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President Treasurer Bill Cox Karen Thompson [email protected] [email protected] Vice President Member at Large Bill Golden Position [email protected] Open Secretary Newsletter Margaret Potvin Howard Potvin [email protected] [email protected] Webmaster Phoenix Internet Bill Cox http://www.intervecphoenix.org
CRUISING WITH PHOENIX
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Hello Members, I am the Club’s new President, Bill Cox, from Alameda, CA. Bill Golden is our new Vice President. Karen Thompson continues her great service as Treasurer. Margaret Potvin continues as Secretary, and her husband Howard is the Newsletter Editor. We are looking for a member-at-large, while Allen Kosobucki serves temporarily. We just had a wonderful trip to the Washington, DC area, planned very well by Karen and our previous Treasurer, Jim VanderMolen, who’s retired now and sold his Cruiser. More about this in this Newsletter. The best part of the Reunion was, in my opinion, the conversations that we had with each other during the Reunion. Our big challenge, as I see it, is to increase our membership. The Board has a couple of ideas about this, including an introduction to the Club, written soon, to be provided by the factory to each new buyer along with the Application. Also, we’ll send an email out each to new buyers, and older ones as well. Margaret and Howard have been working on our next Reunion location in Oregon, so we have that to look forward to. I welcome your comments and suggestions. You can reach me at 510-502-6691 or [email protected]. Please do write or call. Looking Toward the Future, Bill
BOARD MEMBER NEEDED FOR
MEMBER AT LARGE Our new board is one member short. We are looking for someone who would like to serve as member at large. It would provide a chance for you to have an input in decisions made regarding activities for the future of the organization. Duties would include:
Attend board meetings. There is one meeting held prior to the annual rally, usually the morning of the first day. A second meeting is held on the day after the event.
Other duties as assigned. Although there are no specific duties, there are always small matters that need attention such as taking responsibility for equipment, acting as greeter, etc.
If you would like to help with this, please contact our President, Bill Cox at the email listed at the top of the first page of the newsletter.
E-MAIL SECURITY AND PRIVACY For security and privacy reasons, all newsletters are now being sent using the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature to protect the privacy of E-Mail Addresses. Using the BCC field to conceal email addresses acts as an anti-spam precaution. Many viruses and spam programs are able to sift through mail files and address books for email addresses. These spam programs are designed to send spam to addresses found in the TO: and CC: fields. This should prevent your E-Mail from being hacked. The down side is that you will not be able to see the other member’s names and e-mail addresses directly. The upside is that you will be sent a copy of the current membership list. (Also by BCC) Howard
October/November
2016
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2017 INTERVEC-PHOENIX RALLY Set for Sisters, Oregon
September 11-15th
Our 2017 rally will be held at the Bend/Sisters Garden RV Park, just three miles south of the friendly town of Sisters, Oregon. It is one of the most beautiful RV parks we have ever seen. It is located in Central Oregon with amazing views of the Three Sisters in the distance. This trio of volcanic mountains, each more than 10,000 feet in elevation, gave the city its name. The RV park is very lush, with mature trees offering shade and gardens with beautiful flowers growing everywhere. It has its very own lake offering fishing on a catch and release basis. We are holding the event Monday through Friday this year since the RV park is hosting an annual folk festival the week-end prior. Sisters, Oregon offers amazing shopping options, including several quilt stores. The town has a western feel to it and is very “walkable.” It is filled with galleries and specialty shops. Within a short distance are opportunities to explore the natural environment by walking, floating, driving, biking, or flying. The possibility for adventure abounds! Central Oregon offers three of the Top 100 golf courses in the nation. Pair this with spectacular views of the Cascade Mountains and you have an unbeatable experience. Bend, located a short drive away, is known as one of the best craft beer locations in the country. Local rivers offer fly fishing, rafting, kayaking, and inflatable tube rides. Future issues of this newsletter will feature articles about Oregon to get you excited about your 2017 fall trip to the west coast. We will explore possible side trips available in the area and outline group activities to help us reunite with long-held friends and connect with new members.
OREGON FOOD FACTS (From 2016-17 Oregon Official Visitors Guide)
Oregon grows 99% of the U.S. Hazelnut crop.
Two Oregonian brothers invented the Tater Tot – Nephi and Golden Grigg, the founders of Ore-Ida.
