Member Spotlight

Kathy and Bill Beaty
Naples, Fla. (formerly Allen Park, Mich.)

FMCA membership number:
F215622 (we joined FMCA in 1996)

FMCA chapter membership:
Wilderness Wanderers, Holiday Rambler International

Our current motorhome:
A 38-foot 1994 Holiday Rambler Navigator

Three words that best describe our motorhome:
It’s big. It’s blue. It’s comfortable, too.

Other motorhomes we’ve owned:
An 18-foot 1971 Winnebago
A 22-foot 1973 Winnebago
A 26-foot 1976 Winnebago

The best thing about our current motorhome:
Excellent floor plan, no slide-outs, and good fuel mileage.

The best addition we’ve made to our motorhome:
Custom paint with clear coat seven years ago and the coach still has that new look.

If we could change one thing about our motorhome:
More closet space in the bedroom.

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We wanted to travel extensively. We liked it, so we full-timed for eight years.

The best thing about motorhoming:
The feeling of free spirit when we load the motorhome and take off.

Occupations:
Bill: retired warranty administration supervisor, Ford Motor Co.
Kathy: retired administrative assistant for U.S. bankruptcy trustee.

Children: We have four children and 10 grandchildren.

We travel in the motorhome:
Approximately five months per year. When we’re not motorhoming, we’re living in a 55-and-over RV park in Naples, Fla.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip:
Touring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin.

One of our fondest motorhoming memories:
An impromptu stop at a natural hot springs in Wyoming. Our bodies felt wonderful after 20 minutes!

Other favorite destinations:
A rustic and quiet campground in a secluded area of Michigan on Lake Michigan. It is near Pentwater, Michigan.

Our “dream” motorhome trip:
Traveling to Alaska from Florida, with stops in the South, Southwest and Northwest.

Our perfect day of motorhome travel:
No traffic jams. No trucks. No construction.

Our worst motorhoming experience:
Pulling into a campground at night in the rain and our motorhome became wedged against a tree when making a turn. It took an hour of maneuvering to get unstuck.

Our motorhoming pet peeve:
Diesel motorhome owners who insist on idling their engines unnecessarily.

Something motorhoming has taught us about life:
There is a great big beautiful world out there with many nice people!

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started:
RVers are very friendly and will go out of their way to help if you need it.

When driving the motorhome the most important thing to remember is:
Don’t be in such a big hurry. Slow down and enjoy the ride.

Our favorite thing about FMCA:
We enjoy the FMCA chapters we’ve joined. We have enjoyed the FMCA rallies and we also love the magazine.

Advice for other motorhomers:
Keep your daily trips short. Leave late and arrive early.

Hobbies:
Bill: Doing my own RV maintenance work. Playing softball, reading mystery novels. Kathy: Playing tennis, reading, planning RV trips.

Favorite way to exercise: Swimming, biking, hiking

Favorite movie: The African Queen

Favorite book: Michael Connelly novels

Favorite singer: Bob Seger

Favorite restaurant: Mel’s Diner (local to Naples, Fla.)

If we were awarded a shopping spree at any store, we’d shop at:
Whole Foods Market, an all-natural supermarket that is earth friendly.

Favorite campground:
Rush-No-More Campground in Sturgis, S.D. It has friendly and accommodating owners. It’s a nice setting and it’s quiet.

When motorhomers visit our former home state (Michigan), they should be sure to see:
1. The shorelines of the Great Lakes and the quaint towns along them.
2. The Big Mac Bridge connecting the two peninsulas.

Our advice to new motorhome owners:
1. Don’t drive more than 250 miles a day.
2. Arrive by 2 p.m.
3. Stay at least two days.

An item that is always in our motorhome’s refrigerator:
Wine and fruit (mostly grapes)

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 2000 Ford Taurus using a tow bar

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome:
Read or cook

Our pet that travels with us:
One spoiled cat

A technical tip we’d like to share with other motorhome owners:
When driving, don’t exceed 60 mph cruising speed. This will increase your fuel mileage and reduce fatigue.

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail:
katanbil@msn.com