Volume XVIII - Country Coach
Transcription
Volume XVIII - Country Coach
Volume XVIII Published October 1, 2015 18th Edition Autumn colors are beginning to show themselves everywhere and the nights have that crisp feel here in Junction City. This has been the most eventful year by far at Country Coach. Not only has there been a noticeable upturn in the service and parts business, we have also had a nice surge in used coach sales. We are in the final stages of a deal to fund production, thanks in a large part to the completion of the 2016 Allure. I say that because of the noticeable change in attitude of investors. I’m sure that most of you have had this thought, “It’s one thing to have the Intellectual Property but quite another to actually be able to build a 2016 Country Coach.” Now that we have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can build quality coaches’ things are really moving forward. On the subject of the new Allure, I want to thank those of you who were able to attend the debut and give your input, the debut by the way, was not to show the coach to the whole world but just a few Country Coach owners to see how it appealed to them. I had the opportunity to address you personally and explain how this coach came to be equipped as it is. I paid for the build on this coach and it will be my personal coach, so I made it look and feel the way I wanted it to. Those of you on the blogs (which I read) did not get that insight, so I want to address your comments. Why Oak? I like oak; this coach could have been and in the future will be made in other wood types. I wanted a brown over-all look, so we went through many brown shades of stain to come up with this particular color that I like. Why pleated shades? Other types of power shades are available options, I like pleated shades for several reasons not to mention this is an Allure not a Magna or Affinity which those will be standard. I like the fact that pleated shades can be in two contrasting colors in light and dark for more decor changes and they don’t make noise when driving down the road. Why no window awnings? Until you see this coach in person you cannot see how smooth the exterior is with the frameless inset windows, they are stunning. I decided not to put any window awnings on even though they are standard equipment including entry door to eventuate the look. I personally never use my window awnings. Why the full length patio awnings both sides? I like being able to shade either side of the coach in the day time, or use either side of the coach day or night; we put LED lights in both sides for nice soft night lighting. Many of my friends who are owners of Prevost’s have had this done and it works well. -continued on page 3 2 Presidents Welcome Enough of that, I would like to point out a few of the improvements over past Country Coach Allures, it has the latest 11.9 liter ISX-12 Turbocharged engine with 5-year/100,000 mile warranty / Cummins Engine Compression Brake producing 500 HP paired with the Allison Gen 5 4000MH 6 speed transmission with wet-spline PTO on our own new DynoMax 54,000 GVW chassis. We have upgraded to the TRW Column Drive electronic steering assist column with power tilt and telescope and retained the 55 degree turning angle. Also new is the Electronic cruise control with Bendix active collision avoidance system. The comment was made on a blog that this coach was just made out of left over parts?? I had to laugh; engineering redrew every piece of this coach and we built this coach from scratch. This chassis is state of the art and with fully-integral, full time hydraulic power dual steering gear system, with Reyco Granning IFS2000S3 independent front suspension and HWH Active Air electronic ride control and air leveling system. I could go on forever talking about what is new and what was already so good we didn’t want to change it. I just want you to know that this is a continuation of what was already the best pusher diesel Brand in America. I personally took it on its first test drive with our engineering team and I want to say “this is the best driving 45 ft pusher diesel ever” Safe travels until we meet again. Excellence by Design Ron Lee Pres/CEO http://www.countrycoach.com/ 3 Presidents Welcome 2016 Allure 480 2016 Allure 480 2016 Allure 480 2016 Allure 480 2016 Allure 480 2016 Allure 480 Message from Country Coach Sales 2008 Inspire 36’ #52083 Embrace the essence of luxury travel. Take the wheel of this 2008 36’ Inspire 360 with Siena floorplan. This masterpiece of cutting edge engineering and expert craftsmanship evolves to a new level