Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > MONTANA OWNERS CLUB COMMUNITY > New Member Introductions
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-02-2008, 07:41 AM   #1
Son of JVP
Established Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Maple Valley
Posts: 27
M.O.C. #8249
New guy here!

Hello, my name is Andy and I live on the outskirts of Seattle. My parents just bought an '07 3585SA. I got my Dad registered on this site, but he is not very computer savvy and is a little intimidated by how these forums work. As for me, I'm an old hand at these on-line forums, although this one is formatted a little differently than what I'm used to. Some of you who tow your trailers with Dodge/Cummins trucks may be members of the Turbo Diesel Register ( http://www.turbodieselregister.com ), which I am a member. I'm also in the Northwest Bombers ( http://www.nwbombers.com ), which is a loose knit group of Pacific Northwest dieselheads. It started as a local chapter of the Turbo Diesel Register, consisting of Dodge/Cummins owners, but now there are a large number of Ford Powerstroke and Chevy/GMC Duramax owners on the site, and all are welcome there. The name "Bombers" comes from the acronym "BOMB" which is short for "Better Off Modified, Baby!" The NWB site is free, so if you live in WA/OR/NorCal/ID/AK/BC/AB and you're a dieselhead, feel free to join!
Anyway, back to the Montana, my folks, who are retired, live in SoCal. They traded in their 2000 Bounder motorhome for the new Montana, and they are very happy with it. They will not be towing it anywhere. Instead, they are keeping it on my property and they will use it as a summer cabin when they visit me. So, you could say that they will be "semi-full-timers". My Dad was feeling very uncomfortable with driving the Bounder, and his eyesight isn't that good anymore (he's 80), so they decided that their RV travelling days are over. They have been RV'ers since 1966 when they bought a '66 Ford F250 with a slide-in camper. I was 3 years old back then!
My folks have a granddaughter who is an airline pilot, and they fly at a tremendous discount now. So, that's how they travel, instead of breaking the bank by filling up the gas tank on that V-10 Bounder to drive to my place and park it all summer. My Dad is happy that he no longer has to deal with maintaining an engine, transmission, generator, etc.
Anyway, that's their story. The trailer was delivered to my place a few weeks ago, and my Dad - "Mr. Restless Handyman" - already added a few things after the trailer was delivered. They flew home to SoCal a few days after the trailer was delivered, but they will fly back here in late May and stay in their trailer at my place until September. I live on 1.3 acres on a dead-end street where no other houses are visible and they have a view of a pond on my property that attracts ducks, so it's like a campground for them. This summer, my niece and her family will move in with me, so my folks will be able to see their two toddler great-granddaughters everyday. That's what it's all about, right?
Anyway, you may see me posting a few questions on behalf of my Dad in regards to repairs, modifications, etc. I've already surfed the forums and found a lot of valuable information that I passed on to him, like replacing the decorative globe-type light bulbs above the bathroom vanity with compact flourescent lights to eliminate heat damage to the ceiling. Dad already took care of that one. I tried to show him how much valuable information is right here at his fingertips on this website, but I think he's intimidated and confused by all the acronyms and inside lingo. I'll try to ease him into it.
Regards, Andy Perreault, Maple Valley, WA
 
Son of JVP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 09:50 AM   #2
bsmeaton
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
Welcome aboard son! Nice choice in rigs.
bsmeaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 10:16 AM   #3
slewis
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Delaware
Posts: 504
M.O.C. #5841
What a nice son you are. I'm sure he will appreciate your help with the workings of the forum. And how wonderful that he can be near you and the little ones, too. I'm sure you'll find even more information than you ever thought about on this forum.
Sandy
slewis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 10:22 AM   #4
stiles watson
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Leona
Posts: 6,382
M.O.C. #2059
Welcome. Just ask and receive.
stiles watson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 10:26 AM   #5
HamRad
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Bakersfield
Posts: 5,316
M.O.C. #15
How wonderful! The best of all worlds for all concerned. Just too bad your folks won't be able to tow that nice Montana all over the country.

Take care and enjoy all that you can while you can.

HamRad
HamRad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 11:56 AM   #6
jjackflash
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hesperia
Posts: 1,321
M.O.C. #7787
Sounds like you're a big family man Son of JVP,I don't know if you Realize it or not but you and your parents just aquired another family.
Wecome to the MOC!
jjackflash is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 12:35 PM   #7
sreigle
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
Welcome. Tell your Dad there is no such thing as a dumb question here. We are all here to help each other. So he can feel free to jump in and not fear being called names or jumped on. The Moderators here do not let that happen.
sreigle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 12:44 PM   #8
brenkco
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 856
M.O.C. #8154
Welcome Andy..We have had our rig for just over a week and have found this forum a fantastic perk. Great info and a lot of great people willing to lend a hand. Congrats to your Dad and again welcome to your new extended family!
brenkco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 02:39 PM   #9
Waynem
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Texas City
Posts: 5,736
M.O.C. #7673
Andy,
What a wonderful sounding family y'all have there. You are doing what we all dream of. Some one to take care of us as we get old, not matter how little, or how much. God bless for that.

I'm one of the ones that can give a stupid answer once in a while, but I have never asked a stupid question. I don't believe that there are stupid questions. Well, sometimes, I think the DW (Acronym for Dear Wife) asks a few. But then I just give one of my stupid answers.

