January-February 2012 - American Coach Association
January-February 2012 - American Coach Association
January-February 2012 - American Coach Association
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Volume XVII, Issue 1 • <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
The Official Magazine For Owners Of Heritage, Eagle, Dream, Tradition, Allegiance, Limited & Revolution Motor <strong>Coach</strong>es
<strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong>, Volume XVII, Issue 1 [ Contents ]<br />
page 15-16<br />
Las Vegas<br />
Western Rally<br />
Recap<br />
5 President’s Message<br />
6 ACA Yahoo Group<br />
Ambassadors Program<br />
7 Vice Presidents Message<br />
8-14 Chapter News<br />
15-16 Western Rally - Recap<br />
17-20 ACA National Spring Rally<br />
24 ACA Scholarship<br />
The Webmaster<br />
25 Rolling Recipes<br />
28 Rally Schedule<br />
29-30 Rally Sites<br />
32 Tips & Tricks<br />
www.myamericancoach.com<br />
www.facebook.com/americancoach<br />
Other links:<br />
www.americancoach.com<br />
autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/<strong>American</strong>_<strong>Coach</strong><br />
www.acc-fmca.com<br />
www.fleetwoodrvstore.com<br />
33 Membership Services<br />
34 Chapter Directory<br />
35 Chapter Registration Form<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
Ancira RV<br />
Automotion Shade<br />
Bradd & Hall<br />
Campbell Group, The<br />
Classic <strong>Coach</strong> Works<br />
Cruising America<br />
Deer Creek MH Resort<br />
Desert Vista RV Products<br />
Diamond Shield<br />
Girard Systems<br />
Harris Battery<br />
MCD Innovations<br />
Monroeville Chassis<br />
RV Parts Plus<br />
RV World - Yuma<br />
Silverleaf Electronics<br />
Sullivan RV<br />
[ Advertisers ]<br />
Summit Products<br />
Transwest RV<br />
Wade RV<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 3
ACA Across America<br />
ACA NATIONAL MAGAZINE:<br />
Editor - Jane Lihou<br />
9121 Atlanta Ave., #637<br />
Huntington Beach, CA 92646<br />
714-749-7560 Cell<br />
jlihou@aol.com<br />
Advertising - Graeme Gee<br />
National Database Coordinator<br />
140 Rainbow Drive #4081<br />
Livingston, TX 77399<br />
312-543-9809 Cell<br />
graeme.gee@gmail.com<br />
Design & Production - Print Group Inc.<br />
1440 W. Skyline Ave., Ozark, MO 65721<br />
417-581-7651<br />
www.printgroupinc.com<br />
rdavis@printgroupinc.com<br />
ACA Magazine - ©<strong>2012</strong><br />
Volume XVII, Issue 1<br />
<strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong><br />
The ACA Across America Magazine (USPS 025-025) is published<br />
bi-monthly by the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, Publication<br />
Department, ACA, 1812 Latelia Ct, New Port Richey,<br />
FL 34655 (727) 709-0218, and is funded in part by annual<br />
membership dues and paid advertisements. Membership<br />
dues are $45 per year. Membership in the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> is open to owners of <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> motor<br />
coaches only – Heritage, Eagle, Dream, Tradition, Allegiance,<br />
Limited and Revolution.<br />
Periodicals Postage Paid at New Port Richey, FL, and at additional<br />
mailing offices.<br />
POSTMASTER:<br />
Send address changes to ACA Across America Magazine,<br />
Membership Services, 1812 Latelia Ct, Trinity, FL 34655.<br />
ACA Across America contains advertisements which may<br />
be of interest to members- the appearance of any advertisement<br />
for products or services in this publication shall<br />
not be deemed an endorsement of the <strong>Association</strong> or individual<br />
members. ACA reserves the right to reject or accept,<br />
including editing for reasons of space and clarity, letters<br />
to the editor, chapter news or articles. Statements of fact<br />
and opinion are the responsibility of the author(s) alone<br />
and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers of<br />
the ACA, the members, the Editor, or Production Staff.<br />
Letters and photographs become property of ACA and will<br />
not be returned.<br />
ACA National Membership:<br />
Membership Chairwoman - Debbie Darby<br />
1021 Pinehurst Pl., Camarillo, CA 93010<br />
805-482-6733 / 805-469-2903<br />
Membership Benefits - Bill Dettmer<br />
1509 Tejana Mesa Pl. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112<br />
505-294-0564<br />
billdettmer@comcast.net<br />
Membership Services - Janice Thompson<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong>,<br />
1812 Latelia Ct, Trinity, FL 34655<br />
501-858-9564<br />
membership@myamericancoach.com<br />
ACA National Web Site:<br />
Chairman - Doug Thompson<br />
1812 Latella Ct., Trinity, FL 34655<br />
727-709-0218<br />
doug@rvzoomin.com<br />
ACA National Finance Committee:<br />
Chair - Laura Bruno<br />
1250 Jodi Court, Gardnerville, NV 89460<br />
775-265-0468 / 775-790-3261<br />
joeandlaurabruno@gmail.com<br />
ACA National Ambassador Club:<br />
Chairwoman - Debbie Darby<br />
1021 Pinehurst Pl., Camarillo, CA 93010<br />
805-482-6733 / 805-469-2903<br />
debdarby48@yahoo.com<br />
ACA National By-Laws:<br />
Chairwoman - Margaret Harker<br />
PO Box 2430 PMB 1512, Pensacola, FL 32513<br />
602-538-0604<br />
ctrylady@gmail.com<br />
ACA National Policy:<br />
Chairman - Chip Aiken<br />
1160 Vierling Dr., #345, Shakopee, MN 55379<br />
952-807-2290 Cell<br />
caiken@aikenfamily.us<br />
ACA Scholarship Foundation:<br />
Chairman - John Corcoran<br />
1051 Caravan Loop, Polk City, FL 33868-5118<br />
863-984-0903 / 863-370-0869 Cell<br />
acajfcorcoran@aol.com<br />
ACA National Rally Coordinator:<br />
Chair - Jim Graham<br />
12245 Susanne Ct., Irvington, AL 36544<br />
251-825-9876 / 251-623-4321 Cell<br />
jgraham179@mchsi.com<br />
ACA National Rally Guidelines:<br />
Chairwoman - Mary Corcoran<br />
1051 Caravan Loop, Polk City, FL 33868<br />
863-984-0903 / 863-206-1418 Cell<br />
jfcorcoran@aol.com<br />
ACA National Historian:<br />
Chairwoman - Ann Beadel<br />
8801 FM 45 South, Brownwood, TX 76801<br />
325-646-5104/325-998-0431 Cell<br />
bbeadel@bwoodtx.com<br />
ACA National Legal Advisor:<br />
Chairman - Pete Smoot<br />
11444 Waterford St., Los Angeles, CA 90049<br />
301-472-1527/310-701-7736 Cell<br />
epsmoot@roadrunner.com<br />
ELECTED OFFICERS:<br />
President - Doug Thompson<br />
1812 Latelia Ct, Trinity, FL 34655<br />
727-709-0218<br />
doug@rvzoomin.com<br />
Vice President - John Corcoran<br />
1051 Caravan Loop, Polk City, FL 33868-5118<br />
863-984-0903 / 863-370-0869 Cell<br />
acajfcorcoran@aol.com<br />
Secretary - Jennifer Goergen<br />
621 Rollingwood Dr., Shorewood, IL 60404<br />
815-791-0644 Cell<br />
legaleagle10@me.com<br />
Treasurer - Bob Downing<br />
808 Holley Lake Road, Aiken, SC 29803<br />
803-641-6455 / 803-645-1694 Cell<br />
venderman@prodigy.net<br />
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS:<br />
Great Lakes - Bev DeAngelis<br />
8628 Brittany Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-7927<br />
513-891-8884 / 513-235-7900 Cell<br />
rickandbev@fuse.net<br />
Happy Wanderers - Bill Makowski<br />
3590 Round Bottom Rd., PMB 179674,<br />
Cincinnati, OH 45244<br />
989-390-9444<br />
wbmak@aol.com<br />
Mac Pack - Skipper Campbell<br />
P.O. Box 1126, Fort Mill, SC 29716<br />
803-547-6486 / 803-417-8242 Cell<br />
Skipper1126@comporium.net<br />
Missouri Valley - James Catron<br />
RR2 Box 255, Butler, MO 64730<br />
660-679-4577 / 660-424-0309 Cell<br />
wonderfarm.catrons@yahoo.com<br />
Northern California - Glenn Caldwell<br />
14566 Mono Way, Sonora, CA 95370<br />
209-559-8923 Cell<br />
glenncaldwell@ymail.com<br />
Northeast - Lloyd Monroe<br />
116 Boat Yard Road, Chesapeake City, MD 21915<br />
443-466-3909<br />
LBM251@gmail.com<br />
Northwest - Merritt Mosby<br />
PO Box 2182, Florence, OR 97439<br />
925-383-6341 / 541-999-0304<br />
maceagle@oregonfast.net<br />
Southern California - Beverly Petty<br />
34702 Calle Las Flores<br />
Capistrano Beach, CA 92624<br />
949-433-1850<br />
bbpetty@cox.net<br />
South Central - Robin Fagala<br />
103 South 68th St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014<br />
918-357-2775 / 918-521-2658 Cell<br />
fagala@cox.net<br />
Southeast - Jim Graham<br />
12245 Susanne Ct., Irvington, AL 36544<br />
251-825-9876 / 251-623-4321 Cell<br />
jgraham179@mchsi.com<br />
Southwest - Charles Weart<br />
3731 North 151st Ave., Goodyear, AZ 85395<br />
623-535-0325 / 602-363-1246<br />
weart@mindspring.com<br />
4
[ President’s Message ]<br />
I don’t know if it is because we are getting<br />
older, but the holidays just seemed to fly by for<br />
us this year. Nothing ages you like watching<br />
your grandchildren grow up, does it? On the<br />
bright side, we’re all still out there, enjoying our<br />
beautiful <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>es, and the myriad of<br />
venues we can visit and explore in them, while<br />
still enjoying all the comforts of home afforded<br />
by these elegant creatures.<br />
The <strong>2012</strong> ACA National Rally events and<br />
activities are being finalized by the chapter rally<br />
teams, as the rest of us pass through the winter<br />
months yearning for spring. Two really terrific<br />
locations have been planned for your enjoyment<br />
this year- Sevierville, Tennessee in May and<br />
Yuma, Arizona in October. Streets and Trips<br />
says that there are only 2,027 miles between<br />
them. Our plan is to head to Tennessee in May,<br />
then spend the summer exploring in between,<br />
ending up in Yuma in October. What better<br />
way to enjoy the lifestyle?<br />
Remember to do two things when you get your<br />
dues statement - update your information on the<br />
form if needed, and then send it back with your<br />
check. Next, don’t toss the membership application<br />
we’ve enclosed; take time to put it in the<br />
hands of someone you’d like to see enjoy membership<br />
in the ACA. On that note, if you need<br />
additional applications, please send an email to<br />
membership services.<br />
How about the new 38S Revolution floor plan?<br />
The most I’ve seen of it thus far is a slate of<br />
photos from marketing- I can’t wait to see it for<br />
real. Jan and I are hikers and mostly hang out in<br />
State and National Parks; the most room in the<br />
shortest coach works best for us, and we’ve heard<br />
similar thoughts from a lot of members. I can<br />
only imagine that <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> has created<br />
a winner. My guess is that they’ll sell faster than<br />
they can make them.<br />
It’s going to be a great summer out there- Hope<br />
to see everyone on the road. Remember, Life<br />
Rocks When Your Living Room Rolls….<br />
Specializing in Front & Rear Alignment!<br />
We also offer FULL SERVICE and<br />
are an Authorized Dealer for<br />
Roadmaster Sway Bars.<br />
Call for<br />
pricing.<br />
Just minutes from Fleetwood’s Decatur, Indiana<br />
factory and service center.<br />
Doug Thompson<br />
Doug Thompson<br />
ACA National President<br />
For more info or an appointment:<br />
Call Ron or Rex at 260-623-6093<br />
For more information online:<br />
web site: www.monroevillechassis.com<br />
e-mail: response@monroevillechassis.com<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 5
ACA<br />
