FLORIDA AIRSTREAM CLUB MARCH 2018 GOOD LIFE NEWS WEEKEND IN THE WOODS RALLY

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1 GOOD LIFE NEWS From Our President We have started our year off with a great rally at Sertoma Youth Ranch. Everyone there stepped up and volunteered for anything that needed to be done. This is such a fantastic club built with some wonderful people. Over and above the 16 Airstreams camping we had 2 couples come over from Travelers Rest to spend the day. Can t wait for the rest of the rallies for this year. Please note in your rally schedule that the Swegles, Oppells and Krabels (consultants if needed) have volunteered to host the Rock Crusher rally for the Reeds. The Reeds have an opportunity to go on the South East Spectacular Caravan after waiting for 3 years on the standby list. It is a great caravan and we know they will have fun. Chris and I are working with two new Airstream couples in Jacksonville to invite them to join our club. It seems like they are interested so we will see what happens. It is a fun thing to do because we get to go to new places for lunch and meet new, fun people. Our next three rallies are March Bluegrass Fort Christmas Florida, April 3-8 WEEKEND IN THE WOODS RALLY The first Rally of 2018 was packed full of fun. 16 rigs gathered at Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville, FL for 4 nights of camping in their Airstream. Attendees included: Bob & Lynn Masters, Gary & Dianne Mahan, Jeff & Mary Krabel, Jerome & Joyce Hoffer, Mike & Maryanne Swegles, Sonja Meistrell & Lou Shinnamon, Karin Kelly & Clifford, Dale & Janis Edwards, Don & Annette Doerr, Randy & Pat Godfrey, Steve & Deb Oppel, Tom & Jeanne Scheitler, Bob & Dorothy Gilbert, Al & Missy Waschka, Dave & Betty Wenger & Ron & Chris Allen. The Rally was kicked off with a happy hour followed by a grill night where everyone brings their own meat to grill and a side to share. Thank you to Annette Doerr, Jeanne Scheitler, Chris Allen & Joyce Hoffer who brought desserts for us to enjoy. The meal was followed by a campfire giving us more time to get caught up. Friday morning the Krabels, Allens and Swegles hosted a hardy breakfast of biscuits & gravy, eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee. Thank you to those who volunteered to bake the biscuits for this meal and for Ron, Jeff, Tom & Mike cooking the meal. Breakfast was followed by train- PAGE 1

2 Kayak/Canoe Buddy Caravan ing on playing Pickle Ball. Deb Oppel set-up a Pickle Ball Court and Region 3 Rally April in the pole barn in the park with a Ocean Lakes Campground in rope for a net and lines drawn on Myrtle Beach. the concrete floor for boundaries. We are always trying to increase Rally attendance. Our changing the Kayak/Canoe We had a lot of laughs learning this new game and Deb was very patient with us as she shared the Caravan to include Buddies rules of the game. In fact, we had so much fun that we have supports this goal. If any of purchased Pickle Ball paddles and you have any suggestions on balls so we will be ready for future how we can make Rallies more opportunities to play. interesting please let us know. Along with games we had others Lynn Behnke has selected her who checked out the local area by Nominating Committee for the attending the Native American Chris Allen making soap Festival, shopping flea markets, 2019 Executive Board. They attending the music jam held at are Lynn, Steve Oppel and the park, eating at the spaghetti dinner put on for charity, making Mike Swegles. It is their duty soap at the local Olive Grove and playing joker during our traveling and honor to select the Board joker game. Judd & Denise Beattie, affiliate members that for If you have any ambition were camping at Traveler s Rest, came and joined us for a pot luck to serve on the Board dinner then returned for the Joker Tournament. Judd Beattie & please let one of the three know. Chris Allen were the tournament winners and won the prizes donated by Randy & Pat Godfrey. Thank you Randy & Pat for Volunteers are what makes the your prize donations. club what it is. Our Saturday breakfast was Hope all of you are having a planned & provided for by Lynn & great year. Bob Masters, with help from volunteers Keep your wheels rolling and to put it together & help keep the shiny side up. See you cook. Thank you all. We enjoyed French toast casseroles with down the road. sausage, coffee and orange juice. Delicious! -Ron Allen, President Sunday morning Mike & Maryanne Swegles prepared blueberry pancakes, with homemade blueberry syrup, eggs and breakfast meat. Thank you to the Swegles and their volunteers who helped cook. Sunday brought rain to our rally but that didn t slow us down. We did a lot of visiting from trailer to trailer, took naps and set-up our evening Maryanne Swegles avoids meal under the pole barn where we stayed nice and dry. caustic fumes while making We rate our rallies by how much weight we gain from the yummy soap meals. Even with all our activities we rated this rally a 3 (very successful). That means we gained about 3 pounds even with all the activities. We are looking forward to our next adventure. Submitted by: Ron & Chris Allen PAGE 2