of comfort and style. The Country Coach design team composes balanced, elegant interior fabrics and accessories to compliment the stunning handcrafted cabinetry and smooth livability of each floorplan. In addition to the beauty and craftsmanship of this coach, the current owner has an extended warranty available for 1 full year. The 36’ Inspire was built with the small campsite in mind. Country Coach’s meticulous attention to detail makes it easy for you to relax and enjoy! http://www.countrycoach.com/2015/08/countrycoach-inspire/ 2005 Allure 40’ #31143 The 2005 Allure 400 Series was designed to provide every day solutions for the dreamer in each of us. You’ll never have a worry as you enjoy every inch of the road ahead while the panoramic style single piece windshield will allow you a wonderful view. The light Cherry wood interior, plentiful interior and exterior storage, radiant floor heat, and a private commode with sink are just a few of the appealing amenities you’ll enjoy in your Country Coach Allure. Fully serviced, this 40’, three slide gem powered by the dependable and responsive Caterpillar C9 400 hp engine is in great condition and ready to roll. http://www.countrycoach.com/2015/05/countrycoach-allure-for-sale/ 2009 Magna 45’ #6986M Country Coach has long exercised mastery in the field of residential design; the 2009 Magna 630 was no exception. Elegance, beauty and all the conveniences of home. With an abundance of seating, a desk area and outside entertainment, smart intentions toward design and Country Coach’s trademark of exceptional quality can be found in every inch of this Magna. Serious power is delivered from the Cummins ISX 650hp engine while the DynoMax Chassis’ superior performance that consistently provides a smooth and responsive ride. After a day of road domination and you have found your next resting stop, you’ll find nothing short of satisfaction as you immerse yourself in a state-of-the-art entertainment system and experience a sound and video system engineered only for the Magna 630. http://www.countrycoach.com/2014/10/2009-country-coach-magna-45/ 7 Consignment Sales Message from Country Coach Sales The coach rallies, the FMCA’s, the coffee and donut lines we all looked forward to and the relationships that were developed at those many functions we shared together over my years of selling Country Coach motorhomes. I started selling CC’s back in 1999 in Orange County, California, oh those memories! The commitment of owners, parts and service professionals and the experienced technicians that make everything work, is what makes Country Coach, “the best built coach ever produced”. We have been there thru “thick and thin”, enhancing your lives through sharing a together common goal of living a lifestyle that is free and forever fulfilling in the people we meet and the life long friendships that are developed. There is only one Country Coach. Many manufacturers have tried to replicate the product and its high standards. My name is Capt. Rob Brown and I am the Sales and Consignment professional for this exciting company. It is great to be home, so come watch us grow! We have many new consignments coming! Call us or stop by, the coffee is always on and I look forward to meeting you all, as Country Coach transitions to the future. Visit our website to view our full inventory of coaches at http://www.countrycoach.com/motorhomes-for-sale/ 8 Consignment Sales A couple of months ago we drove our 1997 Country Coach Affinity from Southern California to Country Coach in Junction City. We had a long list of what needed to be done to get our 18 year old motorhome back in shape. At the top of the list was a complete paint job, replacement of a damaged awning and removal of the plexiglass shield on the nose and, in addition, the following needed to be done: -Remove front television cabinet which projected our over the driver seat and modify the area, -Replace original Freedom 25 Inverter with a new Magnum MS2812 Inverter -Replace AGM batteries -Check coolant hoses and replace if needed -Check rubber bushings in hot and cold water lines -Fix freon gas leak in dash air -Fix problem with the generator -Change fuel lines on Webasto heater -Fix air leak in chassis air suspension My husband discussed all the work that needed to be done with Doug Beaudry, Service Manager before we made a final decision that Country Coach was where we wanted to get all the work done. Doug was very helpful, professional and had a lot of experience. He followed up and answered every question and concern that we had. Based on this initial contact, we