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Observations from the road . . . . .

Posted 07-23-2011 at 05:52 AM by Zagami

Hot, hot, hot! Guess I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know about the weather this summer. I’m on the road for two weeks doing a product review and livability report on the new 2012 A.C.E. motorhome from Thor Motor Coach. This 30’ beauty is performing very well given the conditions all RVers are facing with 100 degree heat, high humidity and sudden bursts of lightning and heavy downpours. The report will appear in Family Motor Coaching Magazine in a few months so be sure to watch for it.

In the meantime I thought you might enjoy some observations from the captain’s seat while looking out the windshield and enjoying this great lifestyle, even if it is hot and sometimes unbearable!

Thor Motor Coach This coach is turning heads everywhere we stop. It’s absolutely amazing what they have built into this coach. Built on the Ford chassis, with full body paint, automatic levelers and a single slide, it lists for just over $100,000 and Camping World is selling them for around $90,000 – a terrific price for such a quality built motorhome.

Camping World Arrangements were made for me to pick up the motorhome at the Camping World RV Sales operation in Chichester, NH. I was very impressed with the staff and the facility at this national chain of dealerships and Camping World stores. This is a different company today as they have worked through some internal reorganization and rebranding of their corporate entities. The attitude was different and very positive. The facility was spotless and everyone was friendly and they couldn’t do enough for the many visitors in the dealership that day. You can tell these folks are very proud of the company and very happy to be serving RVers. This was not always the case but the changes in Camping World are very evident and anybody checking them out these days will realize they want your business and are willing to work very hard to earn it.

Along the way we stopped off at the Camping World dealership and store in Akron, OH and found the very same reception, cleanliness, wide product selection and a well stocked Camping World store, where we purchased a few new things we probably didn’t need, but got them any way. You know the feeling! Camping World has created an environment that will make RVers want to come back and do business with them in the future and I applaud them for the dramatic changes in the company that I have observed on this trip.

Where did the stimulus money go? It sure as hell didn’t go into the nation’s highway systems. We have encountered some of the worst roads in America on this trip and there is simply no reason to have our highway system in such a deplorable condition. Interstate 86W from Corning, NY to Erie, PA should be closed until they can repair and repave it. RVers should avoid it entirely in their travel plans. Other highways, like Interstate 70W through the heartland of America were not much better. It sure would have been nice if some of that stimulus money had indeed been spent on “shovel ready” projects that would have significantly upgraded our highways. Nobody enjoys being bounced around the road and it is even worse when driving a motorhome. This certainly takes one of the arguments about the “joy of travel” out of the RV playbook if consumers don’t enjoy the journey as they travel this great country. Listen up America, fix the damn roads and do it now!

RV’s everywhere! Perhaps the most enjoyable thing about our journey so far has been the incredible number of RVs that have seen on the road. It sure is hot, and there sure is a recession in this country, but the durable and enthusiastic folks that enjoy the lifestyle are not letting that impact them this summer. I was truly amazed at all the RVs, especially the number of motorhomes, often seeing four or five at a time, traveling down the highway. This is great for the industry and great for the consumers to see them out and about this summer. We are a dedicated group of people that are not going to be deterred just because the weather is dealing us an incredible fate this summer, gas prices remain high, and we struggle with a challenging economy. So join all the other folks I’m seeing on the highway and get out and enjoy the RV lifestyle. Travel safe!

KOA Kampgrounds I continue to be impressed with the KOA facilities we are staying at on this trip. Jim Rogers and the KOA management team and franchisees have taken the camping experience to an entirely new level of hospitality and service. There is consistency across the brand regardless of where you stop on your journey. They have knowledgeable staffs and plenty of amenities to make your stay very enjoyable. They are also very family friendly with great activities for the kids, both supervised on their own. You may pay a little more for a KOA experience, but I think it is well worth the money and something you will enjoy if you have not visited one lately. KOA has responded to the increasing demands of today RVing community and it is obvious that SERVICE has been a key to their success and growth in this challenging economy. The parks were full, people were enjoying themselves, and they had a chance to maximized their RV experience away from their normal environment, and that’s what a family camping experience is supposed to be like.
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  1. Old Comment
    DriVer's Avatar
    Bob, Thanks for sharing your Ride & Drive product review with us and we appreciate the "sneak peek" about the upcoming article in the FMCA Magazine. Keep up the good work. I hope to see you in Madison, WI for the 86th Family Reunion Rally.

    If anyone reading this Blog plans on going to the FMCA Rally, please post and let us know that you are going to be there!
    Posted 07-23-2011 at 06:54 AM by DriVer DriVer is offline
  2. Old Comment
    GG RV's Avatar
    Wow, what a beauty! Can't wait to see the inside! Thanks for posting this Gigi
    Posted 08-11-2011 at 05:23 AM by GG RV GG RV is offline
 
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