NOTE: For best formatting results, click on the link in the upper right corner of this email that says "view this email in your browser." Some email and mobile phone systems may not show the whole newsletter. They may have three dots or a "[Message clipped] View entire message" at the bottom of the email to see the complete newsletter. MAKE SURE YOU CLICK THE VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE or you will miss important info! The newsletter will also be posted as a pdf and linked on the home page of the website at http://chinookrvclub.com/chinookeastclub.html Always open to feedback, email me at cnbreeding52@gmail.com
Nancy Breeding, Editor
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Ugh. Short days. Getting colder. It’s what Douglas Adams called the Dark and Dreary Teatime of the Soul. It’s a time for hibernating, planning for times to come, eating hearty meals and drinking warming quaffs. It’s a time for…a winter RV rally? But there are holidays, family obligations, and then there’s the cold. Well, maybe it’s not so cold in Florida. That’s where the winter rally is, you say? Flamingo Lakes? Wasn’t that the nice one with the little cafe on premises and lakeside sites? Near a lot of stuff too, wasn’t it? And it *would* be nice to hang out once again with an agreeable bunch of fellow travelers. Sure, you could stay home and miss it if you *had* to, but would you really want to? Really?
Mark McCluski
President
FALL RALLY WRAPUP Rallies in Nashville are always fun, and the fall rally this year was no exception! We had pleasant weather, good facilities, fun activities, the always-wonderful food and outstanding company! Many of the members arrived early and visited some of Nashville's sights and sounds, downtown and the Grand Ole Opry shows. Sunday we gathered for the meet and greet, sampling the snacks and saying hello to old and new friends. On Monday, the KOA served a pancake breakfast and although the food was good, the consensus was our Chinook cooks do better! The afternoon was open to explore, and we got together in the evening for the pot luck dinner and annual meeting.
After stuffing ourselves with the homemade goodies, we elected officers for the coming year. Thanks to Mark McCluski and Gerry Rutter for staying on another year, and welcome to Debbie Person, who is taking over the secretary position and Dottie Norris, who will be the new treasurer. Tara Burgess is doing another year as rally VP with additional help from Judy Boone. Thanks to all for volunteering! We also recognized the contributions of Linda Stamper for her years as treasurer and Diane Cremens for her years as secretary. Volunteers such as these wonderful people keep the club running!
Below: Gerry Rutter, Debbie Person, Dottie Norris, Mark McCluski and Judy Boone
Tuesday we had a pot luck breakfast, which gave us a great start to the day. A tech roundtable followed, where the members shared experience, asked for advice and learned some tips and tricks (see the tech article for a few of the suggestions).
The KOA is located right next to the Cock of the Walk restaurant, so we gathered there for the annual club dinner. Kind of a chaotic atmosphere, but the food was great!
Evenings were spent trading stories around the campfire at Lisa Lutzier and Jim Rohrborn's site.
Attending rallies gives us a chance to share advice about the rigs, find new and interesting places to go, and meet other Chinookers, many of whom become lifelong friends. This rally we met Dinah and Denis Murdock (l) and Ruthie and Chip Woyner (r)! If you haven't attended a rally, please try one out.
A HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE EXITING OFFICERS!
At the Nashville rally, we held the annual elections for officers of the Chinook Camping Club. We have some new faces, but here we would like to acknowledge and thank those who served the club for the past year (and more). Thank you to Diane Cremens as secretary, and to Linda Stamper, who handled the finances as treasurer. Both of these outstanding volunteers put in multiple years serving the needs of the club. Give them a hearty THANK YOU when you see them!