had complete confidence that everything we wanted done would be completed by professionals with lots of experience and pride in their work. There was no question that we wanted the service to be done by Country Coach and we were very excited 9 that the company had re-opened and was more than ready to take care of our motorhome needs. We met Doug and went over the list of everything that needed to be done. Doug introduced us to the staff who would be responsible for the different areas that needed work; Dennis Harwell for the paint, Steve Quatier for the Cabinetry and Andy Nunez for everything else on the list. We discussed ideas related to the cabinetry with Steve and came up with the solution of removing the TV cabinet, repairing the ceiling panels and continuing with new matching cabinets down the side and wrapped around above the windshield in front of the driver. Working with Dennis, we picked a general design for paint from Country Coach Reference books and after looking at coaches that were in the shop, we identified colors that we wanted and slightly modified the general design. My husband discussed specifics of what he wanted done on the mechanical fixes with Andy. While at Country Coach, we discovered a driver seat and a passenger seat that more features than our original seats so we bought those and had them installed in addition to the above. -Continued on page 8 Testimonials confident that our motorhome was in competent hands we left it and went home. Doug kept us up to date on the progress and answered our concerns and questions by phone and emails. Because he knew we were concerned about the paint and the cabinetry process, he sent pictures of the progress that was being made step by step. We really appreciated and were excited about receiving the pictures. We thank Doug and Maria for taking the pictures. When Doug let us know that the Coach was ready we anxiously drove back to a shiny sparkling clean coach that we hardly recognized. We thank Scott Walker for the final touches. We are very excited and happy with our “new” coach. The paint job is fabulous! What fun to have a part in helping pick colors and design but the real kudos for a fantastic job go to Dennis. We received compliments everywhere we stopped on our journey home. It is beautiful! Hard to believe it is the same coach. On the inside, the cabinetry looks like it has always been exactly as it is now. Amazing job thanks to Steve. Andy did a great job of getting all the rest of the list completed and it was a long one. Great to have a working fuel gauge, new inverter and working generator. We appreciate all the time that these guys spent with us in the planning phases which very much paid off in the long run. We are sure there were others who contributed greatly in getting all the work done and we much appreciate everyone’s time and efforts. We appreciated being able to directly interact with all these guys when we had questions and be able to see the 10 work in progress. Everyone was extremely helpful, had a lot of expertise and thoroughly answered questions and concerns. The staff at Country Coach are responsible for all the thought and planning and work that went into making our 1997 Country Coach “good as new”. We thank you. -Dean and Barbara 1997 Country Coach Affinity Owners Awesome job by all the techs taking care of my “To Do” list. Brad Rocks!!! -Roger Fouche This was our first visit to the facility. Appreciate the excellent work done by Zach. Was a pleasure to deal with everytime. The 2016 Allure is awesome! -Ken & Micki Boswell We came up from California just to have CC work on our rig—only the best will do! Feels like home away from home. Thanks for taking such good care of us. -Roger & Laura Aubert Testimonials Hi Ron, How exciting is all of this! Thank you sir very much for including us in this announcement! We first heard of the moves toward CC’s production “re-birth” while there on-site some 2+ years back for front slide R&R and associated…(a very serious and prudent repair….bless Andy Nunez and Zach King, John Nelson and Duane Kerr). Finally, through obvious clear vision of you and your team, employing your combined patience and perseverance, strategizing over and around the various options and postponements and deep breaths, now, the fruition meant-tobe’s! We’re proud of ALL of you for this milestone and the achievements. We can only hope and imagine along with you, for the best...yet to come. Meanwhile, it has certainly been a pleasure to have and enjoy our ‘02 CC Allure (#30801), presently the 9th year of ownership. To date, we’ve not (yet….) struck out on the across-the-US venture initially envisioned, however we certainly do know the western half of Oregon and WA “quite intimately”, as Denise explains when sharing to others about “our local jaunts”. The hope remains, to venture on out and beyond. Coming up could be our time too! Depending (??),..nevertheless, not the length of the trip but the quality of the time and miles spent, and memories! We continue to be grateful for the quality and usefulness of our wonderful 36ft-er, what it means to us! Good roots, good times...and CC job well done! 11 Its not in the cards to come see, shake hands, and ooh and ahhhhhhh on the 14th, none-the-less we’ll be thinking about you all, “the unveiling”, and definitely mingling there in spirit. Tentative plans here point to a trek up that way with our rig this fall to visit Salem family, and then on to our home park at Neskowin Creek. We’ll look forward to a stop over to see friends in Eugene and at CC. In the not-to-distant future we do need/ want to schedule a return to CC service to complete the front slide reinforcement and final exterior paint repair, as follow-up to the slide seal replacement and body skin repair a couple years back. Perhaps at that time we’d also be prepared to confer-plan with service about some interior cabinetry upgrade ideas which we believe would significantly improve storage efficiency and convenience for us. Beyond this, it’s been a bit of a dream: when this 1st release is a success, has there been any thought about re-introducing a shorter more energy efficient marketcompetitive CC-quality model? Again, congratulations for your wellbeyond-the-sunrise very awesome accomplishments, for navigating the obstacles, now poised closer to manufacturing longer term. Yea!!! Our best wishes to you, also your qualified and obviously committed staff, for continued progress and satisfations! -Rick and Denise Wickersham Grants Pass Testimonials Business Update from Sandy in our Accounting Department The Season of Cool Evenings & Crisp Mornings Is On It’s Way Here At Country Coach Corporation! What an incredibly busy and extremely exciting year we have had so far, so many new things have been happening here! The new 2016 Allure was a grand project and we are very proud of our design and manufacturing teams that produced this beautiful coach. We are so excited about the new opportunities building this coach has made available to us. Country Coach Corporation experienced an amazing 20% increase in revenue during the first three quarters of the year compared to the previous year! This increase has kept us incredibly busy here in all departments so much that we in-creased our staff in accounting, as well as in the revenue generating departments. We welcome our new staff members and hope they enjoy being part of our team. The rush seems to be slowly ebbing a bit now, but we are still working at a pace that keeps us on our toes. Our new Country Coach Corporation Apparel website is up and we have many new items and hope to add more soon. Please visit the new site and let us know your opinions: http://apparel.countrycoach.com And as always, thank you to our loyal customers as well as our new customers. We look forward to this last quarter with hopeful anticipation for a record breaking end to the year! Here is the departmental breakdown of revenue percentages for the first 3 quarters of 2015. Thank you CCC staff for your expertise and hard work to make this year a great success! Service and Repair Department 56% Parts & Part Manufacturing Dept 18% Consignment Sales Department 25% Logo & Apparel Department 1% Sandra Hart Accounting Manager Country Coach Corporation 12 Accounting General Administrative News from Sandy in our Accounting Department This last month, during our three day holiday weekend, Country Coach Corporation experienced a power failure that was not completely covered by our server room backup generators. Though the generators came on to protect our servers, part of the backup generator system was unable to maintain continued power to run portions of the server banks for the entire three days. Upon our return the following business day we discovered that many of our communication systems were down and not working at all, and computer access to some of our database systems were sporadic. Country Coach Corporation would like to apologize to any of our customers that may have not been able to reach us or had any difficulty or delay in receiving our services during this time. We sincerely wish to thank those affected for your patients and understanding while we worked