Member Spotlight

George and Debbie Arvidson
Full-timers from Salem, Ore.

FMCA membership number:
F259952 (we joined FMCA in 1999)

FMCA chapter memberships:
Moose, Full Timers, Blue Mountain, Elk International, Coast To Coasters, Holiday Ramblers Northwest, Holiday Rambler International

Current motorhome: a 2001 Holiday Rambler Endeavor

Other motorhomes we have owned:
A 1990 Winnebago Chieftain, a 1986 Open Road Class C and a 1976 Continental

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We wanted to be able to pull to the side of the road and not have to get out of the vehicle. To travel and see our great land of America. This was George’s dream to do.

The best thing about motorhoming is:
Meeting new friends. Always being able to walk up to other motorhome owners and carry on a conversation with them.

Three words that best describe our current motorhome:
Comfortable, homey, dependable

The best thing about our motorhome:
Everything is useable even if the slideouts are in. The cupboards are low enough so a vertically challenged person can reach them. Our motorhome is very dependable, too, and easy to drive.

The best alteration/addition we’ve made to our motorhome:
A counter added behind the table. George built it to accommodate my sewing machine. The table moves back and forth to make an L-shaped swing center. We also have added extra storage inside and outside the motorhome. George has added wire racks in the bays and added shelves in the closets for my “material stash.”

If we could change one thing about our motorhome it would be:
The bedroom. We don’t have any cross ventilation as we have a closet slide. We would have the bed turned crosswise and the closet across the back.

Our careers/occupations:
George was an X-ray tech, Realtor, mill worker, jack-of-all-trades.
I (Debbie) was a medical assistant, cashier, teacher’s assistant, beautician, waitress.

Children, grandchildren:
We have four children — Paula, Clifford, Max and Brandi — and 14 grandchildren with one more due in March 2006.

We travel in the motorhome approximately:
Twelve months per year. We are full-timers.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip:
Going to FMCA’s international convention in Buffalo, N.Y., in July 2003. We met some Main Wheels chapter members there. We went on to Prince Edward Island for the Northeast Area Rally and then on to a get-together with the Maine Wheels. They treated us like family. We went to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and then down the East Coast and wintered in Florida.

Other favorite motorhoming destinations:
Indio, Calif., for the Western Area Rally. We also love Quartzsite, Ariz., as we meet our Bounders & Buddies there for our annual get-together in the desert.

One of our fondest motorhoming memories:
Attending the Calgary Stampede in 2005 with the Southern Alberta Drifters. Now if you want a rally in style, this is the group to go with. Food was excellent and we had reserve seats for the parade, rodeo, chuck wagon races. Great!

Our “dream” motorhome trip would be:
To take a Copper Canyon tour and then on to the tip of Mexico and across old Mexico and back up the west side.

Our worst motorhoming experience:
Our first trip. We had made up an itinerary and tried to stick to it day by day. You should always allow for sickness or just a lazy day in your plans.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started:
That there is a whole other family out there. Motorhomers take care of one another just like your immediate family would. Whether they know you or not, there is always someone to count on.

When driving the motorhome, the most important thing to remember is:
Be courteous to other drivers. We always let the semis have the right-of-way. After all, those boys are trying to make a living. We are just enjoying ourselves.

Our favorite thing about FMCA:
The member benefits. They are the greatest insurance policy of any. You read through the benefits of belonging to FMCA … where else could you get these for only $35 per year?

A motorhoming tip we’d like to share with other motorhomers:
Always take the time to see the areas that you are in. Get off those freeways and go the back roads. Always stop if there is a fellow motorhomer along the side of the road and check to see if you can help.

Our hobbies:
Sewing, reading, walking, movie watching, animal watching, crocheting, knitting, woodworking, stopping at historical sites, seeing who does not belong to FMCA and offering them a current Family Motor Coaching magazine.

Favorite way to exercise:  walking and swimming

Favorite movie:
Cinderella; 101 Dalmatians; Sister Act, Liar, Liar; Pretty Woman; Where the Red Fern Grows. Also, Anything with John Wayne and westerns.

Favorite TV shows:
"CSI," Home and Garden Television, "Simply Quilts," "Good Morning America," "Dr. Phil," "ER"

Favorite authors/books:
By Louis L’Amour, V.C. Andrews, biographies

Favorite singers:
Tanya Tucker, Ann Murray, Elvis, The Platters, The Supremes

Favorite restaurants:
Cracker Barrel, Denny’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Golden Corral

Favorite stores:
Wal-Mart, Kmart, Stater Bro’s, Big Red Apple, Safeway

Favorite campground:
Wallowa Lake in northeastern Oregon. It's a state park. The deer come right into your camp and it is beautiful, too.

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:
The Oregon coast. It has some of the most fantastic picture sites in the world. The Coos Bay area has some beautiful state parks. You can see a botanical garden at Shore Acres, watch sea lions at Simpson Reef overlook, and play in the water at Sunset Bay.

Items that always are in our motorhome refrigerator while traveling:
We always travel with milk, cheese, sausage, yogurt and cottage cheese, too. Easy 4 o’clocks.

Our advice to new motorhomers:
Don’t be shy. If you have a question, go and ask your neighbor. “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.”

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 2003 Saturn Vue. It is a five-speed stick, so we tow it with our Blue Ox Falcon tow bar.

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome:
Watch TV, play cards, sew and work on our computers.

Pets we travel with:
Our cat, Precious. She is a cat that is just a cat. She is 7 years old now. We have an automatic litter box in the bathroom.

Other comments:
We also belong to FMCA because of the people who are in it. We have met and know quite a few and know there are many more out there whom we want to know. It is like one BIG family.

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail at:
george@thearvidsons.com or Debbie@thearvidsons.com