Member Spotlight

Corky and Leola Harkins
Billings, Montana

FMCA membership number:  F172190

We joined FMCA in:  August 1993

FMCA chapter memberships:  Superior People

Current motorhome:  We have owned one motorhome, a 1975 Superior, model 2500.

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We were performing gospel music concerts and touring and needed a coach to live in.

Current occupation:
Property management. I (Corky) am a candidate for the Montana State Senate, District 9. On our ranch, I do some dirt contracting and fence contracting.

Children, grandchildren:
We have three grown children and 10 grandchildren.

The best thing about motorhoming is:
Freedom to travel, stop, hike, sightsee or just hide for a few days.

When we’re not motorhoming, we’re:
Working hard at a variety of things: maintaining an office building in Billings, Montana; dirt construction and building dams in southeast Montana.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip was:
They’re all wonderful. We’ve toured all of the Lower 48 states – south in winter and north in summer. New England is great in September. Key West, Fla., is great in February. Arizona and Southern California are great winter trips. The north Cascade mountains in Washington are great in August.

Our favorite motorhoming destinations are:
Arizona, Southern California, Pacific Coast Highway

Our fondest motorhoming memories are:
Traveling to a chapter rally in Mississippi. Attending family reunions in Wyoming and Montana.

One of our not-so-fond motorhoming experiences was:
Blowing a motor in Iowa.

Our “dream” motorhome trip would be:
Taking a three-month trip to Alaska in July, August and September.

The best thing about our motorhome is:
It’s old enough to enable me (Corky) to do most of the repairs and maintenance.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but that we didn’t know when we started is:
There is lots of maintenance to a motorhome and we need to make it a positive thing instead of letting it ruin a nice trip.

If we could change one thing about our motorhome, it would be:
Switch to a 38- to 40-foot diesel pusher.

The best alteration/addition we’ve made to our motorhome is:
A new interior including carpet, seats and drapes in 1990. New exterior paint in 1998.

Our favorite thing about FMCA is:
The magazine. We read it all. Also, we attended the FMCA international convention in Billings in 1996.

A motorhoming tip we’d like to share with other motorhomers is:
Use the motorhome. Learn all you can about the motor, transmission, rear end, brakes, exhaust system, air intake, carburetor and intake manifold -- the things that make it work.

Our hobbies/interests are:
Hunting. I’m (Corky) always in Montana for hunting season. I may have about 40 hunting trophies. Backpacking.

Favorite movie:  Never watch one. In 60 years, I’ve maybe seen 10 movies.

Favorite book:  The “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Also enjoy books by Tom Clancy.

Favorite song: “I’d Rather Have Jesus” by George Beverly Shea

Favorite restaurant:  George Henry’s Restaurant in downtown Billings

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:
Oh, my! Start in eastern Montana and see the large cattle ranches. The cattle business started when thousands of cattle were trailed into eastern Montana in the late 1800s. There are cattle museums in almost every town. The western half of the state is covered by the Rocky Mountains with Glacier National Park to the north and Yellowstone National Park to the south. One could easily spend the entire summer in Montana and not see it all.

Our advice to new motorhomers is:
Do not sell your home until you’ve traveled for a couple of years. Buy a used motorhome and use it for a season or two. You then will have a better idea of what to look for in your “dream” motorhome.

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome is:  Read.

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail at:  leolah1542@aol.com

Other comments:
Since 1988 we have traveled about 160,000 miles in our Superior, which we call “Ole Zeek.” We have been in all of the Lower 48 states. The past four or five years, we have made it a point to tour state capitols and have toured 25 or 30 of them.

In February 1999, I left the Mexico border with a backpack and headed north for the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Leola would meet me on many occasions with the motorhome so I could shower, rest and restore my supplies. In 1999 and 2000 we covered 850 miles of the 2,638-mile trail, which stretches from Mexico to Canada.

Trying to get close to the trail with the motorhome caused a problem or two. We hung up the rear in a ditch south of banning, Calif., and ended up having to get a new tranny. We stuck Ole Zeek in the sand on one occasion and several times we have been in places where we thought we might not get back out.

Now we have kind of let our roots take hold in Billings and are involved in a political campaign for the Montana Senate. If we loose the June primary, we might be able to load Ole Zeek and go somewhere. If we win, then we’re “sentenced” to campaigning through the general election in November.

Leola and I have been married since 1963. Our travels include visiting our grandkids in Minnesota and New Hampshire. One summer we took our two oldest grandsons with us in the motorhome for two months. Now, that was quite an experience.