diligently to repair and corrected all the issues associated to this power failure. We would like to assure everyone that most of our communication issues were repaired quickly, some of the repairs required replacement and took a bit longer. Within three days we were 100% fully functional again, all of our systems were back on line. Country Coach Corporation is committed to excellent customer service for all of our patrons and again thank you for your ongoing support and continued patronage. From All Country Coach Corporation Staff: THANK YOU! Sandra Hart Accounting Manager Country Coach Corporation 13 Accounting Ring, Ring, Ring! CCC Call Report In the third quarter of this year, there were 5,625 calls tallied. Our Parts Department has been very busy with 1,565 calls going to House Parts and 1,700 calls going to Chassis Parts. Tech Support received 1,314 calls and 587 calls were made to our Service Department to schedule appointments. We have seen outstanding sales this quarter with 459 calls. There were 494 emails logged that were requesting information. 14 Reception Desk Employee Spotlight Donald Shipp I was born in Oakland California, raised in the San Jose California. I am an Amateur radio operator (Extra class) call sign K7DCS and also love to ride motorcycles. We moved to Oregon in 1973 after getting married to my lovely wife Barbara. I worked for PGG as a mechanic and worked my way to become an ASE Master automotive technician. I worked as a team leader with Toyota and Chevrolet. After 17 years of the grease and dirt I thought it was time for a change. In 1991 I went to work with Monaco Coach as an assembler then I moved into the engineering department working on schematics and designing electrical systems, and becoming manager of the engineering department. In 2000 I started at Country Coach as an electrical designer and was there until the doors closed in 2009. I spent 3 years working in a clean room as a production specialist making integrated circuit wafers. I keep looking for a design position and when David Diamond asked if I would be interested in coming back to Country Coach I was very happy to talk about it. I returned to Country Coach in 2013 and have been very pleased to be a part of the team. I have been fortunate to work on several projects the last couple of years the greatest project to me has been the 2016 proto type Allure. I am proud of the way things have worked out on this coach and look forward to future projects. Designing motor homes and helping people is a passion for me, I do not consider it a job but more of a love of life. I feel privileged and proud to be a part of the Country Coach team and while I couldn’t think of a better place to work I will say the day will come when my wife (of 42 years) and I are out there RV’ing with the very people we’ve helped to live a mobile life style while enjoying their RV’s. Motor homes are the best thing to work on in my opinion; I absolutely love doing this job. The things I do here are not just building someone’s dream, but helping to make that dream a reality. As I do my job correctly it will become a pleasant experience and a dream come true for the owner. 15 Employee Spotlight Dometic Comfort Control Conversion By: Gregg Bootes Most early model Country Coaches were equipped with a Dometic 4 Button Comfort Control thermostat assembly. This single digital display control unit allowed for seamless operation of multiple Dometic Penguin roof top units and also controlled multiple heat sources. The Comfort Control allowed control for up to 4 different zones and each zone could control cooling, heat from a heat pump unit, heat from a heat strip if equipped, and heat from an auxiliary furnace. Turn the unit on, set the desired temperature with the Up or Down buttons, set the type of function with the Mode button, select fan speed with the Fan button, and simultaneously push the Mode and Fan buttons to change zones. Quick, easy, and simple operation of temperature comfort control at your fingertips. In the early 2000’s the 4 button unit was replaced with an updated 5 button version that had all the same functions but utilized a separate Zone button. The new button was added for ease of operation, since pushing the Mode and Fan button together did not always achieve the desired zone result. Shortly after the introduction of the 5 button unit, the 4 button units were discontinued and are no longer available as a replacement part. If your 4 button unit ever fails you can replace it with a new 5 button, but unfortunately it is not just a simple swap of one unit for the