GROUP<br />
Happy New Year from Debbie &<br />
Terry in cyber space!<br />
Actually, we are here in Indio for<br />
the winter again, and so far it’s<br />
been a great winter – temps in<br />
the 70s everyday, snow only in the<br />
mountains and beautiful blue sky<br />
and sun almost everyday. Gee, I<br />
can take a winter like this!<br />
Great news – drum roll please!<br />
The <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Yahoo Group<br />
has achieved a milestone – 2000<br />
members! We are running along<br />
smoothly and our numbers<br />
continue to grow. Thanks to all<br />
of you – lurkers and participators<br />
alike – because we couldn’t do it<br />
without you. YOU are the forum.<br />
You are the ones sharing the<br />
information and you are the ones<br />
benefiting from this great group.<br />
Members continue to applaud<br />
the forum as the place to go for<br />
answers to all their <strong>American</strong><br />
<strong>Coach</strong> questions. You would be<br />
amazed at the variety of questions<br />
that come across the forum. Our<br />
[ Ambassadors Program ]<br />
topics range from generators to<br />
Kwikee Steps to where to find new<br />
bay doors to heating questions –<br />
you name it we discuss it.<br />
If you don’t already know this, we<br />
do put on <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Yahoo<br />
seminars at the National ACA<br />
rallies. The last one we put on<br />
was at the Western Area Regional<br />
Rally in Las Vegas last October<br />
and the next one will be at the<br />
ACA National Rally in Tucson this<br />
October. We discuss things such<br />
as how to sign up for the group<br />
and we cover some basic rules (be<br />
polite and respectful) and show<br />
everyone all that makes up the<br />
group such as the files and photos<br />
section.<br />
If you aren’t already a part of this<br />
great group and you’re interested<br />
in finding out what it’s all about,<br />
we invite you to visit awhile and<br />
get to know us and get a feel for<br />
the benefits derived from our<br />
forum. To get to the AC Yahoo<br />
site, go to the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> web site at http://<br />
www.myamericancoach.com and<br />
click on “Links.” Scroll down past<br />
the listing of <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
dealers and click on the link for<br />
“<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Owners Yahoo<br />
Group.” The price is right – FREE<br />
– and I can just about guarantee<br />
you won’t regret it!<br />
Debbie & Terry<br />
‘02 Heritage<br />
PS – A dear<br />
friend of ours, Marv Karsten,<br />
has recently developed a serious<br />
medical issue and must sell<br />
his 2006 <strong>American</strong> Tradition.<br />
Details can be found at http://<br />
myamericancoach.com/ under the<br />
For Sale tab. You can also find info<br />
on the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Yahoo Site<br />
under the Files section then under<br />
<strong>Coach</strong>es & Parts – Wanted or For<br />
Sale. Marv & Linda have been<br />
very active in the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
family and we appreciate any help<br />
in getting their coach sold.<br />
We just finished our first Western<br />
Regional Rally at the beautiful Las<br />
Vegas Motorcoach Resort, in Las<br />
Vegas. We had 90 coaches and<br />
one attendee without their coach.<br />
Not only did we draw from all of<br />
the western states, we had people<br />
drive from Canada, Arkansas and<br />
Texas to attend the rally. We were<br />
excited to have 24 coaches that were<br />
experiencing their first ACA Rally<br />
and for many, it was their first rally,<br />
period. In fact, many of them did<br />
not even have their ACA number or<br />
badge yet.<br />
When we realized how many new<br />
people we were going to have, we<br />
added an Ambassador’s meeting to<br />
orient them, even though this was<br />
not a national rally. We had over<br />
50 people attend! What a joy for<br />
me to greet these new members and<br />
see their enthusiasm! How wonderful<br />
to have so many new owner’s in<br />
our organization. It is a testament<br />
to <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>, that in these<br />
difficult economic times, people are<br />
buying <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>es and we<br />
are getting so many new owners to<br />
join our club!<br />
Most of these “first timers” told me<br />
they couldn’t wait for the next rally<br />
and I’m sure they will be showing<br />
up at a chapter rally soon. I know<br />
each and every one of you will greet<br />
them with welcoming arms.<br />
Debbie Darby<br />
National Ambassador<br />
6
[ Vice President’s Message ]<br />
The holidays are now behind us and Mary and I<br />
hope you had a wonderful time with family and<br />
friends. We are in the midst of the long winter<br />
which makes us begin to look for warmer places<br />
to hang out. Hopefully, we will see some of you<br />
at the ACA Eastern Regional Rally in <strong>January</strong> at<br />
Lazydays in Florida. It is held at the same time<br />
as the Florida RV Supershow and in the height<br />
of the Florida strawberry season. What a deal!<br />
Those of you in the west are probably enjoying<br />
one of the rallies in a warm spot hosted by<br />
a western chapter. The Southwest Chapter is<br />
hosting a rally in Quartzsite, Arizona in <strong>January</strong><br />
where the weather should be great at this time<br />
of the year. Likewise the Southern California<br />
Chapter is hosting a rally in Tucson, Arizona<br />
which is another nice place to be in the winter.<br />
There also will be a rally hosted by South Central<br />
Chapter in Montgomery, Texas in March.<br />
So pack up the coach and go have some fun!<br />
Mary and I spent the holiday season in Clearwater,<br />
Florida with our children and grandchildren<br />
and Mary’s brothers and sisters and<br />
their respective families. We were celebrating<br />
our 55th wedding anniversary with a family<br />
reunion. I cannot say how it went yet as I am<br />
writing this in advance, but assume a great time<br />
was had by all. Wow, time really flies when you<br />
are having fun.<br />
Those not taking the advantage of the warm<br />
climate rallies probably have their motorcoaches<br />
stowed away and winterized for the time being.<br />
Hopefully, all ACA members, no matter where<br />
you may be, are planning travel in the spring by<br />
attending the ACA National Rally in Sevierville,<br />
Tennessee hosted by the Southeast Chapter.<br />
Remember to put May 15-20, <strong>2012</strong> on your<br />
calendars and come enjoy the camaraderie of<br />
your fellow ACA travelers. And, while you have<br />
your calendar out, also please reserve the dates<br />
of October 2-6, <strong>2012</strong> for the fall ACA National<br />
Rally in Yuma, Arizona hosted by the Southern<br />
California Chapter.<br />
We look forward to seeing a large number of<br />
you at the Spring ACA National Rally in Sevierville,<br />
Tennessee in May. In the meantime, drive<br />
safely in your <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> and enjoy what<br />
this beautiful country has to offer. Don’t forget<br />
to thank those who have served or are serving<br />
our country, allowing us this privilege.<br />
John Corcoran<br />
John Corcoran<br />
ACA National<br />
Vice-President<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 7
[ Chapter News ]<br />
Northwest<br />
Happy New Year! Welcome <strong>2012</strong>! What a year 2011 was,<br />
whew, glad that one is behind us. I wonder what curves,<br />
turns, dips and falls as well as rainbows, waterfalls, sunshine,<br />
good coffee and a brandy or two is around the next corner.<br />
<strong>2012</strong>…..Come on down! Right from the get-go, I understand<br />
the <strong>2012</strong> ACA National Rally will now be held at Yuma Palms<br />
RV Resort in Yuma and will be supported by RV World in Yuma.<br />
Speaking of memories, Jim Annan, a long time ACC & ACA<br />
member died on October 28th in California. Jim & Ruth<br />
were married for 65 years. Jim was in the Coast Guard during<br />
WWII, aboard the USS General H. F. Hodges, a troop<br />
transport vessel. Jim sailed around the world twice during his<br />
years with the Coast Guard. Their home was in Fresno, Calif.,<br />
however they would spend summers in Florence, Oregon and<br />
a month in Mexico each year. Ruth, you both will live within<br />
the <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Spirit; thanks for the good memories.<br />
Speaking of memories, Carita and I purchased our first <strong>American</strong><br />
Eagle from Sky River RV in San Jose in 1993. It was a<br />
plum colored, mid entry, narrow body (96” wide), side aisle<br />
38 foot luxury RV. Those were the days when the <strong>American</strong><br />
Eagle’s were made at the Winchester Street, Plant #52 in<br />
Decatur, Indiana, with a two bay Service Center just across the<br />
street. I think it was Wednesday’s when the crew would cook<br />
hamburgers for all of the stranded travelers at their facility. I<br />
believe Ben Beck was Sales Manager and Jerry Layman was the<br />
Service Manager at that time. Talk about memories.<br />
Speaking of memories, I remember when I was the “new kid<br />
in the club” and now many of us are approaching the next<br />
chapter of our lives. It’s difficult to know what to do, when<br />
the time arrives to sell the RV you have enjoyed for so many<br />
years and adventures. Dennis Russo (209 481 5408) is the<br />
Consignment Manager at the new inside show room Sky River<br />
facility in Dublin, Calif. Dennis has a good track record selling<br />
consigned <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>es; he sold Will Booth’s and the<br />
Campbell’s (Muriel and Doc, Mike too) coaches.<br />
Speaking of memories, yesterday, the doctor gave me the<br />
go-ahead to go south for the winter. He said my lungs were<br />
a mess but after my last cat-scan on Friday there were no new<br />
signs of growths or cancer. So that means Carita & I will<br />
head south in a few days to spend the holidays with family in<br />
northern California, from there on to the Lost Lake Resort on<br />
the Colorado River. We will enjoy friends and other <strong>American</strong><br />
<strong>Coach</strong> owners in Parker, Lake Havasu and Quartzsite. After<br />
the Super Bowl we head for Yuma and the Foothills. We will<br />
be in the southern California, southern Nevada and southwestern<br />
areas of Arizona in Jan., Feb., March and part of April. If<br />
you are going to be in that area, let me know and we’ll share<br />
a conversation, cup of coffee or even a brandy and maybe a<br />
game of cribbage.<br />
Speaking of memories, at last years <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> gettogether<br />
in the Foothills in Yuma, we had about one hundred<br />
people who showed up. RV World, Mike Green & Mike<br />
Wood displayed a new <strong>American</strong> Eagle. Boy, do they know<br />
how to do it right! The only down side was the catered Taco<br />
Bar they provided was so good, not much of the desserts and<br />
side dishes brought by people attending were consumed.<br />
