Horizon Herald - July/August '00
New Horizons Owners Newsletter
Volume 2 Number 4 - July/August
2000
Bringing together New Horizons™
owners for sharing and fellowship
Published bi-monthly
Editors: Don and Helen
McAnally
PMB 11431
214 Rainbow Drive Livingston, Texas 77399-2014
email: horizonltr@aol.com
Contents
Getting
Connected Will Be Easier
Notes from the Editors
We trust that everyone is having a great summer and enjoying their NH trailers. We are savoring our time in the Colorado mountains - Collegiate Peaks area— in the upper Arkansas River valley. In spite of dry conditions, the river has enough water for the rafters and kayakers.
We’re looking forward to the rally and getting acquainted with many of you. Letters and emails are great , but they’re too impersonal. We want to connect with the whole person.
We realized while up-dating the mailing list that we have 100 subscribers, and more every month. What surprises us is that about 15 have subscribed who do not yet have a NH rig . They hear about the trailers, see the quality, and listen to the owners, so they become wannabees.
Several weeks ago, we met the Ballentine’s. They had been to the factory, and decided that a NH trailer was the way they wanted to go when the time comes. They were in the area, called, then came by and we had a good visit. We enjoyed talking about our trailer, its quality, and the pleasure of owning and living in a NH.
We are pleased with your contributions to the newsletter. Keep them coming, from small tidbits to longer articles, 200 to 600 words. We particularly need items for: Your Turn, Trips to Remember, Favorite Parks and Places—be sure to give complete and accurate directions.
Kudos to the Steering Committee for Horizons Rally 2000. Your efforts in putting it all together are greatly appreciated.
Take note of the articles in this issue:
Charles Yaker tells us how to
find a campground in NYC
Bob Voelker writes about Internet
connections being easier, soon
Shari Haywood’s interview with
Bruce Johnson, who works his wizardry in Horizon’s cabinet shop
If you’re in the Buena Vista, CO area, call us, (719) 395-4309—until Sept 25.
REMINDER: Send submissions for Sept/Oct issue by Sept. 5.
(Don and Helen McAnally)
Actual Newspaper Headlines
Man is Fatally Slain
Panda Mating Fails—Veterinarian Takes Over
Enraged Cow Injures Farmer With Ax
Death Causes Loneliness, Feeling of Isolation
Design Options - Ideas
We bought our 31 ft, NH 5W in June, ‘98. We have been fulltiming since ‘93 and have enjoyed the last two years with a much higher comfort factor than with our previous 5W—of course.
Looking at the back issues of the Herald, we noted some prospective owners had questions about features beyond those offered as standard. Following are some optional items we incorporated into the design of our rig to provide added comfort.
We had double insulation installed in both the roof and underbelly since we enjoy winter sports and frequently spend our winters in cold climates
We have a catalytic heater. In situations where the heater is being used instead of the furnace, we install electric heating pads on our enclosed and insulated holding tanks to prevent freezing.
We found in our seven years of fulltiming that sofas in RVs are neither comfortable to sit on nor restful to sleep on. So, we purchased wall-saver Lazy Boy recliners. (Ed. note: Amen!). And we had Horizons build a small storage unit between the recliners.
We found that a 12 inch high storage facility under our queen-size bed provided improved storage over the proposed 6 inch standard.
We had three and one-half inch toe spaces built under our cabinets throughout. This feature reduces back bending over the sink area when doing dishes. In addition, we had our counter tops designed for “adults” at 36+ inches from the floor.
We opted for a larger refrigerator/freezer than the standard.
We hope these comments will be helpful.
(Violet and Richard Buthmann)
(Ed note: We appreciate Violet and Richard sharing with us. If you have add-on favorites that work for you, let us know about them. Or, if you added something that didn’t work out, let us know about that, too)
Your Turn
Comments, ideas, questions, about most anything.
We picked up our 5W in April. It
follows nicely behind our F350 PSD. Both the NH and the truck were ordered
while we were still in Japan, with the help of the Internet.
We enjoyed our eight week trip
traveling from CA to Key West, FL. Covered 9600 miles and our NH wasn’t even
tired—we just love it.
Picked up an ad at a rest area,
toured the Horizons plant, impressed with the quality. Expect to order our NH
this fall.
Three of the Power King tires on
our NH separated. Suggest replacing or checking frequently.
We recommend the Crown Villa RV
Park in Bend, Oregon; first class, close to shopping, outlets. (541) 388-1131
We’ve created a web site with
copies of our travel journals, plus photos along the way. Also, a “virtual
tour” of our NH. (Bill & Patti Sadd, http://bsadd.webspace.dellnet.com)
Looking forward to Rally 2000 and
seeing all those New Horizons in one place; rarely see any on the road. But
when we spot one another, we have instant company; it’s great, isn’t it?