Oregon harvests more Dungeness crab that any other state (10.3 million pounds annually). Oregon offers a variety of sustainably sourced fish and shellfish
The state leads the U.S. in the production of blackberries, loganberries and black raspberries; and is a top producer of strawberries, blueberries and wine grapes.
The pear is the best-selling fruit tree in Oregon – the fruit is featured on everything from pizza to ice cream. Bartlett pears are in season from mid-August to late September, then Anjou pears become ripe.
ODDS AND ENDS ABOUT OREGON
Oregon has no sales, restaurant or liquor tax.
New Jersey and Oregon are the only states without self-serve gas stations. According to state law, an attendant must pump your gas.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was formed more than 6,500 years ago.
A treaty signed in 1819 between the United States and Spain established the current southern border between Oregon and California
The Simpsons is set in the fictional town of Springfield, Oregon. The animated comedy's co-creator, Matt Groening, is from Portland, Oregon.
Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to conduct all elections by mail.
The Tillamook Cheese Factory is the world’s largest cheese factory.
Hells Canyon, at 8,000 feet deep, is the deepest river gorge in North America.
Oregon is pronounced OR-uh-gun, never OR-EE-GONE.
Three Sisters
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOKEY BEAR!
On August 9th
, 2016 this famous and well-loved bear turned 72. Smokey Bear began as an advertising mascot in August 1944 when the Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council began distributing fire education posters featuring a black bear. During a wildfire in early 1950
in the Lincoln National Forest of New Mexico, a small black bear was seen wondering in the forest, his mother was nowhere in sight. When the firestorm passed, the little cub was seen clinging to a charred tree. His paws and hind legs were badly burned. He was taken to Santa Fe, where his burns were treated. When the public heard of this, they wanted to know how the little bear was doing. The USFS adopted the little cub, and named him Smokey Bear. He was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D. C. where he lived 26 years until his death in 1976. Smokey lived with his “wife” Goldie Bear and an adopted son, “Little Smokey.” The latter was another orphaned bear cub from Lincoln National Forest. Little Smokey died August 11, 1990. Smokey’s remains were returned to Capitan, New Mexico where he was buried in Smokey Bear Historical Park. The visitor center there is worth a visit. After viewing a short film, you can visit the gravesite, complete with a small headstone. The park is located at 118 W. Highway 380 (aka Smokey Bear Blvd.) in Capitan, N.M. This is about 1 ½ hours north of the famous White Sands National Monument. A word about Smokey’s name…in 1952 a popular song was written about Smokey. In order to maintain the rhythm of the song, they added “the” between “Smokey” and “Bear.” He is well known by nearly everyone as Smokey the Bear, but the Forest Service never changed his name. He is still Smokey Bear. A recent study found that 95% of Americans could complete the phrase, “Only you can…” _______________________________________________________
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Virginia Byrd, Lebanon, Missouri, owner of a 2008 Phoenix Cruiser 2551. Virginia is a retired Claims Representative. She has 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 great grands. She loves to travel and is a quilter. She is a widow and travels with her sister who is also a widow.
Bob and Shirley Kovach, Fairview Park, Ohio, owners of a 2006 Phoenix Cruiser 2350. They are both retired and have 7 children, all married and working. They do not have any pets at this time. Bob is a model railroad enthusiast and
loves to travel. In the winter, he works on layouts for his trains. He is a retired construction worker, who worked his way up to supervisor. Shirley’s interests are gardening, sewing, and traveling. She is a retired Surgical Nurse. This past summer they stayed at Grand Haven State Park on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. It was beautiful, clean, and well kept. The campground host was very informative and friendly.
Richard and Madeline Fryer,
Mesquite, Texas, owners of a 2011
Phoenix Cruiser 2552. Richard is a
retired Electrical Engineer from
Oncor Electrical Delivery. Madeline
is a retired Food Service Manager
from the Mesquite Independent
School District. They have 2 children, 6 grandchildren,
and 4 great grandchildren. They have been married 56
years and are very active in their local church. Hobbies
include RV’ing, quilting, and handyman.