We’ll do it again in <strong>February</strong> or March and ask all attending<br />
to BYOB, chairs and name badges (if they have one). Let me<br />
know if you will be in the area and would like to attend. All<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> owners and their friends are invited.<br />
Speaking of memories, Carita and I are considering moving<br />
back to California in the next couple of years to be closer to<br />
family - no final plans yet, just in the discussion stage. If we<br />
decide to move, our place here in Florence will be available.<br />
George & Sheri Tomaszewski’s (602 524 1690) improved R.V.<br />
lot at Osprey Point in Lakeside, Oregon is available. They<br />
moved their summer digs to Stoneridge, in Blanchard, ID.<br />
Ruth Annan’s 2002 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> is available at Manteca<br />
Trailer Sales in Manteca, Calif.<br />
Please Lord, give our men and women in<br />
service to our country your safety and<br />
guidance. Please also give our elected<br />
leaders the strength and wisdom to<br />
bring stability to our country and peace<br />
to the world. Amen.<br />
Thank you,<br />
Merritt Mosby, President<br />
Northwest Chapter<br />
Mac Pack<br />
Mac Pack is pleased to announce that we have our first<br />
“Honorary Members” of our chapter. In October of 1993,<br />
Buck and Ellie Bukowick, joined by several other founding<br />
members, organized and created the Mid-Atlantic Chapter<br />
of <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. Buck and Ellie have been an<br />
integral part of the chapter until their RV retirement this year.<br />
We owe them heartfelt thanks for their hard work and dedication<br />
to the chapter. Buck and Ellie, you will always be the<br />
Mac Pack “First Couple”.<br />
8
[ Chapter News ]<br />
Is it true that time flies when you are having fun? If so, then<br />
we must have had a blast during 2011. Where did the year<br />
go? Even though we look at the calendar each day it is always<br />
surprising to see how fast the months and days have gone by.<br />
Another year of seasons have come and gone and for 2011, we<br />
will remember them vividly. The winter brought record breaking<br />
snowfall, we endured a spring of storms, tornados, hail,<br />
rain and flooding and by summer, we were wilting under searing<br />
heat and droughts. Fall - my favorite time of year- finally<br />
gave us all a peaceful break with glorious weather and beautiful<br />
color. Thanksgiving and Christmas was spent with family and<br />
friends and now a new year is upon us. I hope you had a good<br />
year and I sincerely wish you the best in <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
After hosting the ACA Spring National Rally in Memphis,<br />
Tennessee, Mac Pack members needed a break to have some<br />
fun. Some of our members left Memphis and traveled to various<br />
points beyond. Most spent a relaxing summer and topped<br />
it off with a memorable rally held in Washington, DC. While<br />
Mother Nature did not cooperate for a few days, everyone still<br />
had a great time and didn’t miss an event or an outing. Washington,<br />
DC is a marvelous place to visit. Make sure you take<br />
the night tour if you visit. It is just magnificent!<br />
The Mac Pack rally calendar for <strong>2012</strong> is packed with new<br />
places to go to spend time with our RV family. The fun begins<br />
with the first ACA East Coast Regional Rally in Seffner, Florida.<br />
Immediately following this rally, Mac Pack will continue<br />
the fun at our annual chapter Winter Rally at The Outdoor<br />
Resort in Point St. Lucie, Florida. After Port St. Lucie, we take<br />
a month or so to re-stock the coach and refuel and then we<br />
are on the road to our pre-rally to the ACA Spring National<br />
Rally in Sevierville in May <strong>2012</strong>. Mac Pack will then take the<br />
summer off but will resume again in September at Hearthside<br />
Grove in Petoskey, Mich. for our Fall Rally, then out to<br />
Yuma, Arizona for the ACA Fall National Rally. We will end<br />
the year with our Christmas rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia in<br />
November. Whew - what a year. And then, once again, I will<br />
be looking at the calendar and asking - where did <strong>2012</strong> go? I<br />
must have been having fun!<br />
I hope all of you have a glorious <strong>2012</strong> filled with fun travel,<br />
lots of new adventures and a clock that stands still during the<br />
fun moments.<br />
Travel Safe,<br />
Skipper Campbell<br />
Northern California<br />
New Year Greetings from northern California. We had a gorgeous<br />
fall here - warm days and cool nights. This blossomed<br />
fall colors as beautiful as any I can remember. We had plenty<br />
of turkey with all the trimmings and golf in short sleeves:<br />
that’s about as good as it gets for me. As I write this, Christmas<br />
is just days away and we still have not had any rain or<br />
snow. I’m still wearing short sleeves outside during the day<br />
but nights are cold as we ready for winter.<br />
Jeannine and I attended the SoCal rally in Bakersfield and we<br />
had a great time. It is always nice to see and spend time with<br />
our southern friends. While we were there, we recruited some<br />
new NorCal members. Let’s give a big welcome to Jerry and<br />
Loretta Scott of Camarillo and David and Harriet of Temecula.<br />
We had a blast with the four of them and we can’t wait<br />
to introduce them to the rest of our members. We would<br />
also like to welcome new members Bob and Audrey Risberg<br />
of Red Bluff. We hope to meet them at our next rally.<br />
Speaking of our next rally, please save the dates of April 26<br />
– 29, <strong>2012</strong>. We will be having a Spring Rally in Columbia,<br />
Calif. at 49er Trailer Ranch. The venue is special as it has a<br />
true Gold-rush motif - 1700’s attire would be appropriate.<br />
Included in the rally package is live theater in Columbia<br />
State Park and a lunch day trip is being planned to a secret<br />
location in the Sierras. We may also have a new major sponsor<br />
for the rally. Mike Thompson RV in Santa Fe Springs,<br />
Calif. has extended a hand. We will be limiting the rally to<br />
20 coaches so as soon as we get the sign-up sheet, I will be<br />
e-mailing it out to our entire membership. It will be firstcome-first-served.<br />
A summer rally is planned in North Bend, Oregon at the<br />
Mill Casino RV park on June 25-28, <strong>2012</strong>. NorCal members,<br />
Ignacio and Tillie Curiel will be doing the planning for<br />
this rally. There is plenty to do in the summertime in North<br />
Bend so “Let the Good Times Roll”. The Curiel’s invite all<br />
ACA members along with all <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> and Revolution<br />
owners. The NorCal website, www.norcalaca.com, will<br />
be posting more information and the<br />
registration form soon. If you look<br />
close at the dates. this rally follows<br />
directly behind the FMCA northwest<br />
rally at the same place.<br />
Safe travels,<br />
Glenn and Jeannine Caldwell<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 9
[ Chapter News ]<br />
Great Lakes<br />
It’s a new year and a new beginning - an opportunity to<br />
reflect on the good things that happened last year and<br />
hold them as fond memories; an opportunity to hold on<br />
to the lessons we learned from the not-so-good things<br />
that happened and let their memory fade into the past.<br />
We don’t have to look very far to be humbled by all our<br />
blessings and thankful for all we have.<br />
Many of our Great Lakes members have already retreated<br />
to the warm, sunny parts of the U.S. Others of<br />
us will be heading south soon after the New Year. It’s<br />
exciting to anticipate seeing our “winter friends” and<br />
catching up on some R&R. To some folks, this means<br />
plowing through that pile of must-read-books that have<br />
accumulated since last summer. To others, it means<br />
hitting the greens to improve that drive or just loafing<br />
around the pool catching some rays. For most of us, the<br />
New Year brings promises of roads waiting to be explored,<br />
rallies waiting to be enjoyed, new friendships to<br />
be found and old friendships to be savored. Whatever<br />
the plan, our trusty <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> is standing by to<br />
carry us in comfort and luxury. You just ‘gotta love this<br />
life!<br />
After kicking off the New Year with the first ever East<br />
Coast Regional Rally at Lazydays in Seffner, Florida, the<br />
Great Lakes Chapter is looking forward to visiting the<br />
beautiful Smoky Mountains in May when the Southeast<br />
Chapter hosts our ACA Spring National Rally. Pat<br />
& Debby Brannigan and Allan & Eve Heath will be<br />
hosting our pre-rally. It’s a little risky getting these two<br />
couples together, but we have asked them to try and<br />
behave… ;-)<br />
Our summer rally will be a surprise and we’re anxiously<br />
awaiting a new location to explore in our beautiful<br />
Great Lakes area of the country.<br />
In September, we’re returning to Michigan and can’t<br />
wait to visit South Haven. We’ve heard only wonderful<br />
things about it and are delighted to add it to our rally<br />
schedule.<br />
Our ACA Fall National Rally will take us back to the<br />
great state of Arizona. We’re already excited about heading<br />
west and looking forward to the journey and the<br />
destination. Is it possible that Charles Schmidt, rollingrally-planner-extraordinaire,<br />
might pull another rolling<br />
rally out of the hat? We’ll keep ‘ya posted…<br />
As you can see, <strong>2012</strong> promises to be another wonderful<br />
year, with lots of opportunities to enjoy our beautiful<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>es. In the meantime,<br />
on behalf of the Great Lakes<br />
Chapter, we wish all of you many<br />
miles of good health, good friendships,<br />
peace and love.<br />
Bev DeAngelis, President<br />
Great Lakes Chapter<br />
Southeast<br />
Time seems to be flying by as I write the last article in<br />
my tenure as president of the greatest chapter in the<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. This has been a wonderful<br />
experience and Doty and I have had so much fun<br />
at all of the ACA functions that we have attended. I<br />
encourage everyone to step up and take a leadership role<br />
in the chapter. The rewards are very gratifying.<br />
The Christmas rally was fantastic. Sorry if you missed<br />
it. Jerry & Bev Weimer and Gary & Linda Mau did<br />
an excellent job as hosts for this rally. I heard many<br />
comments from everyone who thought it was the best<br />
Christmas rally we have had. It could be because most<br />
of us can’t remember the last Christmas rally.. LOL, but<br />
it was well planned and we were well fed and seriously,<br />
it was the best I can remember also.<br />
The regional rally will be in full swing when you receive<br />
this copy and I hope you are going to be there. Doty<br />
and I will be having a great time and hosting along with<br />
others, our Pasta Party. We are sold out of full-hook-up<br />
