Exchange

New Horizons Owners Newsletter

Volume 6 Number 3 
July 2004
Editor: Lloyd Treichel lloyd@wandrin.us


Exchange Contents:
Editor's Foreword

That is the sum total of contributions since the last Exchange.  Contributions are needed so that the editor has something to do.  Send anything. Bad grammar and dangling particles will be handled by the editor for inclusion in the NHOG Exchange. Contributions are welcome from non-owners that are pertinent to New Horizons owners.

The following note was sent as an email to your editor.

Horizon Herald History -- Don and Helen McAnally

Your first issue of The Exchange is a good start towards continuing the Newsletter which we named, started, and edited for three years, from March, 1999 to Dec, 200l. Then we handed it over to Nancy Moon. We received a lot of input from our subscribers and soon developed the general format that we now see in The Exchange.

We purchased our rig, a 32 ft. rear kitchen model with two slides in May, 1998. We full-timed for 4 years, then sold our trailer to Galen and Karen Ballentine. We still correspond with them. We are now settled in Parker CO. This is home; both our daughters are here in the Denver Metro area.

Some months after we bought our trailer, we talked with Harold Johnson about starting a newsletter. He encouraged us, and offered to pay for the cost. We decided to call it The Horizon Herald, which would be a structured newsletter (not just an "informal compilation of contributions") published on a bimonthly schedule. The first issue was March, 1999, with a general mailing to all owners, asking them to respond if they were interested. We started out with about 40 subscribers, increasing to more than a hundred after a year or so. We started out with two pages, and then to four as we received more input.

We talked with Harold about a rally and started publicizing it in 1999. Sherri Haywood, a wannabe (her dream did come true) who lived in Junction City took charge, and we had the first New Horizons rally Fall, 1999, with about 30 trailers at Lake Milford in Junction City. If it hadn't been for Sherri, the rally would never have taken place.
 
The Herald was a lot of work, but we really enjoyed doing it. We trust you will find that editing and publishing The Exchange will also be a joy (most of the time, anyhow) and a satisfying experience. We would like to continue receiving it; please keep us on your list.
     

Unwind That Power Cord -- Joe Thompson, NH #363

While at the Fredericksburg rally, I noticed that several owners used some sort of reel device to store their power cord.  I also noticed that some had unrolled just enough to connect to the power pedestal.  You should know that if you use your power cord in a coiled manner you may be decreasing the voltage available to the coach.  Alternating current carrying wires in a coil create a choke which sets up a voltage that opposes the voltage being delivered to the coach.  If the power at the pedestal is adequate you might not notice the shortfall.  But, I find occasional sites where the supply voltage is marginal.  To insure that the coach sees the maximum voltage available at the pedestal, the power cord should be completely uncoiled.


New Horizon Owners Travel Notes

From Stephanie and Paul Bernhagen -- We are in Iowa for the summer working at Adventureland Amusement Park. Roger and Sue Bell are due in today [July 1] for a visit which we are looking forward to.

In the previous Exchange someone [Maureen Gross] was looking for information on the Copper Canyon and traveling in Mexico. The [Stephanie's] website www.rvhometown.com may provide some answers to those questions. Click on "What's New" to view the articles about traveling in Mexico.


New Horizons Maiden Voyage -- Lloyd Treichel #591

It was March of 2001 when I picked up my first New Horizons fiver.  The weather had cleared in Junction City and the sun was shining as I started on my maiden voyage to my home in Denver.  I stopped the first night at a half way point.  When I started out the next morning the weather was threatening snow.  In a few hours, I was driving directly into a wet and slushy snow storm.  Soon the new rig was splashed dirty by passing semis.  Trying to remember that I was retired, I finally stopped at the Limon KOA which had just opened for the season.  To remind me not to travel in snow again, here is the picture of the stalactites clinging to the tire hubs.
Wheel with Stalactites

Traveling to the Panama Canal (and Back) in a New Horizon Fifth Wheel -- Joyce and Larry Space

Larry and I left Gila Bend, Arizona on January 2, 2004 with ten other RVs for the "trip of a lifetime." The rigs ranged in size from a class B to a full sized bus conversion. This was not a commercial tour, but one organized by two men via ads in RV publications.
 
After six days it became apparent that eleven rigs traveling together was just too cumbersome without having pre-planned places to stay.  We divided into two groups. Our group had six rigs. We traveled down the west coast of Mexico and across the narrow part of Mexico to the Yucatan. We then went through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Panama.

