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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 />

Night<br />

Day<br />

Night<br />

Day<br />

www.mcdinnovations.com • 800 . 804 . 1757<br />

Proudly Conceived, Engineered and Manufactured in the U.S.A.<br />

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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Shades<br />

Day Shades<br />

Day/Night Shades<br />

Roller shades power<br />

or manual for cockpit<br />

or house.<br />

• 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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Household Refrigerators<br />

Shop Online - Visit Our Showroom<br />

Shipping - Professional Installation<br />

Flooring<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 />

Membership Services<br />

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