Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

My RV experience spans some 55 years, and almost every facet of the industry. It began by accident you might say. Just married, we decided to go to CA. From Ontario that would be expensive (with gas costing .29 cents a gallon and all.) Hotel rates were much too costly. So we built a camper on our pickup truck to camp across America..We used linens,dishes etc., from the house..We did purchase a Coleman stove and a water jug...in Detroit. Even  then,commodities were cheaper in the US..Our trip took us 8,625 miles from home to LA,up the coast to Vancouver, across Canada to the Lakehead and back through UPI and Michigan to Detroit then home. Our trip was one of a lifetime certainly, but IT SOLD US ON THE LIFESTYLE. It was so easy, to travel at your own speed, stop when you wanted or keep going if that was desired. As well, we met many interesting and plain nice people. We kept going until my husband's death. Continuing for another seven years,I have now "retired"my motorhome.
 
As for a particular trip..there have been so many SPECIAL trips I am hard pressed to choose. We adopted three babies .Every summer we went on a trip and it was a circle which included a trip to grandparents home north of Lake Superior. Whether we went to Nova Scotia, or California it took in north of Superior. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful drive anywhere and we circled the Lake many times. When they finished High School they had camped in 47 States, and all provinces but Newfoundland. Besides all the fun, and family togetherness, what an education for the three of them. After they had  left home and my husband retired we traveled more months of each year..so there are many highlights
 
RV Clubs--I am very familiar with this subject. We joined National Campers and Hikers Association (NCHA) in 1955. At that time there were few publications in the field. The pamphlet we received promised a magazine about camping. To date we followed our own dreams about places to see, or ones other campers told us about. We joined as we wanted to learn about more interesting places. It was seven years later that we attended our first National Campvention(NCHA), and our first campout. From that event another Ontario couple got names of all Canadian members, called a meeting and organized NCHA in Canada.
We became Field Directors, and introduced many Ontario campers to this wonderful organization. There are many RV clubs out there, and we have been involved with others. All do much the same thing, organizing rallies or campout, some have caravans...but we found NCHA was more people oriented. There is a reason for this. *****This organization is member owned and operated. The only paid people are the office staff who look after membership, records,reports etc..In 1993 NCHA began dba(doing business as) Family Camper & RVers. This was an attempt to show non members what members knew was true, that our members used travel trailers,Motorhomes and 5th-wheels to the same extent as all those other clubs..The name Campers and Hikers was confusing to non members.  Other organizations are part of different commercial structures. While it provides funding for many of the activities, there is a difference in operations. The people factor is hard to describe in promotion but it is important.

I have served in the work of this organization for 45 years and it has been a pleasure. We made the National Campvention focus of one week of our holiday and it took us to all parts of the land. We went to the area, sightseeing and learning about the region before or after the campvention.
 
About Fuel...Right now, I am not RVing. However in late 1970s there was a severe gasoline shortage.(Although like now, some of it was caused by speculation). However, we purchased  Rockwood Motorhome, and we converted to Propane..running dual fuel. It was a costly installation as we were directed to not buy the cheapest  but the best..That was good advice. We ran Propane for the 19 years we had this unit. It gave us the same mileage as gasoline at approximately one-half the cost. Within 18 months we had recouped the installation costs. At first the Propane stations were not as plentiful as gasoline outlets, so it was harder to get, but soon the system was in place.

--------So I guess I am saying..consider dual fuel..such as natural gas..
 
Traveling with history..We were both avid readers, and read a lot about places of interest for future trips...  We also were blessed by the people we knew, or those we met in travel. We have had MANY one of a kind tours to interesting places or events.
 
RV units..We started with a pickup truck and built the camper on it. My husband even built our ice-box..Through years of commercial units, we never had as good a refrigeration unit We built a car-topper on our station wagon and later built a tent trailer..From there we went to a Rolite (solid sided fold-down built in Wisconsin). We stepped up to a larger one after a few years and from it went to the Rockwood Motorhome mentioned. Our last unit was a Road-Trek Motorhome as we downsized. Everyone was replete with George Smith inventions and additions. My husband was an inventive, imaginative person. Give him a situation and he gave you a solution. There were many changes to all, but for example the RoadTrek Home and Park probably make best use of space of any RV unit on the road. We made changes some of which are now on later Road-Treks.
 
I have done a lot of writing in RV publications and would be happy to do something in any of these areas for you. One more area, I thought you might find interesting is "People I Have Met While RVing"...
 
Success to rvadventuremag ..
Noreen Smith.