On June 21 we reached our goal, the Panama Canal!! What a thrill that was. After a boat trip through half the canal on June 26 (my 61st birthday - one to remember) we started our journey back north. We will see El Salavador and the highlands of  Mexico on the way back, expecting to arrive in the U.S. some time in November.

After entering Panama our group of six rigs again split. Several wanted to get back to the U.S. earlier than November, while Larry and I and another couple preferred to stick to the original schedule. We'll probably never be down here again so we want to "do it all" now. We are currently in Panama, planning to cross into Costa Rica in a few days.

In spite of several real inconveniences, the trip has exceeded our grandest expectations. The people, the police, and town officials have all been helpful and wonderful to us. The countryside is beautiful and varied from mountains to palm studded tropical islands.  The food is inexpensive and the trip has been one delightful adventure after another. We rarely stay in campgrounds, so our expenses have not been great. When we are not going out to exotic off shore islands, we spend on average monthly total of about $1125. Diesel and sightseeing are our largest expenses.

Our biggest inconvenience has been a refrigerator that totally died half way into the trip. That was after returning to Tucson twice for refrigerator repairs the first two weeks of the trip. We are living out of a small cooler in 90 degree, humid weather. What a pain!

Another major problem was a damaged brake caliper that needed replacement on one of the trailer wheels. The parts had to be sent FedEx from Texas to Belize before we could continue.  The people who make the Kodiak disc brakes we use were most helpful.

Because we like to park in free and sometimes off the beaten path places, the height of our 31 foot fifth-wheel at 12' 10" has created a few problems. Occasionally we've had to cut overhead branches, or let air out of the trailer airbags to get into a spot. However the structural strength of our New Horizons has been a real plus. Some of the roads sure can be rough on a rig. On the other hand, we have been pleasantly surprised at how good most of the roads have been. Mexico's narrow roads and potholes have been the most difficult.

It seems like each day we look at each other and can hardly believe how much fun we are having.

I write travel letters that I periodically send out via e-mail. Currently the total trip is 74 pages long.  If anyone wants a copy, email us at spacelgs@earthlink.net and tell us whether you want it sent as a Microsoft Word document or as plain text document. Microsoft Word document is the best choice. It is too large to send via Pocketmail.

Note from the editor:  The full text of their journey will not be published in the Exchange.


Travel Recommendations -- Bill and Patti Sadd, NH #398

We set off from Fredericksburg (TX) on Mother's Day, just after the Horizons Rally, for our summer on the road exploring the northwest.  Here are some highlights from the first six weeks that merit consideration by those who follow in our pathway. 
  • Willcox (AZ) - Visit Chiracahua National Monument, rocky home to Geronimo and Cochise.  Spectacular rocky sentinals in a green and arid setting.
  • Fortuna (CA) - Drive the "Lost Coast Loop" through wilderness terrain with spectacular views out to the Pacific Ocean; road was built by ex-railroad builder Chinese laborers.
  • Gold Beach (OR) - Take Jerry's Jet Boats 52 miles up the Rogue River through narrow canyons and over white rapids.
  • Newport (OR) - Stay at Beverly Beach SP and tour the coastline north and south, especially Yaquina Head Lighthouse at low tide (walk among the tidal pools) and the excellent aquarium.
  • McMinnville (OR) - Stop at the Evergreen Aviation Museum and see Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" and an excellent display of vintage airplanes - civilian and military.
  • White Salmon (WA) - In the heart of the Columbia River Gorge (across from Hood River, OR).  Drive south to Mount Hood, north to Mount Saint Helens, east to the arid hills of The Dalles, west to the lush waterfalls and rain forest.  Be sure to ride the Hood River Railroad - take the Saturday evening Dinner & Murder Mystery train; great fun.
  • Astoria (OR) - Visit the outstanding Astoria Maritime Museum (life where the Columbia meets the Pacific), tour Lewis & Clark's Fort Clatsup winter quarters, explore Fort Stevens where eight artillery batteries guarded the mouth of the Columbia from the Civil War through WWII.
  • Forks (WA) - Drive up the Hoh Rain Forest and out to Rialto Beach, both part of Olympic National Park.  Take the very informative (and FREE) Logging and Mill Tour - includes detailed tour through a working saw mill, drive into the mountains where active logging is taking place, and finish with a small cedar shingle & shake mill.
  • Port Angeles (WA) - Highlight was the drive up Hurricane Ridge and the snowcapped Olympic Mountains.
The next stops on our journey will be Vancouver Island and crisscrossing British Columbia and Alberta.  More recommendations to follow.