Exchange
New Horizons Owners Newsletter
Volume 6 Number
2
June 2004
Editor: Lloyd Treichel lloyd@wandrin.us
Since this is the
inaugural issue of The Exchange and a successor to the Horizon
Herald, here are words of introduction.
Horizons Herald Update -- Sue Bell
We are delighted to announce that Lloyd
Treichel has volunteered to edit the Horizons Herald! As you may know,
earlier this year, after several years of extraordinary service, Nancy
Moon resigned as the editor of the Horizons Herald. For those of you
who don't know, the Horizons Herald is a newsletter by New Horizons
owners for New Horizons owners. It started informally as a compilation
of various contributions from our owners and a way to share information
and experiences with each other. Fortunately for us (and perhaps
unfortunately for her), Nancy did a wonderful job of expanding its
content by coming up with new ideas for the newsletter -- we will miss
her delightful prose.
In the future, under Lloyd's over sight, the newsletter will change its
format -- the Horizons Herald will now be published in an electronic
form only, posted on the Internet. Further, it will be published
periodically -- when there is something to publish. What that means is,
if none of our owners has anything to contribute, there will not be a
newsletter. We thank Lloyd for agreeing to keep the Horizons Herald
alive, and we look forward to reading your many and varied
contributions.
Now from your
editor -- Lloyd Treichel
WHAT EXCHANGE WILL NOT BE.....
- This will NOT be turned into a JOB; there is far too much exploring to be done.
- It will NOT be hard copy. No stapling, folding, copying, stamping and mailing.
- I will NOT go looking for material to include in the Exchange.
WHAT EXCHANGE WILL BE....
- It will be published periodically without any adherence to any particular schedule.
- It will be only available as an Internet publication.
- As a publication of NHOG, the readers are the reporters. The editor will collect, edit and publish.
IDEAS FOR MATERIAL.....
- The same kind of material submitted to the Horizon Herald.
- Helpful hints for the maintenance and care of your New Horizon rig.
- A story of RV travel to share -- humorous, embarrassing or learning experience.
- Share a great stop (camp site, an explore, a great meal) found on your journeys.
- Potluck recipe -- simple.
- Personal profiles: you, your rig, where you're going.
- What you did last summer, winter, fall, spring....
- Material is also acceptable.
- Resize pictures before sending -- 640 by 480 pixels is large enough.
EDITING...
- My philosophy: Less is more.
- Graphics and pictures will be included when they are essential to the words of the story. Lots of graphics are no fun when on a dial up line.
- Each issue will have a balanced collection of subject material available.
Send submissions to Lloyd Treichel -- email address: lloyd@wandrin.us
As this issue is published there is no backlog of articles or material. NHOG Exchange is looking for your input.
2004 Horizons
Rally -- Sue Bell
The 2004 Horizons Rally was a huge success! Thanks to the 2004
Rally Committee, the numerous volunteers who helped with various tasks
throughout the rally and the enthusiastic participation of all the
rally attendees.
There were 43 rigs in attendance -- 41 owner rigs and 2 wannabees. In
all, 77 people attended the rally. This was the 5th rally of Horizons
owners and the first one outside of Kansas. The rally was held at the
Fredericksburg RV Park in the Hill Country of Texas. The area has many
interesting activities to enjoy along with colorful spring wildflowers
in bloom. The Fredericksburg RV park was a great place for our rally --
friendly and helpful staff, level paved pull-thru sites, nice
landscaping with plenty of grass and trees, well maintained grounds
with pet areas, wireless Internet, on-site laundry facility, and a nice
large recreation room with kitchen facilities and a big screen TV for
our rally meetings.
The rally lasted for 4½ days. On the afternoon before the first
day there was a get-acquainted, welcome happy hour and a "no-host"
dinner at the Grape Creek Market and Barbecue about 10 miles east of
Fredericksburg. Everyone enjoyed the great Texas barbecue.
The rally started the morning of April 28th with self introductions.