other. Due to the addition of the separate Zone button, the new controls do not communicate with the original 4 button control boards that are part of the original roof top A/C or Heat Pump systems. Each roof top unit of the coach must be updated in order for the new 5 button control to communicate and operate all heat/cool functions correctly in the coach. This update process is accomplished by purchasing a single conversion kit that contains a new 5 button Comfort Control, an A/C or Heat Pump upper control board, and in most cases a freeze prevent thermostat. Then for each additional roof top unit on the coach a separate updated control board kit must also be purchased. So if your coach has 3 roof top units you would need 1 conversion kit and 2 additional control board kits. 16 Tech/Service The swap involves changing out the 4 button control for the 5 button control that uses the same modular wire connection located on the back of the Comfort Control. Each upper control board has a set of DIP switches that needs to be set for the correct zone, heat function, and furnace function for the particular zone or roof unit that it will be used in. The control boards are installed in the roof units, which requires swapping of miscellaneous connector plugs and some 120 volt wiring that goes to the roof unit’s compressor and fan motor. Lastly, if required, a new freeze prevent thermoset is plugged in and routed from the new upper control board to the evaporator coil of the roof unit. Once each kit has been installed the system should be thoroughly checked for correct operation of all sources and zones. If you need to replace a Dometic roof top A/C or Heat Pump unit on a coach with a 4 or 5 button Comfort Control you may also need to do an control board and/or a conversion kit also. Most new Dometic units are designed to work with the new style 10 button Comfort controls and will not operate correctly with an older control system. We highly recommend that the conversion be done by a qualified RV service technician to insure that the installation and configuration is done correctly and to prevent any future problems with the system. For all of your service needs please call us at 541-234-2167. To view more Technical / Service articles please visit our website at http://www.countrycoach.com/category/destinations/ 17 Tech/Service Service Department Exterior Upgrades Full Body Paint BEFORE AFTER http://www.countrycoach.com/coach-service-center/ 18 Service Good Bye Summer, Hello Autumn! To order your Country Coach logo apparel or accessories Give Maria a call at 541-234-2167 or visit our website at http://apparel.countrycoach.com/ 19 Apparel Catching Up with the Clubs…Where in the World are They? Each newsletter, we like to catch up on what is happening with all of our area Country Coach clubs. If you do not belong to a club, call these fine folks and join! You will love the friends you make and the fun you will have! Read all about the fun clubs have in the Club Spotlight feature. Country Coach Country Cousins Jim Ferguson, Winter Springs, FL (407) 376-3909 jfwsfl@earthlink.net Rocky Mountain Country Coachers Vern Weldy (480) 595-9580 vweldy@aol.com, www.rmccoachers.com Country Coach Heartlanders Joe Rossi (330) 770-2612 josephrossi@att.net Southeast Country Coachers Janet Sanders (205) 914-6149 secountrycoach@gmail.com www.southeastcountrycoachers.com Country Coach Nor’easters Jeff McCellan, Andover, VT (802) 875-4440 jmcclellan@vermontel.net www.ccnoreasters.com Southwest Country Coachers Gene Ruecker (714) 280-9080 president@swccers.com www.swccers.com Country Coach Texans Terry Ray (956) 831-7000, (956) 592-8000 tar@terryray.com www.cctexans.com Country Coach Friends Incorporated John Malabicky, Chino, CA (951) 675-6252 cruznboozn@yahoo.com www.countrycoachfriendsincorporated.com countrycoachfriendsincorporated@yahoo.com Florida Coast Alongs Dan Gillis (863) 255-0673 gpopsgillis@gmail.com Country Coach International Lee Zaborowski (515) 708-3391 club@countrycoachclub.com www.countrycoachclub.com Northwest Country Coachers Frank Suttell (360) 876-1197 fdsuttell@gmail.com www.nwccers.org 20 Clubs/Rallies 2015 Rallies FMCA Rally South Central Area Rally October 7th - 11th, 2015 Lone Star Expo Center Conroe, TX Northwest Country Coachers 2015 Thanksgiving Rally November 25th - 29th, 2015 Hee Hee Illahee RV Park Salem, OR FMCA Rally South Central Area Rally October 7th - 11th, 2015 Lone Star Expo Center Conroe, TX Country Coach Country Cousins Country Cousins Fall Rally October 21st - 24th, 2015 Oak Plantation Campground Country Coach Texans Fall Rally