Member Spotlight

Max and Joanne Durbin
North Fort Myers, Fla.

FMCA membership number: F76454 (We joined in 1986)

Our current motorhome: A 33-foot 1996 Monaco Windsor

Other motorhomes we’ve owned:
A 1982 Titan by Champion
A 1986 Titan by Champion
A1988 Mallard Sprint
A 1991 Mallard Sprinter
A 1995 Georgie Boy Swinger

The best thing about our current motorhome:
The inside floor plan and workmanship.

If we could change one thing about our motorhome:
We’d install a computer desk.

The best addition we’ve made to our motorhome:
A computer desk for our laptop computer.

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
After retirement we wanted to spend the winter touring the southern states to find the state where we wanted to spend the colder months. We loved the life so much that we continued to full-time for three years, stopping only because of a bike accident that we thought would end our travels.

Occupations:
Joanne: research associate and office management. Max: city government administrator.

The best thing about motorhoming:
We can come and go as we please and stay anywhere we choose for any length of time.

We travel in the motorhome:
Up to nine months a year.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip:
A 48-day tour of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. We also enjoyed touring Alberta, the Yukon and Alaska.

One of our fondest motorhoming memories:
Spending three weeks touring Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our “dream” motorhome trip:
Another trip to Alaska, which would be our fourth.

Our perfect day of motorhome travel:
Any day where nothing goes wrong.

Our worst motorhoming experience:
When the engine quits and won’t restart.

Our motorhoming pet peeve:
RVers who put down levelers, put out awnings, and get out the grill in Wal-Mart and other retailer parking lots.

Something motorhoming has taught us about life:
There’s always something new and wonderful around each bend in the road.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started:
We should have become active in FMCA much sooner.

When driving the motorhome, the most important thing to remember:
Don’t follow other vehicles too closely and keep an eye on the rearview mirror.

Our favorite thing about FMCA:
The friendships made which will last forever.

Advice for other motorhome owners:
Travel as much as you possibly can, since none of us knows how long our good health will last.

Our hobbies:
We volunteer a great deal of time for FMCA, but when we are home for brief periods, Max works with stained glass and I (Joanne) love to spend time in the kitchen.

Favorite movie: Gone With The Wind

Favorite book: Mystery and intrigue genre

Favorite restaurant: Any northeast restaurant that serves good boiled lobster.

Favorite music: Joanne: big band; Max: classical.

If we were awarded a free shopping spree at any store, we’d choose:
Dillard’s.

Favorite campground:
Gun Creek Campground in Rend Lake, Illinois. It’s managed by the U.S. Army Corps. Of Engineers.

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 2002 Saturn SL 2, which we tow four wheels on the ground. We have previously owned 1996 and 1999 Saturns for towed cars.

An item that is always in our motorhome’s refrigerator: Grapefruit juice

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome:
Reading and crossword puzzles.

Children:
We have five children: three boys and two girls, a perfect “fullhouse” in poker. When they were young we towed a travel trailer behind a station wagon. Every vacation was a geography and history lesson for them. As adults they have thanked us for the experiences and understand why we love the motorhome lifestyle.

Other comments:
Motorhome travel and volunteering with FMCA has kept us young in spirit and mentally alert, and we recommend this lifestyle to others.

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail:
mjdurbin@juno.com