3 A inside out view on breakfast preparation. Masked up to make soap Where is our breakfast? PAGE 3

4 A Big Welcome To Our Newest Members! OUR NEWEST FULL MEMBERS Karin Kelly 5283 Beach Dr. SE St. Petersburg, FL WBAC#6172 Carl & Judie Fielder 4650 Van Kleeck Dr. New Smyrna Beach, FL (386) (home) Carl: (386) Judie: (386) WBAC#6171 Jeannie & Skip Gilbert Alexis Forrest Dr. Jacksonville, FL Skip: (904) Jeannie: (904) WBAC #3033 Karen & Andy Burnham 5800 W State Road 80, Lot 5 Labelle, FL Karen: karenburnham1@gmail.com (907) Andy: karenburnham1@gmail.com (907) WBAC #6226 Ben & Laurel Wooley 1330 Ponte Vedra Blvd. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Ben: c.b.wooley3@gmail.com Laurel: laurel.wooley@gmail.com WBAC #6236 Edward Manfredi 3313 Millwood Way St. Augustine, FL Home: Cell: WBAC#9475 Jim & Jan Buck 290 Maxwell Dr. Welaka, FL Jim: jimbucket2@aol.com Jan: janbuck386@gmail.com WBAC# Richard and Donna Blair 160 Anastasia Lakes Drive Saint Augustine, Fl Richard: richb359@bellsouth.net Donna: donnad4466@gmail.com WBAC#6163 Jose & Edna Delvalle 1825 Spiceberry Cir E Jacksonville, FL Jose: jdelva@bellsouth.net Edna: jdelva@bellsouth.net WBCCI#1537 We hope to see and get to know all of our new members at a rally soon! PAGE 4

5 Our Next Events in 2018 Bluegrass Rally March 22-26, 2018 The Bluegrass Rally is a week later then normal, and the Bluegrass music will be on Saturday only. It will also be a longer day. The park has booked a few crafters so something new. We are still working on details, but on Sunday we will have a seminar on things to make for your Airstream. All are worthwhile and fairly easy to make. You must be registered for the rally as we need to know what is needed. Please fill in the below coupon and either mail or to me, Frank Carson, 43 Alpha Lane, Melbourne, FL or fc23343@aol.com Name Address WBAC # Vehicle type and size Arrival day: Thursday Friday Thursday parking after 12 noon. No Early parking Schedule of Events Thursday: 12:00 noon - parking, no early parking, Assist Fort Christmas employees 4:00 - Happy Hour at Trailer #23343, bring snacks to share, supper on your own Friday: Assist Fort Christmas Employees 4:00pm - Happy Hour at Trailer #23343, bring snacks to share - sign up for volunteering at the restored homes Saturday: At the time scheduled, report to your assigned building 5:00pm - Happy Hour at trailer # bring snacks to share 6:00pm - Pot Luck Supper in screen room - meat supplied, bring side dish or dessert to feed 8 Sunday: 9:00am - Assist Fort Christmas employees 1:00pm - Seminar on things you can make for your trailer & may include awning ratchet system 4:00pm - Happy Hour at trailer # bring snacks to share, supper on your own Monday: Depart Fort Christmas thanks you for your time and effort - remember, this is a free rally. The Bluegrass festival is on Saturday only. There will be no vehicular traffic through the park on Saturday during the festival. Due to the change in the festival, times may be changed to accommodate the activities. PAGE 5

