The Hook of RV Country

Halloween is fast approaching, so we thought we’d have some fun by adding a new twist to an old urban legend!

The Hook of RV Country

A teenage boy drove his date in his fathers brand new A.C.E. motorhome to a dark and deserted Lovers' Lane for a make-out session. After turning on 98.9 on the touch screen LCD radio for mood music, he leaned over and began kissing the girl. The A.C.E. was spacious and cozy and the two quickly felt at ease.

A short while later, the music suddenly stopped and an announcer's voice came on, warning in an urgent tone that a convicted murderer had just escaped from the state insane asylum — which happened to be located not far from Lovers' Lane — and that anyone who noticed a strange man lurking about with a hook in place of his right hand should immediately report his whereabouts to the Fresno police.

The girl became frightened and asked to be taken home. The boy, feeling bold, locked all the doors of the A.C.E. instead and, assuring his date they would be safe, attempted to kiss her again. She became frantic and pushed him away, insisting that they leave. Relenting, the boy peevishly jerked the RV into gear drove the girl home passing his place of employment on the way -Paul Evert’s  RV Country.

When they arrived at the girl's house she got out of the RV, and, reaching to close the door, began to scream uncontrollably. The boy ran to her side to see what was wrong and there, dangling from the door of the A.C.E. motorhome handle, was a bloody hook.

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween! Remember to share your pictures on our Facebook wall!

Thomas & Deborah - Home safe zoom zoom!

Monday August 15

Well, our sojourn has come to an end. With driving hard, yet sleeping when needed, we arrived in Fresno late Monday night. It was quick trip home, but nevertheless enjoyable. "Oh look, that's where we ate breakfast 2 1/2 weeks ago!" Zoom. "That's where we changed the trailer tire!" Zoom. "This is where we slept on the way out!" Zoom zoom and before we knew it we were taking the Chestnut exit of Highway 99.

Even though we didn't really settle in, the Holiday Rambler Scepter was a beautiful coach that had a soft quiet ride. The floor plan was different than most, with the fridge right behind the driver and a little hallway along the side of the restroom to get to the rear bedroom. Two full-length windows were there that gave the center of the coach an airy, open feeling. Another option we appreciated was the Aqua Hot. If you're looking into purchasing a new or used motorhome, we'd sure try to get that along with the other amenities we mentioned earlier on the Monaco Executive.

Anyway, aside from having a couple of tires failing on the trailer, the trip was smooth and carefree, all 20 days. (On a side note, Thomas and others have noticed a problem with trailer tires: they age quickly, come apart, or go flat easily. This can be resolved by putting light truck tires on your trailer instead of tires designated "trailer use only". This works for 18-wheelers and it has solved all our tire problems.)

Our dog and cat were sure glad to see us; it's good to be home. It's been a pleasure logging our trip, and we hope you benefited from traveling with us. The folks at Paul Evert's RV are great people; we love working with them. See you out on the road or in the camping spot.

Take care and God bless,

Thomas and Deborah

Thomas & Deborah - From Pizza Pies to Butterflies!

Thursday August  11

Rain, rain, rain since we last wrote. Sunday we left our hotel in Kalamazoo, MI, under cloudy skies, and before we got out of town had to park under a drive-up teller and don our rain gear. Driving was tolerable until it began to pour so much we couldn’t see, couldn’t stop, or navigate. We left US 131 to take refuge in the small Michigan town of Three Rivers.  A kind patron of the pizza parlor pulled up the weather on her iPhone and after lunch the rain had abated enough for us to continue to Chicago. Shortly after we pulled up to our hotel in Chicago the sky opened up again. We didn’t let it stop us from going up to the observation deck at the top of the John Hancock building. The best part of the day, however, was dinner at the Oven Grinder. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall across the street from where the St. Valentines Day Massacre took place. It was recommended to us by some fellow motorcyclists from Chicago. Their pizza is more like a pot pie and everything was delicious and expertly prepared. Another biker eating there with his family insisted we sample his pre-meal flatbread. A GREAT dining experience, and again, it began to pour just as we arrived.

The following day, after a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry at the former Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893 we set out for Milwaukee, Wisconsin… in the rain. We stayed just outside at a La Quinta Inn for a frugal $61 for the night. We were more than ready to call it a day.

Tuesday, however, the weather was glorious, and before leaving for Madison, we visited the Miller Brewery and Milwaukee County Zoo where a butterfly exhibit was held. We went into a small aviary, careful not to step on anything, and cavorted with some 500 butterflies. You actually have to be inspected before leaving to check for any hitchhikers.