About half of the attendees this year were new owners, so this
exchange gave everyone an opportunity to learn about each other. We
were delighted that Karen and Phil Brokenicky flew in from Junction
City to join us on Day 1. Phil addressed the group in the late morning
to describe how the company was doing, the changes that are being made
to the new rigs and the direction that he envisions for the future. The
first afternoon was free to explore the local area or join a group hike
up Enchanted Rock. The group that went on the hike had a grand time
enjoying the flowing water collected in the pools from the rain the
night before, the many bright and colorful wildflowers and the vistas
of the green countryside from the top of the massive dome of pink
granite. That evening we enjoyed a delicious catered dinner of
jagerschnitzel or baked chicken, hosted by Horizons, followed by door
prizes from Horizons, Camping World and the Rally Committee. After
dinner, Joe Thompson, Mary O'Neill and Chips Kessler shared some of
their photos and experiences from their adventure to Copper Canyon and
Baja California in Mexico.
On Day 2, Joe Green talked to the group about various trucks and their
towing capacities and challenged us to think about how appropriate a
one-ton truck was for towing a long (and heavy) Horizons fifth wheel.
There was some lively discussion around this topic. After a break,
Roger Bell led a group discussion about various topics of interest,
with the primary focus being Internet connections using satellite, cell
phones and other wireless connections. It was informative to hear about
the experiences of the owners. That afternoon was free for a scenic
drive on the Willow City loop to enjoy the many wildflowers in bloom or
another activity of one's choosing. That evening we had the
always-popular, and delicious, potluck dinner. Everyone enjoyed
sampling the diverse selection of dishes prepared by the owners. After
dinner we completed our self introductions and shared stories of our
embarrassing moments RVing.
Day 3 started with some rain and cold winds which threatened our
afternoon open houses. In the morning, Joe Green, one of our owners and
a representative from MorRyde, talked with the group about MorRyde
axles and brakes. After a break, Steve Guidry, a representative from
Master Brake, talked about the Brake Smart brake controller. By lunch,
as luck would have it, the sun had come out, and it was agreed that we
would hold the open houses that afternoon, as scheduled. Touring each
other's rigs to see the uniqueness of each owner's design is always the
highlight of each Horizons Rally -- after all, where else can you see
so many custom-made Horizons rigs in one place at one time? That
evening, we got together for a second catered dinner (funded out of
rally fees), this time of barbecued beef brisket or barbecued chicken.
The evening ended with a travel log from Bill Sadd describing his trip
to Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.
The last day of the rally started later in the morning with informal
discussions about various topics followed by a presentation by Bill
Sadd about Care-A-Vanners, a Habitat for Humanity program for RVers.
After lunch, about 40 of us went to nearby Stonewall, TX for a tour of
the LBJ Ranch. Dinner was on your own for an opportunity to enjoy one
of the local restaurants with a small group. The rally ended with an
ice cream social enhanced with a "sock-hop" theme, complete with
decorations and music from the 50s, organized by Patti Sadd.
If you missed the 2004 rally, you missed something really fun. The
feedback forms completed by this year's rally participants indicate
that the main reasons that our owners attend the Horizons rallies is
for the opportunity to meet other Horizons owners, to exchange ideas,
information and experiences with other owners and to see other Horizons
rigs -- the 2004 more than met their expectations. We had a great group
of people at the rally whose participation made the rally a great
success.
2005 Horizons Rally -- Sue Bell
We are pleased to announce that there were a number of enthusiastic
volunteers who formed the 2005 Rally Committee and Mel and Linda
Collart have volunteered to be the 2005 Rally Masters. Fred and Janice
Folkers will serve as assistant Rally Masters. In addition, Fred will
assume responsibility for the owners' data base and continue to be the
webmaster for the owners' website. Joe Thompson will continue to serve
as the owners' group treasurer. The other members of the 2005 Rally
Committee include: Mike Eisman and Judy Sterling; Jan Estep; Don and
Kathy Gatza; Shari Haywood and Buzz Bruce; Chips and Pat Kessler; Bill
Love; Bill Nash; Patti and Bill Sadd; Ken and Debbie Toth.
The next rally will be held in the fall of 2005 although an exact date
or place have not yet been selected. The 2005 Rally Committee welcomes
your suggestions about places to hold the next rally --the Black Hills
of South Dakota has been already been proposed. You can email Mel and
Linda Collart with your ideas at collart@comcast.net. Any possible
rally site must have at least 50-60 sites capable of accommodating rigs
over 40 feet long. We must be able to be reserve the necessary sites,
and the cost should not exceed $25/day. Finally, there must be an
affordable, indoor meeting room available for our use that can seat at
least 100 people and have equipment, such as a large screen TV, for
making presentations. It is an added plus if the area near the rally
site has activities of interest for our owners.