Phoenix Coach for sale
Our motor homing years have been wonderful. Still, for a lot of reasons, we’ve decided to get off the road!. So our coach is for sale, and we wanted to let fellow Phoenix fans know in case anyone is interested (this is our second Phoenix!). We have a 2014 2552. It’s Sterling gray lower body paint, cherry cabinets, wood floor, the premium convenience package and a few other options. The odometer is about 11,500miles, the Onan generator has about 62 hours, the tires have just been rotated, and the two house batteries are new last year. It has been hand waxed a couple of times so the body is in excellent shape. We’re asking $69,000. We’ll be glad to give you more details and pics if you’re interested. You can contact us at 585-734-2960 (Rochester NY) or [email protected]. Again, thanks! Frank Staropoli.
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FUTURE 2018 REUNION Plans are being finalized for the next InterVec Phoenix Travel Club reunion to be held in Sisters, Oregon, in September 2017. This means it’s time to start the selection and planning process for the 2018 reunion to be held somewhere in the Central Time Zone. We are actively looking for ideas. If you know of an interesting location you’d like to visit, please feel free to share your thoughts with us. The Central Time Zone includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida (panhandle), Indiana (western counties), Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky (western), Louisiana, Michigan (counties bordering Wisconsin in the Upper Peninsula), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska (eastern), North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota (eastern), Tennessee (western), Texas, and Wisconsin. Please shoot an e-mail with your suggestions to either Jo Harthum at [email protected] or Karen Thompson at [email protected]. _________________________________________________________________________
2016 WASHINGTON DC REUNION The 23rd Annual Reunion of the InterVec Phoenix Travel Club was held at Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, Maryland, from Sunday, September 11th, through Friday, September 16th, 2016. A total of 18 rigs and 34 members attended. While a smaller than normal group assembled, the energy level was high. Old friendships were renewed, and our new members received a warm welcome to the Club.
A HUGE thank you needs to be extended to three former club members who were
essential in the initial planning process for this reunion. To Jim VanderMolen, our former Treasurer, who spent countless hours investigating possible reunion destinations. There is a long list of criteria for reunion locations including cost, park amenities, resort conditions, sightseeing opportunities, and climate—just to name a few. Jim started making phone calls and inquiries to at least 6 different locations starting in 2014. To Tom Hanlon, who made the site visits to DC area campgrounds and recommended Cherry Hill Park. Tom—you found a real gem! The campground has every amenity we could possibly want and more, including easy access to the DC Metro system, a dog walker, and an RV detailing service. The facilities are immaculately maintained, our meeting room was beautiful, and the staff went above and beyond to make our reunion a success. To Ann Reinhart for recommending Woodside Deli and Red, Hot and Blues as caterers for our event. Woodside Deli was your neighborhood deli choice (not on Cherry Hill’s list of caterers), and they provided us with incredible breakfasts each morning. We would have never found them on our own and are so glad you pointed us to them! Again, thanks to Jim, Tom, and Ann—you laid the groundwork for this reunion and deserve all the credit for its success.
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Our stay began with a Happy Hour/Meet ‘n Greet on Sunday evening, followed by a Pizza Party catered by the Café at Cherry Hill Park, and our traditional Bingo game. Monday was a very busy day which began with a hot breakfast, followed by our Annual Business Meeting. During the meeting, Cherry Hill staff member Kathy gave us an overview of how to navigate the Metro system, and Earl Robbins gave us an update on changes to the 2017 lineup of Phoenix Cruisers.
Monday afternoon we piled into a Gray Line bus for a custom Washington DC tour. We were dropped off in the Mall area home to many of the Smithsonian Museums and other attractions. Members spent the afternoon visiting such spots as the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, Hirshorn Modern Art Museum, National Museum of American History, and National Museum of Natural History. The bus returned and transported the group to Union Station for dinner with a selection 30+ eateries within.
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Monday ended with a twilight/evening tour of the DC memorial/monuments. Included in the tour were: US Capitol (drive by), White House, National World War II Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington Monument, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwa Jimo), and Arlington Cemetary (drive by). Our driver Richard shared his Wikipedia wealth of information with us throughout the day and provided a wonderful introduction to the city.
Tuesday was a free day with many members venturing into the city using the Metro system. Carol and Bud Graves graciously escorted a group to Baltimore on September 14th, Defenders Day. Sally Rice, Barbara and Clark Sherwin, Bob Tuerk and Annie Piro, Lynn and Tom Geiger joined the Graves.Their first stop was Ft. McHenry on Baltimore’s waterfront. The fort is a National Monument and Historic Shrine. The valiant defense of this star-shaped fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” just after the Battle of Baltimore on September 13-14, 1814. They watched the movie, listened to Carol add details, heard a ranger tell the story, and saw a video in one of the barracks.Bob saw the movie a second time. They should all be able to pass a test on the events in Baltimore and at the fort in September 1814.