Wednesday, we loaded the bike into the trailer and drove to Elkhart, Indiana, where we dropped off a 2011 Monaco Knight to have the refrigerator exchanged at the request of its new owner. What a nice place! Very friendly people along a beautiful riverfront setting.

A must-see is the Ruthmere house built in 1910 and exquisitely restored/preserved. We also made the short trip to Middlebury and Goshen. In Middlebury we toured the Jayco RV factory. Forty-five percent of the workers are Amish, and they take great pride in their workmanship. (Yes, Indiana, along with Pennsylvania, has a large Amish community; the stores even have hitching posts!) It’s the largest family-owned RV assembly plant in the U.S. and was founded by Lloyd J. Bontrager on his family farm in 1968. They now employ 1200 very dedicated individuals. 

Jayco RVs are available at Paul Evert’s RV Country, of course!

Thomas & Deborah - Luxury RV Features & Monaco International RV Club fun!

Monday August 1

After a comfortable and safe drive, we pulled in to the Monaco Pre-rally Sunday evening. Two items to note regarding the home we’ve enjoyed for five nights: the Aladdin system that I mentioned earlier, in addition to all the cool information it brings you, also accesses any cameras the coach is equipped with. “Ok,” you say, “that’s cool.” But wait, there’s more! Typically, a small LCD screen is also mounted near the bed with an Aladdin controller. This means, that while lying in bed, one can navigate through all the cameras, checking the back and each side like a built in security system! And finally, typically the driver’s seat is a big fluffy recliner that can be swiveled to become part of the livingroom furniture. Nice, but such seats do not necessarily make for the best driving position. Of the many Monacos I’ve driven, the driver’s seat in this one is by far the best. It’s the Hi-Tech Kustom Fit, and it adjusts every way possible, including lumbar, and the lower seating cushion actually retracts to morph from a fluffy piece of furniture into a more typical vehicle seat. Very cool.

After doing some final shopping Sunday (always fun to pull a 44' Executive and trailer into a parking lot), we were ready for the Customer Appreciation Banquet held Monday evening. The place mats were pages of the U.S. Road Atlas, and the center pieces were all-American as was the dinner. Deborah checked everyone in, about 85 people, and Thomas served the tri-tip expertly prepared by Jorge, one of the sales staff. We LOVED the Monaco crowd; what a neat bunch of people.

A constant stream of coaches continued to arrive, and soon the Expo center was transfomed from a fairgrounds into a little city of motorhomes. The organizers expected nearly 200 Monacos. Electrical is run for plug-ins, entertainment planned, and lots of socializing. It's really something to see.

Off on the bike Tuesday morning with a fond farewell to the Monaco Owners and our good friends at Paul Evert's RV Country.

Monaco RV Pre-Rally dinner in Manitowoc Wisconsin A BLAST!

August 1, 2011

Tomorrow (2 pm) is opening day for the Monaco Pre-Rally in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and things are off to a great start.

A few of us even found some time to do some sightseeing at Lambeau Field!

Green Bay, Wisconsin is mere 35 miles from Manitowoc and offers one heck of a stadium tour!

You may be following our Guest Bloggers Thomas & Deborah as they prepped, packed, and journeyed towards Wisconsin... Well, we had a little prepping and packing to do ourselves!

Over the years we have hosted many pre-rally dinners for our loyal Monaco customers friends. From luau's in Lancaster to Georgia peaches, we've had lots of fun with you all! Usually, we have a little help in the catering department, but this year we decided to do the cooking ourselves! Our tie dye loving crew is no stranger to the BBQ, so we packed up our grills, tongs, and aprons and headed the 1,100 miles to Wisconsin.

On the menu was something us Californians are pretty proud of - Tri Tip! The popular beef cut originated on the Central Coast of California in the 1950's, and has since become a national envy and an undeniable California tradition. Of course, we also had rolls, salad, beans, and barbequed chicken.

Did we mention we did all the food preparations IN A MOTORHOME kitchen!?

Over 100 people ate, drank, and won prizes! It was perfect and we wouldn't change a thing - well, except that we're sad it's over! We hope to see you around in the Monaco display and look forward to meeting up with even more of you at the FMCA rally in Madison, Wisconsin next week!

 

Thomas & Deborah - Nebraska flat lands

Saturday July 30

All this flat land of Nebraska and Iowa is a nice break from the Rockies. About dusk last night we ran through a swarm of some winged Nebraskan insect. It covered the windshield and nearly blinded us from finding the North Platte Walmart. (OK, even in a 44’ Monaco Executive, Walmart still makes for a convenient sleeping pad, and they’re everywhere. Some local ordinances, however, have disallowed spending the night. Be certain to look for signs, or better yet, check with the management.)

