoenixusarv.com/community) the forum is owned, operated, and controlled by Phoenix USA RV. The forum is a great place to get help and advice with
any issues or problems you may have with your PC. It would be worth joining just for that. You do not have to register to browse the forum’s content. But you must register in order to create new posts or to send a personal message to another forum member. Registration on the forum is open to anyone. You do not even have to own a Phoenix Cruiser in order to register. Once you are registered and logged in, you can get to our club’s topic from the Main Forum page by clicking Links and Contacts. The first entry on that message board is Phoenix Cruiser Owner’s Club. We also have a Facebook group. You must have a Facebook account before you can join our club’s Facebook group as it is not public. On a computer or laptop: In Facebook’s Newsfeed under Explore click Groups. At the top of the page click Search Facebook and type Phoenix Cruiser. This will bring up both our travel club’s page and the Phoenix USA RV page. Click on the Phoenix Cruiser that lists hundreds of members, answer the questions then you will be added to the group by the Administrator. On a tablet or phone: Touch Menu, then touch Groups. At the top of the page touch Search Facebook and type Phoenix Cruiser. Select the group that has hundreds of members, answer the questions, and you will be added to the group by our Facebook group’s administrator. John Halupka
What’s Your Data Worth? In a previous newsletter I asked you what your online privacy was worth. In this one, the question is “What’s the data on your personal computer worth?” Have you ever heard of ransomware? It’s very malicious software that, if downloaded and installed on your personal computer, encrypts your data then provides information on how to restore it. One method of infecting your computer is to trick you into opening an email attachment or clicking on a link in an email. The email you receive may appear to be from someone you know (and trust) or from a government entity or business you deal with. In order to regain access you have to pay a ransom, usually using cryptocurrency or a credit card. Personally, I don’t think I’d use a credit card. The typical ransom is between $500 and $1,000. That may be a tiny sum to a millionaire but a tidy sum to us. To be honest, individuals are relatively small potatoes. While businesses pay large sums of money to protect their computer systems and data and to train their users, many people fail to install anti-virus software or to practice safe browsing. People are more likely to pay the ransom than a business and less likely to report it to the authorities. Ransomware is big business. In the last 10 months 140 state and local governments, police departments, and hospitals have been held hostage to ransomware. In a ransomware attack on Baltimore City earlier this year the attackers had demanded $75,000 for each infected computer. The city did not pay the ransom, but it cost it an estimated $18 million to recover from this devastating event. About $12 million of that money was taken from the city’s parks and recreation fund. And that doesn’t count the extreme inconvenience to its citizens. That’s why I always urge you to be cautious whenever you get an email containing links or attached files, even from people and businesses you communicate with online. I’ve received emails from friends that didn’t “sound” like them. You know how your friends talk and how they write. I’ve also received emails from businesses that didn’t “sound” like them either. You know how businesses you deal with communicate with you. The bad guys usually don’t. Very often English isn’t their first language, or even their second. The grammar may be awkward and there may be spelling mistakes. If you receive a suspicious email, DO NOT reply, click on any link, or open any attachments. Contact the person or business in some other way to report the suspicious email. Here are some other steps you can take to protect yourself.
1. Backup your data on a regular basis.
2. Don’t provide personal information when answering an email or unsolicited phone call, text message, or instant
message. It’s very easy to spoof an email address to make you think the email came from someone you know.
A link in an email or on a webpage can be easily spoofed to make you think it will take you to a site you trust,
such as your bank.
3. Use a trustworthy anti-virus software
4. Keep your operating system and other software, especially anti-virus software, up-to-date.
To learn more about ransomware and how to protect your data, check out these websites:
What: A system to link up and “get together” with other Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club members (and thousands of other RVers in general if you so wish). Set up gatherings, join other gatherings or invite people to join you for a quick meet-and-greet meal on the road. Communicate easily and privately.
Where: www.RVillage.com
When: NOW – our group is up and running. All we need is you.
How: Sign up and jump on in. Sign up instructions are detailed below.