Editor's
note: The Rally Masters have gotten off to a planning fast start
and another
serious contender for the site of the next rally is Goshen, IN.
New Horizons Makes Headlines -- Editor
"Testing the Summit
35' New Horizons" was on the cover of the March 2004 issue of Trailer
Life. As the lead article, the pictures and the article describe
the quality and fully featured units available from Horizons.
In the May 2004
issue of RVBUSINESS, an article is titled: "Horizons Meets Custom
Trailer Needs -- Factory-direct RV Maker Caters to High End,
Specialty Niche". The article describes the history, philosophy
and direction in creating the high quality New Horizons fifth wheel.
While I was at
Horizons last month, I noted a plaque that had been presented to
Horizons from Consumers Digest. The plaque was to honor the
achievement of "A Best Buy" for the New Horizons F32RLSSS 5th Wheel
Trailer.
We were in Ft. Stockton before the rally and this old boy at a service station had this magic mixture which melted bugs off the windshield. I was so impressed that I asked him for it. I only have the amounts for a large mixture. If you want to cut it down, please do.
l and 1/2 gals of water
(purchase at auto parts store; it is a degreaser/tire cleaner).
Explanation of Storage Area Locks -- Jim Leigh
While working with New Horizons and my locksmith, I became aware that there are two types of key systems on the tubular or barrel key locks for the storage areas. One is" key retaining" which means the key stays with the lock until it is in the locked position. The other "non key retaining" allows one to open a storage area and remove the key and move on to another area and open it. I believe the ones that are available at camping world are "key retaining". Having multiple keys for the several storage areas would become an inconvenience versus the common RV key lock.
Bi-fold shower door replacement -- Dorothy & Hamlin Burtness, Manhattan, KS
If anyone else needs a replacement shower door, we recommend these folks:
Looking For Advice Touring Mexico -- Maureen Gross
It would be fun to hear from anyone that has taken a trip to Baja. The Copper Canyon in Mexico would be exciting to read about too. I am considering taking a trip there this winter, but I have no idea what I am in for. Reservations will need to be made soon. I would like to hear what folks liked and disliked. The tours I have read about so far offered items like open bars and tourist traps. It would be much more interesting to explore the scenery along with the flora and fauna. I want to spend all my time exploring this unique area (not in a bar or tourist trap). Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
Maureen's email address: maurie@execpc.com
Profile of New Horizons Owner Lloyd Treichel
After over 35 years of computers and Information Technology, it was time to retire in 2000. I knew I wanted to travel when I retired so it was a relatively easy decision to become a full time RVer. So with that decision, I bought a 28 footer NH, sold the house, gave the stuff to the kids and hit the road. Two years later, I down sized when I ordered the second Wandrin Wagon from Horizons. I picked it up in October of 2003. Not only did I down size, I also simplified my life. Wandrin Wagon has no microwave, no furnace and no awning. Some might call it a hard sided tent. For me, it's perfect.
As a full timer, I follow the sun searching for the novel, unique and interesting. There are lots of places to explore and I fear I may never get it all done. This year my travels will take me east through Canada to the Maritimes and then down the East Coast to be in Florida for Christmas 2004. At least that is the plan.
Potluck Recipe
Apple Crisp
Made by Sue and Roger Bell
and served at the 2004 NHOG Rally
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cubes softened butter (i.e., ¾ cup of butter)
plus ~ ½ - ¾ cube of additional butter to butter casserole dish &place on top of apples
6 - 8 Granny Smith apples (tart cooking apples)
Instructions:
Butter shallow casserole dish with part of extra butter. (4 qt. dish works well.)
Slice apples. Place sliced and cut up apples in the bottom of casserole dish.
Place remaining extra butter and sprinkle extra sugar over the apples.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the apples (amount of cinnamon used depends on taste).
Put crumbly mixture on top of apples.
Bake in 325° or 350° oven for about 50 to 60 minutes until nicely browned.