6 April Buddy Caravan Adventure April 3-9, 2018 The April Buddy Caravan Adventure is fast approaching! We have scheduled an exciting 6 nights camping trip beginning April 3, Activities include canoe/kayak trips, happy hours, free time to explore, time to enjoy games, campfires, meals together and happy hours in the great outdoors. The start of this adventure will be at O Leno State Park in High Springs, FL where we will stay for 2 nights. The next stop will be Wilderness RV Resort in Silver Springs for 2 nights. Final stop will be St. Johns River Campground in Astor, FL for 2 nights. All participants must make their own reservations by contacting each campground directly. (see contact information below.) or call Ron or Chris Allen at ronchrisallen@bellsouth.net or call (904) to sign-up for the Caravan to ensure we have enough supplies for everyone. There will be no Caravan Fee for club members and a $25 Caravan Fee for nonmembers. We are looking forward to a fun time together. See Caravan Agenda on the following page for further details. Make reservation as follows: 1) April 3 rd & 4 th - O Leno State Park -reservations must be made ASAP to ensure site availability by using Reserve America.com. 2) April 5 th & 6 th Wilderness RV Resort call (352) and mention you are with the FL Airstream Club Rally to make sure you get the Rally rate. 3) April 7 th & 8 th - St. Johns River Campground call (386) again mention you are with the FL Airstream Club Rally again to make sure you get the rally rate. Any questions, let us know. Hope to see you there. Ron & Chris Allen, Rally Hosts (904) Schedule of Events Tuesday April 3rd 1:00 - Arrive at O leno State Park, 410 SE O Leno Park Rd., High Springs, FL :00 Happy Hour at Host Campsite; bring chair & beverage 5:30 Steak grill night at Host Campsite; bring set-ups (plates & silverware) chair & beverage Wednesday April 4th 9:30 Meet at Santa Fe River Canoe Outpost Hwy 441 at Santa Fe River Bridge; bring canoe/kayak or rent from outfitter & bagged lunch trip will last about 4 hours. For those who do not canoe/kayak this is a free day to enjoy the area 4:00 Happy Hour at Host campsite 5:30 Dinner on your own Thursday April 5th 1:00 Arrive at Wilderness RV Resort, 2771 NE 102nd Road, Silver Springs, FL :00 Happy Hour at Host Campsite; bring set-ups (plates & silverware) chair & beverage 5:30 Pulled Pork Dinner at clubhouse; bring set-ups and beverage Friday April 6th 9:30 Meet at Park boat ramp; bring canoe/kayak or rent from park & bagged lunch trip will last about 4 hours. For those who do not canoe/kayak there is also a pontoon boat to rent from the park or enjoy a free day to site see. 4:00 Happy Hour at Host campsite; bring chair, beverage & snack to share 5:30 Dinner on your own PAGE 6

7 Schedule of Events continued from page 6 Saturday April 7 th 1:00 Arrive at St. Johns River Campground, 1520 FL-40, Astor, FL :00 Happy Hour at Host Campsite; bring chair & beverage 5:30 Depart for Essex House Seafood Restaurant, 1360 FL-40, Pierson, FL (Cash only, no credit, debit or checks.) Food prices start at $10 and up. Sunday April 8 th 7:45 Depart Park for DeLeon Springs State Park, 601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd., DeLeon Springs, FL for breakfast at Old Sugar Mill Restaurant where we will make our own pancakes. Restaurant located inside Park with reservations already made for our club for 8:30 a.m. 11:00 Meet at park boat ramp with your Canoe/Kayak or rent from park & bagged lunch or meet at the Eco Tour Pontoon boat for those who prefer a motorized water adventure. Pontoon boat reservation can be made by calling the restaurant at (386) :00 Happy Hour at Host campsite; bring chair & beverage 5:30 Pot Luck dinner in club house. Bring your set-ups, beverage and a dish to share. Monday April 9 th Depart campground. Safe travels PAGE 7