General Explanation and Disclaimers
We have set up a Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club group on RVillage. This is a closed group and anything you type on OUR group pages will feed only to OUR group pages – they do not go public. OUR group pages can only be seen by authorized individuals. This means everyone must ask to join the group. The club Webmaster will match each request to the club’s membership roster prior to them being approved as a member of our group on RVillage. If you are using a screen name, please email your real name and your RVillage screen name to: [email protected] So we can verify that you are a member of the Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club. How to Join
Open a browser and go to www.RVillage.com. On a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, tap or click Sign Up on the top right side of the screen. Fill in the requested information, read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and click Join Now for Free.
- When it asks for your location you can select: o “I’m at an RV park” and enter your location – all RVillage members will see where you are on the map o “I’m boondocking” and enter a nearby town which is where you will show on the map o “I’m at Home Base” – your designated location will show on the map o “Traveling” – you will not show up on the map
Turn off all notifications:
- Select your Profile Icon on the upper right side of the screen - Select “Notification Settings” - There are three groupings, open each one and click them ALL off - You can go back later and be selective in which notifications you turn back on. These settings can be changed at any
time. Connect with the Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club:
- On laptop or desktop computer, from the main menu shown across the top of the screen, select “Groups”, “Browse Groups”. On a tablet, tap the top left side of the screen to open the main menu. Tap “Groups”. Scroll down and tap “Browse Groups”.
- Under Advanced Search type Phoenix Cruiser in the “Search for a group” box - You will get two results:
o Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club – That’s us! Select that group and then ask to join. Next send a message to the owner of the club by clicking Contact Owner. Make sure to include your name so we can verify that you are a member of the club. Once your membership has been verified you will be added as a member of the group.
o Phoenix Cruiser – This group was set up by an individual years ago and seems mostly inactive. It is a public group so anything entered in this Group can be seen by ALL RVillage members.
- After you’ve joined our group (and possibly others of interest), use the menu to: o Select “Groups”, “Groups I’ve joined” to get a list of those groups you’ve joined. Tap or click Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club
to go to our group’s home page. o You can go to the settings on the Group Home page (check boxes) and select “Email me of group members arriving in this
area” This notifies you ONLY of members of that group, not all of RVillage. If they have a location set near your location, you’ll get an email telling you they are there.
To sign out: Tap or click on your profile and tap or click “Sign out”.
To learn more about what you can do on RVillage, go to your Home page and tap or click “How to Guide”. We don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information so in future editions of our newsletter, we’ll publish more RVillage how tos.
JUST ASKING "Why do you RV? What is/are your favorite thing(s) about the RV lifestyle? It is obviously NOT to save money while traveling. The cost of your rig, maintenance, licensing, insurance, storage, etc., would buy you MANY, MANY nights at a hotel. Why are you doing this? Of course, not to save money. Reason #1, to take our dogs (now dog) with us. After that, to be outdoors, to stay at the beach at lower cost, to actually pass through the country rather than flying over it. Finally, to meet new people.
Rich and Pam Berger, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, 2017 Phoenix Cruiser 2400 Tom & I do this because we thoroughly enjoy it—meeting new people, seeing interesting and odd things as we find them, and seeing this beautiful country we have been blessed to live in. Haven’t done it as long as some of you, but experiences I wouldn’t trade--Charleston being one of our best!!!
Linda Fitzpatrick and Tom Davis, Scott Township, Pennsylvania, 2017 Phoenix Cruiser 3100 Why do we RV? In a word - freedom. Freedom to not be cooped up in a hotel room when there is downtime, to eat in or go out, to travel the road less traveled instead of the busy highways, the freedom to do it our way. So much more pleasant and much better memories because it includes meeting some great people we would not have met otherwise.
Gary and Kristy Burleyson, Salisbury, North Carolina, 2019 Phoenix Cruiser 2552 There are a couple of reasons we RV instead of motel. We like staying and sleeping in our "home" every night and the freedom to go where there are no motels. Another big reason is we travel with our pets and the RV lifestyle makes that much easier.
