Member Spotlight

Ray and Kathy Rundgren
Orange City, Florida

FMCA membership number:  F299173. We joined FMCA in 2001.

FMCA chapter memberships:  Southwind Club of Florida, Circle of Friends

Our current motorhome is:  a 2001 Fleetwood Southwind

Other motorhomes that we have owned: a 1999 Georgie Boy model

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
As many people do, we started out with tents, pop-ups, a truck camper, and then a fifth-wheel trailer before buying a motorhome. Owning a motorhome was always a dream for us, so I guess you can say we are living our dream (and loving it). The freedom to move around the United States with all the comforts of home is amazing and we never tire of it. There is something amazing to see out there in this beautiful world that has been given to us by our Lord and we are trying to see it all.

Current or former occupation:
Ray was a fireman on the Milwaukee Road before moving to Florida, where he became a journeyman carpenter and eventually taught the trade at Orange County Vocational Schools for 25 years. He retired in 2000 and has not looked back. I (Kathy) retired in 1999 from The Orange County Correctional System, where I worked for 20 years as a nurse. I have not looked back, and enjoy our new life.

Children, grandchildren:  We have three grown children: Stacie Marie Reyes, Daniel Raymond and Robert Vincent. We have been blessed with one grandchild, Stacie's son Jacob, age 11.

The best thing about motorhoming is:
Freedom. We are able to visit family and friends more often without imposing. We never have to sleep in a motel bed and we always feel at home. What a great feeling!

When we're not motorhoming, we're:
Hooked on garage sales. We love antiques and collectibles. My new sewing room keeps me busy while Ray is building his own model train "room" and collecting all types of model trains for his layout. We do not know how we ever had time to work. We stay busy all the time. We also love a good game of cards and catching the "big one" -- fish, that is. We are never bored or lack for something to do.

If we could meet anyone from history, we’d like to meet:
The writers of the U.S. Constitution. It's amazing to think of the foresight they had in forming this great country of ours. They established wonderful freedoms that have endured over time and that have given us the "right" to travel and enjoy all that the United States has to offer. We would like to thank them for all of this.

We travel in our motorhome: five to six months per year.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip was:
Out West to Colorado, Arizona, Nevada (Las Vegas), New Mexico, and through Midwest, Chicago and down the East Coast back to Florida.

Our other favorite motorhoming destinations are:
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and North Carolina (in spring, summer and fall).

One of our fondest motorhoming memories is:
Probably our first experience out in our motorhome.It was scary but oh, so much fun. We were hooked right from the start. Talk about a second childhood. We are still thrilled each time we begin planning our next trip or meeting with our motorhoming group.

Our “dream” motorhome trip would be:
Our future plans include traveling to Alaska in the motorhome and taking our time so we can enjoy everything in between Florida and Alaska.

Our worst motorhoming experience was:
We had a bad experience in Colorado. While pulling into gas station, we had to maneuver up a pretty steep incline. The problem was that there was a pretty deep depression between the incline and the main street. While pulling into the station, the rear end of the motorhome at the tow hitch bottomed out, causing the wheels to lose traction. Here we were “stuck," blocking traffic and it was getting dark. This terrible situation introduced us to our guardian angels. A complete stranger and his wife stopped to help us. They checked to see if we were okay and then went home to get some heavy lumber. They worked very hard helping us to free the motorhome. After that, they offered us a place to stay for the night. Be sure to know there are angels out there.

The best thing about our Fleetwood Southwind is:
The size. We lack for nothing and have plenty of room to store all of those special garage sale items we find all over the U.S. The ride is smooth and I especially like the pull forward desktop at the passenger’s seat. It's so convenient and so very useful. The Southwind has so many nice features. We just love everything about it, including the sound system, the washer-dryer, the ice maker and especially the dual slideouts and the curved interior ceiling.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started is:
Sleeping at Wal-Mart. We have been in some areas up north in the winter where a campground could not be found. Not only were we allowed to park, but we were also guarded all night by the store security guard. That was a nice feeling. Thanks, Wal-Mart. You have been a life saver.

If we could change one thing about our motorhome, it would be:
To have a larger refrigerator, more drawer space and get better gas mileage.

The best alteration or addition that we’ve made to our motorhome is:
We added storage bins in the overhead compartments for organization, and we affixed wood pocket shelves for easy storage of small things such as the TV remote.

Our favorite thing(s) about FMCA is:
The Southwind Club chapter. We have never met nicer people and have had so much fun since we joined this FMCA chapter in 2000. Already they have made us feel like family, and we have made some wonderful new friends. We look forward to all of the rallies and the planned events offered by this great group. We were especially impressed with the leadership of this chapter. Jack and Kay Rivers have done a wonderful job as president and secretary, and they really know how to enjoy life.

If we could appear as contestants on any TV game show, we would choose:
"The price is right," for prizes, what else?

What feature of your motorhome could you do without, and what feature could you NOT do without?
I guess if I HAD to choose one feature I could do without it would be the make-up table in the bedroom. The washer-dryer is a great feature that I truly would not want to do without. For long trips, it saves time and money staying away from hot and noisy Laundromats.

A motorhoming tip that we’d like to share with other motorhomers is:
Keep a list of what you have stored in each of your outside storage bins and which bin it is in. This makes it easy to find that item without opening every bin. Remember to replace the item in the same bin or your system will not work.

Our hobbies are:
Ray loves all kinds of fishing, especially trout fishing in the North Carolina mountains. I love shopping and sewing. Together, “hitting” the tag sales and antiques stores is our favorite hobby.

Our favorite way to exercise is:
Aerobic dancing. It is a good workout and can be done anywhere and with no special equipment.

Favorite movie:  My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Green Mile.

Favorite book: Ray is an avid reader of political magazines and the newspaper. I love LaVerle Spencer works and probably enjoyed That Camden Summer the Most. Forensic mysteries also are a favorite.

Favorite music: Ray loves country-western music and always brings this interest to the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers. I love George Strait, especially the song "One Step at a Time." Together we share a special love for "Keeper of the Stars" by Tracy Byrd.

Favorite restaurant:  Outback Steakhouse

Favorite store:  Wal-Mart of course

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:
One of my favorite places, Daytona Beach. And, who hasn’t see Disney World?

Favorite items that we always keep in our motorhome refrigerator while traveling:
Soda, fruit, eggs, condiments and lunch meat

Our advice to new motorhomers is:
Join FMCA and a chapter for the best in camping tips and camping friends. You get all kinds of great information in Family Motor Coaching magazine. We look forward to it each month and have learned a lot of great tips and ideas from it.

Behind our motorhome we tow a: 1997 Kia Sportage and use a tow bar.

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome is: play cards, watch TV, Cook

Other than your family and friends, the three people whom we would you most like to invite for dinner are:
President George W. Bush so we can tell him how much we appreciate the job he has to do in this terrible time for our country. Pope John Paul to ask for a special blessing for our country. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Former President Jimmy Carter to hear his views on the pending war with Iraq and how we should handle the situation.

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail at: Kayray2@earthlink.net

Other comments: Kathy and I are so glad we joined FMCA. If you are a young family or retired folks, there is no better, wholesome fun around than being part of this fine organization. Besides the enjoyment of camping and traveling, the true fellowship that is shared in the chapters form lasting friendships. We would not have missed it for the world. We encourage everyone to let their friends know all about FMCA.