Welcome to you and you family to our family.
Waynem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 04:06 PM   #10
DarMar
Montana Master
 
DarMar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Brandon
Posts: 3,944
M.O.C. #1034
Nice to hear from you Andy, sounds like you are doing a fine job of being a supportive son. Good luck, hope you can get your dad to join in on the forum.
__________________
Darwin & Maureen DeBackere
Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada
2011/3500/Silverado/4x4/DRW/Duramax
2017/3721RL/Legacy Pkg./Pressure-Pro
DarMar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2008, 05:29 PM   #11
Son of JVP
Established Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Maple Valley
Posts: 27
M.O.C. #8249
Thanks all for the welcome. I'm looking forward to learning how to best help the folks take care of their trailer, especially the "make sure you always --- " "watch out for --- " and "don't ever --- " type of tips.

Quote:
quote:Originally posted by HamRad

Just too bad your folks won't be able to tow that nice Montana all over the country.
They don't feel bad about it. They realize that they're at the age where it's too much work and too scary to drive a big RV amongst all the traffic. My mom hasn't driven in years.
But they've been RV'ing since 1966 and they've been all over the U.S. and Canada. I have lots of childhood memories of desert sunrises, national parks, thunderstorms, freight trains, campfires, and wildlife. Two adults and 3 kids (I was the youngest) living in an 11-foot slide-in camper for a month! My brother and sister would sit in the middle on the bench seat and I'd sit on my mom's lap, and I don't think we ever wore seat belts. My grandparents lived in Colorado, so we'd always go there every summer, and we'd try to take a different route there each year. I remember one time driving through southern Wyoming and seeing a police car on the shoulder with its lights on. As we pulled up, the state patrolman flagged us down. He came up to the window and said, "We're having a chuck wagon barbecue, would you like to join us?" Some of you may remember the days when people were hand feeding the bears at Yellowstone through their car windows. Yep, we did that! I remember my dad changing a flat tire in the pouring rain on Red Mountain Pass in Colorado, and hitchhiking with a gas can in eastern Utah! Then there was the time in Reno when we asked a gas station owner if we could park for the night behind his gas station. It was on a busy, noisy main street right in the "strip" area with all the neon lights. My folks didn't realize that the Southern Pacific main line tracks were only a few feet away on the other side of the fence! I can remember hearing my folks complaining that a campground was charging them $8 for a night. Any of you remember back when it seemed like the normal price for a campsite was $4 to $6? And you almost never had to make reservations because the campgrounds were never crowded? Times have changed, but my folks have all those experiences and memories, and they have no regrets of giving up the road. And besides that, now they can take advantage of the flight benefits through their granddaughter.
Andy
Son of JVP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2008, 02:19 AM   #12
Waynem
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Texas City
Posts: 5,736
M.O.C. #7673
Andy,
You too have the memories, and they are wonderful ones. I would wager that sitting around the campfire with your folks and you would be a wonderful experience.

Be careful! You may just have a string of Montana's wanting to park in your driveway.

I do remember when the most expensive campsites were KOA at $12 a night.
Waynem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2008, 05:31 AM   #13
krtam
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Valley Center
Posts: 157
M.O.C. #7840
Dear Son of JVP,
I also have memories similar to yours, traveling with my parents and sister in a '57 oldsmobile and a 16ft Aristocrat TT. We always crossed the desert at night during the summer. I remember staying the night in the police station parking lot because of car trouble in Gilroy, CA, not knowing they grew garlic there, WOW what an aroma to awaken to. My parents gave up RVing a long time ago, but they took my sons camping in their motorhome. My oldest son was afraid to go into the camground shower room when he was about 3 years old (even with grandma and grandpa) so my dad bought a plastic tub you mix cement in and that was my son's bathtub for a couple of years. Our 2008 Montana is a long way from camping in the 50s and 60s but life is sure different, too. Anyway, welcome to MOC
Sharon
krtam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2008, 12:47 PM   #14
grampachet
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Portland
Posts: 1,107
M.O.C. #8045
Welcome,
He who ask a question is a fool for a moment, but he who remains silent is a fool forever. Any question asked is a moment in ones life where wisdom is aquired.
Chet from Langley BC
grampachet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2008, 03:44 AM   #15
gpats
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Amarillo
Posts: 125
M.O.C. #7742
How about setting up an additional spot next to your dad's montie and you might lure a few MOC visitors----glad you are on board---(or at least on line)
gpats is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2008, 12:58 PM   #16
Son of JVP
Established Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Maple Valley
Posts: 27
M.O.C. #8249
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Waynem

Andy,
You too have the memories, and they are wonderful ones. I would wager that sitting around the campfire with your folks and you would be a wonderful experience.

Be careful! You may just have a string of Montana's wanting to park in your driveway.
I wish I could offer y'all a free parking space, but my place is going to be a zoo this summer! My niece and her husband and their two little girls have been living in Vienna, Austria, working at an American-run Christian school for the last 5 years ( http://www.maysonandlaura.com ). They've been living on church support donations, and with the declining economy, their support is dwindling, while at the same time the Dollar/Euro exchange rate makes the U.S. Dollar worth only 48 cents over there. They are moving back to the states permanently this summer, and since they will have practically nothing, they are going to live with me until they can save up to buy a house. I told them I don't want them to be pouring money down the drain renting a cramped apartment somewhere. I'm a single guy and my grumpy cockatiel and I are used to having the house to ourselves, but that's all going to change in June! I'll have my folks in the Montana, and a family of 4 in the house, and my sister (the grandmother of the little girls), will be flying up here all the time to get her grandkid fix.
However, it's going to be great to have two happy, giggly, silly little girls running around! THEY are the important ones!
Here's a couple of pictures of the girls from my niece's blog on their website.
Andy

Son of JVP is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.