This morning we knew we would have to wash the windshield before driving much farther. Next door we found the Tornadoes 16 and Under, a local female sports team offering a “donation only” car wash. To see their eyes when we pulled up to their little buckets of soap was quite likely the highlight of the trip. “It’s free, right?” Thomas asked. “Uh, free-will donation…” one of the girls stammered. There was certain relief when we explained we just needed the front washed. Great group of kids and sponsors.

Another bonus of North Platte, NE was the Bailey Rail Yard of the Union Pacific. It’s the largest in the world, so they constructed an observation tower for the general public. The yard encompasses 2,800 acres and sorts some 3,000 rail cars a day. Well worth the stop.

Only about 350 miles to go. We should be in Manitowoc, Wisconsin tomorrow afternoon.

Outdoor Activities for children living the RV lifestyle

There's a new website in town and its taking over your computer and your kids. Hopefully, its going to get them moving and shaking OUTSIDE. How, you ask is a website going to get my kid off the computer and outside?! Read on and prepare to be amazed.

Children ages 6 to 12 will be shown parks they can visit and suggestions for outdoor activities. Activities include camping, walking barefoot on the beach, climbing a tree, fishing, and playing in a nearby park, among others. There is even an area to search by map or activity, depending on what you and your child feel like doing that day. The site is very interactive.

Kids can even download a passport from the website and then check off each activity they complete. But that's not all. Once they have completed all activities, they can then send the passport to the Oregon Recreation and Park Association and in return the kids receive a certificate honoring them as an official "Oregon Outdoor Seeker"! For more details, you can go to the official Outdoor Seekers website. And don't forget to take pictures of all your adventures on these activities, we love hearing your stories and seeing your photo's!

Happy Outdoor Seeking!

Must have tools for the RV Lifestyle: Do you need more power?

One of the most popular parts and accessories that we sell are Yamaha portable generators.    They are perfect for the RV Lifestyle and a cost effective addition to any travel trailer.  Let us show you why...

Why I think we have the best customers in the world!

By Tami Jennings - Payroll Administrator/Human Resources

I've worked at Paul Evert's RV Country for over 7 years and in many different positions, but customer service has always been right up my alley. I enjoy helping the different customers who call in and visit, but over the years I would call the majority of them more than customers, I would call them my friends!

I've read many letters from customers about how grateful they are for service they have received or the friendliness of the employees. As an employee, I can say first hand how much we appreciate not only the sentiment, but also the time it takes to let us know. However, I wanted to take a second to write back about how pleasant and patient our customers are with us and how much fun it is to visit WITH THEM!

Two couples in particular come to mind for me. They are Don & Joyce Harvey (pictured above) and Howard & Lore Starck. These two couples were just here and were so nice! They waited patiently for their service work to be completed, all the while laughing and joking with all of us. Joyce & Don were so nice as to even take a few of the employees to lunch. We all had a great time and look forward to their return!

I can't think of any other industry or place where such valued and lasting relationships could happen and I'm so grateful to be a part of the family that is Paul Evert's RV Country.

2nd Annual Family Reunion A Success!

Gosh, we sure had a great time this past weekend! Lots of old friends and plenty of new ones stopped by and it was great to see/meet you all! We just can't thank you enough for your support!

Things went so well, even mother nature granted us cooler weather and a breeze. This allowed people to sit out on the patio, nibble on sandwiches and cookies and chips, and listen to some good music.

For those of you who couldn't make it out, Johnny Goodrum has a wonderful voice. He normally serenades us when we are down in Quartzsite and Parker, but for special occasions he makes a trip up here to Fresno. Thank you Johnny!

We hope to have more events like this over the course of the year, so stay tuned.

Have a fun and travel filled Memorial Day Weekend!

You know what's awesome? RV's! Sure, you'd expect us to say that, but it's true! We spend our days and nights and even weekends EXCITED about the possibilities that owning a recreational vehicle can bring.

You probably already have some sort of plans for this weekend, but we hope they involve getting out of the house, BBQing, seeing this wonderful country, making friends or visiting old ones, and all around family goodness!

In honor of Memorial Day, we thought we'd share with you this little fact. Did you know that Paul Evert's RV has one of the largest American Flags in the state of California?

 It's 1,800 square feet of pride and glory! If you're ever driving on HWY 99, just look over - you can't miss it! You'll also get to see our equally as impressive California flag AND the Fresno flag.

So folks, get out there on the road and make sure you wave to us as you drive by! If you want to stop in, that's okay too! We'll be open this weekend for all your travel needs!