Jim and Mary Anne VanderVoord, Seymour, Tennessee, 2018 Phoenix Cruiser 2552 Oh, why do we live as wanderers? We had a diagnosis of MDS, pre-leukemia, and that meant no hotels and no plane flights... The red and white cells were way out of whack as were the platelets. RVing may have given my husband Jim Black more time on earth, and he did like the travel adventures. It also meant the significant family could travel along and enjoy our company as we did theirs. We started with a made-in-California 36 foot, then we went all out for a 41foot Allegro Bus, which was traded after 5 years of health declines for the Phoenix Cruiser. Jim is gone now and was buried last Aug 1st, with his 3rd wife in the Gulf of Mexico, so I am going it alone. I was always the driver. Now I have no one to make the reservations for the stop ahead.
Patricia Serrill Black Odessa, Florida, 2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2910T I hate motels for all the reasons you could think of. I hate dragging my stuff into one, and I hate eating all my meals out. I love my own pillow and my husband’s cooking. I have my own private cottage to place anywhere I chose. I LOVE MY LITTLE MOHO.
Janey and Sid Shazly, Muskegon, Michigan, 2015 Phoenix Cruiser 2350 Why do we RV?
To travel at our own pace, in our home, on our own time
To move around our beautiful country to see many more places than we could spend money to fly
to.
For the fun of doing it!
Love being in the outdoors, windows open, hearing nature sounds without hard rocks for a bed and
bugs!
Robert and Trudy Helgeson, Ft. Myers, Florida, 2016 Phoenix Cruiser 3100
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Simple lifestyle with beautiful surroundings. We travel--plug in--grab a book--set up my chair--not so hard to do. I freeze dinners before leaving for a trip, so if a restaurant around doesn’t sound appealing, I have it made. Sneak happy hour in there--that is heaven.
Linda Doub, Millsboro, Delaware, 2015 Phoenix Cruiser 2350
One word: FREEDOM!!! The RV lifestyle is, to us, enjoyment of freedom to go to any destination we want, take any side trips we want, eat anywhere we want, go to bed as early or late as we want, get up when we want, eat anywhere and anytime we want, and be with any people we want.
Jack Doub, Millsboro, Delaware, 2015 Phoenix Cruiser 2350 I have traveled most all of my adult life. Some in my family say I must be a gypsy or nomad. After a few million miles of air travel, I decided I wanted to keep my feet closer to the ground and not mess with airports. At the same time, I wanted comfort and flexibility. An RV also allowed me to travel with my dog Choo Choo. I purchased my 2350 in January 2018 and have traveled over 15,000 miles all over the USA and Canada. I live in Indiana so the end of this month, I’m heading south for the winter months and then to the west next summer.
Robert Hogarth, Granger, Indiana, 2018 Phoenix Cruiser 2350 As Michiganders, we need to escape cold, snowy winters. Since we’re not ready to return to the same location every year, our winter condo has wheels. The remainder of the year, our RV doubles as our getaway with friends, our cabin up north, and our lodging as we work on our bucket list of destinations. The bonuses include being able to take our mischievous kitty Abigail with us, having a larger selection of clothing and “stuff” along for the ride, and taking in the scenery we formerly use to fly over along the way. We love the freedom of taking long, long trips—rather than trying to squeeze just the highlights into short trips. The wonderful people you meet in campground are the friendliest folks you’ll find anywhere and are seasoned travelers with great advice they love to share. Here’s to the RV life!!!
Karen and Wayne Thompson, Muskegon, Michigan, 2017 Tiffin Phaeton 36GH First of all, NATURE: trees, flowers, greenery, lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls, blue skies, and stars at night. Next is history that you cannot truly appreciate or understand by reading about it in books. I also just love talking to others that I meet who enjoy the same things that I do.
Marilyn and Gary Precht, St. Louis, Missouri, 2017 Phoenix Cruiser 2100 We RV to get closer to things we want to see and do. The good old USA has some incredible sights! We do one area at a time if possible so we can immerse ourselves in the area. We also stop to see people we know everywhere we go. It’s important to visit friends and family because none of us knows what tomorrow may bring.