UPCOMING RALLY SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
With any rally please make sure you say you are with the Chinook Camping Club. VOLUNTEER HOSTS NEEDED, CONTACT T BURGESS AT cccrallyvp@gmail.com
Winter Rally @ Flamingo Lake RV Resort FL, January 23-26 , 2017
Hosts: Ken & Lillian Schmidt, Debbie & BJ Person
3640 Newcomb Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32218 800-782-4323 (www.flamingolake.com)
Flamingo Lake is one of our favorite haunts! It has excellent facilities with places to gather, a nice walking area and an on-site cafe where we can take a break from cooking or have a beer with friends. Jacksonville is a great jumping off point for Florida explorations. If you haven't checked out the Florida state parks, you are truly missing some gems! And it's close to St. Augustine, a lovely historical town to visit. Explore http://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/ for some ideas. Over the years we have been coming down, we have traveled on to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, many of the state parks, and back up to the panhandle. Come on along and sign up for the winter rally!
Spring Rally @ East Asheville KOA, April 30-May 3, 2017 2708 Old US Hwy 70E, Swannanoa NC 828-686-3121, let them know you are with the Chinook rally.
Hosts needed! If you are interested in volunteering or just want to ask questions about what is involved email T at CCCRallyVP@gmail.com!
We had such a wonderful time last year, we are gathering here again! The park is beautiful and in a scenic mountain area. Explore Black Mountain, one of the most scenic and cute towns in America. Visit Asheville and the Biltmore estate, or drive on down to the other western North Carolina mountain areas. And as usual, visit with the other Chinookers!
Summer Rally, 2017, WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH IDEAS!!!
We’re still hoping for an event in the late spring. If you have any ideas that you’d be willing to work on, please email T at CCCRallyVP@gmail.com!
Fall Rally Branson Lakeside RV Park, Branson MO Sept 25-30, 2017 ANNUAL RALLY September rally will be a joint gathering with the Western club at Branson Lakeside RV Park, 300 Boxcar Willie Dr, Branson, MO 65616. Phone 417-334-2915. We will be hosted by western club members Jim and Marnie Weidmaier. We’ll beg a little time apart from our western cousins to conduct our annual business meeting. More information will be coming soon.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT by Gerry Rutter
We have 93 coaches registered.
We also have 2 associate members.
In 27 states.
New Members: William (Bill) Dendor CCC# 413 Pat & Mike Bosley CCC# 414 David (Dave) and Rondelle Ruggiero CCC# 415
Departed Members: Beverly & Earl Willet CCC# 403
Those that use the EZ Member Directory, please update your database.
There are new members, and corrections that have been made.
The Dropbox directories have also been updated.
Please review your information on the Membership Directory, and send any corrections, mismatches or updates to me at ChinookCampingClub@gmail.com
EZ Member Directory App:
I have added 2 WIKIHOW tutorials to the installation instructions on the shared Dropbox folder.
EZ Member Directory will not work on Amazon Kindle. This is because Amazon does not accept apps from the Google PlayStore.
Google has been changing how they determine device compatibility.
Currently they consider the EZ Member Directory to be a smart phone app, and it may not show as available from a tablet.
DID YOU KNOW?
If you tap a members address from the EZ Member Directory app, you can get directions to their home.
If you need your access code or assistance with the app, please send your questions to ChinookCampingClub@gmail.com
Some of our members have not had the opportunity to attend a rally.
SOOO, we do not have photos of you or your Chinook.
If you wish to have your picture in the Member Photo Directory, please send me a photo of yourself and your Chinook to me.
DID YOU FORGET TO SEND IN YOUR DUES?? MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO
“Chinook Camping Club” and mail to:
Chinook Camping Club
Dottie Norris
57 Downes Rd.
Underhill VT 05489
CLUB DUES OF $35 PER COACH ARE DUE EACH YEAR ON OCTOBER 1.
Dues are considered delinquent after December 1.
CHINOOK LOGO ITEMS
The club has a variety of logo items available for purchase. The Royal or White collared polo shirt is very nice. Also available are T-shirts in Royal or White, Sweatshirts and Fleece Vests in Royal. They all look great with our club Baseball Cap. For information on availability contact Eileen at chinook121@tampabay.rr.com or by calling 813-633-5113.