The group went to lunch at Hull Street Blues, a restaurant in Baltimore’s Locust Point neighborhood near the fort. Some of the group enjoyed traditional Maryland crab cakes. In the afternoon, they traveled to midtown to the Bolton Hill neighborhood to visit Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church, home to the largest collection of Tiffany windows in a religious setting, including three of the largest windows made by Tiffany. The church organist was in the building and gave a short impromptu concert on the 1931 Skinner organ. The group returned to Cherry
Hill, tired but happy! Tuesday ended with a delicious Potluck Dinner in the Washington/Jefferson Room at Cherry Hill Park. A big thanks to Barbara and Ginnie for organizing and labeling our dishes!
Wednesday was a free day following our morning breakfast. Many members availed themselves of the RV detailing service provided through Cherry Hill. Others toured throughout the Washington area including Arlington Cemetary, National Archieves, US Capitol, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Newseum, Old Post Office (just reopened as a Trump Hotel), and the Library of Congress.
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On Thursday, John Halupka and Holly Cook escorted a group to the Falls of the Potomac and C & O Canal National Historic Park which extends from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. Thusday was capped off with the Farewell Banquet compliments of Phoenix, USA, and catered by Red, Hot and Blues and followed by the Silent Auction fundraiser.
As is always the case, many of the best times at the reunion were the bonding between our members at meal time, while sightseeing, relaxing around the campground, and time enjoyed around the campfire.
Hope to see everyone next year in Sisters, Oregon!!!!
_______________________________________________________________________________ Dear friends and associates: My new book, "Mountain Ministry: Living on Grace Street" should be published soon. The list price will be $19.95. If you notify me that you would like a copy (I'll even sign it), the price will be $18.00 There is no need to pay for it now. I will include an invoice when I send the book to you but I need to know if you want a copy since I will have to pre-order enough copies to meet any requests. It is important to note that net proceeds from the sale of the book will go to help the needy. Order a copy, help those in need, and (hopefully) enjoy reading some of my past sermons. Simply reply to this email {[email protected]} and provide your mailing address. The book will be sent to you as soon as it is received from the publisher, hopefully within two months. Thanks, Ken Humphreys
NOTE: This month’s newsletter is being sent to all past and present members. Our hope is that we can induce past members to renew their membership in our club. We are also interested in your views, comments and critiques about past, present and future reunion plans and sites. Below is a generic membership renewal form if you would like to join or renew your membership. Comments can be written on the back of the form.
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Karen Thompson, Treasurer 2743 Henry Street, PMB 128
Muskegon, MI 49441
Membership Registration Form Dues are $30 per member (a couple is considered one member). If you do not receive your newsletter by e-mail, you will need to pay an additional $5.00 for service by US Mail. Please complete the following information and mail your check and form to the address above. Please make check payable to InterVec Phoenix Travel Club. Mail to: Karen Thompson, 2743 Henry Street PMB 128, Muskegon, MI 49441 Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address _____________________________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________ State _______ Zip Code _________________________________________ Alternate Address __________________________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________ State _______ Zip Code _________________________________________ Approximate dates of alternate address _________________________________________________________________ Phone Numbers (Home) ________________________ (Cell) _______________________________________________ E-Mail Address (es) _________________________________________________________________________________ RV Brand __________________________________ Year _______ Model ____________________________________ Stopping Place – It has been the practice of some club members to offer stopping places for other members. This would mean you are offering a place for fellow members to stay for one night without providing anything other than a spot to park. We will put this list out in the next newsletter. Members will be required to contact you before stopping. The newsletter will only include your city and e-mail address so you can be contacted. Are you willing to provide this service? __________________________________________________________________ How did you learn about the InterVec-Phoenix Travel Club? _________________________________________________
If a member recommended the club to you, what is his or her name? __________________________________________
Optional questions: On the reverse side of this form, tell us something about yourself. For example, What kind of work do you do or are you retired? Children? Hobbies? Volunteer activities? Special interests? Pets? Etc.
If you wish, send us a photograph. We would like to know a bit about you and if you send a picture, space permitting, we might use it in our newsletter.
Also, if you have a suggestion for a place to hold a future Reunion, or if you simply want to recommend a good camping experience, please let us know.
