Member Spotlight

Harold and Jeannie Hanes
Bend, Oregon

FMCA membership number:  F227786. We joined FMCA in 1997.

Our current motorhome: a 40-foot-long 2004 Beaver Monterey

Other motorhomes we have owned:
A Fleetwood Flair, a Thor Residency, a 37-foot 1997 Beaver Monterey and a 37-foot 1999 Beaver Patriot

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We are city folk campers. We like to have all the comforts of home and have not yet got the real feel of stopping by a lake and taking time to relax and enjoy the beauty of what Mother Nature has made for us. We are going to.

Current or former occupation:
My (Harold's) trade was sales. Then I got into the label and decal printing business with Dana Labels, Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii. We made, and still do make, stick-on labels for bottles, packages, garments, cars, trucks and equipment.

Family:
Our son Craig runs the label business in Hawaii now. Our daughter, Dana, works for United Airlines and lives in Las Vegas. Our son Eric works in Honolulu at Pearl Harbor shipyard driving heavy-duty equipment.

The best thing about motorhoming is:
Freedom to move about and take your house with you. The lovely people you meet along the way. To visit our churches: We find work there, good potlucks, and peace and love and even a good parking place with hookups at times.

We travel in the motorhome approximately:
Four to five months per year. We have rental property in Bend and that can keep us close to home during the summers. Bend, Ore., is a very nice place. The weather is great. Golf is good. Fishing is the best.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip was:
Canada. We also enjoy the South in winter.

The best thing about our motorhome is:
The best thing about a Beaver has been the good service we have gotten, but this last RV has been hard to get appointments for warranty work. I'm three to four miles from the factory but it takes two to three months to get in and then the job is only half done. Many items must be redone and it's been very disappointing.

The best addition we’ve made to our motorhome is:
We have added an air bed. If you go to bed and it's too soft or too hard, you can add air or take air out in five seconds and then it's just the way you want it for that night. What a bed.

If we could change one thing about our motorhome, it would be:
Make it cost less.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started is:
It's going to be hard to give this up when the time comes. RVing has been fun.

When driving the motorhome, the most important thing to remember is:
Do not follow too close to the auto in front of you. Take your time and stay off the main freeways. Enjoy the countryside.

Our favorite thing about FMCA is:
We get a wonderful magazine full of tips and ideas about RVing.

A motorhoming tip we’d like to share with other motorhomers is:
Leave your campsite clean and be a good neighbor.

Our hobbies include:
I enjoy golf. My wife loves to sew. Tonight we were putting a new bed skirt on our king bed and it didn't fit. But 15 minutes later Jeannie had her sewing machine our and had the skirt fitting like a glove, like it was custom made for our bed. She is talented behind a sewing machine.

Our favorite way to exercise is:
We have dumbbells in the RV and we also play golf. Jeannie walks for 40 minutes or more five to six days a week to keep in shape. A diabetic, she controls her blood sugar levels by walking and eating fresh fruits and veggies. We cut out meat, cheese, sugar and desserts and are living well.

Favorite book:  the Bible

Favorite store:  Wal-Mart

Favorite campground:
Golden Village Palms RV Resort in Hemet, Calif.

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:
Bend, Ore.: We have 150 lakes and many golf courses. And, we are motorhome friendly.

Items that are always in our motorhome refrigerator while traveling:
Fresh fruits and veggies. Our refrigerators at home and in the motorhome are half empty.

Our advice to new motorhomers is:
Take extra-good care of your RV inside and out and you will always have an enjoyable time.

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 2001 Jeep SUV with a tow bar

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome is:
Jeannie is always behind the sewing machine. We play cards and I enjoy reading a good book.