Ron and Rebecca Wright, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2013 Phoenix Cruiser 3100 We bought our first RV in 1988 and called it “The Tent.” Now with an RV, it is so nice to camp and not be concerned about the weather. We live in Ridgecrest, California, and we would drive to the KC area twice a year to take care of property there and family needs. We would stop in New Mexico and other states going or coming to see family. Nice to have our own restroom since sometimes the rest areas are closed. We could go when we wanted, stop when we wanted, park on the street and had a bedroom. It is also our earthquake preparedness vehicle. Thankful we didn't need it on 7/4 and 7/5 this year, but we were prepared. We've had Class C, A, B and B-plus rigs. We joined the Phoenix Club in 2005 and so enjoy the people, the reunions and the fun.
Donna and Jim Weston, Ridgecrest, California, 2011 Phoenix Cruiser 2350
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My wife has very bad motion sickness such that plane, train and ship travel is not really an option. (People will say it can't be that bad--It is. People will say it can be fixed with the right meds--It can't) She does fine riding in a front seat of a vehicle, so that is why we RV, more than any other reason. We have been able to RV in the 10 countries of North and Central America, 48 of the 49 continental states (missing Delaware) and 8 Canadian provinces. (I hope to add 2-4 this summer). So even though limited to motor travel, there is still a lot of territory you can cover. The second biggest reason is to be able to camp and experience the outdoors, easier done with an RV than a car and hotels.
Mike and Pat Astley, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2017 Phoenix Cruiser 2552
So we can easily take the dog/dogs with us.
All the truly wonderful people we meet.
All the wonderful places we go.
If you do have a nasty neighbor, it’s easy to move. (This very rarely happens since RVers are a terrific group)
If you are full-timers (like we were from 1998-2015), you no longer have to worry about your house...this can easily count as many reasons, actually.
Full-timers also never have to realize that they left an important item at “home”.
Full-timers have an automatic throttle on buying “things”...no space...money saver...fewer things to burden the kids with.
We don’t really like Hotels/Motels. We could go on and on, but we are at St. Augustine Beach right now and the sea foam is blowing off the tops of the waves, the surf is high, the air smell so wonderful and fresh, and the memories from the Phoenix Rally are still intense...thanks to ALL that made it happen, attendees and Phoenix Cruiser RV USA....Like my tee shirts proclaim...”Life is Good”.
Betty and Dave Wittwer, Livingston, Texas, 2015 Phoenix Cruiser 2552
We like the freedom and versatility the RV provides, go where you want to go, do what you want to do with all of the creature comforts of a 5 star hotel room—less the bed bugs! RVing is pet friendly, you meet some really interesting folks, and perhaps best of all, it provides a challenge to keep the learning curve in an upward direction.
Tom and Lynn Geiger, Merrill, Wisconsin, 2015 Phoenix Cruiser 3100 We love to travel to new places plus it also gives us a chance to visit our far flung family and relatives. We enjoy going to the Phoenix reunions to reconnect with our old friends; however we missed the latest Charleston reunion because we were doing a shakedown cruise of our new Phoenix Cruiser on a 61-day Fantasy RV Tour of Canada and Alaska. The best thing about RVing is that you can visit places that don’t have any facilities at all with the pleasure of having your own bed, shower, etc. One of the best reasons to have an RV for me is that we can travel with Elijah and Moses, our beloved cats. Elijah however has never been able to catch the windshield wiper though he desperately tries. I would never be able to leave them home for say three months at a time.
Howard & Margaret Potvin, Crestline, California, 2019 Phoenix Cruiser 2552
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2019 Charleston Reunion
The 26th Annual Reunion of the Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club was held at The Campground at James Island County Park, Charleston, South Carolina, from Monday, September 30th until Saturday, October 5th. A total of 43 rigs and 81 members attended. There were 40 first-time members (21 rigs) in attendance. Phoenix Cruiser and Campers Inn had 4 new rigs on display. The temps were in the high 80’s—with humidity to match--but the PC’ers attending proved to be a hardy bunch in weathering the conditions.
The park was a hit with well-spaced wooded campsites, miles and miles of walking and biking trails, an off-leash dog park with a doggie beach, and available transportation to nearby historic downtown Charleston.
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Our stay began on Monday evening with a Social Hour/Meet ‘n Greet. There were delicious appetizers catered by the Phoenix Cruiser Board Members, and the evening continued with a special treat provided by Phoenix Cruiser USA—music by the Colby Dobbs Trio.
