3dS`g`]ORWabVS`ST]`bVSbOYW\U It’s like bringing your :Sb¸aR`WdS local technician with you. Coach Care™ RV Service Network Complete drivetrain, chassis and major component service and repair. And of course, Cummins Onan generators, too. ® Okay, so you can’t take your technician with you. But you can get the same level of professionalism you expect from your local service center when you visit Coach Care. Our electronically linked, nationwide network of 37 locations provides authorized warranty repair on drivetrain, chassis and major RV components, so you can count on Coach Care wherever you travel. Every Coach Care center offers overnight parking with hookups and other special amenities exclusively for RVers. Experience our friendly, no-hassle approach to RV service and you’ll agree: nobody cares for you and your coach like Coach Care. Find Coach Care at these select Cummins Distributor locations: Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins NPower Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins Atlantic Phoenix, AZ Denver, CO Boise, ID St. Paul, MN Reno, NV Columbia, SC Toll free: 800-800-2345 Toll free: 800-927-7201 Phone: 208-336-5000 Toll free: 800-642-0085 Toll free: 800-496-6246 Toll free: 800-695-5383 Cummins West Cummins Power South Cummins Crosspoint Cummins Central Power Cummins Northeast Cummins Atlantic Bakersfi eld, CA Jacksonville, FL Normal, IL Kansas City, MO Albany, NY Myrtle Beach, SC Phone: 661-325-9404 Toll free: 800-338-7027 Toll free: 800-759-4355 Toll free: 800-953-1192 Phone: 518-459-1710 Phone: 843-716-7072 Cummins Cal Pacifi c Cummins Power South Onan Indiana Cummins Atlantic Cummins Bridgeway Cummins Rocky Mountain El Cajon, CA Ocala, FL Elkhart, IN Greensboro, NC Cincinnati, OH El Paso, TX Toll free: 800-993-4373 Toll free: 888-699-2774 Toll free: 800-589-9027 Phone: 336-275-4531 Toll free: 877-678-7744 Toll free: 800-800-4240 Cummins Cal Pacifi c Cummins Power South Cummins Bridgeway Cummins Atlantic Cummins Southern Plains Cummins Southern Plains Irvine, CA Orlando, FL Clinton Township, MI Kenly, NC Tulsa, OK Houston, TX Toll free: 800-222-4871 Phone: 407-298-2080 Phone: 586-469-2010 Toll free: 888-288-7181 Toll free: 800-722-2743 Toll free: 800-474-7421 EVWZSR`WdW\Ug]c`[]b]`V][SQ]\¿RS\QS Cummins Cal Pacifi c Cummins Power South Cummins Bridgeway Cummins NPower Cummins Northwest Cummins Atlantic Ventura, CA Tampa, FL Grand Rapids, MI Fargo, ND Coburg, OR Roanoke, VA WaSdS`gbVW\UEWbV]c`W\RS^S\RS\bT`]\b Toll free: 800-881-1159 Toll free: 800-338-2519 Phone: 616-281-2211 Toll free: 800-373-2466 Toll free: 866-236-2167 Toll free: 800-280-4582 Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins Power South Cummins Bridgeway Cummins Rocky Mountain Cummins Power Systems Cummins Northwest aca^S\aW]\O\RW\Rcab`gZSORW\UeVSSZQcb Grand Junction, CO Atlanta, GA New Hudson, MI Albuquerque, NM Harrisburg, PA Spokane, WA Toll free: 800-564-6401 Toll free: 800-768-7278 Toll free: 800-486-4308 Toll free: 800-800-3888 Toll free: 800-841-1344 Toll free: 800-825-2122 SdS`g`]ORWag]c`ab]R`WdS Cummins NPower Milwaukee, WI Toll free: 800-472-8283 T`SWUVbZW\S`QVOaaWaQ][j&#"#&&! 37 locations and growing. Find out more at www.CoachCareRV.com 1OZZ4`SWUVbZW\S`1cab][1VOaaWa1]`^]`ObW]\Ob&#"#&&!]`dWaWbca]\bVSESPObeeeT`SWUVbZW\S`QVOaaWaQ][411;1/!&A^SQW¿QObW]\aO`SacPXSQbb] ©2008 Cummins Power Generation. Cummins and Onan are registered trademarks and Coach Care is a trademark of Cummins Inc. QVO\USeWbV]cb\]bWQS4`SWUVbZW\S`1cab][1VOaaWa1]`^]`ObW]\Wa`SUWabS`SRb]7A='1]^g`WUVb &2OW[ZS`B`cQYa<]`bV/[S`WQO::1/ZZ`WUVba`SaS`dSR ??? 1 4`SWUVbZW\S`1cab][1VOaaWa1]`^]`ObW]\WaOacPaWRWO`g]T2OW[ZS`B`cQYa<]`bV/[S`WQO::1O2OW[ZS`Q][^O\g FCCC0103_60-degree_Rough Smooth.indd 1 4/25/08 11:14:05 AM SUMMER 2008 VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3 6 49 19 36 Roughing it Departments Features Smoothly President’s Corner 4 The 2009 Zephyr 45 QBZ 6 June 2008 Volume 5, Number 3 Things Are Really Pretty Good Opening a Whole New World Roughing It Smoothly® magazine is published four times a year by Book Production Resources for News You Can Use 14 Yellowstone 19 Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc., 105 2nd Street NW, Red Janice Frederick—Survivor Granddaddy of Them All Bay, Alabama 35582. BPR offices are located at 9302 Alanbrooke Street, Temple Terrace, Florida Tiffin Management Team 16 33637. Printed in the United States of America. Dan Blanke: Retired? 