8 May 17 21, 2018: Florida Airstream Club Rally and VAC Region 3 Southeast Rally International RV Park and Campground, Daytona Beach, Florida. To view the program, register online or download a registration form and make your campsite reservations, go to Full hookup is $45 per night including tax. We are excited to announce that this Rally will be a joint rally with the Vintage Airstream Club. Rally hosts are Larry and Linda Scovotto, VAC Region 3 Representatives. For more information, contact Larry Scovotto at floridalarry@me.com or call (386) Preliminary Program: Wednesday May 16 early arrivals, happy hour Thursday May 17 arrivals, 9-12 & 3-7 pickup packets, happy hour, pot-luck dinner Friday May 18 8am 9am Breakfast sponsored by JD Sanders RV 9:30am 11:30 am Program, presented by Greg Williams of Classic Coach Works. Renovations whether if it s brand new or 81 years old, Greg will show you the many options of renovating your motorhome or trailer. Questions about plumbing, electrical and electronics will be answered too. 12pm Lunch on your own 4pm Happy Hour Dinner on Your Own Saturday May 19 8am 9am Breakfast sponsored by JD Sanders RV 12pm 3pm Open House, Flea Market and Best of Rally Competition 4pm Happy Hour 6pm Dinner sponsored by campground and entertainment Sunday May 20 8am continental breakfast After noon free 4pm Happy Hour 6pm Dinner Monday May 21 Departure Special thanks to our Sponsors: Classic Coach Works, Ormond Beach Florida International RV Park and Campground, Daytona Beach, Florida JD Sanders RV, Alachua (Gainesville), Florida North Florida s Premier Airstream Dealer Vintage Trailer Supply door prizes and give-a-ways PAGE 8

9 May 17 21, 2018 Florida Airstream Club Rally and VAC Region 3 Southeast Rally International RV Park and Campground, Daytona Beach, Florida. To view the program, register online or download a registration form and make your campsite reservations, go to events. Full hookup is $45 per night including tax. We are excited to announce that this Rally will be a joint rally with the Vintage Airstream Club. Rally hosts are Larry and Linda Scovotto, VAC Region 3 Representatives. For more information, contact Larry Scovotto at floridalarry@me.com or call (386) Florida Airstream Club Rally andvintage Airstream Club Region 3 Southeast Rally May 17 21, 2018 International RV Park and Campground, Daytona Beach, FL First Name: Last Name: WBCCI #: Address: Phone Number: 2nd Attendee First Name: 2nd Attendee Last Name: Additional Attendees First and Last Name (if a child(ren), please add age): Trailer Motorhome Length: 30 amp 50 amp Arrival Date: Departure Date: Handicapped parking: Yes Contact: Larry and Linda Scovotto (386) or floridalarry@me.com Mail to: Larry Scovotto, 139 Royal Dunes Blvd., Ormond Beach, FL PAGE 9

10 AXLE AND BRAKE UPGRADE ON A 2002 CLASSIC 30 SLIDEOUT Al and Missy Waschka, WBCCI 1322 When we traded from our 2001 Safari 25 to our 2002 Classic 30 Slideout we loved the extra space and the Classic interior details. Unfortunately, we didn t feel the same way about the ride and stopping distance. When we bought the trailer, the salesman said, It has great bones. I should have asked him what he meant. On the trip home the center nightstand drawer bounced so much it pulled out the mounting screws and bent the drawer glides. The shower door came unhinged and fell into the shower. Luckily the glass didn t break. Stopping the trailer was nerve-wracking. The truck/25 combination stopped nearly as well as the truck alone; not so with the Classic 30. I was prepared for some increased stopping distance due to the 50% heavier trailer, but the combined weight increase was only about 25% and the stopping distance increase was much greater than that. I drove it for over a year, trying various things to improve braking including adjusting the brakes, changing the umbilical between the truck and trailer and using an aftermarket brake controller in lieu of the integrated trailer brake controller in the truck, all with little or no improvement in braking performance. I set out to research axle condition and brake performance. Looking first at axles, there is a lot of information on AirForums about how to test your axles. The criteria I found that convinced me to change was the axle drop when unloaded. Dexter publishes a table of dimensions under no load and full load, and a similar table is available for the older Henschen axles. When I ran my left front tire up on a TrailerAid, my left rear wheel dropped around half of the specified distance indicating the rubber rods had taken a set. I researched disc brakes and found, mostly on 5th wheel sites, that disc brake upgrades produced remarkable decreases in stopping distance. An Airstream advertisement on the back cover of a magazine suggested 47%! These posts also convinced me I could do the install myself, if need be. I contacted a local Auto Parts store that also sells, upgrades and repairs trailers, mostly large boat trailers. They regularly get a truck from Redneck Trailer Supply in Tampa, a Dexter distributor so there would be no freight charges for delivery of the axles and they have a subcontractor who would do the upgrade, including the conversion to disc brakes. I got a Dexter axle order form, measured my axles for the dimensions and configurations needed, and compared my results to some data I got from Airstream. The store ordered the axles for me and I ordered the disc brake components I wanted. When the axles came in a slight modification to the shock mount bracket was required since the Dexters were slightly different from the Henschens. The whole operation was done in a day. I had previously installed and wired the hydraulic actuator and run the main brake line from it to the left front brake. After installing the axles, the tech installed the remaining brake lines and bled the brakes. As it is said, the proof is in the pudding (what does that mean, anyway?) so I ran some tests. Before converting, the trailer brakes alone stopped the truck/trailer combination from 25 mph in 11 seconds and from 45 mph in 30 seconds. The disc brakes stopped the combination from 25 mph in 6 seconds and from 45 mph in 11 seconds. This tells me that the disc brakes have something over twice the stopping power of my original brakes. If you have a heavy trailer like mine, I highly recommend converting it to disc brakes. PAGE 10