spaces and are expanded into electric only spots. Who<br />
10
[ Chapter News ]<br />
cares though, for three days we can do electric only<br />
and utilize some of the great features that these coaches<br />
have. We are looking forward to the Tampa Super RV<br />
Show, which is always one of my favorites. I love seeing<br />
all of the vendors with all of their new gadgets.<br />
The ACA National Rally in Sevierville is just around<br />
the corner and the planning committee has a wonderful<br />
rally planned for everyone. The location is just<br />
fantastic. There is so much to do that you will want to<br />
stay after for at least a week. The Riverside Plantation<br />
RV Park, is a great place and easy to get into and out<br />
of. They have a great convention hall and a wonderful<br />
catering group with an accomplished chef. I toured the<br />
kitchen and was shown the new S.S. behemoth oven<br />
they just purchased ($28,000) and was very impressed.<br />
They cater for a lot of the groups in the tri-town area<br />
(Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg). Gatlinburg<br />
was just named the second most popular ski area, with<br />
Breckenridge, Colorado being named the most popular.<br />
The mountains in this area are dominating and you<br />
will believe you are in the roughest part of the Rocky<br />
Mountains. David Hillemann has a motorcycle ride<br />
planned for at least two of the rally days, so if you have<br />
a bike, make sure to bring it. The park has promised<br />
that they will have plenty of space to park your trailer.<br />
David has a ride on the “Dragons Tail” and a couple of<br />
others that most people will never be able to do, much<br />
less do it with some of your best friends.<br />
Check the rest of the magazine for more things to do<br />
while in the area. We have two excellent nights of entertainment<br />
planned from professionals in the area, so<br />
plan to enjoy and bring your dancing shoes for Saturday<br />
night. Pat Branigan has over 40 vendors scheduled<br />
with all those gadgets I can’t seem to get enough of and<br />
they will be right where all the activities are.<br />
Good luck to all and happy travels.<br />
See y’all at the next rally down the road.<br />
Jim Graham<br />
President SEACA<br />
Missouri Valley<br />
For those of you who do not know, our dear friend, Linda<br />
Smith passed away in October. We will all miss her<br />
warm smiles and hugs. She was truly a special person.<br />
Nancy and Harry Cromer have also experienced the loss<br />
of loved ones this fall as Nancy’s brother lost his battle<br />
with cancer, and then Harry lost his sister. Please remember<br />
them all in your prayers. The Cromers do have<br />
happy news though, as they also have a new grandchild.<br />
And we know they won’t be spoiling him.<br />
Nine Mo Valley coaches gathered in Branson at ABC RV<br />
Park in October for one last get together in 2011. The<br />
weather was great, the food was wonderful, and everyone<br />
had a fantastic time. We were happy that Mike and<br />
Donna Coon were able to join us for the first time since<br />
they joined the group. We think they’ll be back.<br />
Ronnie and<br />
Barbara Weeks<br />
have graciously<br />
agreed to plan<br />
our pre-rally to<br />
the spring ACA<br />
rally to be held in<br />
their hometown<br />
in Tennessee.<br />
We hope to see<br />
everyone there!!<br />
We also have some new members who have joined us<br />
since Memphis that we have not yet met. We look forward<br />
to meeting them and having them become a part<br />
of our chapter. Some members of the group have not<br />
traveled with us for a while for various reasons. We hope<br />
to see them again in <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Many of our members are wintering<br />
in warm climates and we wish<br />
them all safe travels to and from<br />
their homes.<br />
Best wishes for the New Year!<br />
Jim Catron<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 11
[ Chapter News ]<br />
South Central<br />
Greetings from the South Central Chapter and its newly<br />
elected chapter president, Robin Fagala. Myrna and I<br />
extend a very Happy New Year to all! We certainly hope<br />
that your Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations were<br />
excellent and that you have a joyous, healthy <strong>2012</strong>!<br />
As a relative newcomer to the ACA and South Central<br />
Chapter, I am somewhat overwhelmed with the responsibility<br />
of being a chapter president, especially following in<br />
the footsteps of Mary Jane. She has been and will continue<br />
to be a valuable part of our chapter, still serving in<br />
several areas of responsibilities. All of us send our sincere<br />
thanks for a “job well done”.<br />
SCC has chosen our new slate of officers to lead us in<br />
<strong>2012</strong>. Our board members are: Kitty Nicholson, Vice<br />
President; Myrna Haden, Secretary; Bruce Pinnell,<br />
Treasurer; and Cal Aaron, Member-at-Large. We are all<br />
committing ourselves to making this another fun year for<br />
our chapter.<br />
I would really like to thank Tony & Betty Todd for hosting<br />
an excellent chapter rally in San Antonio. Everyone<br />
had a great time. Special thanks to Kevin Ketner and<br />
Fred Flickinger with Ancira RV for their sponsorship and<br />
for joining us for our barbeque dinner. Highlights of the<br />
rally included a tour of the Toyota Truck factory, visiting<br />
the River Walk, riding the water taxis along the River<br />
Walk, and our dinner and cocktails at the Mi Terra in the<br />
Mexican Market. The last night of the rally, Dorsey and<br />
Joyce Brown celebrated an anniversary and the members<br />
gathered around them to cheer them on as they did an<br />
anniversary dance.<br />
Some of the members chose to attend some of the festivities<br />
at the New Braunfels, Texas Wurstfest to take in a<br />
little German culture and enjoy German music while we<br />
were in the area.<br />
As I write this newsletter article, several members are<br />
already packing their coaches to travel to Paragon Casino<br />
in Marksville, La. for our Christmas Rally. Bugs and<br />
Mary Grace Rentrop, our rally hosts, are looking forward<br />
to entertaining all those who attend.<br />
Now it is time for us to concentrate on our spring rally<br />
scheduled for Montgomery, Texas (the birth place of the<br />
Lone Star Flag of Texas) on March 26-30, <strong>2012</strong>. Committee<br />
chairpersons were reminded that they needed to<br />
begin working on their committee assignments and have<br />
some recommendations when we meet in Montgomery<br />
at the spring rally. We urge all SCC members to make<br />
every effort to attend this very important rally when we<br />
will try to finalize the details of the ACA National Rally<br />
we will be hosting at this location in May 2013.<br />
We would like to welcome our newest chapter members,<br />
Benny & Joyce Thome of Oklahoma City, Okla. and<br />
Sonny & Gladys Ables of Port Venture, Texas. We look<br />
forward to seeing them at some of our upcoming rallies.<br />
We continue to pray for all our members who are currently<br />
ill, undergoing surgeries or healing from recent<br />
surgeries and wish them complete recovery. Please also<br />
remember our young men and women who are risking<br />
their lives so that we might enjoy our freedom.<br />
Keep safe in your travels ….enjoy<br />
your winter months wherever your<br />
travels may take you.<br />
Robin Fagala<br />
South Central Chapter<br />
Southern California<br />
Ch-ch-ch-changes! We’re excited to announce that our <strong>American</strong><br />
<strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Fall National Rally will be held at The<br />
Palms RV Resort in Yuma, Arizona. This is a luxury resort<br />
with all of the amenities: plenty of pools, a stage, tournamentrated<br />
tennis courts and billiards room, fitness center, putting<br />
green, card and game rooms, lounge with big screen TV, and<br />
two fenced, grassy pet exercise parks. Bob and Becky Clapper<br />
took time out of their busy schedule and visited The Palms<br />
and gave it four thumbs up. But wait there’s more – The<br />
Palms has a full-time Activities Director who can assist us with<br />
this rally.<br />
12
[ Chapter News ]<br />
While we were at our Bakersfield rally (fabulously hosted by<br />
Cheryl & Ken Brummett and Ken & Betty Tilley) our rally<br />
chairs got together and made some decisions. Because this is<br />
high season for Yuma, only 15 spots are available for a work<br />
rally in <strong>February</strong>, so it will be limited to the steering committee<br />
and rally chairs. We are all looking forward to visiting The<br />
Palms RV Resort, checking it out, and working on fabulous<br />
and unique touches to make this rally a stand-out! We put<br />
together a nominating committee to come up with a slate of<br />
officers. Our nominating committee consists of Eileen Smoot,<br />
Susan Rose, and Roy Nichols. Thank you to the three of you<br />
for taking on this responsibility! The committee will announce<br />
the slate during our April rally and, after taking a vote,<br />
the officers will take over in June, <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Since we won’t be able to invite the membership to the work<br />
rally in Yuma, Pete & Eileen Smoot and Jerry & Norma Dunn<br />
are planning a rally for all of our members <strong>February</strong> 23 – 25<br />
(out on the 26th), <strong>2012</strong> at Flying Flags in Buellton. Buellton<br />
is in California’s beautiful central coast near Santa Barbara.<br />
Right up the road is Solvang, an authentic Danish town, complete<br />
with a plethora of wonderful Danish bakeries. It’s a great<br />
place to stroll in the morning to have a fresh and hot baked<br />
Danish, and then stroll again in the afternoon to have a different<br />
Danish with coffee, and then of course it’s an adorable<br />
little town and you can hardly help yourself but to stop in one<br />
of the bakeries to have a tasty evening Danish dessert. It might<br />
be appropriate to lose a couple of pounds before the rally so<br />
one can feel free to imbibe.<br />
I received a letter from Jordan Black of Mike Thompson’s RV,<br />
our local Orange County RV dealership. Ben and I have purchased<br />
two <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>es at this dealership. Jordan has<br />
offered to bring a couple of new Revolutions to our <strong>February</strong><br />
rally, and possibly sponsor a lunch. Hope to see all of<br />
you there!<br />
As Jerry & Norma Dunn are co-hosts for this rally, I have to<br />
share an email they sent me about a recent trip. They were<br />
traveling to Phoenix for Thanksgiving and were in Houston.<br />
They had pulled off the freeway headed to their RV site for the<br />
evening. Anyone who’s been through Houston knows the traffic<br />
situation there – busy is an understatement, especially at 6<br />
p.m. As they made a tight right turn the car went up the curb,<br />
and, they assumed, came off the curb. WRONG! Instead<br />
the tow car broke off, rolled back into the center curb and<br />
stopped. They didn’t notice and kept driving slowly looking<br />
for their campground entrance. They pulled into the campground<br />