From Will Rogers: Never miss a
good chance to shut up. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
(Ed. note) We need your short items, experiences, humor, for this column. Please send them in.
Tips, Notes & Helpful Hints
Organizing Manuals
To organize all of the owner’s manuals that come with your New Horizons 5W, as well as for other items you buy, go to Staples (right in Junction City) and buy a 3 inch 3 ring binder, one set of A-Z dividers, and 2 or 3 packages of clear vinyl document storage pages. It makes finding the right manual a breeze. (Bill Sadd)
Various & Sundry
A weak solution of bleach and water will clean up the dark areas in the marine cloth ceiling .
Help for ‘seatitis’. Purchase a 20 inch diameter child’s plastic blow-up swim ring and inflate it just one-fifth of what it will hold. Sit on it for those long hours of travel. Also, can make a cover for it by sewing two circles of fabric, 21” in diameter, and fastening with a 12” zipper.
Open any exterior door on your 5W basement and glue clothes clips along the top of the inside about six inches down, and hang your sewer gloves or outside rags, etc.
A check list for hooking up or unhooking is a necessity. We wrote our own, covered it with clear contact paper, and kept it hung from the dash near the ignition switch ( Roberta Rousseau)
Preparing for Travel after Setting
Spring and early summer see many of us hooking up again after spending several months in a winter site. You probably have your own check list. Double or triple check it, slowly, before taking off. It’s too easy to forget some critical steps after being parked for a time. (the McAnallys)
New York City Campgrounds
Debby and I visited the only campground close to New York City, Liberty Harbor Marina and R. V. Park. It’s actually in Jersey City, NJ, located a short distance from Exit 14C of the New Jersey Turnpike. Trailer Life rating is 6.5/8.5/3. If you’ve ever seen a large boat marina, you will understand the 3 for Visual Appeal.
A water taxi to NYC stops at the dock and a PATH train with connections to the City is a short walk from the Park entrance. There’s a new 24-hour supermarket less that two minutes away.
Sites have electric and water but no sewers, only a dump station. Bath rooms and toilets were clean and the laundry was more than adequate. The people in the office were friendly and accommodating. Call 1-800-646-2066 and they’ll send you a nice brochure. The rates are $50 per day—reasonable, considering. We recommend it for your visit.
Other campgrounds offering a more rural setting are from one to two hours away. Most are in New Jersey and all have public transportation nearby. Also, “Park and Rides” with bus service to the “Big Apple” are scattered around the area.
Campgrounds: Andover, Clinton, Flanders, Freehold, Jackson, Matawan, Newton, Sussex in NJ; and Bear Mountain, East Islip, Florida, Riverhead, and Montauck in NY. Closest are State Parks with no hookups: Matawan, Freehold, and Bear Mountain. Check campground directories, but best call ahead to find out how to get there.
I wouldn’t advise driving into the city. We often drive in, taking Debby’s
Honda Civic, not our pick-up. Finding a parking spot on the City streets is
really difficult even with the Honda, and we know where to look. Driving in
Manhattan is always frustrating. Our advice—take the bus.
(Charles Yaker)
Potpourri
Favorite Park
We just spent three delightful nights at the Dingman’s Ferry Campground in
the Delaware National Recreation Area. It’s a beautifully wooded campground on
the banks of the Delaware River, with a mix of RV and tent sites, widely
spaced, neatly kept. $18.50 per night.
(Bill & Patti Sadd)
New Book by NH owner
Stephanie Bernhagen has authored a book about RVing—Take Back Your Life!
Travel Full-Time in an RV—for anyone considering or new to full-timing. For
more info, go to
http://rvhometown.home.att.net
or write, 164 Rainbow Drive PMB 6431, Livingston, TX 77399-1064
Shari’s “Dream Chaser”
Shari Haywood ( who did such a marvelous job as coordinator of Rally 1999) reports that her NH trailer is ready for delivery a full month ahead of schedule. She says: “I’m up to my ears in house selling and auction preparations, with little or no time to relish the fact that she’s no longer a dream, a blue print, or an elusive thought. She’s here and now.” (Ed. note: Congratulations, Shari, Happy Trails and Safe Journeys)
Rally 2000 Information
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct.1, 2000
WHERE: River Pond Campground, Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, Kansas
REGISTRATION FEE: $75.00 per rig, paid by September 1. Mail checks or
money orders to:
Horizons Rally 2000
% Ernie Pica
PO Box 750472
Topeka, KS 66675
Registration fee covers park entrance fee and camping fee of $15 for four nights. Additional nights cost $15 per night. The park has good paved interior roads with level sites, picnic tables, water and electric hook-ups. There are two dump stations. A map to the campground will be sent with confirmation of your registration fee.