October 21st - 25th, 2015 Buckhorn Lake Resort Kerrville, TX FMCA Rally Eastern Area Rally October 15th - 18th, 2015 Western North Carolina Agricultural Center Asheville, NC Northwest Country Coachers October 15th - 18th, 2015 Wine Country RV Park Prosser, WA 21 SWCCers October 25th - 29th, 2015 Wine Country RV Resort Paso Robles, CA Clubs/Rallies 2016 Rallies CCI Florida Winter Rally February 8th - 12th, 2016 Lazydays RV Resort Tampa, FL CCI 2016 Spring Rally April 25th - 29th, 2016 Sundermeier’s RV Park St. Charles, Missouri Southeast Country Coachers Spring Rally March 11th - 15th, 2016 Orange Beach, AL CCFI 6th Annual Friendship Rally August 21st - 26th, 2016 Mill Casino RV Park North Bend, OR CCFI 2016 Spring Rally March 14th - 19th, 2016 Lazydays Tucson KOA Tuscon, AZ Country Coach Texans Spring Rally April 20th - 24th, 2016 Winstar RV Park & Casino Thackerville, OK 22 Country Coach Texans Fall Rally October 5th - 9th, 2016 Mineola Convention Center Mineola, TX CCI 2016 Fall Rally October 6th - 11th, 2016 The Kentucky Horse Park Lexington, KY Clubs/Rallies Club News In order to join one of the nine Country Coach regional clubs or two international clubs, members must first be a member of FMCA. If you are looking for information on how to contact Country Coach Clubs give Maria a call at 541-234-2167 or by email mariat@countrycoach.com. Country Coach Corporation does not handle payment of club memberships or annual dues. For information about clubs and current rallies see pages 22 & 23. 23 Clubs/Rallies Club Spotlight The CCI Watkins Glen rally was held in the perfect time of year for this popular New York state tourist destination, the Finger Lakes District. Autumn colors were popping out on the hillsides above beautiful Seneca Lake and the temperatures were comfortable for wandering the many vineyards of the area. The Nor’Easters were hosts for the rally, quite surprisingly held at a KOA! The Watkins Glen KOA, situated at the top of the hills above Seneca Lake, is a very large park with a great area for large motorhomes, and both an open pavilion, and an enclosed pavilion for meetings. It will soon receive the new designation of KOA Resort. This new designation will indicate the best that KOA offers. There will be several categories. Check back with their national web site after the first of the year. The tiny town of Watkins Glen sits at the end of Seneca Lake, a harbor that shelters deep water sailboats and several historic tour boats. 24 Clubs/Rallies Club Spotlight Many of our SouthEastern Country Coachers took their time traveling north. The Bordes, Conways and McGairtys caravanned all the way up to Maine before heading over to western New York state. The Keens went directly up to the wine country so they could enjoy a romantic, relaxing time before the rally started. The Giffins arrived after a race, towing their vintage race car in an enclosed trailer. The Sanders traveled up the Shenandoah Valley enjoying the falls colors. The highlight of the rally was a day of touring local wineries, and lunch at award-winning Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery. Enjoying the view past the vineyards down to the lake are L to R: Hank and Stevie Giffin, Elaine & Charles McGairty, Buddy Bordes, Gerry Conway in back, Ann Bordes, Jack Conway. All the ralliers took full advantage of the two full free-days to explore. Many of us traveled a short distance to Corning to visit the two museums there and shop in the quaint downtown historical district.The Corning Museum of Glass is the largest collection of glass in the world, located next door the international headquarters for Corning Corporation. The museum is now housed in their newly-completed modernistic building. The spectacular architecture is worth a visit in itself. The museum has both collections of historical as well as art glass. 25 Clubs/Rallies Visit the Oregon Coast Whale Watching Pack your binoculars and a sense of adventure, and go in search of migrating Gray whales along the Oregon Coast. When To Go Approximately 18,000 whales cruise the coastline with prime whale watching in March, April, May, June and mid-December to mid-January. Smaller numbers can be spotted during the summer months and early fall. Travel to Florence to learn about these amazing creatures from trained volunteers during the Winter and Spring Watch Weeks organized by the state Whale Watching Spoken Here program. Whale Watch Weeks: Winter: December 27-31, 2015 Spring: March 19-26, 2016 Where To Go Watch for whales on special helicopter tours, from cozy oceanfront restaurants and hotels or at