and out of habit Jerry casually glances at the back-up<br />
camera and, yikes, their tow car is gone!<br />
At this point a man from the corner gas station pulls up and<br />
hollers that their car is still at the signal. Jerry jumps out of<br />
the RV and adrenaline pumping, runs the half block back to<br />
the car. Norma said that was a sight to be seen! All that was<br />
left connected to the RV was the tow bar arms, the bra off the<br />
car, and the broken tow bar bracket. Although there was some<br />
damage to the undercarriage of the car, the only visible damage<br />
to the truck was to the front lower plastic piece of the bumper.<br />
So, are they lucky or what? Apparently the base plate had been<br />
stressed and it was about to break. They had just been going<br />
70 mph on the I-10. Can you imagine the calamity of an<br />
unmanned car in the middle of rush hour? What were the<br />
chances that no car, person or bike was hit by the freewheeling<br />
tow car? Personally, other than the repair costs (which sounded<br />
minimal) I think they were lucky, plus they ended up with<br />
one heck of a great story. And since they were on their way to<br />
spend Thanksgiving with their son and family, they had much<br />
for which to be thankful. We’re thankful they are both safe<br />
and ready to hit the road for another RV adventure!<br />
On April 12 – 15, <strong>2012</strong> we will have a rally at Distant Drums<br />
RV Resort in Camp Verde, AZ. We’ve all been to this resort<br />
and it is beautiful. Distant Drums is located just south of Sedona<br />
and 90 minutes from Phoenix in the high desert of Arizona.<br />
April should be a perfect time to view the beauty of the red<br />
rocks and take in the starry nights of Sedona. Our hosts for<br />
this rally are Gary and Pat Adams, Sal and Leslie Speziale and<br />
Joseph and Laura Bruno.<br />
Until the next time, stay safe and<br />
come back with a great story to tell!<br />
Beverly Petty<br />
President, SoCal Chapter<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 13
[ Chapter News ]<br />
Happy Wanderers<br />
Summer is over and Betty and I left our roost in Grayling,<br />
Michigan and began our trek down to Florida at<br />
the end of October before the snow started flying. We<br />
had been gone just a couple of days when I received<br />
a picture from our son of the snow on the roof of the<br />
house and the ground all white: we got out of Dodge in<br />
the nick of time.<br />
I would like to let all of you RV’ers with Spartan Chassis<br />
know that we stopped at the Spartan Factory Service<br />
Center on our way down to have some maintenance<br />
work done on our coach and the experience was great.<br />
They treated us like family, they had the parts ready for<br />
our arrival and took care of us in a timely manner and<br />
at a reasonable cost. We also had to stop at “Camp<br />
Decatur” for a small repair and they had our service<br />
done in one day so we were on the road in no time.<br />
We weren’t in Punta Gorda, Florida for more than ten<br />
days when we received word that Betty’s 96 year old<br />
mother had passed away, so we packed up our suitcase<br />
and flew back to Michigan. All went well and we thank<br />
all of you for your prayers, cards and letters.<br />
By the time you read this we will have had our Happy<br />
Wanderers Chapter Rally at Lazy Days following the<br />
Eastern Regional Rally so we’ll fill you in on our activities<br />
next issue.<br />
Plans are continuing to build for the chapter rally at<br />
River Plantation RV Park prior to the ACA National<br />
Spring Rally. There are a multitude of things to do and<br />
see. We will be having our pre-rally at the same park<br />
and hopefully we won’t have to move. Sevierville is a<br />
great place to visit in the spring and we hope to see you<br />
all there.<br />
Well, I guess I’ll get back on my motorcycle and tour<br />
around Florida some more.<br />
Life is good.<br />
God Bless our Troops<br />
where ever they are.<br />
Bill Makowski –<br />
President Happy Wanderers<br />
Southwest<br />
Another year has passed and we are looking forward to a<br />
great new year traveling around in our <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong><br />
and visiting with our AC friends. I hope that everyone<br />
received all of the presents that they wanted for their<br />
motorhome and maybe some money for fuel.<br />
We are looking forward to the Quartzsite rally; it’s<br />
always a lot of fun. We will have a very good time with<br />
all our friends that we haven’t seen in while. It’s a great<br />
place to visit and see all of the new items for your coach<br />
that you can’t live without and some you can but buy<br />
anyway. Don’t forget that we have a fun chili cook-off<br />
and a wonderful BBQ steak dinner.<br />
The cost of diesel fuel hasn’t gone down much this past<br />
year, so I guess that we will all have to grin and bear it<br />
and include it in our budget. I have found that if I stay<br />
at about 62 miles per hour, I get pretty good fuel mileage.<br />
Also, I use the cruise control all of the time.<br />
We are all trying to get more <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> Owners<br />
to join the ACA and its local chapters. Any time I<br />
see an <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong>, I’ll knock on the door and ask<br />
the owners if they belong to ACA. I have gotten some<br />
positive responses. I also tell them about the ACA web<br />
site and the fact that you can get answers to most, if not<br />
all of the problems that you may have with your coach.<br />
That one thing seems to peak the most interest. A lot of<br />
the clubs and originations are losing members because<br />
new folks are not joining like we all did. That includes<br />
the Elks, Moose, <strong>American</strong> Legion, and the Eagles, just<br />
to name a few. I think that we may be able to turn this<br />
around if we extol the virtue of what we are all about.<br />
For all of you that live in the cold climates, may I suggest<br />
that you join us in the sunny southwest and let<br />
your hair down and enjoy the warm weather. There are<br />
lots of things to do and see. We will<br />
certainly make you welcome. If<br />
you come to the Southwest Chapter<br />
rally and you are new to ACA,<br />
please contact me. We would love<br />
to see you there.<br />
Chuck Weart,<br />
Southwest Chapter President<br />
14
Las Vegas<br />
Western Rally<br />
The Western Regional Rally at the<br />
gorgeous Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort<br />
was a sell out. We had 90 coaches and<br />
more than 180 people at this beautiful<br />
10-10-10 Trailer Life rated park. Maybe<br />
it was the rally price of only $285,<br />
maybe the city, maybe the nonstop<br />
activities - whatever it was, we were<br />
excited to have everyone turn out for<br />
a great rally. We got lucky with the<br />
weather too; after a couple of rain<br />
showers, we were blessed with stunning<br />
blue skies, puffy white clouds and<br />
moderate temperatures.<br />
Activities kicked off with the first-timers<br />
orientation on the clubhouse patio<br />
followed by a welcome reception in<br />
the clubhouse. The evening began with<br />
a full Marine Color Guard followed<br />
by plentiful hors d’oeuvres sponsored<br />
by the resort and Apache RV Service,<br />
a mobile service which works in the<br />
park. We held a 50/50 raffle to benefit<br />
the ACA scholarship fund. A total of<br />
$1,950.00 was collected. The “winners”<br />
– Charter members Roy and Phyllis<br />
Nichols – donated all of their winnings<br />
to the Scholarship Fund. What a great<br />
gesture!<br />
Tuesday morning dawned bright and<br />
sunny and we all enjoyed a full welcome<br />
breakfast including scrambled eggs,<br />
biscuits and gravy, fruit, yogurt, juices,<br />
coffee and tea. Chris Cater, head of<br />
Product Development for <strong>American</strong><br />
<strong>Coach</strong>, brought us up to date on the<br />
latest goings on at Fleetwood. After<br />
chapter meetings, Debbie Hanson<br />
conducted a well-attended seminar<br />
on the Yahoo chat group. Major from<br />
Girard Awnings was at the rally to fix or<br />
adjust any awning that was a problem.<br />
The first ever Members’ Bazaar was a<br />
big hit. Participants could exhibit any<br />
of their own hand made items. We had<br />
jewelry, needle point, quilts, knitting,<br />
paintings, baskets etc etc. It was a<br />
fantastic showcase of the talents of<br />
Recap<br />
our members. For dinner, the<br />
food crew headed up by Debbie<br />
Darby, Pat Adams and Nancy<br />
Borecky served up chicken in a cream<br />
sauce, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, rolls<br />
and assorted desserts.<br />
The Wednesday schedule had seminars<br />
by Debbie Darby, on the Splendide<br />
washer, and Leslie Speziale and Laura<br />
Bruno on cooking in your RV. This<br />
was followed by Bev Petty’s very<br />
entertaining Pet-A-Palooza, which<br />
featured dogs bobbing for hot dogs, a<br />
barking contest, free cupcakes and a<br />
“Guess the Number of Dog Biscuits in<br />
the Barrel” contest. The resort provided<br />
our dinner on Wednesday --- make your<br />
own tostadas with all of the trimmings.<br />
Thursday morning featured our<br />
Experts Roundtable, where anyone in<br />
attendance could ask our experts how<br />
to fix any problem they were having.<br />
In addition to ACA members George<br />
Borecky, Terry Farber, Joe Bruno and<br />
Chip Aiken, we also had Jim Thompson<br />
from Harris batteries on the panel. This<br />
was followed in the main clubhouse<br />
by our ladies luncheon. The ladies<br />
were served by several of our “Cabana<br />
boys”. Much of what went on can’t<br />
be repeated here – let’s just say it got<br />
pretty raucous at times.<br />
Thursday night was our gala closing<br />
dinner. It included BBQ chicken, ribs<br />
and all the fixin’s from Famous Dave’s.<br />
This was followed by a drawing where<br />
we gave away over $1,000 in prizes<br />
including a video camera from the<br />
Campbell Insurance Group, and an iPad<br />
and GPS system from RV World. After<br />
dinner the house rocked as we danced<br />
to the music of a great DJ.<br />
RV World of Yuma brought six beautiful<br />
new coaches. The show coaches –<br />
two Eagles, two Traditions, and two<br />
Revolutions -- were on display from<br />
Tuesday morning to the close of the<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 15
Las Vegas Western Rally Recap<br />
rally. RV World sold an Eagle and a<br />
Tradition and seemed very pleased with<br />
the way the rally went. We owe a huge<br />
debt of gratitude to owner Mike Green<br />
for the substantial financial support<br />
RV World Yuma provided to the rally.<br />
Without it, there is no way we could<br />
have provided five days at a five star<br />
resort and breakfast and dinner every<br />
night for the price we did. Thanks Mike.<br />
Many of the same folks who put on the<br />
Western Rally will be involved in the<br />
ACA National Rally next year on October<br />
2-6 at the Yuma Palms RV Resort. If you<br />
enjoyed the Las Vegas Western Rally, or<br />
couldn’t come but think it sounded like<br />