CHINOOK CAMPING CLUB LOGO ITEM PRICING
Prices as of Oct 2015 and are subject to change
KC Brushed Cotton Ball Cap – KC8210S – Royal $9.25
Ladies Pique Polo – BG6500 – Royal/White $15.95
Men’s Pique Polo – BG7500 – Royal/White $15.95
Ladies T-Shirt – GL200L – Royal/White $8.40
Men’s T-Shirt – GL200 – Royal/White $8.00
Sweatshirt – GL120 – Royal $15.10
Fleece Vest – M985 – Royal $21.75
TECH TALK ROUNDTABLE AT THE FALL RALLY and ADDITIONAL TIPS Brief notes from the tech roundtable: (I hope I got these right!)
If you have Safety Plus on your rig and are getting an alignment, have them loosen the Safety Plus, align and then retighten the Safety Plus. Gail Rebecca Williams demonstrated the Protectall Quick and Easy Rinseless Wash. Judy Boone showed us her new rubber floor that looks like cork, but works great with her show dogs. The Dennisons showed us their van front swivel seat and Charge-It portable charger. Terry Arnold said some of the leaks in the refrigerator and closet areas could be coming from the 110 plug on the outside of the rig. Check the cover and the seal as rain water will leak through.
Terry reminded us to stock a replacement serpentine belt.
We discussed the spark plug replacement issue in the E350, an expensive and sometimes difficult repair.
Other information to check out:
When should you winterize? Check out the article at http://www.thewanderman.com/2016/10/how-do-you-know-when-to-begin.html
There is a general Chinook facebook group called I Love My Chinook. If you are on Facebook, search for it and request to join!
Educate yourself on RV electrical. The RV Travel site has a 12 part educational series at http://rvtravel.com/no-shock-zone-introduction/
Chinook Easy Eats!
Here's a quick and easy cookie recipe for the holidays for Forgotten Kisses (meringue cookies) Ingredients
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar (1 cup+2 tblsp in the food processor for 30 sec =1 cup superfine sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate (I like the mini chips)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry. (Be careful not to over-beat.) Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies (undisturbed) in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2003 Read More>
SUNSHINE UPDATES Do you know a member who is ill or recovering that needs some SUNSHINE? Send the info to Debbie Persondebper68@att.net
TRAVELOGUE: SEEKING contributors for the travelogue! Have you taken a trip lately? Share it with your fellow Chinook travelers. We would love to get the details on routes, campgrounds, sightseeing, Chinook issues. We all learn from each other! Write it up, short or long, and send it along to the editor for the next newsletter! Email to cnbreeding52@gmail.com
STILL SEEKING CAMPGROUND BLOG POSTS!
Let's share information on where to park our Chinooks overnight en route or for an extended visit to wonderful places. Here is a BLOG CHALLENGE!
For a few years, Sally Arnold has had a blog online where we can post about campgrounds we've visited, organized by state. It's a great resource, but needs to be expanded!Here's the challenge: We're asking each Chinook Club member to log on and post TWO reviews of campgrounds you have visited along route. It would add another couple of hundred places if all members participate. Here's the address:http://chinooktravel.blogspot.com/ Just click on the state and add a comment, like you would on Facebook! Let's see the list grow before the January rally!
More photos have been added to the Chinook Club Flickr site. These albums will not be searchable to the general public. The address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/chinookcampingclub/ Each of the rallies has an album, click on albums to choose a particular rally. Thanks to Eileen Disbrow for uploading the pictures, and to Ed Cremens for being the club photographer when they can make the rallies!
The photos are not available to be downloaded unless you sign in. The login for the site will be in an email sent to members. To download you would click on the photo, and then click the download arrow in the lower right corner. Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions about how to access them. cnbreeding52@gmail.com
At the Nashville rally, we held the annual elections for officers of the Chinook Camping Club. We have some new faces, but here we would like to acknowledge and thank those who served the club for the past year (and more). Thank you to Diane Cremens as secretary, and to Linda Stamper, who handled the finances as treasurer. Both of these outstanding volunteers put in multiple years serving the needs of the club. Give them a hearty THANK YOU when you see them! 
K PAYABLE TO
STILL SEEKING CAMPGROUND BLOG POSTS! 