many roadside turnouts. Ideal outdoor vantage points include: Devil's Churn Viewpoint Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint Sea Lion Caves Turnout Cape Perpetua - the highest point on the Oregon Coast Cook's Chasm Turnout (Yachats) 26 Local Events Whale Watching The Oregon Whale Watching Spoken Here program puts volunteers at 26 different view points along the Oregon Coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily during the winter and spring watch weeks. These friendly whale-watchers will help you spot Gray whales and other wildlife while you learn a bit about them. Locally, those sites include Sea Lion Caves Turnout and Cook's Chasm Turnout. At the Sea Lion Caves in spring and summer, spot sea lions on outside ledges, clustered in family units consisting of a bull and harems of 15 to 30 cows and their young. Occasional and infrequently seen Killer Whales patrol the edges of the sea lion territory. Tips from the Oregon Whale Watching Center Morning light (with the sun at your back) is often helpful for spotting blows. Afternoon light reflects off the water and makes viewing difficult. Any spot with an ocean view may yield whale sightings, but higher locations are better than sandy beaches. Anytime you are along the ocean shoreline, stay a safe distance from the shore break and be alert for sneaker waves, which may come in farther then expected. 27 Local Events “Food tastes better when eaten with family and friends” Crockpot Sauerkraut Pork Ribs 1 T. vegetable oil 3-4 lbs pork ribs 28 oz. sauerkraut 12 medium red potatoes, quartered 1 lg onion, sliced 1 tsp caraway seeds 1/4 tsp garlic powder black pepper to taste 3/4 cup water Heat oil in large skillet (cover until hot). Brown ribs on all sides. Transfer ribs to crockpot. Drain fat from skillet, add onion and cook until tender. Add caraway seeds, garlic powder and pepper. Cook 15 minutes, then transfer to crockpot. Add water to pan and scrape up browned bits. Pour into crockpot. Partially drain sauerkraut and leaving some liquid, pour over meat. Top with potatoes. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with good applesauce and pumpkin bread. 28 Cookie’s Cookbook Crockpot Sloppy Joes 4 lbs ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 28oz can tomato sauce 2 10oz cans tomato soup (undiluted) 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup ketchup 3 Tbs worcestershire sauce 1 Tbs dry mustard 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp garlic powder toasted hamburger buns Brown meat. Drain fat and discard. Add onion and bell pepper, cook 5 - 10 minutes. Add meat mixture and all remaining ingredients (except buns) to crockpot and mix. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve on toasted buns. Cranberry Sauce with Cider Cinnamon 2 cups unfiltered apple cider 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1 cinnamon stick 24 oz fresh cranberries In a medium non-aluminum pan, combine the apple cider, sugar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, cook (stirring occasionally) until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Put in a bowl, cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Remove cinnamon stick and let sauce come to room temperature. 29 Cookie’s Cookbook Lemon Parsley Gravy 7 cups turkey stock 1/4 cup corn starch 1/3 cup minced Italian parsley 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice 1 Tbs minced lemon zest Salt & pepper Mix with turkey drippings. How to store cookies: Store crisp, thin cookies in a container with a loose –fitting cover. If they soften, heat in 300° oven 3-5 minutes. Store soft cookies in a tight covered container (if you replace often a piece of bread or apple in the container helps keep them soft. 30 Cookie’s Cookbook Service by the Experts… Bring your coach to the Country Coach factory for service because we have the experts to handle all your coach repairs. OEM Parts… The only source for Country Coach OEM parts available! Now offering 10% off parts when you schedule a service appointment. RV Consignment Sales… We have many lightly used Country Coach models including all your favorites; Inspire, Allure, Intrigue, Magna, Affinity and Prevost. All right here at the factory! Financing now available. New Apparel… Visit our apparel store at the factory or at http://countrycoachwearables.promoshop.com for all of the latest arrivals. Country Coach Destinations Magazine… Keep up to date with the latest quarterly edition of CC Destinations at http://destinations.countrycoach.com. For all your motorhome needs, there is no place like home! 31