fun, you gotta block out these dates.<br />
We plan to deliver a bang up rally, at<br />
a beautiful destination, with all the<br />
amenities and activities you’ve come<br />
to expect at a national rally, and were<br />
going to do it for under $300. We hope<br />
to see you there!<br />
Pete Smoot<br />
Western Rally Chairman<br />
The ladies’ luncheon was one of the highlights of the Western Regional Rally<br />
in Las Vegas. Just ask the 64 ladies who had the great pleasure of attending!<br />
The fun began as the ladies were greeted by “The ACA Cabana Boys”, Joe<br />
Darby, George Borecky, Gary Adams, Glenn Caldwell and Jerry Barry. They<br />
were fetchingly dressed in shorts, sandals, Hawaiian shirts and leis. They<br />
each had been assigned a table of ladies to serve and serve they did. The<br />
lunch began with a delicious Chinese Chicken Won Ton salad prepared by the<br />
rally food team - Debbie Darby, Nancy Borecky, and Pat Adams. The dessert<br />
was a fall colored Chrysanthemums iced chocolate cupcake. The “Cabana<br />
Boys” and some of the ladies found interesting ways to enjoy the icing!<br />
At one point a couple of the “Cabana Boys” had to run, or shall I say retreat<br />
to the men’s room, as they were being chased by a nameless woman. Neck<br />
and shoulder massages followed for those who “needed” them. At one<br />
point, one of the “Cabana Boys” even lost his shirt! The laughter during the<br />
luncheon was constant and infectious. Pat Adams did a wonderful job as the<br />
hostess and mistress of ceremonies, handing out door prizes to over half of<br />
the attendees.<br />
We had a large number of first time members who said that they will<br />
never miss a ladies luncheon in the future; I’m sure they were talking<br />
about the food.<br />
16
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 17
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 19
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ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 21
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22
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 23
ACA Scholarship<br />
Foundation<br />
Thanks to the generosity of our <strong>American</strong> coach <strong>Association</strong><br />
members, 2011 was a very special year. I’d<br />
like to extend a very special thanks to the members of<br />
the Northern California, Great Lakes, and Mac Pack<br />
Chapters, the ACA Western Regional Rally, and to<br />
individual members who donated to this very worthy<br />
endeavor. If I missed mentioning someone, please<br />
accept my sincere apology.<br />
We have attained our goal to award ten $1000<br />
scholarships in the spring of <strong>2012</strong> to the graduating<br />
children of the employees who build and service<br />
our coaches. Further contributions will assist us in<br />
achieving our goal for the next year, so please keep up<br />
the good work. The ACA Scholarship Committee<br />
will have a lot of work compiling the student’s applications<br />
and choosing the winners for <strong>2012</strong>. The<br />
scholarship presentation will take place in Decatur<br />
and will be announced in a future article. You are all<br />
welcome to attend.<br />
All your tax deductable contributions should be sent<br />
to the ACA Scholarship Foundation, c/o Dan Lee,<br />
Treasurer, 4961 60th Avenue South, St. Petersburg,<br />
FL 33715. Remember the ACA Scholarship Foundation<br />
is a tax advantaged 501-c-3 Corporation.<br />
This has also been a nice way to make a donation in<br />
memory of a deceased friend.<br />
If you have any ideas on how to expand our program,<br />
please contact me either by e-mail (acajfcorcoran@aol.<br />
com) or telephone (863-370-0869). Thank you in<br />
advance for your continued support.<br />
John Corcoran<br />
President, ACA Scholarship Foundation<br />
ACA Website<br />
The Webmaster’s Report<br />
Things are moving along swimmingly on the website.<br />
New photos for the ACA Western Regional<br />
Rally are in place, and soon we will have photos of<br />
the ACA Eastern Regional Rally.<br />
I had sent out an “email blast” in mid-December with<br />
information on the upcoming ACA Eastern Regional<br />
Rally in Tampa. In order to do that, we needed to<br />
verify each email address. Unfortunately, 78 of them<br />
came back as undeliverable. Please take a couple<br />
of moments to check the address information in<br />
your member record. Our ability to contact you is<br />
only as good as the information we have on hand.<br />
If your email, phone or other address information<br />
has changed, you can log onto your member record<br />
and update at any time, or you are more than<br />
welcome to email membership@myamericancoach.<br />
com and we’ll update it for you. Remember, when<br />
you modify your record, the information is also exchanged<br />
monthly with the regional chapters, so we<br />
can keep everything “in sync”.<br />
Each month, in preparation for this article, I overview<br />
the data collected on the website from visitors<br />
passing by. We record visits to each page, each<br />
page view request and a ton of other data. One<br />
very interesting discovery this time is just how<br />
many people read the online version of ACA Across<br />
America.<br />
For the past 18 months, we have posted each issue<br />
in .PDF format for members to access as they travel<br />
and it is really catching on. If it is easier for you to<br />
read it online and you don’t want us to mail you a<br />
hard copy, please send an email to webguy@myamericancoach.com<br />
. If you haven’t checked this<br />
out yet, just look under the “Our Community” tab on<br />
the website menu structure.<br />
As always, we’re open to suggestions about things<br />
you’d like to see on the site. And, if you find something<br />
posted that is not correct,<br />
please send an email to webguy@myamericancoach.com<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Doug Thompson<br />
24
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: DO YOU HAVE<br />
A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?<br />
HELPFUL HINTS & TIPS!<br />
If so, please send it in to your editor:<br />
jlihou@aol.com<br />
or Jane Lihou • 9121 Atlanta Ave., #637<br />
Huntington Beach, CA 92646<br />
Bev DeAngelis<br />
Baked Chicken<br />
Breast Casserole<br />
4 chicken breasts halved (I use skinless/boneless)<br />
4 slices Swiss cheese<br />
1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with ½ cup water<br />
¼ lb. margarine<br />
2 cups Pepperidge Farms dressing<br />
Lay chicken breasts in 9” x 13” pan/casserole dish.<br />
Cover with cheese.<br />
Pour shop mixture over chicken. Mix dressing with<br />
melted margarine and pour over chicken. (I also<br />
sprinkle a few parsley flakes over the top for color.)<br />
Bake at 325º for 1-1/2 hours.<br />
Sausage Bread<br />
1 refrigerated pizza crust<br />
1 pound hot Italian sausage<br />
1-2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes<br />
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
2 Tbsp. fresh grated parmesan cheese<br />
2 eggs<br />
Cook the sausage in a frying pan so that it’s crumbly and done. Add the<br />
onion flakes while sausage is still warm. (You could certainly use a med<br />
fresh onion and chop and cook it as well, but the dried onion flakes were<br />
a time saver and added the flavor I wanted)<br />
In the meantime, spray a large cookie sheet with no stick spray, and<br />
then carefully roll out the pizza dough on a cookie sheet. Try to get the<br />
dough to be even around the sheet (not too thin near edges)<br />
Drain the sausage and onion mixture. Beat one egg and add it and the<br />
cheeses, then add it to the sausage mixture. Mix well, and spread it<br />
down the center of the bread dough. Carefully roll up the sides and<br />
ends of the bread dough together - pinch around it to seal.<br />
Beat remaining egg and brush over the top. Sprinkle with additional<br />
parmesan cheese if you like.<br />
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until it gets brown.<br />
Layered Vegetable Salad for a Crowd<br />
This is a very flexible recipe. You can juggle the<br />
amounts to fit the crowd or the ingredients you have<br />
on hand. If you’re short on time, you can purchase<br />
most of the ingredients from the salad department<br />
or salad bar, yet the salad is delicious and a pretty<br />
addition to any table. It looks particularly attractive<br />
in a see-through glass container.<br />
1 bag of lettuce or a head of fresh cut iceberg lettuce<br />
2 cups or shredded carrots<br />
2 cups of chopped celery<br />
1 sliced green pepper<br />
1 sliced purple onion<br />
2 cups peas (frozen is fine)<br />
8 - 12 oz. Hellmans’s salad dressing (I use light)<br />
1 cup sugar (or less to taste)<br />
8 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese<br />
1 pound crumbled crisply cooked and drained bacon<br />
Mix mayo with 1 cup of sugar to make a dressing.<br />
You can start with less sugar and add to your taste.<br />
Start layering the ingredients. I like to alternate<br />
colors.<br />
First (bottom) layer is the lettuce torn into bite-sized<br />
pieces.<br />
Next layers are the carrots, celery, onion and if you<br />
like, a green pepper. I sometimes omit the green pepper<br />
because it can overwhelm the taste of the salad.<br />
Next layer is the peas.<br />
Spread the dressing over top of peas.<br />
Next layer is the shredded mild cheddar cheese.<br />
Lastly, top the salad with crumbled bacon.<br />
Cover and refrigerate overnight.<br />
Thanks to Bev DeAngelis for these<br />
great easy recipes. They will be great<br />
to try out at your next rally potluck.<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 25
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26
[ ACA Rally Schedule ]<br />
Date Location Chapter<br />
Feb 23 - 26, <strong>2012</strong> Buellton, California Southern California Chapter<br />
March 26 - 30, <strong>2012</strong> Montgomery, Texas South Central Chapter<br />
April 12 - 15, <strong>2012</strong> Camp Verde, California Southern California Chapter<br />
April 26 - 29, <strong>2012</strong> Columbia, California Northern California Chapter<br />
May 13 - 14, <strong>2012</strong> Pigeon Forge, Tenessee Mac Pack Chapter<br />
May 15 - 20, <strong>2012</strong> Sevierville, Tennessee Southeast Chapter<br />
May 12 - 14, <strong>2012</strong> Sevierville, Tennessee Happy Wanderer’s Chapter<br />
May 15 - 20, <strong>2012</strong> Sevierville, Tennessee ACA National Rally<br />
Sept 9 - 14, <strong>2012</strong> Petoskey, Michigan Mac Pack Chapter<br />
Oct. 2 - 6, <strong>2012</strong> Yuma, Arizona ACA National Rally<br />
Dec 10 - 14, <strong>2012</strong> Virginia Beach, Virginia Mac Pack Chapter<br />
28
[ ACA Rally Sites ]<br />
Southern California Chapter<br />
Flying Flags RV Resort, Buellton, California<br />
<strong>February</strong> 23 – 25, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Pete & Eileen Smoot and Jerry & Norma Dunn are planning a<br />
rally for all of our members at Flying FlagsRV Resort in Buellton.<br />
Buellton is in California’s beautiful central coast near Santa<br />
Barbara. The central coast is known for it wineries. Right up<br />
the road is Solvang, an authentic Danish town, complete with<br />