Activities Planned:
Thursday: A BYOB Welcome Happy Hour
Friday: Presentations by Dometic, Wedgewood, etc., and Harold Johnson and Ken
Ullmer. Horizons will provide a hog roast.
Saturday: Discussion groups in the morning, tours in the afternoon. Happy hour
and a potluck supper followed by entertainment at 7 PM will complete the day.
On Sunday we hope to have an “RV Tour” and a leisure day: visiting, fishing,
etc. Also, a Farewell Happy Hour and dinner on your own.
Fort Riley Tours
The Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard. This elite corps of soldiers
reenact Civil War scenes in authentic uniforms and equipment of the period.
Also included is a tour of stables where horses are housed and trained. (one
hr.)
U. S. Cavalry Museum—History of America’s Horse Soldier. Learn about life of
these hard working soldiers and their mounts. (two hrs.)
Custer House. Original building housed first officers and their families
Kansas State University
Botanical Gardens. Features a rose garden and a conservatory housing a
variety of exotic plants. (45 min.)
BioServe Space Technologies. A NASA Commercial Space Center doing research
directed toward space life science studies and specialized equipment design.
(one hr.)
Golf ? We’ll try to schedule a round at the Colbert Hills Golf Course if there’s enough interest. It’s a public championship $10 million course designed by Jim Colbert.
Horizon's Cabinet Shop
This month’s visit was with Bruce Johnson, Harold’s second son. Bruce works in the cabinetry shop, along with four other men. The beautiful cabinets and woodwork wrought by their skill and craftsmanship are appreciated by all New Horizons owners.
Bruce’s early experience with Horizons was in the welding shop. He built his first set of cabinets in his garage, using mostly hand tools. Within six months, he was building cabinets and doing spray work. He soon began making cabinets exclusively.
Bruce says that building cabinets for an RV is far more challenging than building kitchen cabinets. The RV cabinets can’t be too heavy, and designers have to work around wiring, pipes, and other obstacles. Each unit has some custom features, so they can’t use standardized plans.
This means many hours are invested in each RV. Also, the cabinet maker has to have an eye for visualizing the finished product. Bruce says it’s taken ten years, but he thinks they finally have it figured out, and know how to give Horizon’s customers the special cabinets and woodwork they desire.
Interview and report by Shari Haywood)
Getting Connected Will Be Easier
In the fast moving world of the information age, it can be very difficult to predict the speed of future developments. At last year's inaugural Horizon Owner's Rally, I boldly predicted that 2-way satellite Internet service would be here by the year 2005. I may have missed the mark by 50% or more.
What does 2-way satellite Internet service mean to the RVer? Imagine that you are boondocking in Arizona desert country - miles from civilization. Outside your New Horizon you have a dish antenna pointed to a satellite in the sky. It looks a little different than a present day dish, because it can not only receive, but also transmit signals to that satellite, hovering far above the earth. As you sit comfortably in your rig, you check your e-mail, download pages from your favorite web site (including your hometown newspaper), and upload fresh data to your personal web pages. All of this is accomplished through your satellite dish, without need of a telephone line or cable connection in just a few minutes.
If this sounds like a distant dream.....guess again! Such a system is being tested, even as you read this! Industry giants such as Microsoft (software) and Echostar (satellite network/Dish TV) are teaming up to bring you this technology. In addition to their efforts, no less than a half dozen other space-age systems are either in the planing or development stage. They all have one goal in mind - cut the cord and get your business.
Now, lets get back to our desert country boondocking scenario. As you busily work at your computer, a message pops up on your screen that you have an incoming communication, with images. Because of its larger screen, you turn to your TV, press a button and a live image of your newest grandchild, born just 30 minutes ago, appears before you. H-m-m-m, looks like its time to get on the Internet and book a flight back home for a few days.
Just a few years ago, this would have all been fantasy. Today, all I can say is "Hang on to your britches, the future is right around the corner." (Robert F. Voelker)
A Safety Note
Cracks in the king-pin box have been discovered on two NH rigs by their owners. Horizons has replaced these boxes with new ones from Atwood, the manufacturer. Also, Horizons is checking every unit that comes into their shop.
Harold Johnson is sending out a notice to New Horizons owners telling them to check under the Teflon disc for cracks. Harold has heard that Atwood will be making the bottom plate of the pin box a little heavier.
Check under the Teflon disc now and on a regular basis. Contact Horizons if you find any problems.