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Thanks to all
of you who have renewed your membership early this year. As of
this writing we have 356 paid up members for the year 2000. To
help you keep track of your membership, we have included your
membership expiration date as part of the mailing label (upper
right corner). If your label shows Dec-99 instead of Dec-00 we
have not yet received your dues for 2000.
A renewal form for 2001 will be included in the third quarter
newsletter similar to the one included in the recent December
99 issue. It will be printed on colored paper next time to help
you spot it.
The number of
members that are on line with e-mail accounts continues to grow.
The e-mail addresses are included in the roster. As more of our
members get on line, please remember to send me an e-mail, so
we can list you in our directory.
Speaking of e-mail addresses, thanks for providing the addresses
or changes. Many of us, by habit or training, use upper case letters
although most e-mail addresses are customarily in lower case,
I changed all to lower case. If your address is incorrect please
let me know by e-mail, and I will pick up the correction.
Frank Condos, Secretary
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Plans are moving along well for the Northwest Passage
Rendezvous. We are lining up some excellent presentations and
programs.
Tentatively we will have the opportunity to hear from an ATRA (Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association) representative on what we should look for when that unfortunate time comes when we have to have work done on the coach transmission. Jim Starbuck of Hi-Performance Fiberglass/Composites Inc. will be there with his classy new fronts designed specifically to bring our coaches into the new millennium. Jim will also discuss fiberglass repair work and show their other design enhancements for our coaches.
We are working
to get one or more manufacturers of fuel injection systems to
discuss these for installation on our engines. Emery Stora of
Santa Fe has agreed to discuss Electronic Fuel Injection as well.
And Dick Paterson will give us some words on engine rebuilding.
(Readers of the webpages are familiar with both of these gentlemen
and their contributions to GMCing.)
Our own transcontinental traveler Dallas Jensen will introduce
us to Gertrude, Gus and Keith, his electronic navigational companions.
As one who is back and forth across the continent at least twice
each year, Dallas utilizes these navigational aids to direct his
wanderings with great success and without a copilot.
And we are not going to neglect the ladies. Included in the Sandpoint, Idaho, tour will be a visit to the Coldwater Creek Fashions factory outlet store.
Oh yes, we will continue with all the other things that make a roundup fun, informative and exciting. However we need some feedback from you for part of the planning. We will have an opportunity to enjoy some "oldies" dancing to a live five piece band. Please e-mail, phone or drop us a postcard if you would like to include this in the evening program. Our budget is tight as usual, so if there isn't sufficient interest, we'll let this pass.
Marilyn and Bill
Harvey
Phone: 303-841-6062, Fax: 303-841-6021
Email: bharvey402@aol.com
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From Bob and Raye Lenson who have been traveling with their GMC on the Kansas Turnpike we received the following letter addressed to them from the Kansas Turnpike Authority after their encounter with the toll booth collector who charged them a 3 axle toll:
Dear Mr. Lenson:
I have received
your letter regarding the correct classification of your vehicle.
We do classify, and subsequently charge, by what we commonly call
axle count. The phrase "axle count" is a generic term
used by various transportation organizations to indicate the number
of sets of tires that are arranged in a straight line that contact
the road. It is not intended to actually represent the number
of suspension axles that are supporting various combinations of
wheels.
There are many different variations on how wheels are connected
to a vehicle, and it is impossible to determine that set-up without
actually being underneath the vehicle. Even if you were to look
underneath, determining what is an "axle" and what is
a "connecting suspension part" could be open to interpretation.
For this reason, our fare rates are based on a simple and easily
visible system of how many sets of tires are contacting the road.
We also have devices mounted in the pavement at the tollbooths
that we called "treadles" that count the number of sets
of wheels (axles) that cross over it. This system is used as a
double check verification to insure the collector is charging
for the correct number of axles. In your specific case if the
collector only charged for two axles, it would not match with
the axle counter in the road.
While we understand your explanation, and it might be mechanically
correct to state that your vehicle has only two axles, the collector
was correct in classifying it as a three-axle vehicle based on
the way we calculate our fares.
We do appreciate your traveling on the Kansas Turnpike, and hope
you continue to use it in he future. However, our collectors will
need to continue to classify your motorhome as a three-axle vehicle.
Sincerely,
ALAN BAKAITIS
Toll Operations Director
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By Lillian Trubert
They want us. The shopping malls and gambling casinos are courting us with $5 nightly fees to stay on their premises. They like the fact that we RVers will park in the parking lots and then shop in their malls (statistics show we spend an average of $183 dollars per overnight stay) or gamble in the casinos (no statistics available here). They will provide us with security guards checking our safety throughout the night, pleasant campsites along wooded areas with picnic tables, dog runs, and even horseshoe pits in some cases. Reservations are required.
The program is the brainchild of Overnighters Association, Inc., which charges $29.95 annually for their membership. The "sleeping at the mall " program is in effect at about 40 malls in 24 states, but potential expansion is a forgone conclusion with more than 9 million RVers in the USA and Canada. Other venues such as racetracks and speedways are likely.
A lot of men are happy with this picture: the little lady is off on her assault on the mall while her sports addicted husband haunts the satellite TV, checks out those horseshoe pits, or visits with other RV guys. The $5 is way less than a campground, and dinner is just a stroll across the parking lot away. He's already saved $10 to $20!
This program also includes the Association of Senior Gamblers (ASG) that gives RVers the incentive to stay in casino parking lots. You get both options when you join the Overnighters Association. At present 56 hotel/casino are participating, but two more ASG hotel/casino partners are being enrolled every week. The 250 casinos in North America without hotels are also being enticed to offer overnight sites to RVers.
For information on Overnighters Association call 941-575-3500 or look at "www.overnighters.com"; for membership and reservations, call 888-273-5800.
We want to thank
Al and Peggy Cash for their kindness in sending us the USA Today
article containing this information. We are always happy to receive
reader contributions.
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