11 AXLE AND BRAKE UPGRADE ON A 2002 CLASSIC 30 SLIDEOUT Al and Missy Waschka, WBCCI (Continued from page 9) Here s a before picture A work in progress New axels and breaks installed This picture shows the caliper and the modification to the shock mounting bracket. The end of the bracket was cut off and a piece of 3/8 steel welded to the stub. The end of the bracket was welded to the 3/8 steel, effectively moving the end of the bracket 3/8 closer to the trailer frame PAGE 11

12 Sunshine Committee Report After several surgeries for a broken femur, Marilyn Blasdell reports that she will very soon be released from a rehab center and will be able to go home to complete her recovery. She is regaining her ability to walk and to live independently. Marilyn would like to thank everyone who sent her cards and letters while she was in rehab for a broken hip. It brightened her days. She is on the road to recovery and will be home by the time this newsletter is distributed in March. Again, thank you for your kindness. Dave Wenger has begun a year of immunotherapy treatments for his cancer. He is very thankful that so far he has not had any side effects from the drug. The skin graft on his foot has failed and that means a lot longer healing process for him. He can be more active now and is doing some remodeling work on the airstream. Two members have had day surgery recently Vicki Digby for cataracts and Meriam Reed for knee surgery. Marie Moser, a Past First Lady of the Florida Unit passed away this February. We have other members who are ill, on chemotherapy, or undergoing radiation treatments. Some have not escaped the flu, but all are trying to recover as soon as possible. Please remember to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Please let your Sunshine Committee chair, Betty Wenger ( or davewenger@hotmail.com) know of anything you would like to be included in this column Rally Schedule March Bluegrass Volunteer Rally; Ft. Christmas; Christmas, FL; Hosts: Carson s April 3 April 8 Unit Buddy Canoe/Kayak Caravan; Oleno SP High Springs, FL; Wilderness RV Resort, Silver Springs, FL; St. Johns River Campground, Astor, FL; Hosts: Allen s and Millis April 25 April 29 Region 3 Rally; Myrtle Beach, SC; Hosts: Region 3 Officers May Joint Rally with Vintage Airstream Club; International RV Park; Daytona Beach, FL; Hosts: Scovotto s June International Rally; Salem, OR September Club Rally; Great Outdoors; Titusville, FL; Hosts: Hargett s October Annual Meeting & Club Rally; Mary s Fish Camp; Weeki Wachee/Bayport, FL; Hosts: Alen s and Krabel s November 8 11 Club Rally; Sunset Isle RV Resort; Cedar Key, FL November 28 December 2 Club Rally; Cracker Christmas; Ft. Christmas, FL; Hosts: Carson s November 29 Club Dinner & Installation of Officers for 2019; Ft. Christmas, FL EDITOR S NOTE By providing your address, you agree to receive s from the WBCCI Florida Airstream Club. You may opt out at any time. We do not sell addresses. PAGE 12