32 Postage paid at Burlington, Vermont 05402. Tiffin’s Service Liaison: Norris Lewey Postmaster: Send all changes of address to Book New for 2009 36 Production Resources, P.O. Box 292912, Tampa, Allegro Club News 30 Florida 33687-2912. ® Rallies in Arizona and Louisiana Atlanta 49 This issue of Roughing It Smoothly has a postal Rally Plans for 2009 distribution of approximately 39,500 copies and As a Destination a dealer distribution of 12,000 copies. It was printed by Lane Press, 87 Meadowland, South On the Road with Harold 40 Burlington, Vermont 05403. Interviews from Arizona and Editor’s Note Copyright © 2008 by Book Production Resources. ® New Mexico All rights reserved. Roughing It Smoothly is a Don’t miss the four-page “New for registered trademark of Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. On the Production Line 41 2009” feature starting on page 36. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the Building Top-Quality Cabinets Tiffin has rolled out more new features publisher. and Furniture this year than at any time in the last Publisher, Book Production Resources; Editor, Fred five. NOTE: The 2009 Allegro Open Thompson; Typesetting and Page Makeup, Andy Dealer Profile 46 Road models will debut in late July due Cargile; Copy Editor, Carolyn Breuer. His Name Is Jim Dandy to the extensive changes and upgrades Contributing Writers: Bob Tiffin, Fred Thompson, Norman Spray, Harold Breuninger, Danny Inman, being made this year. We will feature Gail Johnson, and Jimmy Johnson. Owner Profile 56 them in the Fall issue of RIS. Contributing Photographers: Dean Dixon, Fred Getting High at 65 Thompson, Jeff Williams, Norman Spray, Harold If you have suggestions and ideas for Breuninger, RV Pro, Fotosearch, Cory Photography, From the Road 61 Jimmy Johnson, Doc Hutcheson the magazine, please write to me at P.O. Box 292912, Tampa, FL 33687-2912 or Tiffin coach owners may receive a free subscription Serious Tech Talk 62 by calling toll-free to 877-538-7467; writing to call me toll-free at 877-538-7467. Editorial Roughing It Smoothly®, P.O. Box 292912, Tampa, FL contributions are welcomed but not re- 33687–2912; or emailing fredthompson1941@ On our cover: Big Springs Dam and Reservoir turnable unless you include return postage. hotmail.com. Please include your phone number, on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway near Items accepted for publication are sub- the last six characters of your VIN number, and Dennis, Mississippi the year and model of your coach. If you sell your ject to editing. Send address changes to coach, please call Stephanie Umfress at 256- The following names are registered trademarks the above address or email them to fred- 356-8661 and give her the VIN number, year and ® [email protected]. Subject line model, and the new owner’s address so that the of Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc.: Open Road , ® ® ® ® new owner can enjoy the magazine. Phaeton , Allegro , Allegro Bay , Allegro Bus , of email should say “RIS address change.” Zephyr®, Roughing It Smoothly®, and Pusher®. 2 ROUGHING IT SMOOTHLY units. But by the 1979–81 crisis, we had PRESIDENT’S CORNER a good track record in service and parts and that is what helped us weather the storm during those years. And no doubt, service along with our well-thought-out functional designs and floorplans are the Things Are Really Pretty Good two key reasons why we are doing as well as we are today. by Bob Tiffin So what is the big question in June 2008? Where will the price of fuel go now? By looking at the past, we can attempt to predict the future. In both previous crises The U.S. and world economies affect each warned other members of OPEC that in recent history, energy prices stayed of us in different ways, depending on our high prices would lead to a reduction in high for an extended period and then lev- liquid assets, our liabilities, and how we demand. He was right! Surging prices eled off as the financial economic ship are invested. Of course, that is equally brought on better insulation in new righted itself. Income and prices in other Ttrue of all businesses. homes, increased insulation in older sectors of the economy increased to com- Looking at Tiffin Motorhomes’ 35- homes, greater efficiency in industrial pensate for the increased price of fuel and year history, the economy had a pro- production, and automobiles that start- ultimately brought everything back into nounced effect on sales during the years ed to get more miles per gallon. These fac- balance. The key to the leveling process is 1973–75 and 1979–81 and part of 1982. tors along with a global recession caused when and where the price of fuel will set- Of course, the primary factor in those a reduction in demand which led to fall- tle for the long haul. years was the price of oil. ing fuel prices. I believe that our technology is going to How was TMH affected? In Janu- Eventually, crude prices fell to $10 per create a key factor that will affect the price ary 1973, our first year of operation, we barrel by mid-1986.