After a catered hot breakfast on Tuesday morning, the Annual Business Meeting was held. Members voted to officially change the Club name from InterVec Phoenix Travel Club to Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club and to remove the September restriction for our rallies from our Articles of Association. Tina Cooper, co-owner of Phoenix Cruiser, made a presentation on happenings at the Factory. Spearfish, South Dakota, was announced as the site for the 2020 Reunion. Following the Business Meeting, Dave Ponsler and Doug Middlecamp from Phoenix Cruiser USA provided a seminar on generator maintenance followed by a question and answer session on general RV maintenance. They wowed their audience with their knowledge and expertise. Doug and Dave performed minor repairs to rigs the remainder of Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. Members were treated to an Ice Cream Social on Tuesday evening.
A continental breakfast was served on Wednesday morning and members boarded a charter bus for a morning tour of Boone Hall Plantation, and an afternoon cruise of the Charleston Harbor.
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A cookout was held back at the campground following the trip.
Thursday morning featured another catered breakfast, groups of walkers and bikers enjoyed the park trails, and a Rig Open House and Cool Gadgets display completed the morning. The afternoon was free for sightseeing or just relaxing. The annual Bingo game was held on Thursday evening, with prizes provided by the Club and generous contributions from Phoenix Cruiser USA of logo apparel and blankets, Love’s gas cards, and a set Magna Shades.
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Friday morning began with a continental breakfast, and the remainder of the day was free to explore the area or just relax. Another successful reunion drew to a close with our catered Farewell Dinner compliments of Phoenix Cruiser USA. Hungry diners were treated to a Pork and Chicken Shindig, Mac and Cheese, Side Salad, Banana Pudding, and Peanut Butter Pie. As always, the best part of the reunion was spending time with fellow Phoenix Cruiser owners, meeting new friends, and reconnecting with long-time buddies. This group is infectious—the bonds that are made at our reunions continue throughout the years.
Hope to see everyone next year in Spearfish!
2020 Dues Waived
In an effort to boost club membership, the Phoenix Cruiser Travel Club Board voted to waive
dues for members who receive their newsletter via e-mail in 2017. In addition, members
dating back to 2014 were reinstated to the Club. Under this strategy, membership has
soared—from 75 members in 2017 to 295 as of October, 2019. The Charleston Reunion sold
out by late April because we are reaching so many more PC owners.
Based on this success, the Board again voted to waive membership dues for 2020 for email members. Snail mail members will need to submit a membership renewal and $10 to cover the costs of delivery of their newsletter by March 1, 2020. If your contact information has changed, please notify newsletter editor Howard Potvin via [email protected]. If you no longer wish to remain a member and receive our newsletter--just let us know--and we will remove your name and email address from our records.
A NEW TV SHOW FEATURING RV TRAVELING While we were on our Fantasy RV Caravan this summer, we learned that our travels were going to be a part of a new television show focusing on RV traveling. We met Tom and Caitlin Morton who are digital media producers and one of the videographers for this new production. They are a delightful couple. Tom took photos from the air using a drone camera or while riding a Segway. You will be able to view their work in a new series called, “The RVers.” It will air November 23rd on Discovery. It can also be seen on PBS and Amazon Prime after that time.
MORTONS ON THE MOVE – UP NORTH Tom and Caitlin Morton sold their home and began full-time RVing in 2015. They publish their work on the YouTube Channel. Their latest video series is “Mortons on the Move – Go North.” They partnered with Lance Truck Camper in 2019 to travel through Canada and Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. Howard and I were in the group that they filmed in Episode 13. We didn’t actually get our faces in the episode but others in our group did. Go North Episode 13 - Gold, Gambling, & Human Toes! In this episode, they explore Dawson City, then cross back to Alaska with an RV tour group. Along the way, they discover how gold was extracted using dredges of the past, explore defunct paddle wheelers, learn about the cultural heritage of the area and finally partake in the famous Sourtoe Cocktail of Dawson City! Go to https://www.mortonsonthemove.com/go-north-video-series.html to view these wonderful adventures.