a plethora of wonderful Danish bakeries. It’s a great place to<br />
stroll in the morning to have a fresh and hot baked Danish, and<br />
then stroll again in the afternoon to have a different Danish with<br />
coffee, and then of course it’s an adorable little town and you<br />
can hardly help yourself but to stop in one of the bakeries to<br />
have a tasty evening Danish dessert. It might be appropriate to<br />
lose a couple of pounds before the rally so one can feel free to<br />
imbibe.<br />
South Central Chapter<br />
Lake Conroe KOA, Montgomery, Texas<br />
March 26-30, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Lake Conroe KOA is big-rig friendly. Located just north of<br />
Houston, Montgomery is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag<br />
of Texas. All sites are full hookups, with 20/30/50 amp service.<br />
We will be just two minutes from Lake Conroe’s 21,000 acres<br />
of water recreation, golf courses, shopping and restaurants.<br />
Possible entertainment may include a dinner cruise on Lake<br />
Conroe aboard the Southern Empress. We will have more<br />
details as we get closer to the time of the rally. The rally hosts<br />
are Roger & Carol Bartel and Don & Francia Gentry. You may<br />
contact them at 936-273-9204 or 936-537-0011(cell) or email at<br />
omro_fox@yahoo.com for details.<br />
Southern California Chapter<br />
Distant Drums, Camp Verde, AZ<br />
April 12 – 15, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Sal & Leslie Speziale, Pat & Gary Adams, and Linda & Marv<br />
Karsten will host a rally at the beautiful Distant Drums RV<br />
Resort. There are wide, level concrete sites with full hook-ups<br />
and plenty of attractions to tour. Enjoy the surrounding area,<br />
which includes Sedona, Montezuma Castle National Monument,<br />
Red Rock State Park and Coconino National Forest. Come enjoy<br />
spring in the desert with us.<br />
Northern California Chapter<br />
49er RV Ranch, Columbia, CA<br />
April 26 - 29, <strong>2012</strong><br />
The rally is being hosted by the Caldwell’s and the Bennett’s.<br />
The RV park has a remodeled Old Barn built in the 1890’s that<br />
has a wood burning stove. It will serve as our dining room.<br />
We will have dinners together, a night at the Fallon House<br />
Theatre, and much more. This area of the Sierras has so much<br />
to offer along with fishing, golf, and shopping in Old town<br />
Columbia. Registration information will be mailed out in<br />
<strong>February</strong> so, as they say, mark your calendar and get ready for a<br />
unique experience. This is an historic area along Highway 49 in<br />
the Northern California Sierra Nevada Mountains. We hope to<br />
see you there.<br />
Mac Pack Pre-Rally to ACA National Rally<br />
Pine Mountain RV Park, Pigeon Forge, TN<br />
May 13th - May 14th, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Pine Mountain RV Park will be the gathering point for our prerally<br />
to the ACA National. Plans are being made for dinner out<br />
as a group and some free time to relax before we caravan over<br />
to the ACA National Rally on the 15th.<br />
Happy Wanderers Chapter Pre Rally to ACA National Rally<br />
River Plantation RV Park<br />
Sevierville, Tennessee<br />
May 12, - 14, <strong>2012</strong><br />
The Happy Wanderers Pre-rally to the ACA National Rally will<br />
be held in the same park as the national rally. There will be<br />
plenty to do during our pre-rally. We have reserved 15 sites in<br />
this Good Sam park, all with 50 amp full hook-ups. The price<br />
is $33.50 per night. Carolyn Keffer has volunteered to make<br />
reservations for us (at a discount price) at one of the many<br />
shows. There are several good shows as many entertainers<br />
will be nearby. As usual, we’ll have our welcome party and<br />
I’m sure the Happy Wanderers Chapter will have a cookout or<br />
pizza, plus a lot of other fun events. You will need to make your<br />
own reservations at the park and mention that you are with<br />
the Happy Wanderers so we can park together. Their number<br />
is 865-429-5267 or toll free 1-800-758-5267. If you have any<br />
questions, please call Bill Makowski at 989-390-9444 or email at<br />
wbmak@aol.com or contact Dave Crossan at 410-490-3575 or<br />
email at colls57@msn.com.<br />
I have made arrangements so that hopefully, we will not have to<br />
change our sites between the chapter pre-rally and the national<br />
rally. Those of you with motorcycles, don’t leave them home;<br />
there is a lot of good riding in the area such as Tail of the Dragon<br />
and some mountain rides. I’ve heard there may be a leader but<br />
if not, I’m sure we can find our way, or maybe a member of our<br />
chapter would volunteer.<br />
cont’d<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 29
[ ACA Rally Sites cont’d ]<br />
Southeast Chapter<br />
ACA National Rally, River Plantation RV Park<br />
Sevierville, Tenn.<br />
May 15 – 20, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Mark your calendars and plan to join us in this beautiful<br />
location for some “Smokey Mountains Memories”, the spring<br />
ACA National Rally. We will be staying in a full-hookup RV Park<br />
with a large indoor conference center. It is conveniently located<br />
thirty miles southeast of Knoxville, and among the many nearby<br />
attractions are Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, Gatlinburg and the<br />
Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Look for full details<br />
about this event in upcoming editions of this magazine.<br />
Mac Pack Chapter<br />
Hearthside Grove RV Resort, Petoskey, MI<br />
September 9 - 14, <strong>2012</strong><br />
Mac Pack and Hearthside Grove are putting together an<br />
amazing rally to allow you to spend quality time with friends<br />
and to enjoy some of the best activities in the area. We will<br />
have a Welcome Supper, breakfast each morning, a Welcome<br />
Party hosted by Hearthside, a tour of Mackinac Island, lunch<br />
at the Grand Hotel, a Sunset Cruise aboard the Keweenaw Star<br />
while cruising on Lake Charlevoix...and the list goes on and on<br />
with activities. Mark your calendar!<br />
Mac Pack Christmas Rally<br />
Holiday Travl-Park, Virginia Beach, VA<br />
December 10 - 14, <strong>2012</strong><br />
What a way to begin the Christmas season. Christmas Lights,<br />
places to shop if you still need that last minute gift, treats for<br />
the tummy and time to spend with our RV family. Look for<br />
additional details to come, but make sure you put this rally on<br />
your Christmas List.<br />
Bella Terra offers a host of resort<br />
amenities and local attractions with<br />
organized social events and day trips<br />
Just minutes from the tropical Gulf of Mexico,<br />
championship golf courses, world-class sport-fishing,<br />
fabulous shopping and dining, state parks and more...<br />
FREE Wi-Fi AND FREE CABLE<br />
OVERSIZED CONCRETE PADS<br />
200 AMP POWER<br />
NINE ACRE<br />
CENTERPIECE LAKE<br />
SITES WITH KITCHENS,<br />
GAZEBOS, FIREPITS<br />
CALL US NOW AT (866) 671-6909<br />
OR VISIT www.BellaTerraRVresort.com<br />
101 Via Bella Terra, Foley, Alabama 36535<br />
30
Organizing Your <strong>Coach</strong><br />
by Debbie Darby<br />
Much to my surprise, I received a lot of email on my<br />
last article dealing with doing laundry in our coaches.<br />
Some of you had further questions and many of you<br />
just mailed to thank me for the great tips. I didn’t<br />
realize that so many of you even read my articles! I<br />
also had a couple of requests for general cleaning tips.<br />
Since we are starting a new year, what better time<br />
to think about cleaning our rigs to get ready for our<br />
travels. Here are some tips I use:<br />
I was asked about the best cleaner for Corian countertops.<br />
I use either Hope’s Countertop Polish or Gel<br />
Gloss. They both work well. Do not use glass cleaner<br />
such as Windex on Corian. The ammonia in the glass<br />
cleaner will damage the Corian.<br />
To remove hairspray residue from walls, mirrors and<br />
tile; use a soft rag dampened with alcohol. Even better,<br />
when we use hairspray, we step into the shower<br />
stall and spray; next time the shower is on, it washes<br />
away the spray.<br />
Have a stained coffee cup or a Tupperware container<br />
stained with red sauce. Use a denture cleaning tablet<br />
in hot water and the stain will disappear without any<br />
scrubbing.<br />
Rub shampoo across a dirty shirt neck to clean and<br />
remove oil and grime, then throw in the wash.<br />
To clean the tile in your coach, mix 1/2 cup vinegar,<br />
1/4 cup alcohol and 1 quart water to wash your tile.<br />
Viola! No streaks and no residue!<br />
Do you have fingerprints or oil stains on wallpaper?<br />
Use a piece of stale white bread and rub it gently on<br />
the wall to remove the prints without damaging the<br />
wallpaper.<br />
To clean your wood cabinets, combine 3 parts olive oil<br />
to 1 part vinegar as an eco-friendly furniture polish.<br />
To clean the microwave, put a large measuring cup,<br />
half full of water and cook until boiling. Let it sit for<br />
a few minutes. The steam will clean any buildup and<br />
you can just wipe out with a warm, damp cloth and no<br />
scrubbing needed.<br />
To clean a cutting board, use 1 part<br />
baking soda to 2 parts table salt<br />
and enough water to make a heavy<br />
paste. Take a lemon, cut it in half<br />
and use it to ‘scrub’ the board with<br />
the paste. Rinse well in hot water.<br />
The board is clean and the citric acid in the lemon<br />
removes<br />
the bacteria.<br />
After you turn the refrigerator off and the ice in the<br />
tray has had time to melt, use an infant nasal syringe<br />
(very inexpensive at any drug store), to ‘suck’ the<br />
water out that is left in the ice tray. When you cannot<br />
get any more water with the syringe, take a paper<br />
towel and wipe out the rest. This will protect the Teflon<br />
lining in the ice tray, and it will last much longer,<br />
plus when you turn the freezer back on for the next<br />
trip, you will not have a batch of ice that was made<br />
with the old rancid water!<br />
Scrub your shower with shampoo. It washes oil, hairspray<br />
and dirt out of your hair, it can do the same for<br />
your shower walls. If you don’t have an old bottle of<br />
something you didn’t like, go to a dollar store and<br />
buy some.<br />
I hope you find a use for at least one of these<br />
tips helpful.<br />
Happy, Safe Travels and New Year!<br />
Debbie<br />
From Mountain High. . .To Ocean Blue<br />
See it ALL with Your<br />
MCD <strong>American</strong> Duo Shade System<br />
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32
Jan Thompson,<br />
ACA Membership Services<br />
jan@rvzoomin.com<br />
(501) 858-9564<br />
(727) 364-5327<br />
[ Membership Services ]<br />
It seems impossible to believe that we are in <strong>2012</strong>. They say “time flies”. As we get<br />
older, it is one of the few things that still moves fast. One of the other things is our<br />
beautiful coaches. As we start to pack and prepare for our upcoming travels, remember<br />
to bring along some applications for new members you meet along the way!<br />
Each chapter president has been supplied with applications, or you can print them<br />
from the website, www.myamericancoach.com (both national and chapter), or better<br />
yet, bring along some of the previous copies of this magazine. Not only does it have<br />
an application inside, it has lots of valuable information and links that would be of<br />
great interest to someone who has no knowledge of our owner’s club. The next time<br />
you are traveling and see another <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> or Revolution, tell them about us<br />
and give them the tools to join in and have as much fun as we all do!<br />
Thirty six new member coaches have joined in the fun . Please welcome these new members to our family:<br />
Al & Carol Gottlieb, Ed Kozak, John & Brenda Eisele, Aurelio Camacho, Randy & Liz Newman, Bill Corley,<br />
Jim & Dawn Alger, Timothy Conklin, Steven & Diane Eller, Roger Gaines, Ed & Bev Gilmore, Brent & Lori<br />
Muhlenberg, Jan & Karen Hutwelker, Wes Barager, Tom & Marcy Walsh, Bob & Bonnie Patterson, Bud & Gwen<br />
Wandall, Paul & Laverne Ernstberger, Richard & Judy Kaylor, James Baird, James & Betty Pryor, Walt Mathis &<br />
Sheri Gullatt, Kenny Day & Paula Klevanosky, Bob & Audrey Risberg, Rick & Tracey Butler, Chuck & JoAnn<br />
Ringel, Keith & Kimberli Ayers, Dwight Stromain, Rene Hughes & Rene Couture, Doug & Lisa Granger, Willard<br />
& Betty Hawkinberry, Larry Lenig, Joseph O’Brien & Shawn Haupt, Ed & Susan Lightfoot, Donald & Sorayn<br />
Skinner, BJ & Shirley Silbernagel, Kevin & Lisa Cox.<br />
• Credit Card Services •<br />
You can join or pay your annual<br />
dues with a Master Card or Visa on<br />
the ACA Web site*. We’ve taken<br />
precautions to ensure it’s safe and<br />
no one will have access to your<br />
credit card information.<br />
• Membership Roster/By-Laws •<br />
Membership Roster & By-Laws can<br />
be viewed and downloaded from<br />
the ACA Web site*. Please note we<br />
no longer mail out either unless<br />
one is requested by mail or e-mail.<br />
• Free Web Site Advertising •<br />
Members can place a classified<br />
“coach for sale” advertisement<br />
on the ACA Web site.<br />
Best of all, it’s FREE!<br />
• Membership Badges •<br />
New members receive their<br />
Membership Badge(s) - they are<br />
FREE - with their New Member<br />
Welcome Letter. Existing members<br />
who wish replacement badges<br />
must order them directly from<br />
McBee’s - see below.<br />
• Change Phone or Address •<br />
Change and/or view your personal<br />
membership information on the<br />
ACA Web site*<br />
All ACA mailings, including the<br />
ACA Across America Magazine, are<br />
mailed to the address listed in the<br />
ACA Roster data base.<br />
If you don’t have a computer (or<br />
hate to use one) just call or mail<br />
us and we’ll make any necessary<br />
changes or corrections for you.<br />
* Type in www.myamericancoach.com - on the home page, click on Membership Services and follow prompts.<br />
Need Swingers, Badges or Ovals?<br />
It’s easy: Mail your order along with an enclosed check (US $), including your correct ACA Membership Number, to the following:<br />
McBee’s • 909-336-2325 • PO Box 660, Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352<br />
• Swingers @ $2.00 each • Badges @ 5.50 each • Ovals @ $16.00 each - Prices include shipping and sales tax.<br />
Questions? send e-mail to mcbeesengraving@hotmail.com<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 33
[ Chapter Directory ]<br />
• Northeast<br />
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts,<br />
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,<br />
Delaware & Maryland<br />
Bob Hershman, Membership Chair<br />
2415 Continental Dr.<br />
Warrington, PA 18976<br />
215-343-2448 • cell 215-852-6878<br />
Bobh24@ham-buerger.com<br />
$8.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues-less $1.00 prorated per month after July<br />
• Mac Pack<br />
Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina,<br />
South Carolina & Tennessee<br />
Marlene Shamel, Membership Chair<br />
279 Stonegate Lane<br />
Mocksville, NC 27028<br />
336-998-2277<br />
mshamel@yadtel.net<br />
$8.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues, due July 1<br />
• Southeast<br />
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia & Florida<br />
Monty Campbell, Membership Chair<br />
8701 Belle Meade Drive<br />
Fort Myers, FL 33908<br />
239-454-7007<br />
mcampbel1@aol.com<br />
$8.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues<br />
• Great Lakes<br />
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,<br />
Michigan & Southern Ontario, Canada<br />
Mary Jo Benhart, Membership Chair<br />
1905 Marketview - #307<br />
Yorkville, IL 60560<br />
630-553-0102 Cell: 708-903-6572<br />
Lbenhart@ameritech.net<br />
$10.00 Annual Dues, due by July 1<br />
$5.00 after <strong>January</strong> 1<br />
• Missouri Valley<br />
North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas,<br />
Nebraska, Iowa & Missouri<br />
Donna Catron, Membership Chair<br />
Rt.2, Box 255<br />
Butler, MO 64730<br />
620-752-3260 Cell: 316-204-4844<br />
wonderfarm.catron@gmail.com<br />
$15.00 Annual Dues due by July 1<br />
• South Central Chapter:<br />
Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma & Texas<br />
David Parsons, Membership Chair<br />
201 Muskogee Trail<br />
Madisonville, LA 70447<br />
985-845-8476 • 318-349-5514<br />
DavidTish@aol.com<br />
$6.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated per month after <strong>January</strong><br />
• Southwest<br />
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Nevada and Utah<br />
Steve Hight, Membership Chair<br />
1698 Nez Pierce Loop, NE<br />
Rio Rancho, NM 87144<br />
505-343-0782 • Cell: 505-715-2688<br />
stevehight@yahoo.com<br />
$8.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated per month after July<br />
• Southern California<br />
Southern California<br />
Susan Rose, Membership Chair/Treasurer<br />
300 S. Houser Drive<br />
Covina, CA 91722<br />
626-332-6070<br />
sroses4@aol.com<br />
$5.00 Initiation Fee • $15.00 Annual Dues, due June<br />
• Northern California<br />
Northern California and Northern Nevada<br />
Terry Bennett, Membership Chair<br />
1970 N. Leslie St., PMB 334<br />
Pahrump, NV 89060<br />
916-718-4068<br />
truman38@earthlink.net<br />
$5.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated per month after July<br />
$33.00 Optional personalized window placard<br />
• Northwest<br />
Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska,<br />
British Columbia, Alberta & Saskatchewan<br />
Leslie Pettinger, Membership Chair<br />
1919 Maiden Lane<br />
Oakdale, CA 95361<br />
209-847-7133 / Cell: 209-765-6547<br />
lpettinger@aol.com<br />
$8.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated after July<br />
• Happy Wanderers<br />
All 50 States Plus Canada<br />
Rita Adams, Membership Chair<br />
524 Pleasant Home Ch Rd.<br />
Millers Creek, NC 28651<br />
336-602-9777<br />
generita53@gmail.com<br />
$5.00 Initiation Fee<br />
$15.00 Annual Dues<br />
Annual dues renewal date: <strong>January</strong> 1<br />
34
New Membership Application & Dues Renewal Form<br />
Please complete this form and mail (with check in US dollars) to the ACA Membership Services address listed below<br />
When enclosing a check with this form, please fill in the following information:<br />
Select one: q Current ACA member # _______ q Reactivating membership/previous ACA # _______ q Applying for new membership<br />
q New or reactivated membership - $55 first year only ($45 annual dues plus $10 initiation fee)<br />
q Annual renewal dues - $45 yearly<br />
q Number or years renewal (select one): q One q Two<br />
q Total of your enclosed check $ _______ (US dollars please) Check number _______ Date mailed _______<br />
Please type or print clearly. NOTE: If you are a New Member, the National Directory & your ACA badge will be exactly as listed.<br />
cut & mail separately<br />
[ Membership Form ]<br />
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last<br />
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Co-Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Mailing info: address & street name city state zip U.S. or Canada<br />
(_______)_______-__________________(_______)_______-________________________________________________________<br />
Phone: home cell E-mail address<br />
I/we own: q Heritage/year _____ q Eagle/year _____ q Dream/year _____ q Tradition/year _____<br />
q Allegiance/year _____ q Limited/year _____ q Revolution/year _____<br />
I/we belong to the following local chapter(s): q Great Lakes q Happy Wanderers q MacPack q Missouri Valley q Northern California<br />
q Northeast q Northwest q Southern California q South Central q Southeast q Southwest<br />
• • • <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong> • • •<br />
3590 Round Bottom Road, Cincinnati, OH 45244-3026<br />
If you need to correspond with the Membership Services office directly,<br />
you can reach them at 501-858-9564 or send Email to membership@myamericancoach.com<br />
USE For Local Chapter Membership Application ONLY *<br />
I understand that I may join as many local chapters as I please but that I must be a member in good standing in<br />
the National <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong> in order to join a local chapter - my membership number is: #____________<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last<br />
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Co-Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Mailing info: address & street name city state zip U.S. or Canada<br />
(_______)_______-__________________(_______)_______-________________________________________________________<br />
Phone: home cell E-mail address<br />
See Directory & Dues page for a listing of chapters, states they cover, dues & initiation fees and key contacts.<br />
Indicate the chapter(s) that you wish to join by checking the appropriate box(es)<br />
q Great Lakes q Happy Wanderers q MacPack q Missouri Valley q Northern California<br />
q Northeast q Northwest q Southern California q South Central q Southeast q Southwest<br />
Total of the enclosed check (see chapter requirements): $_____ Check number _____ Date mailed _____<br />
* Send this completed form, along with a check in the correct amount for initiation fees and first year’s dues<br />
(US dollar please) and mail it to the appropriate chapter contact as listed on Directory & Dues page of this Magazine.<br />
ACA ACROSS AMERICA - <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong> 35
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or manual for cockpit<br />
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• Furniture<br />
• Upholstery<br />
• Cabinetry<br />
• Electronics<br />
• Ceilings<br />
• Windows<br />
Flooring<br />
• Flooring<br />
• Awnings<br />
Stressless chairs<br />
and more!<br />
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Captains Chairs - Recliners - Sofas<br />
Theater Seating - Tables - Mattresses<br />
Dinette Sets - Computer Centers<br />
MCD Shades - LCD TV’s - Flooring<br />
36
ACA Across America<br />
The Official Magazine of <strong>American</strong> <strong>Coach</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
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